I was on a break and went overseas with a couple of my friends. Bless my husband for being so cool about it. Here are some quotes/ encounters I chanced upon during the trip.

1.

Me: How much is this? Do you have a smaller size, for me?

The girl who was attending me is the shopkeeper's daughter.

Girl: This is very good quality. You can feel...The writing won't come of so easy...How much you want?
Me: 300.
Girl: No..I give you 350.

After we had settled on a price, my friend Joe asked her,

Joe: How old are you?
Girl: I am nine years old.
Joe: You are a very good businesswoman. What do you want to be when you grow up? What is your ambition?
Girl: I want to be a social worker.

Wow, a social worker! I don't even know what a social worker means when I was at her age. Typical answers would be a doctor, a teacher, a pilot, a policewoman...

Me: A social worker? That's very good. You have to study really hard.
Girl: I go to school. But because of the festival, it is school holiday. So, I help my father.

2.

Most of the guides are young and they can speak a little bit of English.

Many know someone, a friend, a relative or they themselves who was/ is working in Malaysia.

One of them had a father who worked in Malaysia. A few months after arriving in Malaysia, his father took his own life. At that time, he was too young to understand. All he remember was the body was sent back to his family. They can only speculate why he had kill himself.

3.

Woman: Come help me. Buy something? I have chocolates. Water? Banana?
Me: (Smiles and give money)
Woman: Take something...
Me: No, it's okay.
Woman: Thank you, thank you. My son has no legs, no father. My husband died many years ago. He no father.
Son: Where are you from? Are you Chinese?
Me: Me? I am from Malaysia.
Son/ Woman: Malaysia! Kolalalapor!
Woman: My other son, his brother, in Malaysia.
Joe: Oh, really? What does he work as? What is his job?
Woman/ Son: (Trying to describe/ say things we could not understand)
Joe: Does he like Malaysia?
Woman: Yes. His wife and children, in that village. My son come back after 3 years, then he go again. He give money but not to me. All his money he give to his wife. His children, very small, go to school.

4.

Guide: I am going to Penang. I am going to get married.
Sally: Oh, you have a Malaysian girlfriend? Is she Malay?
Guide: No, she's Indian.
Sally: Is it an arranged marriage?
Guide: Yes.
Sally: So, you never met her before?
Guide: I have seen her picture. I will marry her and see how. If I don't like, I will leave her and find other girls. Malaysia has beautiful girls.

5.

I was very, very tired.

Joe: Come on, just a little bit more.
Me: (Grumpy) Don't lie to me.
Joe: You shouldn't rest too long.
Me: (Grumpy) You pergilah dulu!

Finally, we arrived at our destination.

Me: Wahhh!!! Cantiknya! Nak ambil gambar!
Joe: (Irritated) Tiba-tiba ada energy pulak!
Me: (Laughs)

Me: Ala...I know I can do it. I have the energy. I was just tired lah. But I know eventually I boleh.

6.

Joe: You guys are annoying! You just whine and whine...You should be more positive!
Sally: We are not slow! They are too quick. This is not a competition! I'd rather walk at my own pace and enjoy the scenery.
Me: Yeah...I don't even think they even stop to take pictures. We need to capture all of this. And I don't whine!
Joe: You do whine. "Jauh lagi" lah, "Are we there yet?", "Is this it?", "How long more to go?" "Sakit kaki"
Me: That's not whining!

7.

Joe: You are slow.
Sally: We are average.
Joe: You are not average. If you are average, then who is below average?
Sally: The below average people wouldn't even consider to join this trip. It says so, "This trip is suitable for people of average fitness, 10 to 60 years old." Since we decided to join, and we got through the first and second day, and we were not that late, by the way, so we are average.
Me: I am already walking fast! It's not like I purposely go slow. And everytime I walk fast, masih tak sampai-sampai jugak! So, I don't see the point of trying to keep up with them.

8.

My friend, Sally, speaks seven languages.

Both of us were walking with two walking sticks each. The locals greeted us and said,

"Why are you using two walking sticks? Only old people need two walking sticks."

Yeah, thanx for the encouraging comment.

9.

Since my friend understand the language,

Below is the translation:

Guide 1: (Giving briefing to the other guides) Kau pergi dengan group Ectopy, Joe, Sally. Kau pergi dengan group orang putih tu. Kau pergi dengan Si Tua tu.

Si Tua is actually a doctor who owns a practice and easily makes RM2500 per day. She's probably in her sixties.

Guide 2: Aku tak mahu pergi dengan group Si Tua tu! Semalam dia nyanyi banyak sampai aku sakit kepala!

Haha. Mengumpat!

10.

I was very, very tired.

Me: I am never going to another vacation like this ever again. I am not doing this when I'm in my forties. This is the last one.

11.

I was very, very tired.

Me: When we are back home again, I am never going to take the stairs ever again. I am going to fully utilise the lift. I kadang-kadang naik tangga sebab it's healthy. But now I've had enough. No more stairs.

12.

Shopping for souvenirs.

Sally and I: Overly happy and excited.

Joe: Perempuan ni, bila shopping je happy. Bukan shopping, bila dapat beli barang. Beli dapat beli barang je, happy.
Me: I happy sebab ni murahlah!
Joe: It's universal. Perempuan, shopping, happy.

13.

One of my groupmates is a woman in her forties. Her name is Pauline.

Sally: I see that all of your stuff is Reebok. Reebok cap, Reebok shoes...You really like Reebok, huh?
Pauline: Yeah, it's good quality.
Me: So, you're like the little ambassador of Reebok. Haha!
Pauline: Yeah. Reebok sponsors me...
Sally/ Joe/ Me: (Laughs)
Pauline: Because I play tennis. So, they decided to sponsor me. And I can't wear nothing but Reebok.
Sally/ Joe/ Me: (Laughs)

Pauline: I am serious. Seriously.
Pauline's friend: It's true.

Oh-kayyy...So we have an athlete in our group. No wonder they were all so fit!