Pandai jugak minah ni speaking.
Not to discourage anyone, but I believe this is my first rant here.
I was talking to a store attendant today over the counter, and next to me was an old Malay man, talking to another store attendant. I was speaking in English, which apparently gave the old man freedom to discuss my race, body, clothes & hair loudly.
“Ko rasa yang ni orang mana?”
After throwing several loud guesses back and forth with his store attendant (all of which I’ve gotten before, albeit in a more polite manner), they came to the conclusion that I was Vietnamese (my first).
“Orang Vietnam kot?”
“Mmm. Vietnam la.”
They were also openly staring, and since he was a kick in the balls away I honestly think that even if I didn’t understand a word of Malay and missed several years of preschool I could put two and two together and deliver a World Cup kick.
But I didn’t. I sorted out my business a little distracted and when I was done, I turned to my right and looked at the both of them, retorting in either one of these statements (one of them I wish I could have said, and the other I did say. Those who can figure out my character would know which is which).
- “Wahai tuan-tuan yang bijaksana. Mentang-mentang la saya gheti ’speaking’ korang ingat saya tak gheti bahso. Terus pikiaq Cina, Filipino, Siam, India ke campur ntah apa bala. Ko ingat Melayu yang gheti speaking tak wujud? Tolongla jangan racist and have a great day.”
- “Wahai tuan-tuan yang bijaksana. I can speak English to him over there and at the same time paham jugak diskusi hangat tadi! Because! I’m Malay! Hahaha tolong malu sikit thanks.”
I’m fine with people immediately assuming that I’m not Malay. I think my sister and I are quite used to it, even. But I do have issues with rude old people lewdly staring in my direction even though I am a sneeze away and feeling they have sufficient superiority to discuss my statistics like an item on discount. I have issues with people who think that someone who fluently speaks languages that aren’t their ‘own’ can’t possibly be of their race. I would think that someone like him will be surprised to know that my friends aren’t all from one race too, although at this point I would purely be projecting.
I may be a ‘youngster’ in comparison, but that doesn’t mean he shouldn’t grow up.
April 27th, 2007 |
yeah I am. hi Kenny! heyy you still remember me! I linked to you by the way. After the slam I found your blog and downloaded Broken Mornings. Loved it.
April 27th, 2007 |
Uhm, I meant Liyana.
April 27th, 2007 |
Hey… Are you the same Liana I met last month at the Poetry Slam? If yes, glad to have found your cyberplace-called-home. If not, hey, cool too.
April 27th, 2007 |
jemey: http://alhijamah.tripod.com/id2.html
kismis minda tu macam cun. mandi garam pon ok kot.
April 27th, 2007 |
Sufian: eh whooops. I corrected it. thanks! (if you were asking what it meant, it means ‘just because’)
Jemey:
1. “Tengok tempatlah kalau nak berspeaking pun.” - When it comes to public places, there’s no written or unwritten rule saying “Don’t speak This Language Here or you will be judged out loud in your face.” jangan selambe buat assumption yang saya tak tahu tempat saya, and don’t think I speak English sebab nak tayang celup.
2. “Pseudo orang putih. Tu yang buat orang menyampah.” - you’re assuming that people of all races act and were brought up the exact same way. Menyampah? What’s so disgusting about ‘Malaysia truly Asia?’ hehe. English isn’t just for mat salleh anymore.
3. “Salah ke kalau orang kata kita bukan melayu?” - memang tak salah, kan saya ada tulis saya dah biasa. Respons dia yang salah. So, because she’s ‘not Malay’ it’s okay to treat her that way?
Etiquette and good behaviour is for all ages, at all times. That pakcik didn’t practice it, which doesn’t justify my lack of it in return, but I’m spontaneous like that. Hey, if you’re in some way related to him (OR ARE HIM!) tolong kirim salam!
April 27th, 2007 |
Bahasa Jiwa Bangsa. Jangan marah orang tua tu. Bahasa yang kita ucap melambangkan bangsa kita. Kalau kulit dah macam korea, vietnam ke, cakap pulak omputih aje….Salah ke kalau orang kata kita bukan melayu? Pseudo orang putih. Tu yang buat orang menyampah. Tengok tempatlah kalau nak berspeaking pun.
April 27th, 2007 |
mentah-mentah?
April 26th, 2007 |
I was right in KL when it happened! and remember that I actually was in a local uni for 2 years (shah alam) and I made some great friends there… although I had to battle a lot of shit to get to them. I know it’s naive of me to wish it would end there, but actually it’s a small price to pay to be in love with literature.
also, woman you’re so not Korean!
April 26th, 2007 |
you’d hate to be in a local uni then, because over there if you dare to ’speakong’ you’d be coined differently, or immediately - minah KL or minah glamer.
I don’t think you’d be having much issue in most parts of KL. The issue is usually raised from our own race that are born and bred with only the malay language, they think english is so far out of their range, that they’ll be in awe or in disgust with it. That said, I’m not condemning them at all (my cousins are all in the said category anyway), just justifying the silly things we have to put up with.
BTW, I’ve been guessed as a Korean! chick in Sri Iskandar’s Petronas station (which is near my uni) Korean?!! Can you believe that? Well, I liked it hahaha.