Any Malaysians in Austin, Texas???

[Dora 0]

It means, hello friends, how are you all?...... I've moved here in Kyle, Texas two years ago. I really love it here but so far besides my cousins in Houston and El Paso, I do not know anybody from Malaysia in Austin. Anyway, if you're one of them out there, it would be nice to communicate.... and let's be friends Have a great day. And terima kasih (thank you).....

~Dora

[Dora 0]

Aaawwwwwwww......... no Malaysians here??? Ah well.......

[TracyLuis 0]

Aaawwwwwwww......... no Malaysians here??? Ah well.......

I guess not, but welcome to Austin B)

[Dora 0]

Thanks TracyLuis . Have a good day.

~Dora

[Ephesia 0]

Not a Malaysian nor living in Houston either but I understood you perfectly because I'm Singaporean.

Baik!

[Dora 0]

Terima kasih Ephesia... I have a number of friends in Houston though...

~Dora

[Ephesia 0]

Terima kasih Ephesia...

Sama sama.

And that's about all the Malay I know. LOL.

I am in Indianapolis, IN. Moved to the US on the K1 visa in June 2005 (wow, almost 2 years now). I haven't met any Singaporean or Malaysian yet. Have met a few Japanese, Chinese, and Koreans, though.

There's supposedly an "authentic" Malaysian restaurant in Indy that serves real Penang-type food. I have thought of checking it out but am worried about being disappointed. So far, our friends here have found two authentic Japanese restaurants, and they want to take me to a Thai restaurant to see if it meets my "standards". lol.

In the meantime, whenever I crave something local, I cook it myself. Every 2-3 months I order a box of different spices and sauces from www.asianhomegourmet.com. I miss satay and mee goreng, though.

How are you adjusting here? Everything going well? I love Indy. The sudden and drastic weather changes still shock me but I definitely like having four seasons.

[waitinginME 0]

Hi dora/Eph,

Apa Khabar?

I'm not living in Austin but I just wanted to say a hello cos i'm from Malaysia too! Originally from Kuching Sarawak but now working in KL :)Hubby is from Maine . I do know of people in Austin but they are not via the VJ website though.

I'm still a long way in my visa journey as hubby and I have just put our forms into the VSC in Jan. The wait is killing me! I guess one of the questions i wanted to ask was how did you find adjustment to your new life there?

Have a great day! & Jaga diri ya

-Ants-

[Otto 83]

Hello....

I can't speak with specific authority - but Austin is very diverse so I imagine there are plenty of everyone here.. =)

Welcome To Austin...

[Ephesia 0]

Hi dora/Eph,

Apa Khabar?

I'm not living in Austin but I just wanted to say a hello cos i'm from Malaysia too! Originally from Kuching Sarawak but now working in KL :)Hubby is from Maine . I do know of people in Austin but they are not via the VJ website though.

I'm still a long way in my visa journey as hubby and I have just put our forms into the VSC in Jan. The wait is killing me! I guess one of the questions i wanted to ask was how did you find adjustment to your new life there?

Have a great day! & Jaga diri ya

-Ants-

OK you got me very curious, Ants. Does 'jaga diri' mean 'take care'? I kinda know what 'jaga' means coz when I was a kid, I played with lots of Malay neighbors and we were always getting into all kinds of trouble. Their grandmothers or mothers would holler, "JAGA!" LOL.

All the best for your visa process, btw. My very humble advice is to make full and wise use of your time while your visa is being processed. Don't get locked on how much time has passed. Hubby and I went through NSC, and it was exactly 9 months before I got my visa in my passport. So yeah, it was quite a wait.

I adjusted to life in Indiana right away because I had visited 4 times before we finally gathered up the guts to get engaged and apply for the K1. My last two visits here before I migrated were for 3 months each (thank God for this thing called the VWP). So I already had a pretty good idea what my life would be like before I moved permanently.

I definitely enjoy the weather very much. I love my family and friends in Singapore dearly, but 85% humidity all the time is gross.

The 'hardest' thing for me to get used to was getting around. Almost zero public transportation and unpredictable taxi behavior frustrated me a lot in the beginning. I had to depend on hubby, his family, and our friends to take me everywhere. Can't even walk to the nearest kedai! I don't have that problem anymore because I got my driver's license in Aug last year.

