It’s Sunday morning….
Door: Janneke Johanna Maria
Blijf op de hoogte en volg Janneke
21 Februari 2016 | Maleisië, Pulau Perhentian Kecil
To get back to the point I was trying to make: it’s Sunday morning and it feels good! The whole house only started getting back to life around 10:30am, there are no kids running around since they’re all in school (weekends here are on Friday and Saturday), a good friend just came to visit, Bob Marley sounds through our brand new speakers, our cats are sleeping anywhere and everywhere, everyone has fried an egg or two, the smell of coffee fills up our living room and nobody is actually doing anything. Love it!
Our only day off and therefore weekend is on Sunday, but since we’re still setting up the project and there are no volunteers around yet, we don’t really have a schedule but still get a lot of work done. I think I’m allowed to say we live quite a good life at the moment. Some people would even say it’s paradise…
Secretly we kick-started the weekend on Friday night, when we went to one of the other beaches for some chilled atmosphere, non-work chats, a cocktail and shisha. I must say it was a bit strange to taste liquorice while being in Malaysia, cause apparently that’s what double apple – mint creates. It was only when my colleague posted on Facebook “Most people take the car to go out on a Friday night and have shisha, I take a boat…” I realized again I was back ‘home’. Island life it is! It’s just that sometimes you need someone to remind you that the way you’re living isn’t ‘normal’ (whatever that may mean). I’ve only been back on the island for two weeks, but sometimes it feels like I never left. Probably because everything is back to ‘normal’. And that’s exactly what the islands do to you: absorb you and make you forget about time and space.
After our Friday night out we actually worked very hard during the whole of Saturday (yesterday). You gotta deserve your fun times right… At night I couldn’t escape my cooking duty anymore, since I was the only one that hadn’t cooked yet. Oh yes I did once actually, but that was a bit of myself and a bit of Maggi (grapje for my Dutchy friends, although it was literally Maggi I used). You all gotta know that I’m the best sous-chef in the world, but to actually make a tasty dish is a whole different quality which I kinda lack (at least compared to the others here). Being vegetarian and loving veggies, the meals I’ve always made for myself where simple and pure but without any craziness. *The poor guy who’s ever gonna end up with me better be a good chef.* Being in Malaysia (where veggies aren’t part of the diet) and living with a bunch of meat lovers, it’s a bit harder to actually eat what I would like to. But yesterday I managed to create an island-style Italian meal: pasta pesto, garlic bread, sweet & sour salad and fresh lemongrass juice. Look at me being proud. And look at my colleagues/house mates/partners in crime: they’re actually starting to love vegetarian meals after a couple of meat free nights. Booyaaah! Don't worry, I don’t love them just for that reason, but also because they really try to cook in a way which suits my diet as well. Sweeties!
How did I end up talking about food huh? Well let’s move on to another highlight, cause after our Italian meal we had our first movie night of the season. Yayarrrs! Another thing you all should know about, is what our movie nights usually look like:
* we install the projector to project the movie on our big white wall (really cool!); we’ve got special effects as well, since the filter misses the blue colour --> sometimes it looks like everyone on the screen has got a sun burn;
* we take our matrasses out into the living room and find ourselves a comfortable spot;
* we change into something even more comfortable than we were already wearing (the island doesn’t make you wear the fanciest clothes you know);
* Ray makes us all a big cup of tea;
* last night we were lucky enough to find some leftover ice cream and KitKat Chuncky’s in our fridge (thanks guys, love you!);
* and it’s time for the movie to start!
All of this usually takes an hour or two, since there’s always someone who still needs to shower, go to the mosque, make a long phone call, fall asleep while setting up the matrasses (they do look comfy!) and so on. So last night it was 10pm before we our whole set-up ritual was done. 10pm is a tricky time, since last year our movie nights never lasted long. Starting a movie with all of us would always mean that slowly one by one all of us would fall asleep, only for Ray to stay awake and actually finish it. I won’t lie if I say I watched about 30 half-movies. Sometimes I’d only last ten minutes even… But yesterday the unexpected happen: six people started and five finished! *Don't ask who missed about an hour. But hé: five out of six is a record here! Especially since it was Inception we watched, which at that time of the day isn’t an easy movie to take in.
Friday night out, Saturday night in, Sunday morning lay-in and here we are: Sunday afternoon. In a couple of hours we’re gonna spend some family time with our neighbours: the most amazing, warm-hearted people you could ever wish for to live next to. They’re taking us to another beach to swim, snorkel and just have a good time. Thank you very much, cheers to a good Sunday!
*For everyone who’s really confused now and thought I was gonna be in either Sumatra or one of the jungle projects in Malaysia: plans changed and will always keep changing. I’m back on Perhentians for now…
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Je kunt nu ook Smileys gebruiken. Via de toolbar, toetsenbord of door eerst : te typen en dan een woord bijvoorbeeld :smiley