Malaysian or Nah???

First time blogging ( is that even a word?!), so please bear with me. :)

Soooooo, the first assignment for Malaysian Media and Culture is to create a blog and basically express our thoughts on the lecture, lecturer, anything and everything under the Sun. Oh, and to make it more fun, we get to answer questions. Yaaaay!!! Jokes aside, and I'm being real honest here, I really liked the way Miss Carmen conducted the class. She encourages students' participation rather than giving off that "Answer me or you won't get marks" kinda way. So, that's nice. 

Anyways, back to the million dollar question: Do you identify yourself as a Malaysian? Why? 

Well, this is like a no brainer's question. Of course I do. And this is not only because I have an I/C that states so, but because of experiences that have made me realise it. I've come across people who have traveled abroad to amazing countries like UK, Australia, Switzerland and more who come back and say "Nothing beats Malaysia'. I used to think they are nuts for saying that. Like, you've visited to the birth place of Westlife, One Direction and 5SOS and yet you think nothing beats Malaysia??! That was my opinion before I made a little trip myself to a land smaller than the UK but right next to us. I think I spent a good 2 weeks there. No doubt it is a great country to visit. The places, the food, the people are wonderful, but something about being away from Malaysia during that time made me miss being home. Only then I realised that, while I was there, I would often compare whatever I saw with what we have in Malaysia. Like, "Oh, you think this traffic is crazy? You should see the roads when everyone balik kampung then." or "We could have more of these for less back home!" Home. This is when it hit me like a ton of bricks. No matter how much we complain about Malaysia or about the people, this still is the country we were born and raised in and we're Malaysians whether we like it or not. Just like how Cheryl explained that culture is the way of life, being a Malaysian is also a way of life. 

And lastly: Does it matter? Why? 

Yes, it does matter. This is simply because there is no other way around it. No matter how much we dislike the state the country is in now, deep down, somewhere in our little hearts, there still is hope and faith that times will change. I would also like to add that I agree with Chuck's post, that being able to identify to other Malaysians gives great comfort in knowing that despite the cultural differences or football team preferences ( hey, that rhymed :P), we are not alone.