So, we have only been living in Malaysia for about 7 weeks
now but in this short time we have learnt quite a few things about typical life in
Malaysia. Some of these make perfect sense, like walking that little bit slower
around town so as not to soak your freshly ironed shirt with sweat; but others,
not so much. Here are just a few of the more quirky things about this country (these are in no way criticisms, just observations):1. Queuing – oh Malaysians do love a queue. Why quickly nip in and out of the shops for a loaf of bread and some milk when you can queue for half an hour instead (literally half an hour)? I know we moan about that bloody automated electronic monotonous Sainsbury’s voice on the self-service checkout in the UK, but that would be a true God-send out here...
2. Driving – pot holes as big as a pond, roads to nowhere, undertaking, overtaking, hard-shoulder over/under taking, mopeds left, right, behind and in-front, bikes with no lights, our own car's lights failing, pedestrians trying to cross a five-lane highway - all makes it very exciting on the roads! But, no aggression, this is one nice part about being on the roads.
This is our car when the left side-light worked, but the right didn't, the right headlight worked, but the left didn't and both the full-beams worked. Very confusing:
3. Cinema – firstly, it is probably the best cinema that I have ever been in. Lovely big seats with lots of space, large screen, nice and loud (I’ll come back to this…). So, we sit down ready for the film – adverts…check, trailers…check, turn-your-phone off announcement…check, national anthem…what!? Before Tom Cruise got on-screen holding onto the side of a plane, naturally, everyone in the auditorium stood up, hands on hearts, and sang the national anthem; highly unexpected I must say. I mentioned how loud the speakers were…there’s a good reason for this. It seems that it is perfectly accepted to chat, answer phones, and to have children running around while the film is on. We have only been to the cinema once, so this is based on an N of one, so let’s have an open mind and see what happens next time.
4. Paying bills – bills are cheap, yay! But paying them can be quite challenging. We found a water bill in our post box with a colleague's - who lives in the same building - name on it. Naturally we thought this was a mistake, so told said colleague. We were later informed that actually all of the water bills, FOR EVERYONE IN THE ENTIRE BUILDING, seem to have her name on it – something that she is attempting to rectify with management!
5. Washing-up – no hot water plumbed into the kitchen. For a while we thought we were doing something wrong, but no, it’s the done thing to wash-up in cold water.
6. Malaysia does things to my squash – yes, it’s true, my squash has been affected out here… I was playing the other night for an hour or so and my hand started to blister up from gripping my racket. What!? I’ve been playing squash for 14 years and this has never happened. It’s apparently the humidity you see…affects your skin and how the grip rubs on your hand. Looks like I’m going to have to toughen up these hands! (but yes, all of those worried about whether I have found squash out here, you can sleep easy…I have…)
7. Bakeries – oh the bakeries are so good here. Again, something entirely unexpected. Malaysian bakeries really do give our British bakeries a run for their money! (Little tip, if you do come to JB, go to Hiap Joo bakery in the centre of town – the best banana cake ever!)
8. Dead cockroaches – we are starting to get used to the sound of geckos at night (it's ok, they get the mosquitos) and dead things greeting me at work in the morning. There is an abundance of wildlife here - lizards, monkeys, chameleons, big moths, and lots more - a slight change from seeing your average squirrel running around in the UK!
9. The rain – the weather out here is really something (it's currently chucking it down as I write this post). One minute it is dry, hot and humid, and the next the heavens open and it belts it down! I think the locals think us Westerners are quite peculiar standing at the entrance of the building just watching the rain...
10. Food – not so much of a quirky one, but one worth mentioning anyway. Due to the multiculturism of Malaysia, the food is so varied and exciting. Since we’ve got here we have eaten a whole range of tasty delights: fish head curry, banana leaf curry, black pepper crab, pisang goreng, roti canai and lots more! Food is such an important part of daily life here and the locals are so proud of their varied cuisine (apart from the food, the only other thing you cannot criticise is the king). We are absolutely loving the food out here; hopefully by the time we’re back in the UK it won’t be too noticeable how much we enjoy it!
This is our car when the left side-light worked, but the right didn't, the right headlight worked, but the left didn't and both the full-beams worked. Very confusing:
3. Cinema – firstly, it is probably the best cinema that I have ever been in. Lovely big seats with lots of space, large screen, nice and loud (I’ll come back to this…). So, we sit down ready for the film – adverts…check, trailers…check, turn-your-phone off announcement…check, national anthem…what!? Before Tom Cruise got on-screen holding onto the side of a plane, naturally, everyone in the auditorium stood up, hands on hearts, and sang the national anthem; highly unexpected I must say. I mentioned how loud the speakers were…there’s a good reason for this. It seems that it is perfectly accepted to chat, answer phones, and to have children running around while the film is on. We have only been to the cinema once, so this is based on an N of one, so let’s have an open mind and see what happens next time.
4. Paying bills – bills are cheap, yay! But paying them can be quite challenging. We found a water bill in our post box with a colleague's - who lives in the same building - name on it. Naturally we thought this was a mistake, so told said colleague. We were later informed that actually all of the water bills, FOR EVERYONE IN THE ENTIRE BUILDING, seem to have her name on it – something that she is attempting to rectify with management!
5. Washing-up – no hot water plumbed into the kitchen. For a while we thought we were doing something wrong, but no, it’s the done thing to wash-up in cold water.
6. Malaysia does things to my squash – yes, it’s true, my squash has been affected out here… I was playing the other night for an hour or so and my hand started to blister up from gripping my racket. What!? I’ve been playing squash for 14 years and this has never happened. It’s apparently the humidity you see…affects your skin and how the grip rubs on your hand. Looks like I’m going to have to toughen up these hands! (but yes, all of those worried about whether I have found squash out here, you can sleep easy…I have…)
7. Bakeries – oh the bakeries are so good here. Again, something entirely unexpected. Malaysian bakeries really do give our British bakeries a run for their money! (Little tip, if you do come to JB, go to Hiap Joo bakery in the centre of town – the best banana cake ever!)
8. Dead cockroaches – we are starting to get used to the sound of geckos at night (it's ok, they get the mosquitos) and dead things greeting me at work in the morning. There is an abundance of wildlife here - lizards, monkeys, chameleons, big moths, and lots more - a slight change from seeing your average squirrel running around in the UK!
9. The rain – the weather out here is really something (it's currently chucking it down as I write this post). One minute it is dry, hot and humid, and the next the heavens open and it belts it down! I think the locals think us Westerners are quite peculiar standing at the entrance of the building just watching the rain...
10. Food – not so much of a quirky one, but one worth mentioning anyway. Due to the multiculturism of Malaysia, the food is so varied and exciting. Since we’ve got here we have eaten a whole range of tasty delights: fish head curry, banana leaf curry, black pepper crab, pisang goreng, roti canai and lots more! Food is such an important part of daily life here and the locals are so proud of their varied cuisine (apart from the food, the only other thing you cannot criticise is the king). We are absolutely loving the food out here; hopefully by the time we’re back in the UK it won’t be too noticeable how much we enjoy it!
So, as you can see, there are a number of differences here compared with little old Blighty. I'm sure in the next few weeks and months of living here this list will continue to grow. I'll be sure to keep you updated ;)
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