Am I pampered?

Am I the "pampered" American? Noone has used that word or come at in a disrespectful manner or anything but there have been a couple of occasions where people say something like "Man, you couldn't like where I'm from." Whether it's people I've met from Africa, smaller Asian towns, the Middle East, or anywhere else, we will be talking and they will discuss some condition that I would be disgruntled with that is completely normal to them. It started month ago when one gentleman was so shocked that America has standard central air conditioning in houses that he seemed to think we were wasteful. When people ask me about things I haven't adjusted to here in Malaysia and one of my answers is cold showers, as my bathroom at the apartment doesn't have the water heating unit required to get hot water in this country. This is usually followed by a look of shock as if hot water should be treated as a delicacy. When I walk into a bathroom, I don't like to see the floor serving as a big puddle, which is very common here. Part of it is drainage, part of it is that many use the hose in the stall instead of toilet paper (which gets everything wet). Call me stuck up, but it just doesn't strike me as the most sanitary. Not feeling it. Furthermore, I'm having trouble considering it normal if I come home to ants all over my living room or roaches all over my kitchen, even when it's clean. Once again, just doesn't give me that 'sanitary' feeling. If my electricity or phone bill has been paid, I expect it to stay on. I'm not a fan of random rolling black outs or dead phone times. Is that so much to ask? I expect quality dairy products, very hard to find here. I expect quality fruit juice for cheap. I know products which have to shipped from America will be more expensive, but it gets ridiculous. Why is a carton of Florida's Own juice (a middle of the road juice company) which costs $1 in Atlanta cost RM 25 (or $8.35 or so) here. Be reminded, I get paid in Malay ringgits, so RM 25 hits the pocket like $25 in the US. I'm coming to find that the American lifestyle of technology and convenience is seen as "the dream" for a reason. It's not promised. I appreciate it more now. I miss WalMart, Best Buy, Waffle House, IHOP, American sports bars, Marshall's, TJ Maxx, and many more American establishments more than I could have imagined I would. LOL. Selamat malam, let me walk to the gym and get a decently warm shower.

The Enemy Among Us

Right after our return from Chinese New Years holiday, we noticed we had an extra crew member at sight. He's a seemingly nice older Pakistani man with a constant smirk on his face and who is always way too dressed up for the fact that we live on a construction site; usually a dress shirt, slate grey vest, and slacks to go with our obligatory hard hat and work boots. It's a shame I found out his purpose at our site and therefore we could never be friends. When we come to work in the morning, at the return times from each tea break, and anywhere near time to leave, he would be standing near the front gate watching us. Over the course of the day, you see him randomly walking and watching - never writing, reading, or interacting - only watching. You guessed it, he is the corporate spy. No other scope of work, just spying. He was replaced at another site so that he could come to ours and snitch about anyone's tardiness, early leaving, or anything else he may think is noteworthy in a bad way. As one of the ppl who depends on others entirely for my transportation, I'm one of those who is screwed by this. My boss or supervisor usually picks me and my Filipino co-worker up in the mornings. We are supposed to be there at 8 am sharp, we usually arrive between 8:15 and 8:30 am. Guess who's face is waiting at the gate every time? The same two gentlemen who usually provide me rides, my project manager and senior supervisor, don't want to arrive at their homes any later than they usually do. This means that if they are used to making it home at 6:30 pm or so, and taking us home takes them about 25 minutes out of their way, they want to leave earlier to compensate for the time spent. So of course, that means the same slightly smiling face sees me leave before 6 pm every day too. No good can come from him being at my job. And therefore, I've deemed him "the enemy among us"

A Level of Superstition

In the States, usually I think superstition is a bit obsolete. Some people use it as an excuse not to make their own decisions. They feel that if they can live by it and therefore they don't have to be accountable for the consequences; because 'they didn't pick.' But here, the Chinese brand of superstition mixed with their Buddhist faith has an entirely different feel. It intrigues me. All of the Chinese men I usually eat lunch with (ranging from ages 30 to 62) are regular lottery players. Even deeming it "investing in the future." But it's nothing like America where ppl play their 'lucky numbers' or numbers that hold some certain significance to them. Here, their favorite numbers to play are those on a license plate of a car that's just been in an accident or broken down somehow. It's supposed to be the best luck. Riding with my boss two days ago we passed a Mercedes which had caught fire, luckily noone was hurt. His first words: "Did you see the license numbers?"

