Assignment # 2- Cultural Expectations

I have an instinct to look back and sometimes even stare back when someone is looking at me. This instinct to react outwardly did not fare so well in Malaysia, where women are conservative and shy (at least the majority). After a few incidents of stare battles, I had to learn my instinct away, and learn a new one- Don’t stare.  Really! They just do not get ‘What are you looking at stare.’ So, the lesson learned was don’t look back if you are being looked at or face the consequence- the stare battle.

One of the most exciting events is the taxi ride. They pick up that you are a foreigner. They also pick up that you may have been here for a certain amount of time. Being an Asian myself, they feel that they can talk to me freely about my personal life. They ask every question regarding my marriage and when I reply I am not married or not intending to get married any time soon, they insist on giving me marriage advices. One taxi driver insisted for me to take his advice after one of his passengers got a husband (after following his advice- I think it involved something that has to do with a witch doctor). The other however had very sharp and interesting comments for me when I told him men can cook better than I can. He insisted cooking is in my innate ability, an ability every woman is born with. He also insisted that men who cook in the kitchen are most likely to be homosexuals. (Sigh). And, when I do tell them that I am married, their reaction was- your husband let you go away on your own?!!!!I would never let my wife or daughter travel alone!!!!! (A big sigh) Now I really don’t have a solution anymore.

I am just glad that I could walk into IPPF and say good morning without facing those particular consequences. It also has a very different culture in comparison to the streets of Malaysia. Its culture is a fusion of European and Asian. While it seems to have a more flat and horizontal structure, there exists tell tale signs that it is indeed vertical.  But, things like that give a different take on life. They make me realize that no matter where you are and where you are from, there exists the same thing. Yes, the cultural may be a little different from here and there but there are always things that don’t change. 

Assignment 1- Reminiscing Kuala Lumpur

I am writing this retrospectively and hopefully I would be able to paint a full picture of my experience in Malaysia. 

MALAYSIA- my first ever international experience, my very first travel to a place where I have no immediate friends nor family, my very first job in an NGO (IPPF-ESEAOR). My job there was to do advocacy research on SRH. I have to admit, I had to google SRH before I went for an interview. That was how inexperienced I was about Sexual and Reproductive Health. I can say this much, I was really stepping into what was UNKNOWN and ALIEN for me. 

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia- wikipedia calls it muddy confluence. The country wasn’t exactly what I pictured from those poetic words. Kuala Lumpur or simply KL is a city transitioning into a developed area. It has paved roads, high end luxury stores, and almost everything I have access to in Canada. In any case, I did not see the muddy roads nor children running around on the residential areas as I have expected. Instead, I saw high rises, condos with pools, and rush hour traffics that stretched beyond the eyes could see. I also saw a lot of foreigners. 

After all, it is relatively easy to get around in KL. Almost everyone speaks English. Any English speaking person can pick up Bahasa Malayu very quickly. There is a developed transit system comparable to TTC operating in KL. The buses are frequent, and the trains stations always notify the passengers of when the next train would be arriving. Taxi is an alternative for those who don’t want to take the public transit. While 99% of the taxi will use the meter, they may choose to take longer roads and or add charges if you are unaware foreigner. Of course, there are always those who would try and charge you a set price (set wayy above the actual price). But, the worst is they can refuse to take you at all or suggest that you go a different destination simply because they do not want to make a U-turn, they want to earn more, or there is really bad traffic congestion. I can say I am very glad I’ve never encountered those problems in Canada. 

Despite the development, KL has no sidewalks and street crossing in certain areas. A lot of the places are developed for cars and cars only. Cars are cheap, and the government finance and subsidize them willingly, that is if you are a Malaysian citizen. They are even Malaysian car companies for a country so small in size. For the immigrants, majority opt for motorcycle (they sort of look like a vaspa with manual transmission). They are a cheaper, and faster alternative to cars. They can whiz pass people and traffic. They are everywhere and ideal for getting out of rush hour jam. Of course, with that much traffic, things can get dangerous. Yet, there is no traffic and accident records. And sadly, Malaysia is not known for its traffic laws and regulations. 

Yes, every country or city has its areas in need of improvement. But, no one can deny that KL is the hub for a lot of things. Air Asia’s (the biggest budget airline in Asia) hub is located in KL. You can fly to each country in Asia for a little over a hundred dollars. You can get any fast food and any designer items you could wish for (if you can afford it of course). Of course, the staple over there is curry and fried fish. The mamak stalls that sell them are everywhere. Malaysians, if you don’t know them already, are known for two things- their love for food and their love for football. I have seen countless polls during the World Cup season to figure out which one would take number one spot. Some may say shopping is also a passion for many Malaysians.

