Places and People

After a year being back in Penang, I'm still having 'culture shock' whenever I go shopping. True story.

For the past 4 and a half years in KL, I've became much more independent than the many years before in Penang, for I had to buy things, fix things, talk to people, do this, do that all by myself living without my parents. And in KL, there are so many kind of people (Chinese, Malay, Indian, foreigners, etc), that the society was to speak in English to anyone just to be safe. Even Chinese speaks English to Chinese people, cuz there are many bananas in KL, as a matter of factly.

In short, I've been somewhat 'programmed' to speak English to service providers, food sellers (exclude some minority hawkers which I have observed to speak certain languages eg Cantonese/ Mandarin) and all the random people (whom I may stop to ask direction etc) automatically.

But back in Penang, people speak Hokkien. Or Mandarin. It's the Pearl of Orient, or Island of Hokkien.

There was once in the beginning of the year when I went shopping and wanted to go into the fitting room when the person asked me how many pieces of clothing do I have in Hokkien, and I couldn't understand what was being said. I'm quite fluent in Hokkien as I speak it with my family and close friends, but then I was 'programmed' to use the English language to people in malls, especially the promoters and cashiers and all. I was actually in a temporary state of shock and disbelief that branded outlet promoters use Hokkien to customers. Weird, but true.

It's been almost a year back in Penang, and I still find it very hard to switch to the local culture. It's still weird and unnatural for me, to use other languages other than English to people (especially in malls). Mandarin is still ok, but Hokkien is a little just too much for me.

It's not like I cannot speak Mandarin, but am just automatically switched to the 'English mode' when I go to malls and places similar. Sometimes I wonder if people who are with me thinks that I'm trying to be a banana. Funny, but awkward. Moments I think I should put more effort in adapting to the local culture, but most of the times, nyeh, I think English is just fine.