The flight back from Korea on Wednesday was relatively uneventful. I caught up on email, then made it safely home to see Cheryl and the girls. I was so excited to see pictures of our giant fluff-ball of a dog, Alfredo. Because our KL apt will not allow pets, he is staying with our wonderful pet consultant until we move into the house.
Believe it or not, I managed to wake up early enough to run 3 miles before my 7am meeting on Thursday. Made for a great start to the day, since I was on the run most of the time -- meetings with fellow managers, meetings with customers (in the Twin Towers!!), then briefings on our new service center coming on line next year.
I'm now part of the company bowling league!! Last night after work, I went with several others over to "Bangsar Bowl", where I bowled 3 games with many other co-workers from the office. I couldn't tell whether they were laughing at: (a) my "unique" bowling style (of whipping the ball down the lane just like my dad used to do), (b) seeing an American bowling in their local Malaysian alley, (c) my post-throw antics (yelling at the ball, jumping with glee, etc), or (d) just amazed that despite (a), (b), and (c) above I still managed to bowl games averaging 160+. Hee hee -- I enjoyed being the novelty nonetheless. The price for three games plus shoe rental -- 5.5 ringgit, or about $1.50. Not bad....
While on the subject, it has been very strange in this new role of being a minority. That's exactly what we are here -- we're minorities. By my rough estimation, less than 1% of the people you see around town are white. Not only that, but my red hair makes me somewhat of a freak. I think I've seen ONE other red-haired caucasian since we've been here. Most of the time all this is no problem. It really helps me appreciate what minorities go through. The part that has NOT been so pleasant has been the deep staring. At least 4-5 times a day, whether I'm on the train, walking through the local markets, or just crossing the street, I see people stare at me, often with very disapproving looks. Maybe I am an embodiment of the American culture to them. The U.S. is not a world hero to many around here. Increasingly, the U.S. is seen as more of the problem than the solution. I try to maintain a low profile, and carry on. We are being safe at every turn. Still, sometimes being stared at negatively gets a bit wearying.
Well, on Sunday I'll be off on another trip -- this time it's back to Thailand. I'll be in Bangkok on Monday and Tuesday, then in Rayong (which is near Cambodia) on Wednesday and Thursday. Then, with any luck I'll be back in KL for a week or two straight. I'm excited about seeing southeast Thailand. We have some Power Generation customers down there, and these days the storyline is all about introducing me as the new district manager. There are a LOT of customers to meet. So far the job is still a big challenge, and I'm getting used to reading 100+ email per day....
Just a couple more weeks until the girls start school. Then, we're going to travel to Indonesia for a getaway at the end of the month. Should be fun. The adventures continue... Comments??
greg
6 comments:
I'm sorry to here that some people there are staring. That's not nice. Just be nice and friendly and smile or wave back in a nice way or something and things should be o.k. Take care and please be safe.
Greg,
Glad you're back home safely!
I love reading about your adventures, don't stop. Miss you guys terribly, the boys talk about you guys all the time.
Hugs to the girls!
Nee
Dear Greg: I think they stare because your red hair is unique.But I can image it is uncomfortable. Glad your safely home with your girls and your job is somewhat easier. What an adventure you guys! Will your vacation be around the time your furniture is coming. That will be a huge job.Travel Safe.Love GMP
I spent 6 years living full time in various Asian countries. Here's two tips for staring if its getting to you - please note neither of these are that nice but its great if you are having one of those days where you really don't want to stand out and the person just keeps staring even if they see you looking uncomfortable.
1) Stare back. Eventually they will look away, but keep looking at them. They will sooner or later look back at you and see they've been caught.
2) Look behind you as to look for what they are staring at then look back at them in surprise like I don't see what you are looking at.
Good luck and hang in there. Also remember staring actually isn't a rude custom in some countries so they don't always realise.
Greg, I would have loved to see you bowling! I remember that slam method your dad had and I can only imagine you nailing the pins with your mighty approach!
And my thought on the Asian staring, unfortunate and disarming, to be sure but as you pointed out, going about your business low key is probably the smartest thing. Kristin just told me about her African American friend, Marcus, in Bosnia (I think it) was on a mission trip. He was the only black seen there in ages and people could not stop staring. Eventually, some actually asked for his autograph. Maybe some in Malaysia think you are actually Ron Howard with all his hair looking for a new movie site?
Love you, Mom
I agree with others. Try not to read too much in to the staring. I note that you've read into it as maybe due to you being an American, but seriously, until you open your mouth and they hear an American accent or unless you are looking particularly American, it's probably not that (maybe just in general Western).
Aren't you pretty tall? Who knows, it may be that they've never seen someone quite your height :P
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