December Already, Ah?

It snowed about two weeks ago. For exactly one day. By the time it occured to me to take a picture, the snow had already melted.

But people around here were frantic about it. They talked about it on the news, they closed down schools, they gave out warnings for people driving on the highways. Dude, in Michigan, this would have been a good day. Uneventful and meh.

Today, it's sunny and bright. It's cold, but it's really really bright.

Ever since I met the two Malaysian ladies at the masjid on Hari Raya, our social calendar has been packed. There'd be something going on every weekend. Makan makan and more makan. Even tomorrow there's an open house to go to and it's not even Syawal anymore.

As we got to know these Malaysian expatriates a bit better, we sort of got a glimpse of what life would be like if we plan to stay here for good. The American Dream, the promise of fortune and happiness if you work hard enough, really does apply to everyone. I hear stories of people working from delivering newspapers to selling million-dollar homes. I visited a house worthy of any Mak Datin's pride, crown molding and wainscotting smooth and white. When you can drive around in a BMW X5 with the license plates "MELAYU", I guess you are really announcing to everyone that this particular Malaysian have made it in big bad Amerika.

So it can happen if you work at it hard enough. You can have your own business, your own company, be your own boss without strings attached, without having to know the right people, the right political connections, the right amount of cash surreptitiously slipped under the table. Without having to worry about people trying to santau you or jampi your business into oblivion, or your colleagues backstab you (that does happen here actually, in a much more subtle way), or petty bureaucracies and red tape and double standards. All you have to do is work hard, be persistent and tenacious and everything this country has to offer will come.

And you can watch your children grow and date "orang sini", mow your lawns on Sundays, take impromptu vacations to Vancouver or Florida and once in a while, go home to Malaysia knowing you're only there for a visit. And the only price you have to pay for all of this is being away from your family, your children's dismal Malay vocabulary, and never quite belonging to the community you live in.