A Malaysian in Nepal

This Merdeka day, as I'm sitting in my cozy room away from my home, family and country..I ask myself this question-one that is asked a thousand times over; What is it to be Malaysian?

I was watching the Discovery channel and ironically or perhaps coincidentally it was about all things Malaysian. It showed the construction of the Petronas Twin Towers, a Lion Dance competition held in Penang and then moved on to show a restoration programme on the Merdeka Stadium.

During the programme, they showed clips of how Tunku Abdul Rahman stood on the dias and shouted "Merdeka, Merdeka, Merdeka..seven times while the Malaysian flag wa hoisted. At that very moment..tears welled up in my eyes, I began to feel emotions never felt before in my life!

I am in general a patriotic person, but being this emotional is something so foriegn to me.

Maybe it was because I was in a different country, I begi to cherish my own even more! So I kept asking myself, What is it like for me to be Malaysian?

To me being MALAYSIAN is knowing where I came from. Being Malaysian is knowing, understanding and appreciating the diversity of my country. It is knowing that there is no other place I would rather be than in a place that I am familiar with-be it culture, language or people.

Being Malaysian is knowing that my forefathers paved the way for me to live in a place where there is peace, racial harmony, stability-even though there are tough times. I am grateful and proud to say that I'm a Malaysian.

There is certainly no place like home, and it has taken me a trip to the other side of the world to appreciate this fact!

So to Malaysia-A Happy Independence Day-may you continue to prosper for years to come!