Leaving for Tanahair

Will be taking off in a few short hours for my next trip back to Malaysia. It has been over 2 years since my last visit, and this time it'll be a solo trip- social mainly to meet up with friends and family, with a lecture at the local medical school too.

Admittedly, this time I'm not as psyched about travelling as I have in the past. For one, it'll feel weird flying without the family- as chaotic as it might be travelling with 2 kids (though the kids are now seasoned fliers and at ages 9 and 7- they travel pretty well). But perhaps the main reason is a bit more sentimental and closer to heart. This will be my last trip back to Malaysia as a Malaysian. In a few weeks, I shall be sworn in and officially become a citizen of the USA. I've dragged my feet for years- after all I could have applied many years ago but somehow liked to retain that red passport and my Malaysian identity. But then reality hits- there is really no reason to keep this and only requires troublesome trips back to renew the passport, and with my wife and kids here in the USA, there is really no reason I would be moving back. And so, earlier this year I began the process of application for naturalization. And I've been surprised (pleasantly) by how quickly things have happened, I'm also a tinge saddened by what I'd lose.

As a parent, I can't even imagine what my parents, and many of their generation, had to go through bringing up kids with the advise "if you can, leave Malaysia and don't come back. The future is brighter elsewhere....". I have trouble even dropping my kids off at camp- and to plan your kids' future away from you is gut wrenching.

Anyhow, yes, this will be my last trip back with the red Malaysian passport. The next trip back I'll likely have to use the 'foreigners' line at KLIA immigration.

However this will be my first trip back to "Malaysia Baru"- one my parents and I never thought I'd see, and one that fills me up with so much more hope for Malaysia's future than I thought possible. 

KLIA, here I come!