I have had the year of my life. Here I feel at home. Among locals I feel, talk and behave like a Malaysian. I am Malaysian!

When I boarded the airplane that would bring me to Malaysia I made it my aim to fully assimilate myself with the Malaysian society and to become a local citizen. After putting in big efforts throughout this exchange year I can say that I definitely achieved these goals and all things that are connected with them.

Of course I couldn’t achieve these aims on my own. The Malaysians helped me! They always chattered with me, gave me things to try and brought me all around the country. I caught ducks in a muddy pool and ate crackers made of cow’s skin. I temporarily controlled the traffic of Kuala Lumpur’s suburban commuter train network and watched a Formula 1 race. I plucked fresh coconuts and went snorkeling in gorgeous reefs.

I want to say Thank You to all people who somehow entertained me. This year was full of thrilling adventures and memorable experiences because of you.

But certainly, my special Thanks go to my Malay family. We were and we are a family. We love each other and that’s how we treat each other. My siblings, Danial, Yasmin and Sophia slept in my arms and we played from sunrise to midnight, we went swimming and we explored the township together. We prepared presents together and all slept together in my room.

My Mummy and Daddy had always something new for us. We went on exciting trips to Indonesia, China and Philippines. They taught me things in all fields you can imagine. They explained me traditional customs, the religion and the culture in general. On the other hand I gave them insight into German and European culture. They cared about me when I was ill and I looked after my siblings when my parents were busy. Thank You for the fun we had, for the freedom you gave me, for all the activities.

I also want to emphasize that I really loved to visit our relatives and close friends, who provided me with additional activities.

I also want to thank my temporary host families in Sarawak (Short Term Exchange), Gombak (Chinese New Year) and Gedangsa (Deepavali).

Perhaps you are searching for negative aspects in this text, but you won’t find any. There was not a single day, which I didn’t enjoy. I was going around Malaysia with a smile on my face and this best describes how I feel here.

By now I have left Malaysian territory but this is only a physical border. My heart will always be in Malaysia, my second home. I am not sad because I know, that I will come back soon and see you all again.

Thank You Malaysia!