As they say, “don’t knock it until you’ve tried it”! After all, it’s one thing to hear about a certain person, place, service or thing. It’s another thing entirely to experience it for yourself. While sometimes, hearsay does prove to be true, other times, you may just be pleasantly surprised.
A Chinese woman recently shared how living in Malaysia changed her mind about it’s living conditions. Previously, she thought Malaysia had poor living conditions. However, after experiencing life here for herself, she has changed her earlier opinion of it!
At that time, the lady had been living in Shenzhen, China. She had been pretty happy living there, however, her friend’s lifestyle in Malaysia soon attracted her attention. “I had a friend three years ago. He brought his kids to live and study in Kuala Lumpur,” she explained. “I thought his life (in KL) was very good.”
The lady added that she would often ask him questions about living in Kuala Lumpur. “It was so good, and (his) kids also took English classes, (their) English was good. And (they) also learned the piano and other talents,” she said. After a year of her asking questions, her friend finally reached the end of his rope. “You keep asking me (questions) every single day. Can’t you buy a ticket and come (to KL) yourself?” he asked her.
“Actually, I didn’t have (a clue) about Kuala Lumpur before. My impression of Malaysia was that it seemed to be dirty, messy, (with many) poor (people), and (you) can’t get enough to eat (here),” the lady admitted. “I thought there was nowhere better than Shenzhen. So, I thought at the time, “Malaysia must be very bad. I can’t go there”.”
However, a year later, her friend convinced her to visit. And to her surprise, Malaysia was not like she had imagined. “The greenery was good and the climate is actually similar to Shenzhen’s,” she stated, adding that she felt Malaysia was actually less humid as well. “So, I fell in love with this city at once.”
She also felt like she hadn’t actually gone abroad, since the living conditions were similar to her hometown. Also, there was no real language barrier as she could use Mandarin to communicate with the local Chinese here. In fact, she felt it was such a nice place, she decided to make Malaysia her second home with the Malaysia My Second Home programme.
To her Malaysia was also the best place to bring up her kids, especially in terms of international education. She felt that international schools in Kuala Lumpur were extremely inclusive as they had a Western education system, but maintained their Chinese cultural education. “It’s a good place for Asians, especially Chinese people, to come for studies,” she stated.
However, not everyone back home agreed with her views. She shared that she had friends who often questioned her choice of location and suggested other countries like Australia, Singapore, the US and the UK. She admitted she had considered moving to Singapore.
But, as it was notoriously difficult to gain a visa in Singapore, she decided against it, especially when she factored in her elderly parents. Thailand had also been a country she considered. However, language had been the deciding factor there as she wanted her kids to learn English well.
Her favourite change in Malaysia however is that her children are much happier and more self-confident now. “I didn’t expect (my child) to come home (from school) after the first week to tell me, “Mom, I’m really happy” she shared. “And in the second week, he said, “Mom, I joined the school’s debate team”.” She ended the video with: “I think if you want your child to have international education, or want them to study happily, you can confidently bring your child to Kuala Lumpur. You can’t go wrong!”
Well, it’s certainly touching to know that others enjoy the life in Malaysia which some of us take for granted. In fact, she isn’t the only person from China to love living in Malaysia. Another family recently shared their experience living here and they love it here too! We hope they continue enjoying themselves in Malaysia!
Sources: YouTube, Tan Tan News
