I am currently in a holding pen of sorts, being being trained and learning the different skill sets I’ll need for the next few months before being sent off to my assignment. Kuala Lumpur or KL is the capital city and is more cosmopolitan than I expected. I’m in a fancy hotel near the embassy and the Fulbright office where we go daily for orientation. KL is a different beast than Malaysia as a whole. My roommate whose family is from KL is still in shock that she will be living in rural Malaysia. They keep telling her it’s not too late too back out. This is because they themselves have not really left KL. I will be going to Terengganu on January 20th, which is one of the most conservative states in Malaysia and therefor very different than KL.
I’ve been in Malaysia for approximately 3 days now and all my time has been filled with intensive culture classes. Most importantly we have been being trained on the etiquette of being a non-muslim in a muslim majority culture. Much of the etiquette has to do with age differences and the relationships amongst the genders. As a woman I am expected to wear loose long clothing and in general be mindful of my sexuality. This I expected. However, the divide between the genders is much larger than I first expected, as in men and woman should not touch at all. Handshakes at this point seem to be a complicated affair because a man should not extend his had to a woman, but a woman can extend her hand to a man, but this may cause him to become offended so it’s better if she doesn’t. Instead they just nod their heads. On a side note, one thing I really like about the way Malaysians greet each other is that after the initial handshake/nod they lift there hand to their hearts as to say “I welcome you into my heart.” It’s really a sweet gesture.
Another thing that we have been briefed on several times is the Malaysian tendency to avoid confrontation and the importance placed on politeness. Because of these values we have been taught many gestures that are supposed to reinforce our respect for the people around us. They include: not pointing with your finger at anyone or anything instead gesture with a loose fist, not crossing your legs in a way which points the bottom of your foot at someone, taking your shoes off before you enter a home or place of importance, and always give or receive an item with both hands. There are a lot of little ways to offend Malaysians here that Americans wouldn’t think twice about. Luckily I am a young foreigner so they will not hold it against me as much.
Another interesting cultural difference I have experienced so far involves our living situations. The Malaysian Fulbright program has expanded 3 fold this year and as such the government is still trying to find adequate housing for all of us. One of the houses we were set to have has just been taken away from us by the Malaysian government because the house is believed to be haunted by a ghost. The government doesn’t want to take the chance that the ghost will harm one of the ETAs so we must find a new suitable housing option. Apparently ghosts are very popular here and many of the Malaysian movies and tv shows revolve around ghost stories.
There have been a lot of dos and don’ts the past couple of days, and it’s all very overwhelming. I am looking forward to moving out of KL in order to start experiencing everything that they are telling us, but we still have 2 more weeks of orientation. Tomorrow we are going on a scavenger hunt, so expect pictures soon.
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