Once again I'm almost painfully reminded that, no matter how much you like a place or a set of people, a cultural difference will always create a certain barrier to full understanding and acceptance of each other. I can do everything in my power to learn Malay and adopt as many local practices as are comfortable to me, but my skin will always be the wrong colour, I'll always be ridiculously tall, there's always be stumbling blocks and things I find hard to accept here or miss about home. Equally, unless I can transport everyone here to my culture and show them even just a little bit of what my life at home is like, there's no way they'll ever fully understand me.
It's a wonderful challenge, an incredible way to learn more about yourself. Sadly I don't know if it's a challenge I could live permanently. Inevitably if the cultures are as far apart as my UK one and their Malay one, home eventually calls.
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