Across Malaysia, there are planes, trains, cars, boats and everything in-between! You can take ferries to islands, trains across the Malaysian peninsula, cars in major cities and planes to get to farther destinations. In this field note, I’ll tell you more specifically about transportation habits where I’m located.
Where I am living in Alor Setar, Kedah (which is the capital city of Kedah), there are two main methods for getting around: car or motorbike. A motorbike is similar to a motorcycle, however, it resembles a bicycle more than a motorcycle does. Public transportation is not very popular here and almost everyone uses their own vehicle!
The program that I am a part of gives all of the English Teaching Assistants in Malaysia their own car! Driving here is backward from what it is in the U.S., meaning that they drive on the left side of the road and the driver’s seat is on the right-hand side. This brand new orientation was difficult to get used to and scary at first, but I learned quickly! Now, driving on the left side of the road feels more normal to me.