Lots of people talk about the gigantic food portions in restaurants in the US. That is quite true, although I quite like it. It means one meal at a restaurant will last me 3 more meals by way of leftovers. LOL.

Hope you get your K1 soon!

[Dora 0]

Well hello Ants and to you too Ephesia, Karin and Otto

I've adjusted my life here in Texas really good. Moved here almost two years ago and so far I really like it. When I first got here, what I missed most was the food.... I still miss them though. But I found this Malaysian restaurant in Austin where they serve the best dims sums and of course that makes me happy There are also a few good chinese restaurants here and there. I have also made so many friends here already. By the way, I am from Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.... I'm sure you've heard of it... or you've probably been there before kan?

Ephesia, I can understand how hard it was not to having move around without transportation. My husband had to drive me around most of the time and of course that is not possible after a while cos he's busy with work and he's not really fond of shopping unlike me. I got my driver's license and a new car four months after that.... and man... it's so wonderful to be able to drive around.

Anywhere I went to a Cosmetology School last year and have since graduated two months ago. I am now a licensed Esthetician/Facialist and am working in a newly opened JC Penney Salon. I love it!!!

Ephesia, you're right.."jaga diri" means take care.

Well, guys... wishing you all a Happy Easter..... and jaga diri to you all.

~Dora

Edited April 6, 2007 by Dora

[Ephesia 0]

Wow Dora, that's very awesome that you went to cosmetology school and are now licensed! That is really very cool! And it's great how you are enjoying your job! That is a blessing!

I am in data entry and enjoy my job too. Simply put, my job requires me to stare at numbers every day and ensure they make sense. This started as a temp assignment in Feb last year, then I got hired full-time in Aug. Until I got this job, I never knew I'd like working with numbers. I realized recently one of the biggest reasons why I like numbers so much is because if they don't make sense, there are fixed ways to ensure they do. They're defined, easy to control, and not unpredictable. Sometimes my husband thinks I found my dream job because he knows I don't like being with people too much.

Now that I have driven by myself for more than 6 months, I am starting to feel a little braver about going to different places. I still don't have the courage yet to drive on the highway alone. I think highways here are scary. Tomorrow morning I am driving us to PetSmart for our dog's grooming appointment! Woot! You're so right about knowing how to drive, Dora - that freedom to move around is nice!

Guess what I had for lunch today? Mee soto! Woo hoo. Thank goodness for ready made mee soto spices.

Happy weekend!

[Dora 0]

Hi Ephesia.... it's nice reading you Hey, you make me drool just thinking of mee soto. My Hispanic friend and I had Chinese food for lunch today but it tasted awful. I had mee goreng but it didn't even taste like one... I don't even like their "mee".

Hey tomorrow I am driving to San Antonio which is an hour's drive from wehre I live. I am going for my "biometrics appointment". It's about the removal of my residency conditions (I-751), you might have read my posting in other thread about it. Anyway, my husband bought me a GPS Navigator as a wedding anniversary gift and I'm going to put it into full use tomorrow, ten days earlier cos our anniversay is supposed to be on the 17th of this month but.. ah well... I guess using it a little early won't hurt.. It'll be fun driving around with a navigator...hehehe.

Glad you love your job too Ephesia... take care and do keep in touch okay.

~Dora

[Ephesia 0]

Yeah, I did see your post two weeks ago about your biometrics appt for your I-751. I am very happy for you! Congratulations on this step! I will be filing mine in 7 months' time. I am 'excited' about facing Nebraska again. LOL.

Have fun driving with the GPS today! And jaga diri. I am sure you'll be fine. You have a lot more courage than me where driving is concerned!

[^snow^^ 0]

Hello!

Malaysian here but staying in Ventura County, Southern California at the moment. I have just been in US for less than 11 months and still miss home terribly.

There were several good Malaysian restaurants in the Bay Area,CA (where I used to live till 2 weeks ago, had to move because of my job). There are some here too, but I can't vouch for their authencity yet. I haven't really cooked any "Malaysian" food yet but I have cooked my share of Chinese food!

The GPS system is handy, my husband bought me one after I got lost once even with google maps helping me out.

Happy Easter!