the sweetest

We were lucky enough to get to spend an afternoon playing games, drawing, and joking with young Burmese “refugees”. It’s a complicated situation as Malaysia infrequently grants refugee asylum to incoming refugees, and are often treated as illegal immigrants regardless of status. The whole experience was rather heart-wrenching. I lent my camera to a young boy who spent the day figuring out how the work the lens, focus, and taking wonderful photos of his friends.  

One of the most fascinating aspects to life in Malaysia is the complex cultural cohesion. You have vastly different lifestyles that somehow manage to live in relative peace (Buddhist, Hindu, and Islamic being the main three.) This creates an international, vibrant, and overall welcoming atmosphere to the country unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. We were lucky enough to visit cultural sites for all of the main religions, as well as stop by some main tourist sites. If you’re ever in the area, definitely hit up the Penang Butterfly Farm- it’s a little dorky but surprisingly fun. And definitely, above all else, don’t shy away from hole in the wall street food. It blows anything you’ll find in the malls out of the water and it’s truly unique to the region. You only live once!