Malaysia

My family is a migratory family.

On my mum's side, out of seven children my mum's the only one still staying in Malaysia.
On my dad's side, only he and his brother call Malaysia home while my 4 aunts and grandparents are all in Sydney.

When it came to making choices post form 5, many of my hometown friends assumed that I would go overseas right after. I must admit I did toy around with the idea esp when I could get a 50% discount for fees for a college in Perth.

But "playing safe" chose to do SAM, in case I couldn't do medicine in Oz direct entry, there was always IMU to fall back on. (& it was a cheaper option)

Funnily UNSW did offer me a 1st year place after SAM, but I declined and chose to go to IMU...after serious fact finding by my dad and I, because of the easier post grad opportunities in the UK. Even before I set foot in the abandoned shopping complex aka IMU, I knew which country I wanted to go...all the way till April 2006!
Anyway, the irony of ending up in Australia...and specifically UNSW is another story altogether.

The point is, I could have ended up overseas when I was 17 or 18.
But I am sooo thankful that I didn't because it was only during the IMU years that I started to understand my country more.

To understand the politics and systems; to grieve over the failings, yet to love the resilience & have a burden for the people of Malaysia. More importantly, the privilege of being part of the body of Christ in Malaysia. It's no longer their problem but my concern as well. I feel so strongly about this that I hope my sisters will be able to stay in Malaysia for the first years of college/uni and have the same (or even better) learning experiences I had.

Yes, things can be better, and I am in no position to comment until and unless I return home for good....
but I am thankful despite the racial misgivings to be called Malaysian.

Happy Merdeka.