rob_rd

Hi everyone, thanks in advance for your help.

I'm looking at a job offer in KL and everything seems very good. My only reservations are that I have never been to Malaysia before and I need to get more information before I commit to a possible 2 year decision. I can look around on the internet, but I think the best information comes from people first hand so I want to ask on here in order to know more.

I've lived in 2 other countries before and managed to immerse myself in the culture and learn a fair bit of the language. These two countries were Cambodia and Korea.

Living in Cambodia was fantastic although unsafe and unsustainable. I loved the culture and the people and really got into the politics/history of the place. Every day was an adventure and culturally stimulating.

Korea was safer and more comfortable, but I felt little to no connection with the culture. Compared with Cambodia, things were not at all culturally vibrant.

What I'm asking is, after living in Malaysia for a while, generally, how do people feel about the culture and the people? What things do expats love and what things do they dislike? Is KL a vibrant city? How to western expats cope with the problems of living in a Muslim society (if there are any)? Why do people end up moving out end up staying for good? And what percentage of people who move there end up staying for good?

Any answers are much appreciated. I'm hoping that this will be a fantastic experience for me and I'm really looking to focus on the positives but also be aware of the negatives.

Many thanks,

Rob

acidify

How is your salary packagae , Malaysia is notoriously known to have very low pay scale

bakedbean

Hi Rob, I suspect you will find it a doddle in comparison with Cambodia. I've not been to Cambodia but gather it is rather third world. Reading some posts, you may be fooled into believing that Malaysia is third world also, but not so IMHO.

Yes, KL is a vibrant city. I must confess, I am not a KL fan, but a lot of folks love it there. Also do not be fooled into thinking that Malaysia is a muslim country. It is NOT. Islam is the official religion and that is practiced by Malays and some others. In KL, you will find quite a mix of Malaysians (Malay and Indian and Chinese and some others too) and all religions are tolerated. You'll find churches and mosques and temples, if that is your thing.

The culture/the people. I think it's great. It's so diverse. And the food will blow you away. Really fab Indian curries, great Chinese food, and superb Malay dishes... and all sorts of mixtures too. Like most big cities, you can find other cuisines too if you want. Lots of western places, lots of pubs (obviously you won't find any Malays in there). There's a big expat community too, if you just want to mix with expats. Locals are great to mix with too.

KL is also a great hub for travelling within south east Asia for breaks, and loads and loads of places within peninsular Malaysia to go visit.

Gosh... I reckon the Tourism Board might offer me a job eh

rob_rd

Thanks for the replies.

Bakedbean, thanks for the positive summary. The more I'm finding out about KL the more I like it. It seems like a nice vibrant place and I could definitely see myself there. I have to ask though, why are you not a fan?

Acidify, salary wise I would be looked after well.

Thanks for your help.

R

ajw

Hello,

Would you be coming by yourself, or with a partner, or with kids? People's impressions of what is good and what is not so good really depends on their circumstances and what they are looking for in day to day life.

The not so good:-
I have young kids and we are originally from Australia; so I miss the temperate climate which would allow us to do more outdoors without having the heat and humidity issues all year round. I miss large, usable, well maintained parks and open spaces with good quality play equipment, nature trails etc. And I miss having the beach and water within 10 mins walk. My kids have less freedom overall here due to safety issues.

We get tired of being woken up by the call to prayer at 5.45am each morning, but after 2.5 years we're kind of used to it.

For the first 6 months or so we found the traffic and terrible driving practices here frustrating and sometimes quite stressful but we've become used to it over time.

Sometimes miss having the change of seasons but never miss the depths of winter.

The 'near enough is good enough' culture here. It can be hard to get things done and this can wear you down a bit.

There's various other daily annoyances but you get these wherever you are.

The Good:-

Low taxes, higher disposable income
Much cheaper to eat out (excluding alcohol)
Easy and cheap to travel around the region
Mostly friendly people
Fantastic food (think I will miss this the most when we eventually leave)
Able to have domestic help (will also miss this when we leave)
Friendly, outgoing and supportive expat population
Great cultural experience for the kids

Also lots of others. By far the good outweighs any negatives for us.

Cheers
ajw

bakedbean

I'm not really a city person these days. I'm retired and prefer the quiet life

rob_rd

Ok interesting...

ajw, Thanks for your reply. I am pretty young with no major responsibilities. I'd be coming alone not knowing anyone. None of the negatives you mentioned would concern me, except you say mostly friendly people. Please explain...

Beakedbean, I can see why. But for me, not yet!

ajw

Rod, like in most places you will find a lot of friendly people and the odd few that are not so friendly.

Nobody can guarantee whether you will like KL but it sounds like you are at the perfect time of life to take a chance!

rob_rd

Agreed. Thanks for the help!

Strider24

Oh to be in your age group and footloose in KL again...sigh!!

You will have a ball. Motorbikes and busses like Cambodia, but cars more disciplined; English widely spoken and as backedbean says the range and standard of food will blow you away.

You can choose the level of local culture you want, from very western in KL to the old world courtesy of more Malay east coast, to Kadazans and Iban's in East Malaysia, who are God's people and just a delight.

The world internationally renowned Hash House Harrier started in KL and there is every possible sport and activity. I'm a sailing nut, but squash nuts, golf nuts and all other kind of nuts are catered for...and the locals are, with few exceptions, great and friendly.

The country ranges from cool highlands, lakes and jungle to broad lowlands, rivers and beaches. Only problem is work interrupts the fun.