Hello everybody,
When you first settled in Malaysia, you might have been struck by cultural aspects of life in Malaysia and you might even have anecdotes about your integration here.
We would like you to share with expats-to-be what you discovered once you arrived in Malaysia: customs, traditions, interesting or fun facts etc.
What were the things that surprised you the most after your arrival?
Are there any practices that are particularly out of step with your culture of origin? If so, what are they?
What do you think about them?
Did you get used to these and adopt some of these traditions or norms?
Do you think you would take some of the customs of Malaysia with you if you were to return to your home country or move to another country?
Thank you!
Cheryl,
Expat.com team
What struck you about Malaysia?
What struck me most about Malaysia is that the people are very friendly and welcoming to foreigners. This matters the most to me and I found adjusting to life in this country very easy and a positive experience.
The only negative side of the culture that permeates business and social activities is that people don't respect the importance of punctuality. You arrange an appointment and expect people to be there on-time? Then you are bound to be very disappointed because most people show up at their leisure much later, I have known many instances when people show up hours after the appointment time with no apologies, as if it is an accepted practice to be late... This laid back attitude is holding the country back, in so many ways.
After being here 3 years I still haven't got used to this, I still show up ahead of time, but bring a book to kill the waiting time. So no, this is one custom I won't take back to the US with me.
I could not agree more, it's totally disrespectful and it definitely has an impact on Malaysia's ability to compete as an economy internationally. I love the fact that Malaysia offers an amazing lifestyle and I feel so fortunate to have the opportunity to spend my life here and contribute to the economy generally. However I think we lose business opportunities because of the casual approach to everything. Respecting someone's time, turning up, doing what you say you are going to do are important values internationally. I just think Malaysian's need to understand that if they want to progress the economy to a 'high income nation' . The reason employers give for offering such low salaries in Malaysia is the lack of productivity. That is of course not always the case and a 'convenient excuse'. However that is the perception and if people want that to change then more of an international mindset might be required.
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