Mistakes expats make in Malaysia

Hello Priscilla,

To start with (& this goes for any international move), get your expectations right - I moved from a country where everything works like clockworks to Kuala Lumpur, which has its own quirks (along with a lot of good things too). However, I was depressed the first few days thinking about how good I had it in the last location. To avoid such hassle, I would advise everyone to visit the location (preferably with family) before accepting a new assignment.

Secondly, research - housing, schooling, cars, etc. I can't stress enough about this point. I think we did quite an extensive research about the place, yet there were so many surprises when we actually landed here. The Internet helps a lot.

Thirdly, while buying stuff which requires your passport/ID (SIM cards for example) - always make sure that they have registered them in your name against your ID number. Me and my wife both bought prepaid sim cards from different outlets but when we wanted to port them to a postpaid connection, we found out that both are registered in someone else's name.

Lastly (and probably most importantly), be energetic and quick. It would be draining with the heat and looking at so many apartments/schools in a day - trying to figure out the best neighborhood for your family, etc. My advice is bear the pain and do it as fast as possible. The amount of footwork that one has to do for apartments, cars, schools can be overwhelming and if you decide to take it slow, it will take a really long time and till then yours lives won't get to normal.

You want to spend the time in a country immersing in the culture, making new friends and having a good time as soon as possible.

Good luck to new movers, hope this helps.

Regards
Manav

I moved here for love!

I come from a very individualistic society and one where getting the job done efficiently was top priority. I landed with a team of 25 people from the three ethnic backgrounds, boy did I suffer. My direct approach in handling the clients and staff didn't always go down well. I was frustrated with the way things were done, particularly by top management, the obvious lack of adhering to standards, the ''I'll scratch your back you scratch my back' mentality, the refusal to call a spade a spade and staff who would not directly tell you what was on their mind.
I have learned over the years to take into account culture and to tone down the 'steamroller' approach. I wish my company had sent me on an orientation program before coming here

hiii,
i did not do any mistakes when. everything was good.

thank you,

I agree with goldencik, thats more or less my experience too and what i've found is that while its easy (ok not that easy) to laugh it off and get used to it, in truth these little black dots of frustrations only get larger over time. One day, you will be running down the road in bellowing madness. Really. And then you will feel badly and even regret it, too, but that wont make it go away.

But does it matter? Here is the part that does. While there are not questions of "mistakes" that will apply to everyone because each comes here under different visions, backgrounds and circumstances, one thing is sure and thats that you had better really like the place--a lot. Maybe you are a misguided fool, a miscreant or a whinging pom but whatever the correct term,  you will be leaning pretty hard on that LIKE to get you through your stay. For that reason, i'd say its critical to spend time here to get into various messes before any commitment. See how you fare. If you are annoyed by small things, bothered by unhappy differences, find yourself struggling too much to understand or be understood, thats your answer because what you are feeling is that toothy black dot gnawing at your flesh and it will never let you go.

Here is one example from me. When I first came as a tourist, I noticed that steps in buildings were unevenly made. They are seldom horizontally level and they are unevenly spaced one to the next. In one flight you can find the next step is seven inches up, the next six inches up, the next nine inches up. I thought it was funny and I laughed out loud. I should have cared but I didnt. Later, when Im on those steps again as company staff, on serious missions with little time to play and less time to laugh, I was flaming angry and thats when it hit me that uneven steps truly defined the whole country. I should have asked myself, can I repeatedly accept uneven steps when Im in a hurry to a critical meeting? Can I accept such uneven steps in peoples attitudes and ways? If I had asked that and ensuing tributary questions at the start, its possible I would have rejected the country and never come back.

Does this mean you shouldnt accept a country thats less than perfect? OF COURSE NOT. But it does mean being honest with yourself at the beginning about reasonable expectations and what you are willing to give up for the chance to achieve them. For those who are flexible, intrepid and a friend of adversity, you'll likely be fine. At least for a while. But if you are very bothered, too bothered after you arrive, it wont likely get better. And thats your signal to think.