26/9/2006 - Australian Boy missing his Malaysian Home
As challenging as my AFS experience has here has been sometimes, I don’t think I will ever regret coming to Malaysia. Already I have learned so much, made so many friends and had so many priceless experiences, not to mention learning some invaluable life lessons in the process.
I really feel I have matured during the time I’ve been in Malaysia. There’s nothing like having independence, trust and responsibility and suitable challenging experiences dropped in your lap to make you check where your weaknesses are, sharpen your act and give you some opportunities to apply your newly-learnt life skills. I learnt them the hard way, and I didn’t always make the right decisions, but I’m so grateful I got to learn some more about myself, my strengths and weaknesses as a person during the last nine months.
Seeing Asian culture in action has been very interesting for me, and Malaysia is made all the more amazing because of its multicultural, vibrant nature. I love seeing Malaysians speak three different languages in one conversation, eating the cuisines of three different races at the same table. Malaysia…truly Asia.
This brings me to the most important thing about this country: food. I will shed a tear every time I pay $4.50 for a load of grease-laden fish and chips or tasteless takeaway stir fry after returning from Malaysia. I mean no offence at all to all the great people I’ve had great times with here, but my most cherished memories of Malaysia generally consist of the food. I will personally underwrite, with every cent of my earnings, the enterprise of any person who wishes to come to Alice Springs and open a Malaysian kopitiam or mamak stall. Separated from my Malaysian food, I will surely experience withdrawal symptoms from chili padi. I will doze off in class and taste curry mee in my mouth; my ears will ring with shouts of “Teehhh tarik!” I will quietly sob as I play with my macaroni cheese, dreaming longingly of nasi kandar or char kuey teow. I have learnt something very important about us westerners: we don’t eat properly. We should stop starving ourselves for the sake of such frivolous pursuits such as weight control and cardiovascular health and start gorging ourselves on whatever we feel like. It took me a while to learn this; one day I just though to myself: ‘If I get hit by a bus tomorrow and die, afterwards I’d like to be able to say “Well, at least I didn’t go hungry.”
If there’s one thing I will recommend to anybody in the whole world, it’s an AFS exchange. My year so far wasn’t as easy as I expected, by I wouldn’t trade the experience I’ve had for anything. Malaysia is amazing, I’ve seen so much of the country and it’s still not enough. I’d like to say thanks to everyone who looked after me while I’ve been here, all the people at the office, my tireless LP, assorted friends who made me feel welcome and my extra special host family here in Kuantan. I’ll be back to visit as soon as I can.
Got to go now though. I’m hungry.
Liam Gammon
AFS Returnee to Malaysia 2005/2006
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