Impressions of Kuala Lumpur

March 27th, 2013

Bangkok, Thailand

Song of the Day: Total Praise by Richard Smallwood

Mood: Refreshed

The nation builder

My favorite part about Kuala Lumpur was spending time with the Nation Builder and her friends. First, I enjoyed their kindness. They fully welcomed me into their plans and community while I was there.

 

Second, their energy was contagious and I enjoyed being around smart and capable young professionals. They are the future leaders of Kuala Lumpur and their drive made me further realize how much fun it would be to be fully immersed in a community of people who are like me.

The Nation Builder is incredibly talented and ambitious. She improves the quality of education in low-income communities through her job. In addition, she co-founded a national internship program as well as a dating service in Kuala Lumpur (not to mention a lot of informal networking). As far as I could tell, she slept fewer than five hours per night, but woke up ready to tackle the day. When I was getting ready for a traditional Malaysian breakfast, she was already moving and shaking.

Random awesomeness

Each culture has its own peculiarities and I love traveling because I can delight in the differences. For example, when you approach a traffic flag waver in KL, everything looks typical.

But when you see a sculpted face and stiff hair, you realize that the person isn't a person at all. It is actually a store mannequin that has been automated to wave its hand up and down.

I'm sorry, this is the best picture I have. Just trust me... 

Another interesting aspect is that the number 4 is unlucky in Chinese and Malaysian cultures. In America, buildings often skip the 13th floor. In Malaysia, oftentimes when a floor ends in 4 it is changed to 3A.

All around the world, people like this building supervisor have a sense of humor

The culture

In Malaysia, the people speak Malay. However, since the country used to be controlled by the British, many, many people speak English fluently.

It was interesting to see the combination of the old and the new. In one part of town, you can experience a market for traditional art and culture at the Central Market. You can even pick up a pair of Aladdin pants

On the river next to it, there is modern street art

Islam

Malaysia is an Islamic country. By constitution, the President must be Malay. To be Malay, one must be Muslim. In America, we separate ethnicity and religion, but here they are one and the same. Islam permeates all areas of the culture from the clothes to the architecture.

The Islamic Arts Museum is famous

There is a mosque in the middle of the city center 

However, not all the people are Muslim and the society has evolved accordingly. There is a dual court system where some people are subject to common law and others are judged according to Sharia law. One big consequence is that if you marry a Muslim, you are required by law to convert to Islam. Yet, if you do, you are now subject to Sharia law. Under Sharia law, anyone who converts from Islam receives the death penalty. Although this is often enforced in the Middle East, it is rarely enforced in Malaysia. Even so, many interracial or interreligious couples flee the country if they can afford it. In the words of one person from Kuala Lumpur, "We haven't had our civil rights movement yet."

As of now, the country is about 60% Malay, 23% Chinese, and 7% Indian.

It makes me appreciate how much freedom we have (and take for granted) in America.