Malaysian fame in UK

Go back to the time when I was studying in the foreign land.

10 years ago many people still don't know where is Malaysia, they don't even know there is a country like that exist in this world.

I used to have a Canadian lecturer telling the class about her first heard about Malaysia(around 4 years back.
"When I first got employed to work in Malaysia, I don't know where is this country. Before I leave my country, some of my friends told me to pack myself sleeping bags, camping equipments, chicks(I think is that type of knife you used during camping), some sulfur thingy so u can spread it around ur camping site cause there are lots of snakes in that country. Maybe with tigers or elephants too (well that's true there r such thing in Malaysia but this is not what i'm going to talk about today). And I heard people told me that Malaysian stay up a tree house..."

And the whole class just stunt, and laugh. And she(the Canadian) laugh along.
Well I don't blame her for saying that about Malaysia. Is just a simple fact that Malaysia is not an economically strong country, nor it has stunning people and culture(as in Tibet with all sorts of monk and temple and things like that, or like fasinating lip plated African Dogon tribes of Mali or something like that), it is not suprisingly that people around the world will have not heard of Malaysia.

Well thanks to the parents and government for sponsor Malaysian students to overseas, to Aus, to U.K, to U.S, NewZealand, and many other places, Malaysia becomes recognized. I'm not too sure about the exact conditions in other places, but some experiences I found in UK.

With lots of freshers during orientation programmes

Caucassian friend: "Hi, where are you from?"

Me: "From Malaysia. How bout u?"

Caucassian friend: "akjgkslkjg... (I forgot anyway that's not part of this story). Oh Malaysia! Yeah my uncle lives there."

Me: "Great."
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African friend: "Hi, where are you from?"

Me: "From Malaysia, How bout u?"

African friend: "alkkjkdlaj;wijeijf... Cool. I've been to there for some holiday."

Me: "Cool."

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Europen friend(lots of people ask me how to differentiate them from Americans and English. Well, the country flag oh the side of his jacket tells me, and his accent tells me that)
He said: "Hi, where are you from?"

Me: "From Malaysia, How bout u?"

He: "ajkljglekjl... I know Malaysia, my girlfriend is from Malaysia."

That's great. At least Malaysia is not an alien word to most students I've met with there(for some that may have not heard of but thanks for being polite and sounded like you knew and then later google it out or don't give it a damn; I don't know). However it sounds like they know about Malaysia.

Later I found out that there are also some other ways that made Malaysian popular.

One of the days I meet with this English-Born-Indian(call him EBI). To avoid any 'racism thingy' from over sensitive people, this is told by a Malaysia-Born-Chinese(call me a MBC).

EBI friend: "Hi yeah, where are you from?"

MBC: "Malaysia. ekjlajlkjekjlaks..."

EBI friend: "Oh yeah I've heard of Malaysia. I just watched a documentery about Malaysia last night."

MBC: "Oh? ..."

EBI friend: "It's about prostitution and how some woman work there without paid."

MBC: "... (I ran out of things to say at the moment)

The first thing came accross my mind is that this guy is probably being sarcastic, and mean it. And he might tell every Malaysian he come accross with.
It's like meeting with a just realised prisoner, go to him and tell him in his face: "Yeah I know you are that guy who went to the prison, I know what you've done, about the murder in aksljfldjie ... bla bla bla...."

Well I thought he might be doing it on purpose but later on he switch on to another topic and he's a real nice guy to talk to and he's become one of my friend to hang out with. He is just being straight forward.

And basically the other ways that Malaysia become famous are by some Malaysian students studying over here.

*there are system here where mobile phone companies attract their customers by offering 12months contracts, or 18 months contracts, where you will get a new model phone for FREE, along with attractive deals like every month x00 minutes call, xxx free sms texting, peak off unlimited call or things like that, as long as you pay certain reasonable amount every month*
- About some of these greedy pests sign for phone contracts, a few days before they leave UK and going back for good, and... you got it. They took away the FREE new model phone, closed their bank account and misteriously dissapear in this world.

- Some of them sign up for the contract, get the FREE phone, REPORT LOST, and claim another phone (well we know better... cause even after a few months the phone price of that particular model in Malaysia is still in hot price)

- And some 'wiser' who bought a beatiful gown a day before a formal dinner night, wears it to the dinner showing people how expensive and elegant are their dress, the next day return the dress to the shop along with the receipt, complaining that they are not happy with it, and full money return. They've figure out better ways than to rent a dress.

- Went to a buffet, stay there up to 3 hours. Stuff food into their stomach as if they have not eaten for 3 consecutive days, Chomping down the amount of food twice their stomach can hold up, and constantly go for more 'expensive & valuable' food such as prawns, raw chinese delicacy(which are not easily cook in a Western country). Thinking:" I must at least earn back x times worth of the money I've paid for.

And I don't want to mention more.

And you know the consequences you pest/wiser/chowder(I don't mean chowder here, I mean CHOW-der)? For being able to study overbroad with your tuition fees even 3 times of what an English student might pay for(somemore in Pounds, no RM), I don't think you are that poor to have to do things like that to have insult our own country.

The chinese restaurants we(other later Malaysian generations that go to UK) go to give us poor service because of your attitude in that restaurant.

The sales people do know that you return the dress just because you want your money back.

The phone companies know you are losing the phone on purpose. (The sales people know that Malaysian will lost their phone)

HSBC have currently charging international student 5 pounds every month when you open an account there. It use to be free. (Probably because some students went off without clearing off the debts on credit card. I've got no prove about this cause I've not known people working there)

Well probably you might think of 'I've got away anyway'. I don't know. It feels like meeting with a new friend and slap him in the face and leave.