Making Malaysia the middle point

Convenient place to stay: For Kenyon, the only setback to living in Kuala Lumpur is the traffic.

Hailing from the northeast of England, Linda Kenyon is no stranger to living far away from home. She has been in Malaysia for almost seven years, accompanying her husband who works in Kuala Lumpur for an oil company, after having lived in several other countries, including Australia and Brunei.

“Prior to Malaysia, we lived in Brunei for three years, so it’s really not that different in terms of weather. “When we were in Brunei, we used to travel to Malaysia quite often. So, we are actually quite comfortable with Malaysia,” she said.

“Here, you can do a lot more and Malaysia is an easy place to live. “We also feel quite safe compared to other countries.”

On Malaysian culture, Kenyon said: “The country is also more multi-cultural than other countries. We find Malaysians are much more relaxed and they embrace people like us foreigners well and welcome us to their country,” she said, adding that language was also not a problem as she felt that many Malaysians were well-versed in English.

Kenyon said Malaysia was also a convenient place to stay because her son lived in Australia. “We have one son in Australia and the other one is back in England, so Malaysia is like somewhere in the middle. We travel several times a year to visit both of them and it is easy for them to visit us as well,” she said.

Kenyon enjoys Malaysian food and travelling around the country. “My favourite stall is not far from where I live in Ampang,” she said.

Her favourite local destinations are Penang, Malacca and Pulau Langkawi. “Jonker Street in Malacca is one of the best places to visit.” she said, adding that one of her favourite pastimes was shopping.

“Shopping here is very convenient. It is not difficult to find whatever you want, even when it comes to ingredients that we use back in England,” she said, adding that living in Malaysia had taught her to bargain before buying something. “I’m really good at bargaining and here in Malaysia, we can still get good bargains,” she said.

“Back then, we used to have to go to cities like Bangkok and Singapore to shop for clothes. Now, it’s so convenient just to shop here. You can practically find everything you need.”

For Kenyon, the only setback to living in Kuala Lumpur is the traffic. “You could get stuck in traffic for hours if you do not know the right time. The trick is to learn when to take to the roads,” she said.

When asked about her future plans, Kenyon said it was not impossible for her and her husband to stay in Malaysia after their retirement. “I think yes, though our hearts are still in England. But, right now, we are looking at the My Second Home Programme as everything is good here — the weather, too. So, you never know.”

-thestar online.

www.mm2h.gov.my