It's been about 18 months since I last came home. As my plane descended on the tarmac, and the captain concluded his spiel of information with the usual "To all visitors, welcome to Malaysia. To all Malaysians, welcome home.", I found myself torn in between the alphabets that made up his greeting. Had I already become a foreigner in my tanah air? If not, why was I annoyed-- with no particular reason other than the fact that it was 6.30 in the morning-- at everything that surrounded me as I waited for my luggage to materialise on the carousel? On the highway, motorists were mad and inconsiderate as usual. Maybe even worse. I don't know. I've already given up on them. At the Immigration Department, first of all, there were no signboards indicating where the department was. Secondly, there were no signboards directing visitors to its carpark. Thirdly, its machine has been down since November 2011, so we could only collect our new passports after a couple of days. Fourthly, there was only ONE passport renewal booth, so you can imagine the queue. And since there was already a booth with instructions on the touchscreen, why why WHY did they need to employ TWO people next to the booth to do the same job that you could've done (i.e follow the instructions on the touchscreen to renew your passport)? Oh, right, I forgot. That's because the gomen is so very nice as to create job opportunities in order to reduce the unemployment rate in the country. See, we're better than Greece or Spain ok! Don't play play.
It seems like coming back to Malaysia is bringing out the worse in me. I've been annoyed at everything under the sun, from the moment I touched down and became the next victim of local mosquito gangs, to when I went to bed, tossing and turning because I couldn't sleep because it was so freaking hot. It's scary, the sense of detachment I feel with my own country. Everything seems so familiar yet so foreign to me. The way people speak, the way people drive, the way people stare at you because your skirt is 1 inch shorter than the unspoken socially acceptable length. Maybe I'm a pessimist, but I can no longer see the prettier side of Malaysia in the last few years. There's a reason why I don't come home that often anymore-- the more I come home, the more I see of its social disintegration and degeneration. I want to love you again, Malaysia, but maybe loving you from a distance is the better option for now.
5 Durian(s) Thrown at Jun:
Oh dear. I feel like that some days... but on other days, I am so happy to be living in Malaysia, where all my friends are (well, most of them), where I can get any food I want just about any day of the week, where I call home.
But yes. Damn idiot motorists etc. :P
Oh, I'm a foreigner in Malaysia and sometimes feel the same way you do when I go back to Australia - about things such as over regulation and steep prices. But, it is beautiful and has so many good things going for it that I do miss it while living away. I'm a guest in Malaysia but love it too - amazing food, relaxed people and warm weather. There's a lot it could do better but people like you can make a difference. Come back and help it to change :-)
Kenny: I think it's a matter of getting used to things. Take those damn motorists for instance. Not using indicator lights, cutting into other people's lanes from the left etc are so rampant that drivers are assuming it's the norm. I've been observing them from the car and everyone seems so nonchalant when doing so. It's so lawless but if I'd been living here for the last few years, maybe I'd be accepting of this absurdity too, who knows?
Yum: hello!! Thanks for dropping by. I agree, the prices in Aus are steep, and so are the taxes. But what I'm finding it so difficult to adjust to back home is the general lack of courtesy and civility of Malaysians (if you've been driving on the roads, Malaysians wouldn't seem friendly to you anymore). Also, I find the governance of even each municipal council to be terribly inefficient. The lack of strategically placed signboards is one example. The non-functioning parking ticket machines is another- how can they issue a fine if their machines are not working in the first place? The malaysia I used to know is no longer the same, and deep down, I do feel sad for how it's turned out.
yo!! You are home!! Let's meet up? Been YEARS since we met wei...
mercury 9: it's been nice seeing u again! 10 yrs omg. thanks for making me feel old :P
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