MALAYSIA!

In my toddler years I was a little girl with dark brown hair tied in two symmetrical pig tails, growing up in the city of Ipoh in the country of Malaysia. And then I progressed to my kindergarten years, which were mostly the same thing. I was a little girl in a kindergarten classroom learning one plus one, and enjoying the satisfaction of knowing that two plus two is four. And I was no different from any of the other students in my kindergarten class.

Then when I got to primary school, I began to crawl out of the protective shell of my ignorant mind. I began to truly grasp the fact that there’s a world out there waiting for me. I can go explore it later on if I want to, or I can stay here if that be my wish instead. I realized how I was not really confined to the city of Ipoh forever. The doors of the city say goodbye to girls and boys and men and women every year.

So I started to think about my future. It was all very blurry, and very fantasy-like and unrealistic. There were rubbish dreams that I knew would never materialize, and there were sweet dreams that I savoured, but knew couldn’t materialize either, yet I still hoped. But there was one dream whose realness I loved: That I would leave Malaysia, build my dreams outside this small, uninteresting, insignificant country, and return only to visit my friends and family. It was a beautiful thought that stayed in my mind and never left. It never left until a few years ago.

A few years ago I was a secondary school student in an international school. I was exposed every day to diverse cultures from other countries and to stories told by my British, American and Australian friends. I had visited more than twenty cities in the world, including London and Melbourne. And I cannot lie: Those were amazing cities. And they strengthened the anchor of that real dream I had: to leave Malaysia—small, uninteresting, insignificant Malaysia. Every corner of those cities spoke assurances that one day I will realize spectacular ambition there. The smell of the air in those cities filled me with so much vigour, and propelled that dream along.

But then suddenly it died. It didn’t die completely; it still breathes within me (it’s breathing within me as you are reading). Basically what happened was that I discarded thoughts about how small, insignificant and boring Malaysia is. And I began to appreciate Malaysia. I began to associate Malaysia with beauty, with culture, and diversity. I realized that while I want to explore the world, I shouldn’t be disgusted by my country. I shouldn’t want to go to other countries because I wanted to escape my own. 

So what is all this beauty that I have come to appreciate about Malaysia?

The people in Malaysia are absolutely wonderful. We have people from different races forming a friendly social community that tourists from all around the world love. Within this social community, we have diverse cultures expressed through our dances, music, languages, and don’t forget the food. I love food, and I would bet my last dollar that I’m not the only one in Malaysia who loves it. In fact, tourists from around the world come here for the food. We have great street food, luxurious restaurant food, anything you want, really. It’s all so tastily enticing that it’s made it to the top 10 lists of world’s best foods on reputable websites all over the internet.

And then you have the amazing natural landscape of Malaysia. You want islands? You’ve got them. You want mountains? You’ve got them. You want forests? You’ve got them as well. Malaysia has beautiful beaches; you don’t need to fly anywhere else for them. It’s got mountains lining the landscape, if that’s what’s pleasing to your eye. It’s got the greenest forests that speak the beauty of Mother Nature.

Lastly, the urban life of Malaysia. Kuala Lumpur buzzes with life. You can go shopping, you can go sightseeing, you can exercise—any activity you’d like to indulge in is at your fingertips.

Malaysia is truly a fascinating combination of nature, culture and urban life. I’ve made this all very concise because I don’t want too long a blog post! There’s really a lot to say about the beauty of Malaysia, and now that I’ve taken it all in, I have done away with what false thoughts I once had: that Malaysia is small, uninteresting and insignificant.

Malaysia is my home, and even  once I've accomplished that real dream of exploring the world and its delights, I will still revel in the beauty of this country.