Furthermore, I always wondered when I was younger how seriously the Chinese took the "Year of the ..." zodiac-like symbols I always used to see on the paper place mats at the Chinese restaurants. But they take it quite seriously and some ppl will tell u directly that they think it's best u not spend time around them becuz their years clash too aggressively.

The construction project I'm working on now was delayed 2-3 weeks because they had to find a 'good day' to break ground. There's apparently an entire calendar of days which are good or bad for different kinds of events.

For Chinese New Years (which starts in 3 days officially), there is a dish is a tradition to have at or right around the event. As we had it today, it was explained to me that everyone was to take their chopsticks and mix the dish up in unison to ensure prosperity of the businesses. For calendar new year, there is a ceremonial drink which formally signifies you being one year older.

Also, at the construction site, there is a Buddhist prayer vessel called... well, I don't know how it's spelled, but it is pronounced "dato." It's a common belief that it is essential to satisfying the guardian that protects the site. It is filled with oils and incense, which must be kept burning to continue the good fortune of the site.

These are but a few examples of the heavy involvement of superstition (sometimes manifested through their Buddhist faith). It's an interesting part of the culture that adds to the experience on being truly immersed in another ethnicity's culture. Adds to the experience and it intrigues me.

The Challenge

I knew the day was coming, but I didn't know exactly when. The day I'm speaking of is the day where one of the older gentlemen at one of the parties involved in my project publicly questions my abilities because I'm young and inexperienced. Well, at our site meeting yesterday, the head of our consultant engineering side did just that. Even went so far as to call me "incompetent." Now, I understand in spirit what he's saying. I'm young, I'm not Malaysian (as he point out a few times) and I'm not experienced. It's a big, expensive project and the man doesn't really know me or what I do. So to be real, I understand his concern although I still wish he would've taken it up with me personally first before trying to make things into a public issue. So I have to use it as motivation. The point of coming here is to build the resume getting REAL experience. It's already real and if I've truly caught his attention, it's probably about to get realer very soon. So that means I gotta get my game tight and become better at what I do. Adversity builds character. A man is not judged by how he acts in times of comfort, he is judged by how he responds in times of adversity. There's a lot to being 'great' at my job and it's not gonna happen overnight because you literally have to have seen and know how everything is built efficiently. But I'm committed to working t0 be better at it. So as of today, can't say whether I'll sink or swim, but I'm jumping in the water. Selamat malam...

Slightly Jealous

I constantly remind myself that I'm "living the dream" as most ppl see it. Everyone says "Man, it's gotta be magical spending time overseas fresh outta college at this age. It's the opportunity of a lifetime."And I don't doubt that at all, but I'm not afforded as much an opportunity to treat it like a vacation as others I know. When I was in Singapore staying in a hostel, I met ppl from all over; Vietnam, Russia, UK, Bangladesh, Canada, Norway, even other Americans. Many were just traveling to be traveling. Like they just decided to take some time and see Asia for a few months. In one case, a Canadian couple sold EVERYTHING they owned and just decided to "go with the flow" traveling the world. No set plans, no set limits, just go until the money runs out and figure it out after that. They have such elaborate stories about going off the beaten path, doing things that truly open their eyes culturally and spiritually. Furthermore, I have several peers who are in Asia or abroad also, most of them are teaching English. And the programs they have come over using have a focus more tailored to making sure they have a great global experience. Most have favorable schedules and their job encourage such traveling. And they aren't limited to 12 annual leave days a year like me. I visited a friend of mine yesterday who is in Malaysia teaching English. His company has put him in a plush hotel in downtown KL for a couple weeks of orientation. When he gets where he will be staying, he will be living and working right along the beach. He will only be working 3-4 days a week and about 4 hours a day. As compared to my 10 hour workweeks. They got him a temporary driving permit and he will have a car; be reminded, since I've been here I've been continually been hearing about all these road blocks to why it's so hard for Americans to transfer their licenses over since we drive on the other side of the street. I've heard that I would have to pay crazy amounts of money, I've heard that I would have to take a driving test, I've heard I will have to take a written test in Malay. But somehow my homeboy's company worked it out so he has a temporary driving permit before he even stepped foot off the plane. I'm starting to get the feeling that I'm the only one who's getting a true worker experience rather than being a hydrid worker-tourist. But in the end, I think the experience will be invaluable. I can say that my Malaysian tenure builds my resume more than my companions. Not to mention, once I've stepped so far out of my comfort zone for such a long period of time, what else is there to be scared of if u get a job in a different region of the country or something? I gotta focus on all the positives and benefits and stop thinkin about those things that make me feel differently (although working six days a week is still absolutely terrible).

