Asian medicine, not the best dream!

Well, it happens! I have never thought that with 1 season all year characterized by 33 degrees and sun, I can have such an agressive flu. I guess that the differences of temperature between inside (AC at 16 degrees) and outside temperature, or maybe some small viruses that are on holiday in Malaysia, are playing an important role on enjoying high fever and breath respiration during summer time.

Because this is Malaysia, lah!

I wrote an article the other weeks about 10 habits, cultural differences for which I can’t find an understanding and that are still surprising me. Before getting “too used” with the local culture here, I want to share with you now 10 cultural differences that I manage to embrace and that entered my normality, now, after almost 1 year of living here.

Letter to you, my friends

Salut my friends, how have you been? How is everything going in France, Romania, Spain, Serbia, China and Switzerland? Everything is going well on my side. I have managed to find some nice people here. Some from Europe and some few locals. I hope you will all meet one day. I take advantage of this letter to tell you my last story, a repeated one in my life unfortunately. Did you ever face toxic people in your life? What did you do to remain untouchable by their way of being or thinking?

Gwailo people and the white life

I wanted to write this article for a long time already, but I thought that the best idea will be to understand my feelings first. I remember being pissed off and offended for some good months when this happened to me the first time. Since I am living in Asia I am getting more and more confronted with this situation. My response to this “Gwailo name” changed a lot meanwhile….

As a white European, once you will visit Asia there are chances to be called by Chinese people a Gweilo/Gwailo (depending on the region) or by those who don’t have to much shame directly a “white people”. For a better understanding of this word, you will have to know that Gwái (鬼) means “ghost”, and lóu (佬) means “man”, which will be translated for them as a white race. It happened to me on my first trip in Taiwan. In an elevator with some Chinese people and my boyfriend, I hear the guy in front of me saying in English: “Look, there are some white people!” After 3 years of leaving in France, hearing this phrase had a lot of impact on me. Don’t get me wrong. I do understand that I am white, hopefully not a ghost, and if for some people describing me stands at a colour, then maybe is not my issue anymore. I just want to believe that we are in 2018 and that evolution exists. I could remember my Chinese friends from France complaining how racist they find France because different reasons, but on the same time I could also see a more direct approach in their country towards European people.

I think that racism is present in every country in some way or another and unfortunately, I do not think this will change any soon. But to be frank I never heard/seen or experienced such a direct approach! France it was indeed a racist country but out of respect or something, nobody was calling you names or colours in your face. I am realising that in Asia, there is something that bothers me more than the name itself. Their non-understanding of this racism concept and thinking that calling colours on each people is something ok and it should not be avoided. It sounds so natural for them to say it and also so strange to see you get offended by their statement.

Malaysia is not an exception for these situations. I remember one of my Chinese classes when my teacher tried to explain me that the Chinese community here calls us like this and that is not racist is more to show a history of resistance to oppression.

But the most “WOW” story in Malaysia was the other days when I was sharing a car with an Indian Malaysian and a Chinese Malaysian and we were talking about cultures. At one point, the Indian guy says: “Yeah, because the white are thinking that…. Ah sorry, do not want you to get offended. When I say white I am referring to Americans! “ :O And there you have it! Two in one shot!

After so many stories and experiences I am arriving to a point where I do believe that Asian people are racist and even among them. I don’t think that the excuse of never seeing before or experience before applies anymore as an excuse, especially considering the mix of cultures in one country. I am just waiting for that moment when people will stop calling themselves colors and pass to the next step, their names! 😉

Oh, my Japan!

4 months already and Oh, my God how much I miss it!

I am a traveler addicted. I think that everything started during childhood. I have sung during my childhood in the Radio Romania Children’s Choir with which I have had several tours around the world. I did not stop travelling since then and I adopted even this personal rule: at least 3 different new countries / year.