Singapore, as many people know, is a multifaceted country. Multifaceted in various ways - culture, religion and ethnicity just to name a few. Hence, growing up in Singapore has exposed me to, or at least brought my attention to it, other lifestyles outside the comforts of my own. Most Singaporeans, I will say, turn out to be accepting of such differences and we make up a peaceful and harmonious society. So, I thought that given my own personal experience having been surrounded by diverse ways of life, it would prepare me for the kind of lifestyle that I would have to get accustomed to when I move to Japan. Furthermore, Japan is also another Asian country and Asian countries do often share overlapping values. Well, I could not have been more wrong.
I was in for a greater culture shock than I had anticipated. I knew I was definitely going to be a minority in Japan, but did not have any clue to what extent. The fact that I have never been to Japan exacerbated my ignorance of my impending predicament. I guess I was just too preoccupied with planning my move and dealing with other administrative work that I forget about how I have to adapt to the Japanese customs and norms, which will be the predominant part of my daily interactions both at work and outside of work. But all in all, not to sound absolutely morbid, there is always a learning curve when it comes to new things. I eventually adapted and managed to overcome some of the minor setbacks from being Singaporean Malay in Japan. Here are just some of the quirky experiences I have had thus far.
YOU ARE SINGAPOREAN? MALAY?
One of the most, if not the most, common questions I get from my students during our first time meeting is that "Where are you from?" Pretty simple question really, and I always ask the same to my students as well. However, I sometimes make them guess my nationality to keep it fun and casual and never, I mean never, have I gotten a right guess. "Philippines?", "Indonesia?", "Vietnam?" or "Australia?" are some of the common guesses. You must be kidding mate. Australian? (bet you read that in an Australian accent) I always burst out laughing when I hear that guess because I seriously have no idea what gave them the impression that I am Australian because I am pretty sure I do not have an Australian accent, though what does the Singaporean accent even sounds like? Ironically, it has happened more than once. As for the rest, I get it. Must be because of my tanned complexion. Anyways, when I do tell them I am from Singapore, they get quite surprised. Their reactions just tell me that they really have no preconceived perception of what Singaporeans are or the diverse faces that make up our unique identity. They just know the country exists. Period. Even the students that had been to Singapore would be astounded that I am Singaporean. What am I supposed to look like then? *insert thinking emoji*
Also, sometimes in the conversation, my students like to ask if I speak other languages besides English. I have always been fascinated with languages, so I have, in the past, dabbled in learning languages like French, German, Chinese and now I have to definitely add on Japanese into the mix, but of course, these languages are nowhere as fluent as English and my native tongue, Malay. So when I share about my native language, the usual response is " Nani, Malay?", which translates to "What, Malay?" In the beginning, I had such a hard time explaining what Malay is, just because it is used only in the specific region of Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and the southern border of Thailand. As such, it is not a widely known language outside of the aforementioned region. I soon realised afterwards that giving Malaysia as an example and that it is the main language spoken there was my best shot at giving the simplest explanation possible, since Malaysia is a large and well-known country worldwide.
However, I then risk opening another can of worms explaining in that manner with the more advanced students as they start asking whether I came from Malaysia to Singapore. By then, I begin to panic a little deep inside, having to think of another explanation on the spot. Consequently, it usually becomes a world geography lesson on Singapore's demographics - having to explain about its four official languages and the different ethnic groups. Thank God geography was my best subject. However, no matter how complicated it may turn out, it is always nice to share a bit about my culture, especially if they plan to travel to Singapore or even Malaysia. It makes me happy being able to help out so that they can have an amazing trip that they could share when they come back for a lesson.
BEING A RARE ENTITY
As if battling an identity crisis is not enough, it seems that I am this rare entity that they have never seen before. A big majority of Singaporean Malays are followers of the Islamic faith, which I am as well. From my experience, I can almost say with confidence that I am probably the first Muslim that most of my students have ever met and/or talk to in their entire lives. It is not exactly shocking to hear that since the Muslim community in Japan is a very, very small minority, estimated to be around 200,000 among its 126.5 million population. It is only 0.15%, not even close to a whole percentage. On top of that, the majority of the Muslim community are foreign residents that are either students or working in niche industries, not Japanese nationals. So, there is a huge possibility they may not even cross paths with a fellow Muslim.
It is always interesting to see their reactions upon knowing my religion and some do actually profess that it is their first time meeting a Muslim, but their responses are always so lovely and accepting. I am glad and honoured that I was their first encounter. Hope it was a good one though. However, it gets awkward when we start discussing topics like drinking and food recommendations. Drinking alcohol and eating pork, or meat that has not been slaughtered according to the Islamic way, are forbidden. Seafood is totally fine, however. In addition to that, drinking is a major cultural norm in Japan. People go out drinking with coworkers after work, friends on the weekends or even when they are at home all alone. So when they ask me about my favourite alcoholic drink, or give their favourite restaurant recommendations, that is when the conversation hits a little bump in the road. Most often than not, their food recommendations use non-halal ingredients which, unfortunately, I can not try no matter how delicious it sounds. Also, I do not drink, so I do not have a favourite alcoholic beverage. I like juices and yogurt drinks though. Because of the cultural differences, it kind of stops the conversation from developing naturally, so I always have to take control of the conversation and sidetrack a little so that they do not get discouraged. Instead, we end up talking about the myriad of other foods and drinks that I can actually try out, which helps to distract from the awkwardness. Nevertheless, I do applaud their efforts to have a conversation in English and as an English teacher, it is encouraging to see that.
Talking about permissible foods and drinks, it may not come as a major surprise that finding halal food in Japan is not an easy feat. However, it is definitely not impossible. With the growing Muslim population in Japan, more halal restaurants are popping up and halal groceries are getting more readily available. Thankfully, I can get halal groceries from Gyomu Super, a local supermarket chain in my vicinity. This supermarket chain, which can be found across Japan, carries a lot of Asian halal groceries, from frozen chicken, halal karaage, instant noodles, Asian spices and more. It is my go-to hook-up for Indomie Mee Goreng (if you know, you know). It is a really good place to check out for halal food supplies if you happen to travel to Japan and want to cook in your Airbnb. Even if you are not looking for halal goods specifically, all of the other groceries there are reasonably priced. Hence, finding halal food is not as daunting as it seems, the only trade-off is that you have to cook more.
THE BRIGHT SIDE
Despite all the unusual encounters or cultur, being a Singaporean Malay is no different from any other foreigner living in Japan. The locals treat you the same nevertheless and they are always friendly and so willing to help. Maybe coming from a smaller country, a follower of an uncommon religion here in Japan and speaking a lesser-known language have lent themselves to these amusing interactions with the locals. Despite them not knowing much, it is heartwarming to see that they are so accepting and understanding of such differences. Yeah you stand out a bit, but why be the same as everyone else anyways? There is so much to be gained by being different. It is such a maturing and eye-opening experience to gain an insight first-hand about other people's perception of your own country and culture. Concurrently, you get to spread the love and knowledge that you have about your homeland and all things great about it as well. Feels like I am some kind of unofficial ambassador for Singapore, to think of it.
Nonetheless, although I only briefly touched on the good points, I assure you, the positives outweigh the negatives. At the end of the day, one's religion or background should not be a deterring factor when deciding to venture to a foreign land, especially somewhere you will be the minority, because I truly believe when there is a will, there is for sure a way.
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