Interview
with two Native American Indians visiting Malaysia for the first time
I had the pleasure of accompanying a young Native
American Indian couple of the Omaha Tribe of Nebraska, both working in the
Health Care field, among their people.
Keeping in mind that this is the first ever overseas
trip for both of us, I was interested in finding out about what they thought about
Malaysia. I would like to add that their enthusiasm for Malaysia influenced my
own fondness for Malaysia, and I was able to see Malaysia, a country that I
know very well, in fact the country I know best in Asia, with new understanding
and vision.
As the Native Indians believe, it is with the heart
that one sees!
Here is the summary of their impressions:
Tolerance of Cultures
A completely covered up Malay lady be standing next to
a skimpily dressed Chinese girl, gawking at the fountain display at KLCC
Availability of Food and the variety of Asian foods.
Heat and Humidity unknown in their Reservation
Homeland to this degree.
Luxury buses on Interstate routes
Hospitality of Malaysians, whether the staff at Double
Tree by Hilton in KL or friends in Malacca.
UBER service. Prompt, Polite and Inexpensive. We used
Uber for short and long rides within KL, and had wonderful experiences.
Historical sites of Malacca. The Red Church was built
in 1753, they compared it with “American Independence” of 1776
Visit to an AKIDO session conducted by Master Ramlon
Mohammed Ortega
The Chinese suburb of Seri Kembangan and the delicious
food including Chicken in paper wrap
Roti Canai and Teh Tahrek
Generosity of Malaysians I knew and we met.
While luxury goods are more expensive than in the USA,
goods made in Asia are attractively priced
English understood in general
Curiosity of those whom we met socially about the culture
of American Indians.
They also spent two days at Taj Vivanta Resort in the
island of Langkawi which they loved for its scenery and beauty. All in all,
they took home a very favourable impression of Malaysia, not to mention they
loved shopping in Chinatown.
Whenever Americans ask me to help them visit Asia, I
would recommend Malaysia a an arrival and departure point, the infrastructure
is comparable to western standards and it is safe and it is a soft way of
getting into a culture so vastly different from their own.
PS
I made sure that they had an introduction to Malay,
East Indian and Chinese cultures, as well as the history of Malaysia and while
in Malacca we visited the Portuguese settlement.
SENSEI RAMLAN ORTEGA FROM AIKIDO SHUDOKAN MALAYSIA. A LOVELY GUY, PERSONIFYING A LOT OF WHAT IS GOOD AND INTERESTING ABOUT MALAYSIA
ALFONSO ALBUQUERQUE SAILED FROM INDIA AND CONQUERED MALACCA 1511
BEING A LUSOPHONE, IT WAS EXCITING FOR ME TO COMMUNICATE IN PORTUGUESE TO SOME OF THE DESCENDANTS OF ALFONSO ALBUQUERQUE WHO STILL MAINTAIN THEIR DISTINCT CULTURE IN MALACCA
