MIGRATION
What is Migration ?
Migration is, first and foremost, a normal human activity. Human beings have always moved from ‘one country, locality, and place of residence to settle in another’. We tend to migrate from the homes of our families or guardians into our own homes. We migrate between regions, cities and towns. And we also migrate between countries.
Background
I am writing this zine book based on a close friend of mine that had experienced migrating from one country to another. She wants to stay anonymous in this book as she requested. But all the information is from her personally.
- Yi Jiun
What prompted her family’s decision to move to another country ? :
She started off by explaning that it was not her own decision to migrate to another country. It was her family’s decision ! They were living in Bahrain, which is located somewhere in the Middle East. It is an island country in West Asia. Her parents have been thinking for a long time to move out of Bahrain, as they felt that there isn’t much to offer in the future for their kids. So her parents did a lot of research on where to move to and also talked to their close friends who are from Malaysia and decided Malaysia was the one !
Preparation & Initial challenges
What were her expectations when she was moving to Malaysia :
When her parents first sprung up the idea, She was shocked and did some research on her own and only found people saying how much they didn’t like it here so she was quite scared about making such a big transition to coming to Malaysia. Until her own experiences soon made it the complete opposite to what she had read, she really likes being in Malaysia !
How did she adapted to the culture and customs of Malaysia :
She would say that this would be the case because of the friends she gained and as well her university that she goes to has a diverse community which gave her a better aspect of Malaysia’s cultures !
Cultural & Social Adjustment
Language and Communication
How did she overcome the language barrier and was it a challenge for her :
Her answer was Yes and No, where she lived in Malaysia, everyone talked in English so it was pretty easy to communicate.
Then at first she mentioned that, Malay, Tamil and Chinese were a bit different to grasp than Arabic, but even though she still don’t fully understand those languages, she felt that she is familiar with the languages and felt comfortable hearing them !
Family and Emotional impact
Does she feel homesick ? :
She said not really, but of course when ever she sees her old friends from Bahrain post about themselves, she misses it extremely! But she is also extremely happy where she is today.
She also mentioned that back in Bahrain, she was seen although still a foreigner, somewhat like them. The country was small so she never had to go too far to see familiar faces, yet when coming into Malaysia at 15, she was scared ! She did at first feel as though she couldn’t fit in especially when she came around the time when lock down happened which made her feel alone. Yet as the years go on she felt comfortable within Malaysia !
How does life compare to where she previously lived :
She’d say her life now has been filled with different activities and resources.
In Bahrain it is a small country, where you go to the same places everyday and do the same things everyday but that doesn’t mean she didn’t love and miss her home country !
However in Malaysia She’ve been granted so much more freedom due to MRT/LRT, different hangout spots and various activities as well.
Comparison
What does she miss the most about Bahrain ? :
She said “ miss the Dairy ! The dairy is the main thing she misses the most from Bahrain.
She also miss the trips she and her family made to Saudi Arabia from Bahrain, where they head off to a big beautiful desert from there !
Comparison of Countries
Long-Term Perspective
Does she feel home in Malaysia ? :
In a way, she said Yes, She believe it’s because she’s here with her family and the amazing communities she’ve found and made along the way that made her stay here and love Malaysia much more !
Will she consider moving back to Bahrain ? :
She said “I don’t think so”, She was happy with the memories she had in Bahrain but she feels she would only be moving back to where she once was if she were to go back there.
For now she’ll see where the future takes her !
Pictures
copyright statement :
This magazine is created exclusively for academic purposes as part of an assignment at Sunway University. All images and content used within this publication are sourced from online platforms and are in- tended solely for educational use. This magazine is not for commercial use, and it is not intended to be sold or purchased.
migration
this is a zine about someone else’s experience with migration
design layout by : Lim Yi
Jiun
information by : my close friend