The Next Frontier

It's been about one week since I've moved from Jackson to Kuala Lumpur (here on out referred to as "KL"). Like anything I write, finding the words for the beginning is always the hardest. Or, like that time I moved to Jackson (the last time I updated this thingy), there isn't much to write about and it tails off completely. Oops. Fortunately, I feel this time there will be more interesting things on which to write. I'm on the opposite side of the world, after all. A lot of new and interesting places are a short plane ride away. I'm still young, single, and therefore wreckless with my disposable income. And if I'm not going to make the most of my time here, why did I even come here?

But I'm getting ahead of myself, let's rewind to the beginning. First off, after flying business class on an international flight, I don't know if I can ever go back to coach. I did it twice for China and Australia, but the difference really is night and day. Chairs that recline into beds? Actual space for those beds? Leg room? A four course dinner and breakfast? Hundreds of hours of TV and movies on demand (including unedited Game of Thrones)? Free, quality booze? I was spoiled, I felt like a Disney princess the entire time (Jasmine, for those curious on which princess). After I stepped off the plane in KL, collected my bags, and made my way through customs and immigration, I could only think one thing: I desperately need a shower. Despite the business class luxuries, I was tired, looked bad, smelled worse, and couldn't get excited for anything other than nap time.

After washing the cartoon stench lines off my body is when the reality finally started to sink in. I'm now living in a city with a metro area population of over 7 million people. The tallest twin towers in the world are a short cab ride away. Bali, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Singapore, Hong Kong, and many other places are a short plane ride away. I am much taller, whiter, blonder, and more blue eyed than anyone else within miles. More importantly, I don't know what comes next. For the first time in a while I don't feel stagnate. While I learned a lot living in the South and met some fantastic individuals, I was never going anywhere. I woke up each day knowing what it held. It got to be routine, upon routine, upon routine. While that has its perks for some, for me it felt like a prison. Here, in a port city, a major trading hub, with a rich multicultural history and heritage, I feel overwhelmed by the possibilities available, but it's an opportunity I'm glad to have. I'm still creating a mental to-do list of things while I'm here, but some things so far include:

Riding an elephant
Getting one of those pedicures where the fish nibble on your feet
Visit some awesome beaches (Penang is one, which looks like it might happen next weekend)
Visit Singapore, Bangkok, etc.
Drive on the left side of the road
Go up the Petronas Towers without peeing myself

There's more to write but I'll cut it off here for now. To give a few quick updates, I'm still living in a Hilton until I can get moved in to an apartment, business class helped me avoid major jet lag, Malay food from a cafeteria could be more appetizing, I haven't worked up the cajones to eat a fish head, and it's kind of weird being 12+ hours ahead of everything. Until next time, you stay classy probable-resident-of-North-America.