Reflections of an American expat in Malaysia

How living in Malaysia for the past 3 years has changed me (mostly for the better!):

•          I’m a bit more superstitious, and more aware of the connotation of numbers. For the Chinese, I've learned that 4 denotes death (floors are renamed 3A), and 8 is lucky and prosperous!
•          I know that color is key when picking outfits. Yellow is royal, blues and grays are funerary, red is lucky during Chinese New Year, and bright colors are a must for celebratory occasions.
•          The “ang pau” (red envelope) is a wonderful thing; it's the any occasion, any religion, simple gift! Who doesn’t want a money-filled envelope?
•           Living so close to the equator, I was hoping to adjust to the humidity, but I’ve accepted reality by now: I’ll never “get used” to it! I'm forced to embrace sweating as part of life, though I also often find myself with little tolerance for cold. Malls are guaranteed to be freezing, but I’ll be dripping again two minutes after “escaping” outside!
•           I’m more aware of religious holidays and cultural customs. Chinese New Year festivities, Hungry Ghost Festival, Thaipusam, Depavali, Ramadan: all offer unique glimpses into the unfamiliar lives and culture of much of the world’s population. I love watching Penang “transform” with each holiday; the decorations and colors of each festival help mark the passage of time in a country with the same climate year-round.
•          The call to prayer is soothing and beautiful, daily reminding me that I’m in another world.
•          Social media is key to staying connected to my roots. Facebook and listening to NBC Nightly News podcasts help keep me “in the know”. That way, I’ll never be in doubt about what craziness Justin Berber is up to, the ever-changing weather in the States, or . . . any real world news!
•           I kinda like being the one who stands out in the crowd, known here as the “orang putih” (white person). I love to eat at places frequented by locals where few foreigners go. I figure they know best where the good food is; I’ll just follow them! In reverse, I find myself now more sensitive and welcoming to foreign visitors within the US when I’m back at home.
•          Food is good, and I love to makan! Thai, Indian, Chinese, Nyonya (Malay fusion), Japanese, Western: it’s all good; bring it on! I will eat and try almost anything, and who knew that I like it spicy?! (By the way for those that are drooling, Lonely Planet voted Penang the #1 Foodie Destination in 2014!)
•          I’m more sensitive/aware of smell. A walk around Georgetown can at the same time be both a wonderful and terrible assault on the nose! Asian spices, incense, pollution, smoke resulting from street burning, sweat, durian, delicious food, frangipani . . . need I go on?!
  *    I’ve officially given up on finding shoes here in my size. As for clothes, apparently I’m XL (or even XXL), but if it fits right, I’m not looking at the tag!
  *    Incomplete sentences are ok-lah: “no need”, “don’t have”, “don’t want”, “can, can”. My favorite Malay word is “boleh” (meaning “can”); it just communicates so much! Instead of, “Can you please deliver 6 bottles of water between 11:00-2:00?”, I’ll get water much faster with, “6 bottles, 11:00-2:00, boleh?”
  *     Typical of my generation, I crave and seek experiences over the acquisition of stuff, and I’ve definitely caught the travel bug! With enough time (and money!), few places are out of reach, and my formerly limited bucket list is getting longer every day. We’ll be working in places to go and trips to take for decades to come, though probably not as frequently!
  *     My perception of what is “far away” is much farther now. When you’ve flown across the world, a 5-hour plane flight is no big deal!
  *    Some things that used to gross me out don’t phase me anymore. Fish heads or whole fish on a plate, live frogs at the market, and buying chicken as fresh as they get (slaughtered onsite) have become the new normal. I can deftly remove heads from prawns and even can debone a chicken, though it’s much easier to ask the chicken man to do it! (I admit I did cringe the other day when my fish was cleaned and gutted while still flopping a bit.)
  *     Driving: warrants an entire topic itself! Refer to my previous post: License to Drive (Nov 2011)
  *    I miss the variety of music in the USA. I got nostalgic (and a bit homesick) the other day when eating lunch at a restaurant playing oldies! There are very few English radio stations in Malaysia, so I’m stuck listening to pop rock on a repeating 10-song cycle, varied only by the repertoire of popular religious/cultural songs played for each holiday. (I don’t even know all the words, but that “Gong xi” song really gets stuck in your head!)
  *    Missing my one-stop shopping places like HEB and Target! Having to visit 3-5 different stores to put a complete meal together, and hunt all over the island for random things like printer ink and good-quality children’s shoes, is sometimes frustrating.
  *     I’ve been brought up to follow the rules, and there are some I just can’t break, no matter how many people around me do! Examples include: leaving my trash on the table, not returning the shopping cart, and parking illegally anywhere.
  *    I’m enjoying a hiatus from marketing ads to my mailbox. Only once a year do I receive a catalogue (from Toys R’ Us). Now I only get what I actually want: expat magazines, bills, photobooks (my latest hobby!), and cards from loved ones.
  *     I’m prepared for anything! Before I leave the house, I think: Bottled water? Check. Bug spray? Check. Band-aids? Check. Wet wipes? Check. (I’m really just a walking pharmacy!)
  *     The ocean view on a clear day from my balcony just doesn’t get old! How long can I stay here?!