Home is where the heart is for Malaysians living abroad
30 Aug 2022 11:11am
Nazkhalida Fatinuha Ideham's family (left) living in Japan and Shaidatul Melissa Nabila Mustain's family (right) living in Australia - Bernama Photo
For Nazkhalida Fatinuha, 33, who has been in Japan to accompany her husband on work assignments since 2015, her heart and soul will always be in Malaysia where she was born and raised.
Lest her little family forget their identity and origin, the mother of two ensures that the national language is spoken at home.
"Alhamdulillah, despite growing up in a foreign country my elder child is fluent in Malay," she said when contacted by Bernama.
Elaborating, she said although there was so much to gain living in a developed and technologically advanced country, there is really nothing better than your homeland and for that reason, Nazkhalida Fatinuha and her husband chose to return to Malaysia to give birth to their two children.
"We have greater confidence in Malaysia’s health system which is more convenient and affordable compared to Japan. Besides, we want our children to be proud of their Malaysian identity even while living abroad," she said.
In addition, Nazkhalida Fatinuha also exposes both her offsprings to the local culture and identity of the country by getting them familiar with the Jalur Gemilang through drawing and colouring activities and listening to patriotic songs including the national anthem, Negaraku.
The Universiti Malaya graduate and former lawyer said her two children also love Malaysian traditional food namely laksa, soto and kuih keria as well as local fruits such as rambutan and pulasan.
However, no matter how good life has been living abroad, Nazkhalida Fatinuha plans to return home and serve her country someday.
Also sharing the same feelings for the country is Shaidatul Melissa Nabila Mustain, 32, who moved to Sydney, Australia in 2016 to further her studies in dance education and later decided to settle there with her husband and two children.
Although it had been a fun and exciting experience living in Australia, she will never forget her childhood days growing up in her native land and being part of a big family.
"We are free to practice our religion here but the atmosphere at the mosques is different and not as lively as back home where I used to hang out with my friends during our childhood days,” she said.
Being away from home has not stopped Shaidatul Melissa who hails from Taiping, Perak from celebrating National Day with the Malaysian community there.
"This is the best time to promote Malaysian culture including our traditional costumes such as baju kurung and baju Melayu as well as our local food heritage," she said.
She added that to inculcate patriotism from a young age, she got her children to participate in activities such as colouring the Malaysian flag and learning to appreciate the national anthem.
"My children love nasi lemak and roti canai and eating Malaysian food reminds me of home.
"Every time we eat our favourite local food, I will usually tell them about the Malaysian delicacies I used to enjoy growing up in Malaysia," said Shaidatul Melissa who also makes use of the internet to introduce Malaysia to her children. - BERNAMA
