Community
In Malaysia, I was sort of a lone wolf, if you could say that. It probably started all the way from my childhood with the boom of technology and early exposure to the vast library of information and knowledge through the Internet, something that every single Gen Z-er can understand. And with me not having a natural liking towards going out and playing sports and whatnot, I naturally became an iPad kid (lol) and stayed home most of my childhood, eyes glued to our tablet and computer.
As such, I was not really familiar with my neighbors at the time, and even at school, it wasn’t so that I didn’t have friends, but they were just that–friends at school. Rarely would I stay or hang out with them after school, and it would just be me back at home, spending time by myself. Even more so, going to a boarding high school made me even more unfamiliar with my neighbors anytime I went back home. Even when there was a “neighborhood camping trip” or such, I would spend my time there with my family, rather than hanging out with my peers. All this to say that I had never felt a sense of community during my time in Malaysia.
Then, a couple of years ago, I moved to Japan. I moved to a prefecture that is fairly unknown to people outside of Japan. It’s not like Tokyo or Osaka–bustling cities with tons of people and world-famous. It’s a quiet countryside prefecture, a hidden gem if you will. Well, that’s the main reason I decided to stay here in the first place. But what shocked me is that there were quite a lot of Malaysians here too! Not just studying students, but also working adults with families. There are around 20 students, plus working adults and a few children ranging from three to twelve years old.
After living here for a couple of years, I now see that that itself is not unusual, Malaysians are working and studying throughout Japan. But what’s fascinating to me is how tight-knitted the community is. Almost every celebration, holiday, and trip is organized with everyone, for everyone. Even those living an hour away would gladly drive over whenever someone hosted a gathering at their home. Right now, every week we’ll meet up at a gymnasium somewhere and play badminton just like how Malaysians do back there. A fond memory of mine was from last year, when around July, for five weekends straight, we would go to a river or beach to enjoy our summertime.
Living here for three years now has changed a core part of me. Before, I believed I should be independent and trust only myself to move forward in life. But now I believe in the exact opposite. It’s not that we’re not independent by relying on the people around us, but knowing when to ask others, and offering help to others is also a part of independence. To move forward in life, we need a supportive community. It’s not that I didn’t like playing sports all those years ago, but when I didn’t feel like I belonged, it was hard to push myself to do something. Having a community around me has allowed me to see how exciting life can be. It allowed me to push myself and sharpen my badminton skills, go on 4-hour hikes, go on road trips all throughout Japan, all because I have friends around me who would do the same. And I am glad to have them during my time in Japan.
We naturally thrive with people around us. And because of my upbringing, I started out preferring to be by myself, but that doesn't mean I am an outlier to that rule. It’s just that I haven’t gotten the opportunity to see how I thrive when I find my community. And this was not something I expected from living in Japan, but definitely one that would stick with me and shape me as a person forever. It’s definitely a new perspective in life for me, and I hope that everyone else living here in Japan gains a new perspective that would also shape them as a person, for the better. Excited to see what others are sharing through this Ink & Inspiration initiative. Thanks for reading!