Simone in Malaysia: Education in Floods

A small pond has formed in the corner of my dining room. Right across the newly restored parquet floor.

Which I promised to take care of. Keep free from harm. Maintain lovingly.

My beautiful - if soggy - parquet floors

It is not these commitments which are most irritating, however. What really pisses me off is that the pond formation follows a Malaysian education campaign on water usage.

That’s right. Malaysia does have water problems:

1. Flash flooding.
2. Landslides caused by flash flooding.
3. Mould throughout my house if cupboards are kept closed whilst I’m away due to the excessive humidity. 
4. Mosquitos carrying dengue fever breeding in pools of water. 

Dengue Mosquito Breeding Ground:  aka view of the pool from my balcony...

This is what I drive through to get to that balcony: Dengue Mosquito Spray.  It smells as toxic as it looks.

Yes, the shower curtain hangs across the window for a good reason.

Flash floods in the middle of Kuala Lumpur:  December last year.

The rebuilt orphanage at which my wonderful colleague works. 13 children died in the landslide that washed away the previous building.  

And in response to these serious watery issues, what does this campaign tell us?

To preserve limited water supplies by not washing my car.

Well that’s an easy one to comply with. Why would I wash the bloody car when most nights I drive home through torrential rain? When that rain is coming so hard some days I can’t see more than a metre in front of me? When I’m driving through roads so deep in water that they’re more like minor rivers?

If you think this is bizarre, check out some of these radio education campaigns.

AIDS: 8-10 Malaysians die of it every day!
Advice: Keep clean!

Fatigue brought about my fasting during Ramadan.
Advice: Stop whingeing. 

And the latest and very best?

Sexual harassment is prevalent in the work place. The victimised young woman asks, How do I get advice and where?
Answer: It’s your responsibility!

 I promise you. That is what the ad says.

Someone get me out of this country.

Simone, the Overly Educated.