Goodbye Malaysia

Breakfasting on roti canai, kayaking on the lake in Shah Alam, squeezing into train compartments at rush hour, and saying “lah” at the end of every sentence.

These are just a few of the things that come to mind as we reflect on our two months of work and play in Malaysia. Driving to the airport to go back home to Dubai, Nour realized with a start that she had been living in this Southeast Asian country for one-sixth of a year. She was far beyond the status of tourist and had started settling into the comfortable and quirky role of expat – Malaysia was, surprisingly, becoming home. She’d made different groups of friends, fallen in love with the local cuisine, started picking up the language, and even established a family base through Khalisah. But as the cliché goes, all good things come to an end, and it was soon time to leave. It had been two months of unexpected self-discovery, for both Nour the newcomer and Khalisah the returning resident. And they had their time with MERCY Malaysia and the Malaysian social scene to thank for it.

When we started our internship with MERCY Malaysia, we didn’t know what to expect. What greeted us at the office in downtown KL was a group of the friendliest staff members you could find in a 6000 mile radius. We were enthusiastically shown the ropes by the HR department, and gently nudged in the right direction whenever we went astray with the work we were given. We found that MERCY Malaysia is at the crux of the Malaysian humanitarian field. Donations from big companies like Patronas and collaborations with the likes of award-winning film director Yasmin Ahmad not only kept this small but powerful NGO going, but also powered the medical relief missions to places like Palestine and Bandar Aceh. Talking to fellow passengers at train stations or bus stops, they only had positive things to say about what they consider their national NGO. Supported by the donations of thousands of individuals and companies as well as being run by big-hearted professionals, we saw that MERCY Malaysia is truly aid delivered with care.

Work wasn’t all we did in Malaysia, of course. We tried packing in as much fun as we could into the precious few hours we had off each week. We made new friends, connecting with a group of local activists in the Young Muslims Project, and attending the Knowledge and Arts Tour that they put together for the summer. We also met up with Khalisah’s older friends from Sunway University College, and attended local gigs and scenes as well as doing what Malaysians do best—hang out at Mamak stalls. For Khalisah, this time was well spent on catching up with local pop culture. Like most third-culture kids, she suffers from the guilt of knowing all the intimate details of American pop singers and their second husbands and illegitimate children, but draws a blank when it comes to naming any popular Malaysian song.

This neglect of her other cultural identity was something she intended to correct, and this summer’s SHOUT! Awards and the kids from Sunway managed to correct that. Malaysia, she discovered, has a vibrant music scene that isn’t garnering the attention it deserves. From soul jazz singers like Zee Avi to indie-rock bands like Estranged to R&B masters like Joe Flizzow, Khalisah found herself spoilt for choice amongst the range of talent that came from her motherland. Her wallet could barely keep up with the CD’s she purchased in her last weeks.

Blazing through a whirlwind of music, mamak dinners and train rides, our time in Malaysia ended much earlier than we would have liked it to. Just as we were getting comfortable in our roles as Malaysian residents, our internship came to a swift end. Nour was surprised at how quickly this country, so different from what she’s known between America and the Middle East, welcomed her into the fold, while Khalisah was happy to find her weak Malay language skills flourish and grow alongside her appreciation of Malaysian pop culture.

Leaving Malaysia and its mamaks, where we spent our time discovering different ways of viewing and living in the world, is difficult. But we leave knowing that we have a road back there, and Malaysian experiences that we will take with us, wherever else we may go.