No doubt Malaysia, my home country, born and breed, I am a Malaysian, yes I am proud to be one. I have been in down under for the past 6 years, I have build my life there and I am happy to be a permanent resident, but I guess Australia will always remain as my second home, unless in the near future, I will settle down and have my family, I can call down under my first home. The times when I missed home, I wish was back, I get all the attentions from my family and friends, feeling rich with the amount of AUD I have due to the high exchange rate, sleep in, food is always ready on the table, no commitments and burdens, and most important, I have so many friends to hang out and talk too. Life is never boring here, but life here is hectic!
However, I can't see myself living in Malaysia at the moment, I mean if I ever return here to start my life, I might need time to get use to the environment. I have only been driving for the past few days, and realised I can die of heart attack driving, because the drivers here are crazy! There are three things I realised about them, firstly, they NEVER use their signals when turning right or left, I would suggest the Malaysian cars not to have a signal in the cars, because they never use it! Secondly, the cars have to follow closely behind your bumper, a way of letting you know, you are driving too slow, get out of my way! Excuse me! Since when driving according to the speed limit is a crime, oh yeah I forgot, there is never a speed limit in Malaysia! Lastly, the drivers here use the honk more than their signals, so when you hear a horn, you have to look twice and see whether some idiots are trying to get pass you!
Another important issue concerned, will be the cost of living, everything are expensive, from food to clothing, cosmetics, shoes, toiletries, but the weird thing is, the salary package has barely increased over the past few years! How do people survive here? The starting pay is low, and everyone has to work their way up to at least reach RM3000 ( $1000), with 2 years experience, having to pay for car installments ( the prices of the car are very expensive!), shopping for work clothes, a shirt would average cost at least RM70 and above, shoes, cosmetics, and knowing my spending habits, I can never have enough to spend here. I just don't understand how they survive! The only reason I understand why I can buy things here without thinking twice, is because I am earning AUD, and with the strong exchange rate now, I feel is worth the value to buy, but if I was working here, I might not even consider buying anything.
One final concern would be the security, everywhere I go, everyone tell me, make sure you have your handbag close to you at all times, for example, when we are at a restaurant, we have to put our bags on our laps, to ensure the bag is safe, because putting it on the table or a chair next to us, would encourage people to steal from us. I can't eat or drink properly with the bag on my lap, it's so inconvenient but if I don't do so, I can have the risk of losing my bag! I am not encourage to wear any gold jewellery or items that might attract people to look, and when they look, I feel so uncomfortable. It's not safe to drive alone, to go out till late, or even to walk on the streets, because anything can happen at anytime. I feel safe when I am back in Australia, walking on the streets during wee hours were never a problem, having open bags without a zipper was never a security issue, this is the reason we are taxed so high because the government provides us with securities to ensure we are safe. The polices here are corrupted, they don't care about our securities and probably under paid to do their job!
The thing I miss here is the night life, there are so many cafes, pubs and clubs opened at the moment, anytime of the day, there are lots of people around and it makes me feel that I have a life. It feels good to catch up with old high school friends, getting to know how their life is going, what it would feel like if I was to settle down here for good. One thing I am sure, I can never leave work early, and might have to stay up late depending on the job I have, because everyone here have their dinner after 9 pm, it's sad, but they are used to it.
Sometimes, I feel I am in the middle of a crossroad, I don't know which path to take, and when I am at different places I feel different. Everyone wish they were in Australia and some are trying so hard to apply for permanent residency or working visa to live and work there. As for me, I am fortunate to have my permanent residency visa, and allows me to work and live there, to fly back and from Malaysia. I guess the grass is always greener on the other side, not until you have experience both world, then you will know what to choose. I miss Australia at the moment, I miss the relaxed life, the weather, I definitely don't miss the work! Work is something I am not looking forward to at the moment, it's hard when you have a holiday abroad, when everyday is a Sunday, but it's time I face reality. Stress, stress and more stress!
One week till I am leaving, part of me want to stay and leave at the same time. Is this normal?
Yen
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