I don’t look “Malay”. I can’t help it. My mom is Japanese. My “look” is neither here nor there.
In Tokyo, people speak Japanese to me. I can understand them, but I rarely speak back, my vocabulary is limited. But with kids below 5 years old, I am a HIT!
In Hong Kong, Beijing and Taiwan, people I meet would think I’m a banana – yellow on the outside but white inside. I got tired explaining why I can’t speak Cantonese or Mandarin. Its fine, they can call me a banana as much as they like.
In Boston and my studying days in Leicester, they marvel on how fantastic my English is.
In Dubai, most waitresses would speak Tagalog to me. I get mixed services whenever I go in a store. On my “japanese” looking days, I’ll get the royal treatment, I can’t say much about the other days.
But what happened at the airport before I left for Dubai, tops all my “hasty generalization” experience-
(Conversation excerpt at the immigration counter, Kuala Lumpur airport)
Oh! I ingatkan you ni Cina, tak pun Jepun sesat kat kaunter salah..
Ya, memang banyak orang ingat macam tu..
Kan senang kalau pakai tudung! senang orang nak tau melayu ke tidak! *
I was flabbergasted! I had 1001 things to say to the officer, but I kept it to myself. I left the counter biting my lip. His last statement really got to me. I am upset, no .. angry in fact.
If a Chinese woman wears a headscarf, will that make her malay or muslim?
Enough said.
-half-and-half-L
* Translation of conversation excerpt:
I thought you were Chinese or Japanese.
Yes, a lot of people think that.
If you had worn a headscarf, it will be easy for me to know that you’re a Malay. |
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