Lusy Koror née Bernard

(OG 1994–1996)

I applied for art teaching jobs all over the world and confess that I didn’t really know much of where I was looking, but I am so glad that I did.

Always somewhat of a misfit in the UK, despite being British, I feel that I was very fortunate to discover my potential here, in Malaysia.

When I arrived in 2014, Penang was a bustling mini-metropolis filled to the brim with arts of every kind. It was easy to make friends on every corner. My friends helped me learn the local language, food and customs. I was eager to learn more, eat more and make more art. I quickly became involved in a month-long annual arts festival, George Town Festival, and spent every free moment outside of work running workshops and activities to encourage accessibility and innovation within the arts.

The school I worked for encouraged this, as it showed my students the potential for arts after school, and the importance and joy of lifelong learning. I was fortunate enough to meet and nurture a community of likeminded friends, and we moved in together and opened our home to a plethora of arts activities, from improvised comedy and puppet making to abstract painting.

Since Covid, we seem (touch wood) to be one of the safest places in the world, despite having problems within the government here. In Malaysia, mask wearing is a totally normal thing (it was actually invented by a Penangite, Dr Wu Lien-the in 1910), and there has been a huge uptake of vaccinations because you need to be vaccinated to go pretty much anywhere and do anything now.

Soon, I began to write about art for local magazines and exhibit my artwork in professional galleries. It was a glorious time of colour and magic and the mixed culture and languages of Penang always added extra sparkle to the glow of the city. I met my Malaysian husband at this time, and we are just about to have our second child.

Of course, economically, the lockdowns have been damaging. We have lost a lot of important businesses and many of us have had to leave Penang. There is a common feeling here, not dissimilar to the British Blitz comradery of "We will get through this together!" We are also fortunate to have one of the best healthcare systems in the world, both government and private. And the future? Who knows. For family reasons, I do want to return to the UK as soon as it is safe, but I definitely consider Malaysia to be my home. If you do ever get the chance to work abroad, give it a shot. It opens your eyes and regardless of wherever you go, you will never be the same person again because you will grow.