The American Way and a lack of "substance"

As I'm often surrounded by people from other countries. I take note of the cultural differences that are ever-present. There are some differences that I regret, like the lack of a culture and traditions that are thousands of years old. Even things that are both a gift and a curse - such as a more homogeneous society as far as ethnicity or religion - has some benefits culturally that we miss out on; such as monuments as extraordinary as the Giant Buddha in Hong Kong or the Batu Caves here in KL. But I realize now that one of the biggest differences is a success oriented "dare to dream" mindset. Although I'm relatively inexperienced in my field, I maintain a mindset that I want to continue to improve at what I do. I ask a lot of questions and ask to be involved in more and more because I plan on being the man someday. And when some smart kid straight outta college shows up askin me tough questions the same way I do, I need to be good enough to answer. It seems many other nations have very successful people but they get content much easier. Noone sets out to 'change the world.' Of the many inventions that have truly changed the world or fundamentally changed the way we do certain things, many of them have been invented by Americans. With as little history as we have compared to so many countries, how did we get so ahead of the curve? Da Vinci designed a flying machine in the 1400's. There were no more great minded dreamers in Europe who could figure out how to finish it. It took two young bike salesmen in America over 400 years later to finish the job? With all the minds from different countries that had hands in giving the world the computer, how is it that it took Americans to allow them connect and form the Internet? Better yet, how did two college drop outs in Silicon Valley become the first to make a workable interface systems to operate computers? With foods from European originals being so popular - Hamburgers (named for Hamburg, Germany), Hot dogs/Frankfurters (named for Frankfurt, Germany), pizza (of Italian origin), french fries (self-explanatory), etc - how did fast food of such foods become an American creation? How'd someone like Henry Ford - who invented neither the car or the assembly line - become first to fuse the two into the modern automotive industry? Theater and entertainment go back thousands of years, how did Hollywod end up in America? There are so many others. Even lately, there have been several Internet-based inventions that have fundamentally changed the way we do things. Google has fundamentally changed the way the world shares and finds information; it was started by college students who expanded it from research project of theirs. Facebook has fundamentally changed the way people communicate and find each other; It's founder, Mark Zuckerberg is a programmer who dropped out to run with an idea. Wikipedia has replaces volumes of encyclopedia as the dominant way to research and find collections of information on certain topics;Its founder left a lucrative financial business to make the vision a reality. These are just examples of what I mean. Maybe it's a by-product of a nation of immigrants who went to the "New World" to shake things up. Maybe, we don't have sentimentalities that could hold us back. I'm not sure what it is. But I appreciate it. It almost depresses me to see people with little focus or ambition. I've come to look for it in conversation in general and especially look for it in women that I plan on taking seriously. The combination of intellect, critical thinking, will to stand for beliefs, and ambition are appealing. I've ccome to call this "substance." And I would say I have not met enough women here with adequate substance. I've met college grads with no sense of wanting to do more than just "hold what they have." Even among those still in college, there is often a lack of focus. I meet people who party almost every night and use that as an excuse to miss class; which they consider "boring." And I'm not saying classes aren't boring. I'm saying that this is not the proper mindset of an achiever. Do I think I'm some genius? No. Do I think I am going to be president? Not at all. Do I think I'm going to be Mark Zuckerberg and be a billionaire by my mid-20s? No, but if the opportunity and passion struck me I may go for it. The point is I'm ambitious enough to want to keep moving forward, to do things a cut above what most ppl my age do; like this trip in general. Even if I'm not a billionaire, or hailed as one of the minds that shaped my time, I wanna do something with myself. I wanna be successful. I want to look back and say I achieved something. I want to harness a slice of the American dream...

