Representing Malaysia as a student abroad

By Melissa binti Mazlan

 

Packed your luggage? Check. Bade adieu to friends and family? Check. Prepared an introduction to Malaysia and how amazing it is? You’ve probably missed that on your what-to-do-when-I-reach-the-UK list.
 

Plenty of UK-bound Taylor’s University (TU) students on their way to Bristol and Hertfordshire have checked off the first two items, but most probably didn’t think of the importance of the third item on the list. The Inkslingers asked a few students on how they plan to introduce Malaysian culture to their curious UK classmates, and here are some of the interesting aspects of Malaysian life they’ll share.
 

Culture

Malaysia is a jolly melting pot of cultures, so it's no surprise most of the students immediately said they would tell their UK friends about the many cultures in Malaysia.

 

Chong Yu Qi and Tan Xue Ren, both 21 shared their thoughts on Malaysian culture.

 

"I'll introduce Malaysia as a culturally diverse country as it has many different races and yet we live together in harmony," said Chong, a public relations and event management major.

 

"I would also clarify that I'm a Malaysian Chinese and not from China," Chong pointed out.

 

Both Chong and Tan, a public relations and marketing major, said they would wear Malaysia's traditional costumes such as the cheongsam or baju kebaya if there were any university events celebrating Malaysian culture.

 

Software engineering major Saw Lip Leon, 21, spoke of the uniquely Malaysian ability to adapt to different lifestyles and cultures.

 

"We as Malaysians experience a unique society which blends a great variety of lifestyles and cultures," Saw said. For instance, he noticed that random people would just greet and smile at each other in the UK.

 

"This comes as a shock since this habit is not common back home, but it becomes second nature to us pretty fast. Not only that, we also feel better for doing so as it can be considered as blending in," he added.

 

Besides that, both Chong and Saw also said they would demonstrate some of the traditional games such as gasing, congkak, wau, and guli.

 

Eager to share as much as they can, the two students said they would also introduce Malaysian entertainment like the good old P. Ramlee movies. After the UK students start to familiarise themselves with Malaysian culture, they will then screen a few videos by Malaysian YouTubers for them to get an idea of local modern-day life.

 

Diandra Phua Ming Xiang, 21, a public relations and event management major, shared that she would educate her UK classmates all she knew about Sarawak.

 

"I'm a Sarawakian so naturally I'll start by explaining about Borneo and how Sarawak and Indonesia are a part of Borneo. That might be confusing for the UK students but it's extra general knowledge," Phua said. She would also enlighten them about the different ethnic groups in Sarawak like Lun Bawang, Kelabit and Bidayuh and their ways of living in this modern day era.
 

Food

Diverse cultures and nationalities are Malaysia's most distinctive badge of honour, but food comes a very close second. 

Phua, a proud Sarawakian, immediately sang praises for her beloved Sarawakian food.

 

"We have things they've never had before such as sago worms and kueh chap. It would probably be a culture shock to them because who would eat worms?" she said.

 

Edmund Chee Wei Pin and Jacky Teng Kong Wei, both 21 and international business and marketing majors, said the University of the West England has a Malaysian Student Association where Malaysian festivals are constantly celebrated.

 

Chee said the association even has potluck events for Malaysian food. "I would look for familiar food like Maggi Mee and Mee Sedap. As for me, I'll be bringing Milo over," Chee added.

 

Teng is an avid lover of Malaysian food and professes a love for cooking too. "I'll cook some Malaysian dishes for my UK classmates to taste," Teng said.

 

Lee Kin Yen, 21, a software engineering major said he would bring along some mooncakes. "I'll try my best to introduce these delicacies to my classmates and explain a bit of the culture behind it," Lee said.
 

Festivals

Chee and Teng are both confident that they would be celebrating Malaysia's many festivals during their time in the UK.

 

"I'll celebrate the Mooncake Festival as well as Chap Goh Meh and maybe indulge in a little gambling during Chinese New Year,” Chee cheekily admitted.

 

Teng explained that the Malaysian Student Association there often organises Malaysian festivals to promote the Malaysian culture.

 

"I'll join the association and invite my UK friends to those events. The more, the merrier!" Teng said.
 

Slang

No Malaysian can stop from ending every sentence with a 'la', and the students agree with that statement.

 

"I definitely won’t be able to hold myself back when I speak, and no doubt people will be questioning me about it. Now it’s just the matter of explaining the habit to them," Lee said.

 

Teng further added that he would consider teaching his UK classmates how to speak with the Malaysian slang.

 

"It'll be fun while we exchange our thoughts and culture, plus it’ll be really amusing listening to foreigners attempting to speak like us," Teng admitted with a laugh.

 

Phua said that she would teach her classmates some of the Malaysian curse words. "I'll teach them bad words and curse at them but they won't understand a word I say," Phua added.

 

With a myriad of interesting aspects of Malaysian life, students in the UK will know Malaysians are an interesting lot and a force to be reckoned with.