WHEN EAST MEETS WEST
To be exact, Malaysia. It's SEA but oh well, East sounds fitting. Anyways, the idea of leaving home and traveling across the world is like a disease spreading among the younger generation. Everyone wants a piece of an adventure. They're not wrong however, if you can afford, I'd suggest to do it. A short introduction, Jerome is my name so what's up! Yup, the name you'd least expect from an Asian guy, it definitely surprised many African-Americans.
In winter 2014, I decided to further my studies in the west. So I applied, got accepted and bought a plane ticket to 'mudafreakin' Los Angeles. As a young and naive guy, I'll stop at nothing to pursue my goals. I've never traveled abroad alone so this was my first time. I was anxious and excited for this life changing experience. I was well-sheltered my entire life, like every asian parents do. It was gonna be a huge shift for me, like a caterpillar turning into butterfly. Seriously, I was dumb af, I have no knowledge of the States and did not bother learning until I landed. The journey of every individual varies so here's how it changed me, sighh ...
The Grass Is Always Greener on the Other Side, not really..
The media has fed me trash over the years, fantasizing and believing the glamorous lifestyle of the locals in LA especially Hollywood. I have no idea why I bought into that. My expectation plunge like the stock market. To be honest, the Hollywood area smells like piss and the amount of homeless people was shocking to me. Here I thought a 3rd world country like Malaysia is worst but man was I wrong. It certainly shone a light on how media covers up the dark side of a city. A huge slap to my face, I'm glad I woke up. I still enjoyed the night strolls around the city though. Just a little let down that's all.
$900 for rent, fuck me
Being Independent
When mummy and daddy aren't around, you just have to gather your shit and solve your own problem. Back at home, everything was provided. I'm faced with responsibilities like learning to manage finance and how NOT to die of hunger. When budgets are tight, I have to learn how to cook and prep all my meals following bodybuilder's way of life. Through trial and errors, I honed my culinary skills. Thankfully no major injuries or burnt food. I mean it's not that I can't cook to begin with, I just wasn't really good at it. Fast forward to present day, I believe my cooking abilities can charm the ladies. Ha haaa...Jokes !
Leaving My Comfort Zone
The points ABOVE are more or less leaving my comfort zone. To add to that, I wasn't that great in socializing with strangers. What's more daunting was the fact I'm meeting people from around the world. I'd say I lean towards introvert more than extrovert although I'm outgoing. Where I'm from, it's quite a small city compare to LA. Mutual friends usually help to break the ice. I tend to adhere with people I'm comfortable with and rarely will I make my way out to meet strangers. In fact this is where I grew the most, knowing I can't be alone and a loser for 2 years, I just had to slut my way around and say Hi to everyone. What do you know? Apparently they're in the same boat as I am. Not that bad after all.
Cultural Differences
I've never had Westerners/Africans as friends in my life. Wait..I actually do...he was born and raised in Malaysia so that doesn't count. Back to my point, it's shocking to say the least. A couple of things I realize, people tend to go deep into conversations. Back home, the conversations within my group of friends are just scratching on the surface. Trash talk with no value. With my foreign buddies, you go 0 to 100 in a second. A minute you might be chatting about this cute little puppy you saw and the next thing and i quote ' I think the earth is flat' < F OFF for real. Besides that, typically in a western household, when you're 18, you're expected to leave the house whereas in Asia you're not going anywhere until you get married. Another example, Sex talk is quite taboo in Asian household, even among friends. In America everyone's so casual about it like woahhhh slow down...this just got interesting. Got to grab my pen and notebook. When I eventually return to Malaysia, I attempted to talk about it and of course it backfired. I got an awkward stare and a respond that goes: "What happened to you?" or "I'm not comfortable talking about it". Differences aside, I think I got along pretty well and I admit I'm stealing a little bit of their culture. That's how you're gonna be RICH. The more you know.
Weather is unlike any other
West coast has the ideal weather, cool and chilling weather throughout the year. My homeland however is not the case, it is bipolar. Today might be 35 degree celsius, hot and humid and tomorrow you will probably get heavy storm. The humidity KILLED me when I step out of the airport. A drastic change of environment for sure. I really miss the weather in LA. I used to walk a lot under the sun in LA and now I just stay indoor and blast the air conditioner. Cold weather just makes me happy.
Final Thoughts
I am torn in between, part of me yearns for another great adventure and the other part wants me to stay put. Looking back, it's nothing short of great memories. I personally think stepping into an unknown territory and getting lost assist in developing better critical thinking skill and outlook on life. Whether I performed well in my studies, the investment on building myself has certainly paid off as I am now much more open and receiving. I certainly miss everything back there. Fell in love with LA and left a part of me there. Do you guys feel the same ? Let me know below and thanks for reading this BS, i appreciate it !