My son's long summer vacation. A 6-hour drive to a summer school in Penang

It has been four months since we moved to Malaysia.

The school schedule is different from Japan, and my son has a very long summer vacation.

Since we are in Malaysia, I wanted to use this time to give him some new experiences.

With that in mind, we decided to have him participate in a one-week summer school in Penang.

It takes about 6 hours by car from the city where we live to Penang.

Some might think, "6 hours by car?"

But for our family, long-distance travel by car is not that unusual.

Back when we lived in Japan, we would load up the car with camping gear and head out, driving to Osaka, Shiga, or Nagoya.

Sometimes, we even drove as a family all the way to Aomori, where our relatives live.

Flying is faster, but when you travel by car, the journey itself becomes part of the trip.

This is a style of travel our family has quite enjoyed for a long time.

Instead of going straight to Penang, we stopped in Ipoh first

Since we were driving, we decided not to head straight to Penang, but to spend two nights in Ipoh along the way.

In Ipoh, we walked through the old town, wandered around the streets, and ate local specialties.

Rather than packing in tourist spots, we spent our time relaxing and soaking in the atmosphere of the city.

And it was in Ipoh that we immediately messed up.

"It looks like it's okay to park here," I thought.

We parked in a space thinking that.

When we returned to the car after walking around the city...

We had been issued a parking ticket (lol).

A parking violation abroad.

For a moment, I panicked, thinking, "What am I supposed to do about this?"

But when I looked it up, I found I could pay it through an app.

And when I saw the fine, I felt a bit relieved, thinking, "Oh... it's cheaper than I thought" (lol).

Of course, it's best not to break the rules, but perhaps including these small failures, I have gradually become accustomed to living in Malaysia.

I feel like I would have panicked much more four months ago.

Crossing the long bridge to our first visit to Penang

After two nights in Ipoh, we finally headed to Penang.

The large bridge connecting the mainland to the island left a deep impression on me.

A long bridge that seemed to stretch on forever over the sea.

I was surprised by the scale of it when we actually drove across it, thinking, "An island this far away is connected by a bridge."

Perhaps this kind of scenery is something we could only appreciate because we traveled by car.

Why we chose the summer school in Penang

There was another reason why we chose the summer school in Penang this time.

Actually, when we were considering an educational move to Malaysia, Penang was one of the candidates for where to live.

I had heard that Penang has several reputable international schools and that many families have moved there from Japan for education.

It is relatively safe, and the city is close to nature.

And above all, I found the idea of "a life with the beach right nearby" to be very attractive.

So this time, I was also curious to see what kind of place Penang would be if we actually lived there for about a week.

Penang, where we stayed as if we were living there

When we actually went, Penang was indeed a comfortable place to spend time.

The city itself is relatively compact, and if you drive a little, there is the sea.

There are many restaurants, and I didn't feel like there would be any trouble with daily life.

However, this is entirely our family's impression, but there were parts that were "a little different from what we had imagined Penang to be."

First, the sea we were looking forward to.

There are many beaches.

However, it wasn't the "clear tropical sea" we had imagined on our own.

Of course, it feels good just to have the sea nearby.

But for us, who were expecting a sea like a beach resort, it was a little different from our image.

And what I felt after staying for a week was, "It's fun to come for a trip. But if we were to live here for years, we might get a little bored."

This isn't about it being good or bad; it's entirely about compatibility with our family.

In fact, I could very well understand why many people move there because they like the calm environment of Penang.

That is why a place with a good reputation doesn't necessarily mean it's a good place for us.

There are things you can't know until you actually go there, go to the supermarket, drive around, and live there for a few days.

I felt that again during this stay.

And the summer school, which was the main point

The parents were thinking about all sorts of things, but as for the person in question...

He was having a blast (lol).

The summer school we participated in had not only studies but also many activities, and he was able to experience various things every day.

A school he didn't know.

Teachers he didn't know.

Children he didn't know.

Even so, my son entered that environment more naturally than I had expected.

When we first came to Malaysia, we parents were the ones worrying about everything just from changing schools.

Will his English be okay?

Will he make friends?

Will he be able to manage in an unknown environment?

But watching my son head off to summer school looking happy this time, I thought, "Ah, living abroad has gradually become normal for him too."

Four months since coming to Malaysia

Come to think of it, it's only been four months.

Our family, who had lived in Japan all our lives, suddenly came to Malaysia, rented a house, started driving a car, and my son began attending an international school.

At first, there were so many things we didn't know.

We didn't know English.

We didn't know the rules.

Every time something happened, it was a series of "What do I do about this?"

Now, we drive to Ipoh, even get a parking ticket (lol), pay the fine via an app, drive all the way to Penang, and send our son off to a local summer school.

Thinking about it, we might have become quite resilient.

When people talk about moving abroad, there is an image of making a big decision and having your life change all at once.

But when you actually live it, it wasn't that dramatic.

You experience things you don't know one by one,

make mistakes,

look things up,

and repeat the process of saying, "Oh, that was actually fine."

I think that's how you gradually become able to live in that country without even realizing it.

My son's summer vacation continues

With this trip, it seems unlikely that Penang will become our family's new home.

But knowing that was also a harvest in itself.

And above all, I was able to see my son jump into an unknown environment and spend his time happily.

That alone made the 6-hour drive worth it.

It was a summer completely different from the one he would have had if we were in Japan.

Just because you live abroad doesn't mean every day is special.

But if you drive a little, there are still towns you don't know, cultures you don't know, and new experiences waiting for both my son and us.

Four months since coming to Malaysia.

I can't quite say "I'm used to life in Malaysia!" yet, but recently I've started to have a sense of "I am living here."

We are no longer just travelers, but have gradually become people who live here.

That was the feeling I had during my son's long week of summer vacation.