For me, I had a love affair with all the things about Malaysia except missing sidewalks (as remarked by google maps), and having to haggle over taxis. 

Missing Home

Having half my life in Myanmar and half in Canada, I never thought coming back to Asia would have such an impact. I really believed that Kuala Lumpur was close enough to what was once my home (and in a way still is) called Toungoo.
It really did not hit me until two weeks in that I really miss home. That's either Myanmar or Canada. I miss my friends. In this self-discovery, I also noticed that I really am a social and like familiar things. Having new and exciting things make me feel good and exhilarated, but in the end I seek the same old things.
So, here I am on my adventure...going around and visiting places where my friends are. My first stop was Bangkok (last week). And, leaving Bangkok was harder than I thought. I enjoyed staying there despite the remnants of the protests visible in certain part of the city.  This week, I plan to squeeze Singapore into my weekend. 

Weekend 2

KL welcome me with a refreshing rain this morning as I woke up. Not so refreshing were the slumming doors and the wind that came from no where. Met a new friend at work from Australia. So, at least I no longer sit in a lonely cornor trying to finish work and trying not to dooze off basked in afternoon sun.
Maluri station, the LRT station about 5-10 mins walk away from where I stay has this amazing view of the twin tower and the place called Jusco where I normally buy food. The rail station is a nice change of scenary from Canada since wherever I go is surrounded by lavish greens.  Last weekend, I managed to venture out into the Batu Caves after getting lost trying to find a bus. The buses are not always easy to find. Apparently, they had a restructuring of the station I went to. After getting lost for about 1 hour, I was approached by a taxi driver. Not wanting to sweat out anymore than I did (already drenched in sweat at that time), I decided to get in and pay the 15 ringgit fare.
Being a major tourist attraction, I saw many people holding their camera. Of course, by the time, I've climbed up all those stairs, I was in no better place. Both my camera and I were drenched in sweat. I was a bit disappointed when I got to the top since I expected something more grand and more beautiful.
Being afraid of height, coming down was a challenge. Without much support in addition to the uneven steps, I ended up hugging on whatever railing I could find and proceeded my journey down from the mountain.

Weekends in Kuala Lumpur-1

Jalan Petaling- a trouist attraction in Kuala Lumpur. What it is popular for-Desinger imitations. After crossing the street bravely in the midst the unstopping cars and motorcycles, I did manage to arrive at the location in one piece.  Once I set my food in there, I was greeted by the shop keepers asking me to buy their items... yelling out LV, Gucci. I saw some buying their desinger imitation watches for a few dollars. The market really was a pleasant sight, so alive with the local and tourist. I also did venture into some dark corners for the street and from the smell I knew it was the meat and fish market. There were not a lot of tourist but the locals buying their food. Before I left, I went to this stall to buy soy milk. The shop keeper asked me where I was from...learning that I was from Canada, he departed this knowledge to me..."these soy beans are from Canada" 

Introducing Kuala Lumpur

One of my friend just brought up a great idea....write about Kuala Lumpur. He said my blog is becoming a food blog. Sigh! What can I say... I love food... love to smell...look...and EAT!
My first thought about Kuala Lumpur..."WOW EVERYTHING IS SO GREEN". I managed to handle the heat and I am still experiencing Cultural Shock. I haven't really picked up the language because English is so widely spoken over here. I have however managed to say a few words of Chinese to my landlady.
Whenever I step out in Kuala Lumpur, I see a mosaic of people, of different color and different backgrounds all blending in and going on about their days. I see greens everywhere. It rains at least once a day for about 30 minutes to an hour and everything cools down. The humidity itself isn't all too bad except for the fact that I cannot keep my hair frizz free (that's an understatement). People drive on the left and almost zero traffic signals are followed. Motor cycles are especially notorious. They drive on the side walks, in any places they can squeeze through. Drivers have to be aggressive or else they will not reach their destination which means I will be stuck in traffic all day long if I were to drive here. Taxi drivers are not as notorious as I have read. Lesson learned is...do not take the luxury blue taxi. Their rates are higher than the regular ones. I ended paying 30 ringgits for a trip from the KLCC to my place which would have cost 10- 15 ringgits.
(About food again) Over here, they call the ice water sky juice. They eat a lot of sugar and fatty food. There are little to non nutritional labels (finally, I can eat in peace). But, I did look at one label that said... four tiny crackers had 8 grams of fat of which half are saturated fats (sigh). They have all kinds of food... and yes, I look like a little kid who hasn't eaten for days in front of all these food stalls. You name it, Western, French, Italian, Pizza Hut, McDonald's, KFC, Nando's Grill... I mean everything. Of course, I prefer eating the local food.
There are a lot of places to explore in Kuala Lumpur. But, I still am a bit scared to go out at night. Many has been warning me to be careful of snatch thieves. Just yesterday morning, a man from the motor cycle approached me, pointed to something and started speaking in Malay. After I told him I am not from here without looking away..he made a remark and left. I was told he may have been wanting to snatch my bag and was disappointed (but thank god, I will never find out). But, I did managed to get to certain places like Petaling Street on the weekend, a colleague's house party with lots of food, KLCC, Mid valley mall. On this weekend, I plan to venture out to the Batu caves by bus. And, this means I will be updating my blog soon with more exciting pictures....

