Since arriving in Asia last August, we have been to Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, the Philippines, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore. Malaysia is the tenth country on our Asia tour. We rejoined our traveling family — Forever Wild — in Penang, Malaysia.
Lucas and Henry joined their friends for another fun month in our Forever Wild community at the Tropical Spice Garden (https://tropicalspicegarden.com/). The Tropical Spice Garden is a magical, bio-diverse museum of spices and other tropical plants from around the world. Community is a big focus of our travels and finding traveling communities like Forever Wild is important to us.
We first joined the Forever Wild community in Krabi, Thailand and we just finished in Penang. We are continuing with Forever Wild in Kuala Lumpur and Bali. Before we arrived in Krabi, we had not met Amanda and Solomon, creators of Forever Wild, in person. We went off their track record running a program in the Dominican Republic and our interview with them before signing up. We are enjoying the community Forever Wild has created. Lucas and Henry are growing by leaps and bounds and learning new skills like break-dancing and playing the guitar. Solomon and Amanda Dixon are passionate and caring individuals who have spent years working with children. We are so happy that we chose to go on this Forever Wild journey with them.
Lucas and Henry go to an enrichment program four days a week with kids of all ages. They tackle writing, music, movement, and other activities. One of the days was a jungle survival class where parents and kids learned how to filter water, make shelter, and build a fire. Science, language, and history are woven into activities and incorporated into the community trips.
We picked Forever Wild because we wanted something unique that did not mimic a traditional school program. We are not big on curriculum, but Amanda and Solomon have discussed how they weave curriculum and more traditional learning milestones into their program. They were upfront with us about how their program does not look like school and that is why we chose them. They make learning fun. They are breaking barriers and creating an enriching, but exciting way for kids to learn and a beautiful community for worldschooling families. The Forever Wild approach does not look like “school”, but the kids are learning so much.
Teens have an opportunity to learn about mentorship and help out with the younger kids. Teens who have chosen to participate as a mentor have done things like lead art and music classes, facilitate games like dodgeball, and there was even a cookie council developed by one of the teens to teach the younger kids about politics. Lucas will be a mentor in Kuala Lumpur but he is already learning valuable leadership lessons from Solomon about confidence, presence, and mental toughness.
For Lucas’ birthday, 27 of us went to Escape Penang, a unique adventure park. The park boasts the longest tube slide and zip coaster in the world. It was also our friend Kristian’s birthday. Henry defied gravity in a slingshot. Lucas and Henry jumped off high dives. Vicki and I did not think we would make it out alive heading down the zip coaster.
Within or traveling community, the families meet for museums, parks, swimming, dinners, game nights, art club, philosophy club, Jiu-jitsu, and more. There is always an opportunity to hang out with friends.
Several families spent a day at the Top Penang, a theme park with a rainbow skywalk, Jurassic Dinosaur Park, Tech Dome science museum, aquarium, carnival, and more. We were there for over six hours. I spun around in a G-force ride. It was fun, but I do not have what it takes to be an astronaut. Henry and Lucas enjoyed the Tech Dome with many hands-on exhibits and experiments.
Our apartment in Penang is spacious. It is a three-bedroom apartment overlooking the Ocean. Lucas and Henry get to have their own rooms. It is a luxury for us to have so much room. There are only three apartments per floor, and we are on a floor with our best friends. The building has laundry, a pool, a playground, and a gym.
Michael and Lucas had to turn around and fly to Bangkok for Lucas’ Invisalign checkup during our first week in Penang. It was a quick trip, but they were able to get some pickleball in.
We are enjoying exploring Penang with our Forever Wild Family!
