Tim’s Nomad Diaries

After picking me up in his car upon my arrival at Kuala Lumpur, Mathew and I had a lot to talk about. The first Hospitality Host that I’ve had in nearly three months, Mathew is a truly dynamic person; a copywriter by trade, with degrees in Business, Law, an advanced degree in Theology, and currently weighing in on earning a degree in Nutrition. With both of us sharing an intense passion for self-improvement and learning about anything and everything, we immediately hit it off, chatting up a storm.

When we arrived at his home, his wife and five year old son warmly greeted us. Once getting settled down, his wife of six years, Priss, and I commenced in the obligatory get-to-know-each other conversation. When she inquired about my ‘home’, North Carolina, I gave my standard response that I have become so accustomed to reciting during my days of being a ‘professional guest’: home to some wonderful landscape–the mighty Appalachian mountain range to the West and pristine long beaches to the East–as well as generally friendly and laid-back people. 

These views are definitely representative of how I feel, but I tend to withhold another important yet less rosy analysis: mainly, the lack of critical thinking among much of the populace of the US South, of which North Carolina belongs to. The reasons for not fully revealing my true sentiments are obvious: agreeable guests tend to be good guests, and as a guest, as is true with most situations for that matter, it’s usually a good idea to not come across as too contentious and offensive.

Sensing an air of intellectualism and openness among this household, however, I do give my ‘uncensored’ North Carolina review. Priss actively listens, and asks me to expound on what I mean by saying “lack of critical thinking”; I respond by citing the widespread oversimplification of ideas into dualistic good vs. evil terms, narrow-mindedness towards new ideas and cultures, as well as mentioning the whole ‘Bible-Belt card’.

She didn’t understand what I meant by ‘Bible-Belt’ so I explain the strong word-for-word biblical following that so many Southerners espouse, but, at the same time, the appropriately selective passages to believe and practice (i.e. condemning to hell homosexuality, which is explicitly mentioned in four passages in all 64 books of the bible, while forgetting about the ‘inconvenient’ passages which consume much more attention), as well as giving as an example the absurdity regarding the evolution vs. creationism debate within which should be taught in schools. While belittling the idea of so many people having such faith in something that is so openly disproved, and even add scoffingly “only through the genius of American media can creationism be called the oxymoronic term ‘Intelligent Design’, and a topic open for debate in the first place”.

Meanwhile, during my little Bible-Belt explanation (explanation is euphemistic; more like ass hole in full tirade rant), Priss is attentively nodding along giving the routine ‘ok’ or ‘ya’ until Mathew interjects: “Honey, I don’t think you understand. What Tim is saying, is that he doesn’t believe in evolution. You see, my wife believes the whole Adam and Eve biblical view.” The next five seconds or so, after my pathetic hesitant “oh” was undoubtedly the most uncomfortable silence in my life; if the passage-way underneath the couch was just a tad larger I surely would have hidden for cover.

Later that night, after his son and wife were tucked in bed and we we were enjoying a few beers on the balcony, Mathew told me how his wife is a 110% God-fearing Catholic whom believes in the Bible word-for-word. He insisted, however, that Priss wasn’t offended in the slightest because, although she is unwaivering in her religious convictions, she is nonetheless very open to alternate views; he himself has critically debated with her on the topic countless of times in the past to no avail in changing her, and has come to accept their difference in views.

Besides highlighting how thoughtless and callous I can be, this little anecdote also serves as a valuable life learning lesson: make sure to know your audience, specifically if discussing anything potentially confrontational or offensive–Don’t be stuck red-faced and holding on to a bad assumption like I was. From every situation that we find ourselves, there’s always some lesson for us to take away, and this idea is one of the main reasons why I love the whole idea behind an organization such as Hospitality Club.

By putting ourselves in a wide variety of environments and connecting with all these people that have such different experiences, we allow ourselves opportunities for learning and self-improvement that are astounding–whether it be growth in knowledge of a specific area, improved interpersonal skills, cultural understanding, or whatever. Although to some people Hospitality Club is just about finding a free place to crash when traveling, I view it as so much more; to me, HC represents a view of life that focuses on sharing, learning, and living. It gives me much faith in humanity knowing that there are so many interesting and passionate people out there in the world in which we can connect with in an instant.

So far since being in Malaysia, I have already stayed with HC members originating from each of the three main ethnic populations: an Indian (Mathew), a Chinese (Chunting), and an indigenous Malay (Arafat). Besides for an incredible selection of cuisine, Malaysia also reminds me a lot of America with the heterogeneous population, as well as the amazing and diverse landscape. Combining this with great infrastructure, very kind and English speaking locals, and a super-low currency, it seems quite mind-boggling to me how this country isn’t on the top of more tourists’ destinations.

For the past week I have been staying with another HC member Kong. Kong is a kite surfing instructior and owns a guest house that specializes in a wide range of extreme sports, such as kayaking, wakeboarding, mountain biking, windsurfing, and any activity that you could possibly envision involving a kite. I’ve got a pretty good deal worked out here, where I have been helping out a little with the activities in exchange for free board, lessons, and use of equipment. Being a huge outdoor sports enthisiast, I’m obviosly not in a rush to leave here!

I also made my second appearance on National television in SE Asia on the Malaysian TV series “Trippin”. Kong had his half-hour of fame giving kite surfing lessons to the feisty 90 lb. host Rina. Due to some wickedly strong wind and the lack of a properly sized kite to fit her tiny frame, Rina couldn’t make it up on the board. It sure was fun watching her try though!