After being in India for what seems like an eternity I’ve come to a place where I feel so uncivilized (it was definitely an eternity in travel time; long enough to rip apart my old persona and build a new one). I can’t believe how civilized Malaysia is. In retrospect I couldn’t possibly stay another second in India and remain mentally in tact; I hated the person I was becoming, I hated the way I reacted to everything and I especially hated the day to day struggle to make things happen. Upon arriving in Kuala Lumpur and it’s easy way of being I feel as though I could stay in Asia forever. I will admit, however: the easiness of Malaysia and how quickly \/ efficiently things happen does make me feel a bit unsettled. I got used to living in a constant state of “whatever!”<\/p>\n
In celebration of Malaysia’s easiness, I plan to spend the day and evening walking around the market areas in Chinatown eating. Upon arrival I was dangerously skinny; the direct result of being sick for so long and going without food because I either couldn’t find any or ordering food was a colossal challenge. It is so different here that part of my daily ritual is to walk about and just eat. In the morning the first stop is the bakery; then I wander through Chinatown with its delicious smells — it smells of soups, seafood, roasting meat and food that I now love so much. I eat as much as I can before walking to ease the pressure on my belly. After Chinatown the next stop of the day is the shopping district where I can find unique foods, ice creams and snacks. Here I eat food and absorb the hustle and bustle of Kuala Lumpur.<\/p>\n
After all is said, I’m ashamed to admit that after being in India for so long I’ve developed idiosyncrasies that I need to shake. I’ve forgotten how to use utensils, toilet paper and now do a few things in public that I’m sure Malaysians frown upon: like spitting and blowing my nose (my handy dandy hanky gets a disapproving frown or two from onlookers). Using a fork for the first time in a long while was rough and entertaining I’m sure.<\/p>\n
One thing that I found thought provoking happened today while shopping. I bought a tank top and parading around with my shoulders exposed was hard. I’m still trying to get used to exposing my shoulders without having to worry about the consequences: being harassed, grabbed or yelled at. It was surprisingly hard to get past this and I only spend a few months in India. I can’t imagine spending years or your whole life there and then go to a place where it’s commonplace for people to show skin.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"