We arrived in Malaysia, and we lived in Kuala Lumpur, which is the capital city of Malaysia. Malaysia is a beautiful country, but the safety there isn't the greatest, and that's why we lived in the city. We were told to never go into dark alleys with no street lights. I read some of the news on their local newspapers when I first got there and that was when I first understood what "rape" is... but don't get me wrong, there will always be bad people wherever you go and Malaysia is one of the most green and beautiful places I've ever been to. Malaysia is also a tropical country like Singapore and it's forests, resorts, beaches, and wild life animals are amazing.
We continued going to church every week, and we found a really friendly church. The church helped to introduce us to a lot of people and my mom made a lot of friends. She had a very busy social life and she was very happy. Her friends were always there for her and she dressed up everyday for going out and church worship. I was loving her heels and clothes, and now I can understand why I loved fashion in the first place.
Me and my brother started school there and I got into grade six. I completed grade four in Singapore and I basically skipped a grade. Being in that school was a living hell and I was not happy there. I was badly bullied by all the boys in my class, and they were nothing but violent. Since none of the boys liked me. I made friends with the girls, but that did not make my life easier. The boys there started calling me names like "faggot" and "fatty". That was when I started to learn about the "beauty standards" in our society and started to see just how cruel six graders can be. The girls there thought I was gay too and made several nasty comments behind my back, but I kept being friends with them because I needed friends. Telling on bullies and asking teachers for help didn't do me any good, so at some point, I just stopped trying. I only loved my life during the weekends because my church friends were the only nice and supportive people I knew. Sure, Malaysia wasn't the best time for me and basically crushed my confidence and self-appreciation, but my experience in Malaysia also introduced me to the word and concept of "gay". I mean, I knew all my life that I was different and I never really liked girls in that way, but I never knew it was possible for two men to fall in love. Now I actually want to thank the boys who bullied me for calling me "gay", because I Googled the word when I got home and learned the definition of who I really am.
After about a year, when me and my brother finished a grade in Malaysia, we achieved what we came here for, and we were ready to leave and go back to Taiwan to do some immigration paperwork and prepare for Canada. I loved Malaysia, I really did. The boys in my school did their best to be assholes and the girls did their best to be nice or at least pretend, but I still made it through and still didn't lose myself. I never looked at myself as a victim of bullying back then. I just wanted to prove that I can still be successful and happy without them. I felt bad for my brother and my mother though, because they really made a lot of good friends in Malaysia, and I could understand why I was the only one ready to leave...
Editor: A.B.
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