There is so much to do, see, taste, and explore in non-Western countries that is completely different from anything in the U.S. or Europe. Obviously we've been sharing a lot of these experiences on this blog, but sometimes it's the little things that reveal just how different cultures can be. One phenomenon in Malaysia is the staring. Have I mentioned the staring before? Everyone stares at Pelle and me wherever we go. Little kids, old people, middle-aged adults, teenagers, babies. Absolutely everyone. To our western sensibilities, we find this disconcerting and even rude at times. But it's just par for the course here, as we've eventually realized that it's not just us. Everyone stares at everyone else even if you are just a foot away and only slightly out of someone's direct field of vision. The only way to make someone stop staring is to look pointedly at them until they look away...but even that only works 75% of the time. We have come to realize that it's just a way to pass the time as one waits for a bus or stands in 'line' at the market.
Sometimes the staring takes on a daring aspect. Time to play "let's take a picture with the foreigner!!" Played mostly by teenagers, this game allows someone to stare all they want at us without us even knowing it. Pelle was a very popular object of this game while we were in Egypt.
And now Denise has been asked to join the game. These giggly and chatty young Indian ladies were on a school tour of the Penang War Museum while we were there.
Sometimes the staring takes on a daring aspect. Time to play "let's take a picture with the foreigner!!" Played mostly by teenagers, this game allows someone to stare all they want at us without us even knowing it. Pelle was a very popular object of this game while we were in Egypt.
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