Kiwi loves Malaysia so much he has made it his second home

It is not uncommon for foreigners to fall in love with Malaysia on their visits here given our wide spread of good food and lovely beaches.

But for New Zealander Tony Willis, he just keeps coming back. Willis first came to Malacca in 2006 for a 10-month stint with the Salvation Army.

Right at home: Willis eats his noodles only with chopsticks.

He went home to New Zealand after his time with the non-governmental organisation but Malaysia had already made an impression. And when the opportunity came to return to Malaysia, he did not hesitate to come back. He took up a teaching position with UCSI University in 2008 for two-and-a-half years till 2010. “I went back home to New Zealand for awhile but found I missed Malaysia too much and had to come back,” he said. “I really like the warm weather here,” he added earnestly when met with scepticism.

So he took up another teaching contract with London English Academy (LEA), a language centre located in Bandar Utama, and settled into his second home — Malaysia. Willis said he probably has more friends now in Malaysia than back home in New Zealand. “People are really friendly here. I can just make friends with everybody,” said the 34-year-old. And good friends are part of what makes living in Malaysia so enjoyable for Willis.

He spends most of his time catching up with friends. He even keeps a diary to make sure he doesn’t double-book them. “Because there are so many things to do here, I end up doing whatever my friends do. Things like going to the movies, playing board games, badminton and such. It is really more about the company than the activity,” he said.

He also observes that unlike New Zealand, shops and eateries here only close at 10pm. “And after that, there’s always the mamak stalls that you can go to,” he smiles, indicating another favourite hangout spot with his friends. “I like the fact that you can get almost anything anywhere, from Malay food, to fusion, mamak, Chinese and so on,” he said. But his favourite is a good serving of wantan mee. He claimed that the best one he had was from a stall near Leisure Mall in Cheras.

During his two-and-a-half years of teaching in UCSI, Willis had a car which enabled him to travel a fair bit within Kuala Lumpur. He considers himself well-versed with the roads in Kuala Lumpur and probably even better, than some locals.

Occasionally, Willis would get away for the weekend to meet up with friends in Negri Sembilan and Malacca. He loves travelling and likes it that most places in Malaysia are easily accessible. “I like being able to get away every once in awhile. And if you put aside enough money, you can travel quite a bit. And I love beaches and there are quite a number of lovely ones here,” he noted.

One of his favourite places in Malaysia is Penang, which he has visited several times. He takes pleasure in discovering a little more of the island every time he goes there. And like most locals, he thinks only the best of Penang food. On his next trip to Penang, Willis hopes to see more of the northern part of the island. He also looks forward to the day when he can visit Langkawi.

-thestar online.