Okay I am writing about Malaysia again. Now that I have written about nature tourism, I don't have any urge to write on it today. Not that there is nothing more to say on it, just the mood is not there. So I'll write about the people in Malaysia.
So how does one describe Malaysians. Generally what ever you learn about human being still applies to Malaysians. There are good people, and there are bad people. The same thing goes to Malaysians. But in general like in so many cases there are many many more good people than bad people. In other words Malaysians that you will meet on the street, in the hotel are nice people. Malaysian are friendly and always willing to extend help if asked, especially to tourists. Anyway I have come across few Americans that have their families freaked out (believe it or not) once they were asked to make a business trip to Kuala Lumpur. Well you see the post 9/11 world has developed a certain phobia towards many moslem nations. But I am proud to say that at the moment of this writing there has never been any occurence of suicide bomber or westerners being kidnapped in Malaysia. We are one peace loving nation.
Many Malaysians are also multi-lingual. Most speak english, a large percentage of the population also speak chinese, tamil. Even if you go to rural area you will be amazed that many people speak english (fluent or not included). So asking direction , ordering food, and bargaining will not be so much a problem for any English or Spanglish or Chinglish or Franglish or else-ish speaking tourists. For other non-english speaking tourist the service of a tanslator is also easy to secure. Name the language there is a 99% probability that there is a Malaysian who can speak the language. Even if you don't want to engage a translator you will be amazed that many Malaysian will patiently try to understand what you need.
One of the aspect of Malaysians that may be misunderstood by a westerner is their warmth and friendliness. A Malaysian in a street may tell more than what is needed to a tourist who just want to know a direction. Maybe the tourist will be asked where he/she comes from, which hotel he/she stays so on, how long the stay will be, his/her age, and many more. So don't feel awkward, it is normal. But I guess there is nothing wrong to be caution as long as you don't offend anyone.
With many Malaysians you can talk on any subject be it politics, religion, Islam, sex, finance. The depth of the conversation will of course depend on whom you are talking to. However do not expect that their opinions are just like what you learn from the western media. That's understandable I guess since our eastern philosophy and values are very much influenced by Islam, confucian thinking, buddhism, and hinduism. I believe this different weltanschaung is good since it complements your way of thinking. But don't be surprised if you find that many Malaysians are also familiar with western thinkers and have spend a number of years in the west.
While many Malaysians are good natured people they are also paradoxes in themselves. Don't be surprised that many Malaysians do not like to queue while embarking on a public transport. Don't be surprised to see a Malaysian throw a garbage on the street. Don't be surprised to see young Malaysians race motorcycles in city streets during evenings. Don't be surprised to find a dirty public toilet. Don't be perplexed to see the driving manners of a nice Malaysian that you just befriend. Despite all these shortcomings many will offer you a genuine friendship and assistance.
So how does one describe Malaysians. Generally what ever you learn about human being still applies to Malaysians. There are good people, and there are bad people. The same thing goes to Malaysians. But in general like in so many cases there are many many more good people than bad people. In other words Malaysians that you will meet on the street, in the hotel are nice people. Malaysian are friendly and always willing to extend help if asked, especially to tourists. Anyway I have come across few Americans that have their families freaked out (believe it or not) once they were asked to make a business trip to Kuala Lumpur. Well you see the post 9/11 world has developed a certain phobia towards many moslem nations. But I am proud to say that at the moment of this writing there has never been any occurence of suicide bomber or westerners being kidnapped in Malaysia. We are one peace loving nation.
Many Malaysians are also multi-lingual. Most speak english, a large percentage of the population also speak chinese, tamil. Even if you go to rural area you will be amazed that many people speak english (fluent or not included). So asking direction , ordering food, and bargaining will not be so much a problem for any English or Spanglish or Chinglish or Franglish or else-ish speaking tourists. For other non-english speaking tourist the service of a tanslator is also easy to secure. Name the language there is a 99% probability that there is a Malaysian who can speak the language. Even if you don't want to engage a translator you will be amazed that many Malaysian will patiently try to understand what you need.
One of the aspect of Malaysians that may be misunderstood by a westerner is their warmth and friendliness. A Malaysian in a street may tell more than what is needed to a tourist who just want to know a direction. Maybe the tourist will be asked where he/she comes from, which hotel he/she stays so on, how long the stay will be, his/her age, and many more. So don't feel awkward, it is normal. But I guess there is nothing wrong to be caution as long as you don't offend anyone.
With many Malaysians you can talk on any subject be it politics, religion, Islam, sex, finance. The depth of the conversation will of course depend on whom you are talking to. However do not expect that their opinions are just like what you learn from the western media. That's understandable I guess since our eastern philosophy and values are very much influenced by Islam, confucian thinking, buddhism, and hinduism. I believe this different weltanschaung is good since it complements your way of thinking. But don't be surprised if you find that many Malaysians are also familiar with western thinkers and have spend a number of years in the west.
While many Malaysians are good natured people they are also paradoxes in themselves. Don't be surprised that many Malaysians do not like to queue while embarking on a public transport. Don't be surprised to see a Malaysian throw a garbage on the street. Don't be surprised to see young Malaysians race motorcycles in city streets during evenings. Don't be surprised to find a dirty public toilet. Don't be perplexed to see the driving manners of a nice Malaysian that you just befriend. Despite all these shortcomings many will offer you a genuine friendship and assistance.
