New Zealand from a moving bus
Until you go overseas to study, you’ll never understand what is cultural shock. No amount of reading, praying, talking to people who have been there is going to prepare you for it. Its something inevitable to happen, and there is nothing one can do about it but to try and absorb it, while maintaining a firm composure.
Some of you guys may have felt a milder version of cultural shock when you go to one of these local colleges to study. Its completely different, and it takes a while to adapt, but at the end of the day, you still go back to your family, and you have the support of a family, you still have most of your friends, and you still have some comfort zone and social/emotional support. You still have the support of your local church/temple/family members.
Those who chose to study in west M’sia, S’pore might have a bigger shock, as there are tons od Malays, Chinese food is not like kuching, but at least language is still mostly the same, and hey, you can get rice and mee. So what if you don’t have kolo mee? You hav a HUGE list of alternatives like Cantonese mee. And, Kuching is just 1.5 hrs away! With airasia, and the fact you should know your timetable enough to plan your flight a few months ahead, going home is not too much of a problem.
The country side from a bus
But New Zealand is quite literary at the end of the world. Its not at any major trade route. You can only fly north. The only people who fly south are the scientists, because NZ is the last stop b4 the South pole! Malaysia is a 10 hr fight away, and it’s a night flight. Try sleeping in a plane. You cant really. There is only one major internet link, and that’s to Australia. Almost all the links to the WWW are routed through Ozzy land.
It can get quite cold, even is “summer”, where the mercury never hits above 25C. Heck, when its 22 C, they call it a “hot day”. And I’m wearng 2 layers of clothes now. Indoors. And that’s just the day! Night is the ice age. You have to keep the windows closed, or else youre going to be frozen to death. But when you sleep during the first night, its soo stuffy, its like somebody is chocking you. Try sleeping with the windows closed. You’ll know what I mean.
What i eat in the place of rice
Rice is a rarity here. No 20Kg bags of rice. A bowl of “Hokien noodles” cost NZ$8. and I have one nit to pick on these “Hokkien noodles”. I come from kuching, the (unofficial) hokkien capital of M’sia. (I know Penang has more hokkiens, but they also have lost of other groups, and is more diversified. And no kolo mee.) I can tell you the best places to eat kolo mee, laksa, kiaw etc. But I fly halfway around the world, and I see “hokkien mee”, which I, someone from the hokkien capital of Malaysia, have never seen!
Students on the beach on orientation day
But the biggest shock is going to school. Um, I mean college. The college I’m in, has year 9 to year 13. That equates to from 1/2 to from 6. I’m in year 13. Their verson of form 6, but in 11 months.
And there tons of Asians! There are Koreans, mainland Chinese, Taiwanese, Japanese, germans……. Everyting, except a Malaysian! Yes! In my entire orientation group, I have never met a Malaysian yet! Sure, theres Sarah (remember her?), but its not like
· I know her
· Were doing the same course even
And she has been there for one year already!
Now, I’m neither here nor there. For all my “good” English, I’m just average here. My English is nothing compared to these ang mo’s, or even some of the Asians who have been studying here for 4 years already. Yet, my Chinese is not much, so I don’t identify with the mainland Chinese. I don’t speak Korean, so there goes a nice big group. I cant speak a sentence of Japanese to save my life, so there goes another sector. So I’m not Chinese (in their point of view), but at the same time, I’m no ang mo when it comes to English! So what language do you want me to use? BM?
In effect, I’m all alone here!
And trust me, loneliness is just the beginning. No man is an island, but a man needs support. Especially from the pai kia here.
There are probably as many pai kia here as back home. But its worst here. These pai kia, LOVE TO PREY on Asians. Especially Asians who have no support group. It gets worst. The pai kia here also recruit and have Asians into their gang, and they use the “asian touch” to trap Asian students who are alone. They are intimidating, and you really feel uncomfortable just sitting next to them. Once they start talking, I tell you, wee chung is an angel compared to them. I’m serious. The way they talk, act, just wants to make me scream “STAY AWAY FROM ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
I cant describe the pai kia here. My English may be (relatively) good, but I think the English language lacks the vocab to describe them here. I don’t want to have anything to do with them, but its difficult when there in the same class, and dominate the class. The teachers seem to be willing to let them free under the name of “discussion” and “exchanging cultures”. THEY ARE ONE CULTURE EVERY Asian SHOULD STAY FAR FAR FAR AWAY! 我们华人要好好远离这些pai kia 的红毛人和他们和“文化”和他们的生活方式。
Its easy for the Koreans. They all speak one language in korea, so all the new Koreans are close knit in their group. The mainland Chinese also cluster together are speak 北访的华语。The Taiwanese don’t talk much, but at least they have each other. What about a Malaysian? I HAVE NO ONE TO CLUSTER AROUND! There is real strength in numbers. These pai kia only attack individual victims. When you are in a group, they don’t really advance to you.
So why not stay with the mainland Chinese? Or the Taiwanese? Well, look at a typical conversation between me and a 华人：
华人：where are you from?
我：I’m from Malaysia.
华人：oh? So, are you Chinese?
我：yes.
华人：你会讲华语吗？
我：会！
华人：那么， 你是马来西亚的华人？
我：是啊。
And the conversation ends there.They give me a look which I take to be: hes a Chinese, but he’s not part of me. I cant describe it. Only people who have been to china and spoken to mainland Chinese will understand. We may be Chinese ethnically, but were not the same.even if we speak the same language. 华人，华族， 可是不是中国人。华人 does not equal 中国人。
Its really a shock. But when all things are considered, I’m fortunate. I can talk to my parents almost free. (Thank god for skype) For the whole night, where our parents had to pay $5 just for a 3 min call back home. Our parents had to contend with letters, I have email. I’m closer to my family than our parents were to their families 30 years ago.
Be thankful, I am. But no technological advances can bridge the missing of family. And the absence of kolo mee. Trust me, kolo mee is the best dish in the world. Cheap, filling and delicious.
Sorry for the long post, but I had to vent out my feelings. I will resume some of my posts that I hav been planning in due time.