Foodie Friday

My day started out as usual. Excessive perspiration and uncontrollable frizz. By the time I got to the office, I looked as though I have travelled on foot and done hard labour for half a day. Lunch time was better. I knew not to eat too much (irony). I got all those in the picture plus two more pieces of liver, ice tea, and a sago drink for $3.00. Of ourse, I didn't finish eating all the rice nor did I touch that plate of chicken sitting in the back.

Dinner: Went to this fancy mall with same co-workers. I got to see a bit more of Malaysia and saw how the traffic flows. You have to be aggressive in KL or else you won't get anywhere. No one really follows the traffic laws and mortor cycles will whizz through any free space and red light if they can. Got Udon for dinner. Chicken wasn't cooked properly so I ended up wasting the four pieces of chicken entirely. Ate the livers from lunch and the two pieces of chicken in the package. Japanese food in comparison with others are pricy. This udon alone cost $3.00. Again, I couldn't finish the food. And, you can't exactly pack in Malaysia. You either pack the thing entirely or you don't at all. Of course exceptions do exit.

Temptations: As we were browsing through the mall, we came across Haagen Dazs store. They serve cakes as well as icecream. I went in to try one of their ice cream cakes but ended up ordering this sushi platter instead. Pricy? Yes! But, definitely worth it. Fresh fruit and delicately hand crafted pieces of ice cream with assorted nuts and flavors...who wouldn't want to try them? Over all, this dish alone cost $10.00 but they were having a promotion and therefore got two free scoop of ice cream for my friend that would have costed about $6 on its own. They have so many more exciting presentations but for the sake of my budget and my wasteline, I really have to start watching out and stop giving into my temptation to try anything new.

I am not a true Hakka

This is called Lei Cha. It's a type of soup made from mint leaves and coriander. The most unpleasant soup I have ever had. It reminded me of this medicinal after taste from when I was a kid. It's a Hakka (Chinese) food where people eat with noodles. I guess it has to be an acquired taste just like my acquired taste for Durian.

Toungoo

Shwe San Daw Pagoda- A landmark of Toungoo.

Bells like these ranging in sizes can be found all over pagoda. This one in particular is small but some are (I am guessing) over 10 feet tall.

This is a typical "Pwe Zay Tan" or street sale where shops are set up on the street.

This picture was taken at the Toungoo Bazaar. Shampoos anyone?

Visit to Myanmar

This is my second visit to Myanmar since I left the country. This time, the airport construction has been completed. I no longer have to say a prayer for the plane to land on the short tarmac like the last time, I could actually see the tarmac and see the actual building. The facility is improved. In my opinion, it is actually much better than the Taipei's airport facilities. Wayy better. However, there isn't a lot of people using the airport. Good thing- very little line up.

The country itself was very very very hot. Yangon, the former capital city was not that bad. But, as soon as I arrived in my hometown, Toungoo, I realized that I am going to feel like being in a sauna for the rest of my stay in Myanmar.

I really didn't get to go anywhere this time. Partly due to the heat, and partly due to relatives who have invited me over for dinner everyday. I spent most of my morning with my very very young cousins (as young as 3) and most my afternoon eating at each of their homes. My parents were worried about me driving a vaspa like motor cycle due to almost Indian style traffic flow but I managed somehow in my small town.

Because I have visited not too long ago, the place didn't seem that alien or shocking to me. People actually told me that I no longer have an accent speaking Burmese. I myself enjoyed my stay more than the last time despite the heat.

Whewww

Wheeww, I finally managed to set this one up.

I will post up more once I am settled in. Right now, everything is chaotic with shopping for items, getting lost, and managing around the slow internet.