Do You Live in Malaysia. or Have You Lived in Malaysia and Decided to Leave?

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    Since I have not lived in Malaysia for about 3 years now I do not update this blog on a regular basis, even though I pay for and maintain the site.  I have friends, both expats and locals, who still live in Malaysia.  I also have friends who have left Malaysia to live someplace else.  My husband is Malaysian and now lives here with me, as this marriage would not be recognized in Malaysia.  I still read the news from Malaysia and I am kept up to date on the happenings there, either good or bad.  I can see that many things have changed in Malaysia. Some may say that the changes are not always for the good.

    Because I do not personally update my blog on a regular basis I have decided to open it up to guest blogging, at the behest of friends living there or from there.  If anyone, expat or not, who either lives there or who has moved away, would like to contribute their thoughts, feelings or experiences on living in or leaving Malaysia, I welcome you to write a guest post to be published here on the blog.  I only ask that it be honest and in good taste.  You can either contact me by email or leave a comment here.  I will simply take your article and post it under a separate post.  I would prefer you use your name instead of posting as anonymous.  You can include your photo if you wish.  I do not want any commercial posts, unless you are willing to pay for it.

An Update from Brockport, New York.

Christmas 2016

    It's been exactly 3 years since Kevin and I left Penang to live in the US and a lot has happened. Since moving here we have purchased a new home that has a pool and plenty of room. We also added 2 new additions to the family, Cato and Lucky, Cattle Dog brother and sister.

Lucky and Cato

 

Perhaps the biggest nes since we have moved is with Kevin. He has been attending the State University of New York Genesee Community College since January of 2015. He has earned a spot on either the Dean's List or the President's List for every semester. He is due to graduate in May of this year and has been accepted to Rochester Institute of Technology, one of the top ranking Universities in the country. Because of his academic achievements he has basically been given a free ride! Not bad for someone who was not given a chance for an education in Malaysia!

Kevin continues to enjoy the cold and snowy winters and gardening and the pool in the summer. Since we live in the suburbs of Rochester, NY we get to enjoy the wildlife and scenery of the area.

Niagara Falls

 Letchworth State Park

 

Kevin and Lucky in the Pool.

This winter.

Kevin and Cato

Since last January Kevin's niece Yuki has been living with us while she is studying at the same college as Kevin. After her graduation she plans to transfer to a 4 year university to study art.
As for me I continue to enjoy retirement, our dogs, our Chameleon, Ulysses, my marine fish tank and our Quaker parrot Blue.

Blue

I'll try to update this blog on occasion if there are any new developments. Thank you to everyone who visits this blog and enjoy your travels!

Settling in Back Home

It has been about seven months since I left Penang to move back home to the US, so I thought I should write a note here. We have settled in to our new home in Upstate New York State in the US, a country like setting just outside of Rochester.We have a big house with quite a bit of land, including a pool, decks, gardens and 2 puppies. I didn't realize how much I missed having a yard, a garden and a dog! Autumn is here and the leaves are beginning to change color giving us beautiful views wherever you go. It's so nice to have 4 distinct seasons again. After this past winter here I realized that I would rather have a few months of very cold snowy weather than have 12 months of extreme heat and humidity. With winter approaching we are looking forward to the coziness and comfort of our fireplace.

I have discovered that the cost of living where we now live is actually cheaper than in Penang. Food, gasoline, housing, clothing, alcohol and consumer goods are all cheaper. Even though Penang had a variety of good South Asian food, I missed European and American food, such as Greek, Italian and Mexican. I do miss Curry Mee, but we have found quite a variety of authentic Chinese, Korean, Indian, Thai and Japanese food here. There are a number of Asian grocery stores here that have everything found in Malaysia, including durian! So if we don't eat out we can make it ourselves. One aspect of back home that I missed was the variety of consumer goods. There are many, many more brands to chose from here and the prices are a fraction of the cost in Penang. Our car cost a mere fraction of what it would have in Malaysia too.

Last month I had emergency gall bladder surgery for a problem that was misdiagnosed in Penang and it was all paid for by my Medicare. I was constantly worried about getting sick and needing surgery in Malaysia, especially with my money tied up in a fixed deposit under MM2H. Sure medical costs are more expensive here, but the quality is excellent and I am covered by Medicare. Kevin is settling in and is a bit overwhelmed by the educational choices offered to him here.He also likes the cold and snow.

I feel as though we made the right choice by moving. It's not perfect, but if you don't like things you can complain, criticize the government without reprisal and vote to make yourself heard. I do not regret for one minute the 7 years I lived in Penang. It just wasn't for me.  I do miss the people there and also chatting over lunch at the local food court, but I am sure I will return to visit Penang on occasion. Most likely I will not be posting here any more, but if anyone is interested in following my adventures you can read my other blog, Steveso Thinks. Thank you.