Rain…we’re sitting under a tin-roof hawker stand, eating Thai food with a good friend and a visitor of hers from Russia. It had been one of those sultry days, the air thick with that virulent Malaysian humidity that causes your shirt to dampen and cling to your skin. The whirling fans above do little but make noise. And then a subtle change….the air begins to move. Gently at first, you feel it on the hairs of your arms. Little by little it intensifies and with it come the clouds, out of nowhere, clouds that darken the sky. Then thunder, atomic bomb sounding thunder. The kind that makes you want to run for your bed and pull the covers over your head. The skies alight with flashes of lightening, like hundreds of Paparazzi strobes going off at once. You can smell the static. And slowly the rain begins….drop at a time on the tin roof, pat, pat, pat. The rhythm increases and soon you cannot hear the person sitting next to you. You look outside and there is only grey, heaven and earth are joined. Rain so thick and heavy it is like a cloak covering our building You hope somewhere an ark is being built. And then the process reverses…the thunder rolls away. The rain returns to a pitter-patter, the wind dies down, and sunshine returns. Your arms once again glisten with perspiration. Conversation resumes, life goes on.
Rain in Malaysia is like no where else. Frightening and magnificent, life giving and awe inspiring. We shall never forget the Malaysian rain.
Rain from our deck.
Our Adventures 
I so enjoy your blog!! You two are having such an adventure. Love the lyrical voice of RAIN. Have a Merry Christmas!!!
Thank you Kay. I had fun writing it. Don’t you just love a good storm? After the last monsoon my fingers couldn’t wait to try and capture it in print. Makes you appreciate how hard writing is for children when you actually sit down and try it yourself. Merry Christmas to you also.
Like many before me Bob, I so look forward to opening the email “Malaysia Adventure” and feel like I’m in Malaysia with your amazing pictures and details! Thank you for keeping us all updated! Can’t wait to hear about the education of the littlest ones in your school! 🙂 Merry Christmas to you and Heidi! Margo 🙂
Hi Margo,
So glad you enjoy the posts.
We have much to share about early childhood. We have been working on our philosophy statement:
ISKL School-wide Early Childhood Philosophy Statement
Early childhood education at ISKL lays the foundation for developing young learners’ attitudes, skills, knowledge and understanding. This foundation will enable students to become successful, spirited, socially responsible global citizens. It is a pivotal time when early learners embark on their learning journey, and naturally begin to think creatively, reason critically, communicate effectively, collaborate constructively, learn enthusiastically and live ethically.
The ISKL Early Childhood program is based on a strong belief in the development of the whole child and a love of learning. Social, emotional, cognitive, physical, and creative skills are cultivated to support our students to become life-long learners. Early childhood research indicates “play” is essential in a child’s learning and development, and therefore, we recognize the importance of play. Purposeful play aids in the construction of learning, sparks creativity and encourages imagination.
In line with current research, our teachers scaffold and support active learning opportunities. We view our early childhood classrooms as a microcosm of a learning community. Students practice developmentally appropriate skills, make choices about their individual learning, build healthy relationships with peers and adults, and communicate their understandings. These experiences are aligned with our guided-inquiry approaches to learning and allow students to explore, investigate, problem solve, discover and expand on concepts while constructing their own knowledge about themselves, others and the world around them.
ISKL early childhood faculty and staff are committed to ensuring an exceptional education for our early learners. We value a partnership with parents and the connection between school and home, which nurtures and provides a positive, strong foundation for lifelong learning experiences.
We like it. It works for us. We are now working on fine-tuning our curriculum, developmental continuums, and instructional units and assessments. Exciting times for the early years!!!
Merry Christmas to you also!!!
Bob-
Oh my goodness! Let me guess – you had to have inside recess that day!!!! 🙂 I ‘m glad to hear it didn’t last for toooo long. Take Care,
Funny thing, Sue, we rarely have an indoor recess. Rain seems to arrive when the kids are getting out of school…makes loading our twenty buses quite a chore. Even more fun with the thunder and lightening!!!! Crash, Bam, Boom…..get those buses out of here!!!
We’re coming home for Christmas. Perhaps our paths will cross….coffee at Starbuck’s????
Bob-
Yay! It’s finally here!!! Wooo Hooo!
Your description of the rain inspired me. I’d been thinking for some time how to describe this amazing rain of ours and finally felt I gave it some justice. Writing is hard work. I look at what I wrote and think, “I wish I had changed that.” “I could have used a stronger verb”. Etc, etc. Writing never seems finished.
Take care Jamie.
Bob
Nice description Bob…I could feel it even before i watched the video.
Gregg
And hopefully you will get to experience it as well !!!! (just not too much of it !!!)
Heading to Siem Reap and the temples at Angkor Wat. Check out the next blog as you might want to add this to your itinerary during your first week here. Quick two hour flight and you are there.
Bob-
OMG, Bob love the descriptive blog on the rain! Intense and wild in its nature. You write beautifully! A novel in your future perhaps set in Asia. I really believe you have a voice for it! Love this blog.
Thank you Stella. I’ve toyed with the idea of writing something longer, but haven’t found the right idea. I may just stick to blogging!!!!