WHERE IS MALAYSIA?

Malaysia is located in the Southeast Asia, we are separated into West Malaysia (Peninsular) and East Malaysia:

West Malaysia
• Perlis • Penang • Kelantan • Terengganu • Perak • Kedah • Pahang
• Selangor • Kuala Lumpur • Melaka • Negeri Sembilan • Johor

East Malaysia
• Sabah • Sarawak

Our neighbours up North of the peninsular is Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. On the South, joined by the causeway lies the island of Singapore.

To the west is the Indonesian Island of Sumatra and to the East are the Malaysian provinces of Sabah and Sarawak, the independent Sultanate of Brunei and the Indonesian state of Kalimantan.

Malaysia has good relations with all these countries and air travel to them is moderately priced.

• Kuala Lumpur & Other Towns
• Our Races, Language & Religions
• The Climate
• Time Zone
• Currency
• Getting Around
• The Law
• Food
• Attire
• Shopping
• Precautions

KUALA LUMPUR & OTHER TOWNS

In short, everyone calls it KL. Bandar Sunway is about 20 kilometres from its centre.

KL is the nation’s capital. It is home to all foreign embassies, the headquarters of most companies and most national museums and galleries. There are a lot of interesting places to visit and things to see in and around KL.

Other Towns
Like all capital cities, KL is not representative of the country as a whole. There are many other beautiful places to visit.

These include Malacca (old Dutch city), Penang (an island also known as ‘Pearl of the Orient’), Perak, Pahang, Johor, Terengganu and of course the towns of East Malaysia, all of which are surrounded by breathtaking unspoiled nature. Your classmates may come from some of these places.

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OUR RACES, LANGUAGES AND RELIGIONS

Malaysia’s population mainly consists of Malays, Chinese, Indians, Eurasians & Indigenous tribes. There are also many Indonesians and Filipinos here along with people of all nations working and doing business.

The official language of the country is Bahasa Malaysia (which means the Malay Language) and English; however in some schools Chinese and Tamil are also taught. Getting around using English is easy in Malaysia‘s larger towns. It’s not so easy in some of the more remote districts, and learning a few words of Bahasa Malaysia is very helpful.

Mandarin is taught in schools but in conversations people will also speak Cantonese, Hokkien, Hakka and other Chinese dialects. The principal Indian language used here is Tamil.

Malaysia allows freedom of worship. The official religion and the one practiced by Malays is Islam. Amongst Chinese you will find Buddhists, Taoists and Christians and amongst Indians Hindus and Christians.

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THE CLIMATE

The climate in Malaysia is hot and wet. Day temperatures are between 28°C and 35°C. It is a little cooler at night and immediately after rain. Relative humidity is between 60%-73% year round. An umbrella is a must as rain is intense. There is little seasonal change.

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TIME ZONE

Malaysia's standard time is +8 hours ahead of Universal Coordinated Time or UTC (Greenwich Mean Time - GMT).

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CURRENCY

The unit of currency is the Ringgit Malaysia (nearly always abbreviated to RM). There are notes of RM1, 5, 10, 50 and coins of 5, 10, 20, 50 sen. Malaysians sometimes refer to the RM as a dollar. Make sure you know which kind of dollar is being discussed.

New Currency Control
With the introduction of the new currency control measure, travellers have to declare the money that they are bringing in or taking out of the country.

Under the new foreign exchange control measures both residents and non-residents of Malaysia are allowed to carry into and out of the country, Ringgit notes amounting to not more than RM 1,000.
For non-residents they are allowed to take out of the country the amount less than or equivalent to the sums they have declared upon entry.

Everyone who enters Malaysia are required to fill in a declaration form known as the Travellers Declaration Form (TDF) and submit it to the immigration authorities when arriving or departing the country.

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GETTING AROUND

Roads in KL and between major centers are excellent. Road signs are international but instructions are often in Bahasa Malaysia.
Motorbikes are also a favoured form of transport. Public transport in KL is convenient. There is a suburban railway system (KTM), a city elevated rail system (LRT) and an extensive bus service. The bus services run on a somewhat informal timetable so check with a local classmate on how to get around on buses.

Taxis are also widely used and not too expensive. Keep the telephone number of a taxi service handy; they charge extra for pick-up, but particularly after midnight (when the price is one-and-half times the normal) it’s worth the call.

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THE LAW

You won’t find anything surprising about Malaysian laws. Capital punishment is in force here. Based on Section 39B (2) Dangerous Drugs Act, 1952, the punishment for dealing drugs is the death sentence. Refrain from offending anyone and behave well at parties and in public places: the guy who complains might just be sensitive to noise but he could be the Chief of Police.

Muslims in Malaysia have to adhere to the Syariah Law. This Islamic Law forbids a muslim man and a muslim woman to be alone together in a private place. This is called ‘khalwat’ (close proximity) and carries a jail sentence.

As this is a Muslim country, it is advisable to avoid any form extreme public display of affection such as kissing or ‘necking’. Again, the message is: err on the side of caution.

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FOOD

The food in Malaysia is amongst the most varied and interesting in the world. There are three main types of food: Malay, Chinese and Indian, and Muslims only eats ‘Halal’ food.

The cheapest places have individual ‘hawker’ stalls under one roof. Air-conditioned restaurants are more expensive but have a more pleasant environment as smoking is prohibited in such places.

Malaysia’s favourite dish is ‘nasi lemak’ (‘nasi’ means ‘rice’). A close second is ‘roti canai’ (‘roti’ means ‘bread’). The latter, a kind of fried bread with lentil or fish gravy, is an excellent breakfast.

Rice is the local staple although all local food types also use breads of different kinds. Noodles (mee) are very popular.

Other than that, there is also a wide selection of food from all over the world ranging from Korean, Thai and European restaurants to fast-food outlets like KFC, McDonalds, Burger King, A&W and Pizza Hut.
Generally speaking food outlets are safe and clean but use your discretion when eating out. Prices are required to be displayed by law so you’ll soon find places within your budget.

Imported fruit like apples and oranges are available here besides lots of local fruits that are rich in nutritional value.

Stores and supermarkets carry a wide variety of foodstuffs including American, Japanese and European specialties. Of course these are more expensive than local items.

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ATTIRE

More or less anything goes, but jeans and t-shirts are popular. Muslim ladies cover their hair with a scarf especially when dealing with the public, for instance in a bank.

The academy requires you to look neat – just refer to your Student Handbook for the dress codes. In private houses, leave your shoes at the door.

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SHOPPING

Malaysia has always been a shopping heaven. However, there’s no urgency to shop everything at once. Take your time to look around. Prices of everything vary a lot according to the place the item is sold. So window-shop first.

Prices in department stores, posh shops and supermarkets are fixed, everywhere else haggle a little, ask for ‘best price’- you’ll probably get up to 20% off.

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PRECAUTIONS

Malaysia has its fair share of creepy – crawlies like snakes and scorpions but you’re unlikely to meet them in town. Far more dangerous is the Hepatitis B bug: make sure you’ve had your jabs.

Another local nasty is the mosquito that can cause malaria and the Aedes mosquito which gives you dengue fever. Burn coils, use repellents, and make sure there are no pools of still water in and outside of your accommodation where these critters can breed.

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