Diary game, Hot Morning in Malaysia: The Struggle of Expatriate Life and a Piece of Peace
When the morning begins, with the first light of the sun, an unbearable heat hits the body. The life of our expatriates is just like that—every day here is a new battle. When I join work in the intense heat of Malaysia in the morning, a tough battle between my body and my mind begins. This morning was no exception. When I woke up and started sweating within a few minutes of leaving for work, I realised that today was going to be even more difficult.
When I was about to stop breathing due to the pressure of work, I was forced to head towards the canteen in search of some peace. For hard-working people like us, this canteen is like an oasis. In Malaysia, we call drinks or cold drinks ‘Minum’ in the local language. To be honest, when the body gets exhausted in this intense heat, it becomes impossible to continue working without a can of cold water or an energy drink. As soon as I opened the canteen fridge, a gust of cold hit my face, and I felt as if I had regained my life. As I took a sip of that red energy drink in one hand, I momentarily forgot about the sun-baked mountains and the huge construction site surrounded by dust.
Take a look at the environment around me. These grey, half-finished buildings, huge piles of sand, and the sound of all the huge machinery—this is our daily world. Those heavy yellow rubber boots and sweaty blue T-shirts are our identity. We have to survive by fighting this hostile nature from morning to evening. Our loved ones back home may not fully understand our suffering. When they see pictures of our smiling faces, only we know how many litres of sweat and how much fatigue are hidden behind them.
When that sister was making tea or preparing food in the canteen, I was reminded of home. There too, mothers or wives may be busy in the morning like this. But the only difference is that here, there is no one by our side. We have to fight our own battles. Those small packets of biscuits or water bottles arranged in the canteen are a means of quenching the thirst of thousands of expatriates like us. In this busy life, we do not have time for luxuries; we have to count every second.
Sometimes, when fatigue crosses the limit, I stand next to the dump truck and take a selfie of myself. Do you know why? So that when I return home tired at the end of the day, I can remind myself that I did not lose today. I fought and survived. These pictures that I shared with you are not just some digital memories; they are documents of each and every hardship of my life.
No matter how hot it gets, we have to work. In this far-off exile, the only thing that we can call our own is our work and hard work. When I stepped out of the canteen and stepped back into the hot sun, that cold bottle of water in my hand was my last hope. Those of us who live abroad, our lives are much like those water bottles in the fridge—they may seem peaceful from the outside, but inside, there is a frozen pain.
At the end of the day, we only pray that our families will be happy in return for our sacrifices. May God give us the strength to endure the intense heat of the morning and the scorching sun of the afternoon. Today may be very hot, our bodies may not want to move, but we still hope for a new sun tomorrow. Because we know that every drop of our sweat is the maker of a new dream. This struggle of life abroad will continue, and we will also continue to move forward as passengers on that struggling path.
| Name | details |
|---|---|
| Name | jalan subang impian |
| Google Map Location | https://maps.app.goo.gl/jWUMZCJzoL7bnbg17 |
| Google Map Plus Code | 6PM34GH3+3C |
| Google Coordinates | 3.127687,101.503563 |
| Steem Atlas Pin | [//]:# (!steematlas 3.127687 lat 101.503563 long Jalan subang impian d3scr) |
| Device | Vivo y76 |
