Do worldschoolers socialize? How will they make friends? As you can see from our travels, meeting people and making friends is not an issue for our family. Our current community is amazing. We have the opportunity to hang out with friends every day.
Penang has a lot to offer, and we have been out exploring it. A group of us hiked up Penang Hill. The trek is a moderate to hard hike straight up 700 meters. We all made it, and Lucas and Kristian even ran back down. The rest of us took the funicular (railway car) back down. The views from the top were worth the exertion. We did not have time to explore all Penang Hill had to offer. There are nature walks, gardens, temples, an earthquake and typhoon simulator, restaurants, and more.
Another group not up for the hike went to Kek Lok Si Temple. It is the largest Buddhist temple in Malaysia. They still got their steps in at Kek Lok Si Temple.
We attended more open mic nights to support the musical teens in our group. Our host Remy provides a stage and guidance to the young musicians. He is also a tour guide. He took a large group of us on a street art tour in Georgetown. The two-and-a-half-hour tour took us through the historic streets of Georgetown to find murals painted throughout the city. The tour ended at Penang Famous Samosa, a Michelin Guide street food vendor selling delicious samosas, among other Indian food treats.
We meet with our friends for dinners, movies, pool time, game nights, roller skating and more. Lucas and Henry have gone to more birthday parties here than when they were at home in Atlanta. We even woke up at 3 a.m. and went to a bar with our friends the Sigstons to watch England take on Spain in the 2024 Euros finals.
We also find time to play sports. We found a golf simulator space where the kids can play silly games, and Michael can brush up on his golf game. Michael, Lucas, and a few dads go to pickleball several times a week. Michael and Lucas have met some great locals who take them to night markets after pickleball.
We all live in the same building in Penang, so we had a progressive dinner on our floor. One apartment was appetizers, the second apartment was mains, and our apartment was dessert. We were up until 1 am talking and laughing and enjoying some good food. The kids had a movie night and ran around playing games.
We are fortunate to have found such a good group of families. These families share our values and our passion for travel. The kids’ ages range from 3 weeks old to eighteen years old, but they all get along. The friendships fostered across the age groups are refreshing. Lucas and Henry learn a lot by hanging out with kids of different ages.
