We are living outside Kuala Lumpur for about six months, from December 2018 on. The company I work for has a partnership with Hanwha Q Cells to build a pilot scale silicon wafer factory using our technology on their campus here in Cyberjaya. See news story here.
This deal was finalized about a year ago and we have been working very hard to make it happen since then. First came an intensive design phase last spring to update our equipment build package. Then we worked with our partner's machinery division over the summer in Korea to build the machines while construction got underway here in Malaysia for the new facility. Now we are working with their solar division getting the process running and ramping up production.
My family was able to come with me for this assignment and it has turned out to be a great experience for all of us. Part of what made it tenable for them was the fact that it is for a definite amount of time, not an open ended move. So we are living here kind of like we are on vacation from our normal lives. Well, I have to work a lot at the plant, but have no responsibilities outside of that. Most days we eat ice cream and watch TV on the internet after dinner. Might be hard to adjust going back to our normal routine later this year!
We are living in a pretty nice row house close to the factory. Luckily another engineer from 1366 was able to bring his family and lives in the same complex, so our kids can play together and not feel so isolated and lonely.
Becky and the kids do homework and swim at the pool in our development during the week, and on weekends we see sights or do other things around town together (picture at top is of us visiting a palm oil plantation). Food here is great, and cost of living is lower than at home. We don't have a car here (I take the local equivalent of Uber to work).
Society here is varied and highly multicultural. Most people can speak quite a few languages and are very open and friendly. Almost no americans here, and most people back home don't know where this country is or anyone who has even been here.
We have been keeping a blog about our trip here:
http://gatewaytomalaysia.blogspot.com
