Skip to main content

Advertisement

Advertisement

‘Easy to adapt toand start new life in Malaysia’

What do you like the most about your work in Malaysia?

Misa Sekiguchi (third from right) with her colleagues at Expedia Malaysia. Photo: Misa Sekiguchi

Misa Sekiguchi (third from right) with her colleagues at Expedia Malaysia. Photo: Misa Sekiguchi

Follow TODAY on WhatsApp

What do you like the most about your work in Malaysia?

I work at a global online travel company and the team is made of individuals from various countries such as Australia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand and Vietnam. I love that I get to work in a multi-ethnic, multicultural and multilingual environment.

What were the challenges in adapting to life in Malaysia?

In all the countries that I have lived in, I have experienced four seasons — all except Malaysia. Here, there is only hot weather. Where I live, Subang Jaya, there are a lot thunderstorms — a phenomenon I have never encountered until now. At times, the roads are badly flooded. (But) adapting to life in Malaysia wasn’t really challenging and since English can be used here, it is very easy to start a new life.

What are your weekends like in the city?

Mostly, I spend my time with my friends walking around the city. We will also visit small restaurants and bars (in Kuala Lumpur or Subang Jaya). This usually happens after 5pm as it can get really hot during the day. KL is quite big and there is always something new to discover. Last week, I found a huge thrift shop at SS25 (Subang Jaya).

What are the must-do things you would suggest to someone visiting Malaysia?

Bring your friends to Heli Lounge Bar (at Bukit Bintang) and give a toast during sunset. The gorgeous colours complement the tropical night breeze. At night, you can also enjoy the view of the Petronas Twin Towers while atop the heliport bar.

Five years from now, what would you want to have achieved in this city?

I want to create a travel website for travellers who want to go to my country, Japan. Many of my Malaysian friends and colleagues are interested in travelling and currently, the Japanese government has relaxed the visa programme for South-east Asian visitors.

I feel that it is really difficult to find information on the best sights in Japan. It is my hope that when I do create this website that many people will visit it and truly enjoy Japan.

What would be your advice to people aspiring to work in Malaysia and this city be?

The key is to stay positive and have an open mind all the time. People will treat you as well as you treat them. This country is growing so fast with so many opportunities.

Read more of the latest in

Advertisement

Advertisement

Stay in the know. Anytime. Anywhere.

Subscribe to get daily news updates, insights and must reads delivered straight to your inbox.

By clicking subscribe, I agree for my personal data to be used to send me TODAY newsletters, promotional offers and for research and analysis.