While packing my bags at the time of leaving Malaysia, now forever, I got convinced with the fact that destiny plays double game. Don’t know about others, but it has played with me for sure. I still remember that particular time of 2014, when I was stuck in two minds before making my mind to come to Malaysia because Malaysia was never my destination for work, not even as a tourist. Yes, like any other person from typical Indian middle class, I too dreamt of working abroad. Being Prime Minster of my own thoughts I had the rights of listing the countries, where I would work in, if given the opportunity. No price for guessing which country tops the list. Being Japanese language expert first preference was always for Japan, though I did not mind working in Europe, because my spoken English that time was as good as any other person from Spain or France. But working in Malaysia was never in the picture. There was a time, when I had to choose either “one year scholarship in Japan” or “job in Malaysia”. One needed to be sacrificed to get another. Remember, it is hard for an emotional and sensitive person like me to put brain ahead of heart. After giving lots of thoughts, finally I decided Malaysia over Japan with a hope that achieving career height of Malaysian Twin Tower if not Tokyo Tower. This is a blog to thank Malaysia for some particular reasons and for becoming important chapter of my life.

They say “Progress happens outside your comfort zone.” I was aware of the fact that when I land in Malaysia, the things which I would miss were family, relatives, friends and food, apart from heavy traffic.  You can share room with siblings, parents in India, but sharing room with unknown people in foreign country seemed as difficult as eating with chopsticks. It was first time for me to share the house with someone whom you have never seen or never heard of. Being introvert by nature I was struggling at the beginning but I got comfortable soon, thanks to my roommates. Although we were from different culture with different interests, it did not take longer to get on like a house on fire. Apparently it was another version of Amar Akbar Anthony in our house, as one hailed from North India, the other one from South India and I being from West India. Except our nationality everything was different.  It was beginning of new chapter and I was adding new people in the friend’s list of Life Book. The list was increasing at snails’ speed. After coming to Malaysia I had to create my new world. However, my job timings did not allow me or I failed to make my new world the way I wanted to. Geographically, Malaysia is tiny land to any Indian, but it had become my tiny world, where I could discover some of my own hidden abilities.

Talking about the abilities, one good thing that I have always possessed is “having ears”. While listening the problems of other you should have ears, but when it comes to increasing knowledge, having ears is not adequate, because it stops you from going into details of anything. It is only in Malaysia where I changed my habit of only listening and started increasing knowledge of various topics like Indian history. Whenever I got free time, I read selected books on Indian history. After reading some books, I could expand my knowledge on my own to some extent and unknowingly got addicted to it. So high was the addiction that I even started following Shivaji “The King of Marathas” by growing my beard like him, that too in country like Malaysia! Thanks to Malaysia for not having any fort in Malaysia, otherwise I am sure Shivaji could have won that too. So gaining knowledge on my own was newly found ability that I will cherish for rest of my life, apart from discoveries other abilities like writing and playing Mandolin in event. To conclude the ability part, I should mention my ability “to cook or crook”.  Kitchen in our house was a laboratory because whenever I entered in it I either cooked something or crooked something. Proudly I can say now that I have hands on experience in cooking and can survive until I get better food.

During my childhood, I visited many cities in India, whose names often ended with “pore” like Solapore, Kolhapore but I had never thought I would be getting chance to visit Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. Because of two years in Malaysia I can say, I know Kuala Lumpur like back of my hand. But Singapore was a different story for two reasons: one, I became real backpacker for the first time and second, it was all about I, me and myself, as I had gone there alone. It was adventures with comfort, it was rejuvenating with loneliness and yes, it was bit costly with no shopping. If at all anyone wants to take a leaf out of my book then I would say “Go, travel alone at least once in the unknown world to understand how lucky or unlucky you are in your life. Then you will never take life for granted. “

The most interesting & funny part of stay in foreign country is Language. If you are from West India, then go to South India and you will be proud of your broken Hindi like me, still it is good enough to survive. But in foreign countries neither the broken Hindi nor your developing English come to your rescue. Being a linguistic by profession I always try to add new languages and their vocab in my armory. Unfortunately, I could not learn the local language of Malaysia. Surprisingly, I could also not make any authentic Malaysian friend, with whom I could have practiced local language. It is observed that whenever we try to learn any new language, the one sentence that we want to learn, at any cost, is how to say “I Love You”. In two years I did not learn it and that is why “I hate myself.” Besides it one question that is going to haunt me for rest of my life is, if in India I can make so many Japanese friends, then how come no Malaysian friend in Malaysia.

Though no Malaysian friend, I had relatively enough contacts and acquaintances with whom I could spent quality time and share some laughter. The initial days in Malaysia were not as exciting as the last days, because I started socializing more. I was not alone anymore. The Joshi family, the Dalvi family and Maharashtra Mandal group brought me again in comfort zone. The get-togethers and meeting with Marathi speaking group became worth attending. When I see my old cronies in old photo, I sometime wonder, am I really that one, who has come out of the shell and created another world with new bunch of people. As all my social activities started getting into the grooves, destiny played another double game by giving me job in my dream land Japan. Time in Malaysia was up.

When I was in India, I probably tried too hard to get opportunity to work in Japan. Stints with real Japanese companies also were not sufficient. It felt like all the doors to go to Japan were closed. While packing the bags, when I look back, I realize, if it was not Malaysia first, Japan could have never reality today. Destiny perhaps wanted me to get used to East Asian faces first, before I get used to strict Japanese culture. Now It’s time to cherish some old memories and to create new.