New place, new cultures

I am going to write today a little bit about two different experiences related to the malaysian culture, the Hari Raya and the indian wedding, that I could live during my first weeks in Kuala Lumpur.

Hari Raya (October 15) is a muslim celebration to mark the end of Ramadhan, the month of fasting. For muslims, it is a time of joy and victory or self-restraint and abstinence, and it symbolizes purification and renewal.

It is a time to visit relatives in their hometowns, enjoy with the family, at the same time it is said this is also a time to forgive and forget past quarrels. The younger members of a family approach their elders to seek forgiveness, handshaking and then kiss the hands of the older person as a sign of respect.

Younger children can also get what they call "duit raia", gifts or money in small enveloppes. In this sense its similar to the chinese culture, "ang pow" (紅 包, 紅=red and 包=enveloppe) and japanese otoshidama-bukuro(お年玉袋) that are given on new years day.

Sergio and I were very lucky to be able to spend this special day for muslims with a muslim family. One of our friends offered to take us there and we just couldnt say No! cause we really want to learn about the cultural things in Malaysia.

We were taken to a muslim house and we had a very nice lunch and cookies there, could see how they decorated the house, the atmosphere of joy all family being together... it was a really nice experience!

I was surprised because generally speaking, in Spain it is difficult to get into the muslim culture. It is something not so many people is usually interested in, since they are of course not a majority. Here in Malaysia, muslims are certainly everywhere and I find their culture quite interesting. I am happy the day I go back to Spain I can tell more of how they live and how friendly they are everywhere...!!

Similar thing happen in Spain about indians, its culture is quite unknown, and to experience an indian wedding with ritual was also a good thing to learn. This time, the staff at the embassy was invited to the wedding, and the ritual was quite nice to see. The priest comes and bless the young couple, cleaning their spirit with purified smoke and offering them many gifts as the relatives greet them by turns. The music is also typical indian and the priest prays a lot during the ritual to wish them prosperity.

What was surprising for me was to see that we were almost the first guests to arrive to the ceremony. The priest started it even there was still nobody attending it! The date was at 5pm, but not any guests there.

Then by 5.45 to 6pm, guests start coming in and ordering foods. As soon as the foods were over, everybody left!

It would seem that they didnt really care for the wedding or the ritual, but mostly for food only.
If you would do so in Spain, surely family members and friends would complain.

I feel in Spain people likes to attend all the process of the wedding, since the couple enters in the church until the very last drink or dance after a family and friends dinner altogether.
But in this wedding I felt the guests mostly cared about coming and eat, because they were late joining the ceremony and as soon as the foods finished, most of them left even the ceremony was still going on.

I wonder its the Malaysian style to celebrate weddings or simply the indian culture?!
Whatever, I could enjoy the whole process and liked the music, the atmosphere, to see the families very pretty well dressed... and of course the food too!

With the wedding and Thaipusam, indian culture seems a bit more familiar to me than what it was in Spain. I am even liking indian food! Lucky to experience!

The price of happiness

I feel lucky to be here in Malaysia, happy and thankful for that I got a chance to work here and enjoy, even with 8 days off a year, some of the trips that I ever dreamt about.

People who knows me and I call them friends, surely know how much I have been liking asia since many years ago.
My first contact with asia was almost 10 years ago, and at that time I was quite interested in Japan. Basically I became to like the culture, the language, the society, I liked to know people and exachange impressions about how different the world is and how every country and every person is different.

Since Japan was the first country I knew, after I visited there I became interested in other asian countries as well. I wanted to know whats different between Japan and other countries, because I seldom had a chance to know about it while I was in Spain...

After some time I went to Thailand and realized it was quite different from Japan, the culture, people, the traditions, the temples,...
All in all, now in Malaysia, been to Vietnam and Cambodia, I am getting to know bit by bit how asia is in real and I am very thankful for being here, able to move even I just got 8 days off a year to travel around!

When I was in Japan, I loved Japan. When I was in Thailand, I loved Thailand. Also I loved Vietnam, and so I do with Cambodia as well! I love all asian countries because they are so interesting for me... and help me certainly to brigthen and open my mind to the world, which is the best thing of all.

I was in Cambodia a couple of days last December, with friends and coworkers on a small trip.

What impressed me the most about the country were mainly two things: the temples which are located in very rural areas, even into the jungle, and the people.

The visit to Angkor Wat was really fantastic; we went there on early morning to see the sun rise, and at the time we arrived to the temple, nobody was yet in! Even the monks were still sleeping there... luckily we could get into and pick up a good spot where we could feel in the refresing morning, how peacefully the sun rises there everyday.

Getting into the temple was an adventure, cause no lights in but the natural one, which is very poorly lighted in the early morning... you got to watch your steps especially when climbing to the top on a very narrow stairs!

Another temple we visited was Pra Thom (Tomb Raider temple) , famous for the trees covering around the stones and certain parts of the temple. This temple is located somewhere into the forest, and its impressing how big it is in the inside...and to see how the roots of the trees grew up so much around!

The Bayon temple is also one of the most famous ones because of the stone shaped faces around it. This temple was made by the king, as a gift to their parents as he planned to make a temple for every member of his family.

Every temple I saw in Cambodia was fantastic and full of history and memories. The country itself survives mostly because of tourism, but you can feel especially in the rural areas how warm and friendly people is.

This is the part I liked the most, without any doubt. Children play happily even they got nothing, seem enjoying their life easily, being friendly to everyone.
All in all, what I can learn from this trip is that the life I have now is quite comfortable compared to Cambodians lifestyle. I value every effort I did and thank the destiny to be here now.

However when I saw the children smiling there so friendly, I realized once again that happiness is not related of how much you earn or how good work you have, but the people surrounding you and how good you can behave to others.

This could be a good topic to discuss with people from many modernized countries. I myself have never seen people as happy as these kids were in my life!
A smile doesnt cost any money and its the best way to make people happy.

These kids got almost anything, but they certainly remain in my memory as one of the happiest days in my life, and I could learn from them. Who cares how high status you have in your life, if at the end nobody is with you at the time you need friends to encourage you? What is the price "modern" countries' people pay to achieve happiness in their lifes? Life values certainly may vary depending on where you are born and how you are grown up. I think in Cambodia I could see the most innocent and natural way to be happy.

Live your life so that everyone around you is happy!

Listen, see and respect, life has always lots of things to be learnt!