Going Postal

Ever since going to Hong Kong, I have been trying hard to round up Christmas gifts to send home. So I got to the point where I went to Petaling Street, the discount mall/flea market equivalent here, and picked up my stuff. So I finally get everything organized and ready to send off. I check Fed Ex and DHL and they cost way too much. I’m told the only affordable way will be POS Malaysia, the national postal service; cool. The post office closes at 6 pm, so I have to find a way to get off early just to get to a post office before they’re closed. But I get there, upon talking to the gentleman I find that they have no packing supplies to use. No Styrofoam, no bubble wrap, only one box choice. Now, the man uses the word “sold out” so I’m thinking they’re just slack on re-upping their inventory. But whatever, it’s too late for me to make it back by 6pm. So go to Tesco (Britain’s poor excuse for Wal-Mart) and I buy some Styrofoam and bubble tape and take a supply box that is just sitting on the floor. So I make everything fit fine and am determined to get it done the next day. So the next day after lunch, I have by boss drop me at the post office near work so I can handle this “real quick” and come back to work. Little did I know. SMH. I take a number, sit down for a sec, then look up at the number board. They’re serving customer number 2244, my card says 2272, I’m the 29th person in line. Are you serious? I get mad if I'm the 10th person in line back home. I suck it up, determined to get this done. So about 45 minutes later, I finally get called to the counter, the lady is cooperative finding a rate for me, giving me the proper label and everything. Then she looks at my box and says, “Oh sir, we can’t send it like that.” I look at my regular cardboard box sitting open with everything securely surrounded by bubble wrap and foam. I’m thinking “What do you mean, we can tape this bad boy up and get this done. She says "it has to be fully wrapped like that" and points to a box wrapped in brown paper and taped up securely. They got specific standards to follow, ok whatever, let's get it done. So I ask "so where and how much is ur brown paper and tape?" to which she replies "Oh we don't have those things here. You have to go to the bookstore downstairs for that stuff." Yet again a post office, the expertise center of packing and shipping items, has no appropriate packing supplies despite specific standards of how they want things packed. How does that work? But anyway, I go searching for this bookstore she mentioned. I don't see, it's a big business complex though, so I continue walking around with my open box looking for it. 15 minutes to no avail. So I ask the security guards, who after clarifying that they understand the words "book store" tell me that there is no bookstore in the complex. The long wait bored me more than annoying me, but this news starts to heat me up a little bit. Is the post office chick playing mind games? Trying to run me around in circles or something? What's going on? Eventually, I'm finally directed to a little grocery store that has some Christmas style wrapping paper. I figure "that's just gonna have to work." So I have pay for the paper and get them to wrap it and head back up to the post office. Now, obviously the line has moves on far past my number. I guess technically I was supposed to grab a number again and hop back in line; wasn't going to happen though. I walked right up to the lady who had been handing me before and wait until she's finished with her current customer. So everything is finally ready, the total price by air is RM 210 or so (about $70 US) which actually wasn't bad. By sea, it's only RM 54 (about $18) but it would take about 3 months rather than 1-2 weeks by air. It's worth the extra to me. Especially since it's still only about half of what it would cost with DHL or FedEx. After hours and lots of impatience and aggravation, the package is headed stateside finally. I'm not in a rush to deal with a post office here again, POS Malaysia is noone's friend. But as I was told about the long wait getting many things - access card, new SIM card, wi-fi in the house, etc - this is the Malaysian way. Lucky me. Selamat malam...