Akmalia – Malaysia / Auckland
“The most significant thing I did do is taking my parents to Auckland.
My mum used to come here before, but recently she has a heart problem, so she sort of saying that she wants to come to Auckland, to New Zealand again. So we sort of like sacrificed in terms of money and time to come here to fulfil her wish. So I think that’s how I show her that I care for her, to her and my dad for taking care of us all. I believe that one of the reasons that we want to come here again is because we really adore the culture that New Zealand has in terms of building the community together, in terms of the facilities to the children, people with disability.
There is a huge contribution by the Government, and the community itself to this kind of under-privileged society. So when we go around, we were really amazed with how people accept others. They look like they accept others, I mean one of my friend recently, they went in for an event in Eden Park, but they came late. They bring together a disabled child who really wants to go to the event, so they actually accommodate for his request. So we feel that it is one of the things that we really like about New Zealand.
I studied here in 2007 until 2010, and in those period I don’t think I even encountered any kind of things which are racist or whatever. I came from a family of six siblings. Okay my mum and dad are both work in offices. When they work we were given, I mean we were raised by the nanny during the day. We start schooling from the age of seven, until 12 for the primary school, and from the age of 13 to 17 I am actually in boarding school, and then after that to university. So we are middle size income family. So that is sort of our how I was up-brought, yeah. We are both working. My husband, because I work fulltime as well, and sometimes I do conferences and all that, so my husband do fill in some of my tasks such as helping with our household arrangement.
My mum used to work as well, when we were brought up. I’m the one who sort of who prefer women to work, because by working actually I gain knowledge as well, which I will later on incorp, I mean give it to my children. But there are some stay at home mum who actually can better develop their children. For example, in a big city like in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia it is quite a congested city. So it is so hard to arrange the timetable to pick their children, to send them to school. So for them it is better for the mothers to stay at home.
The cost of the childcare would be huge if they have to accommodate four children, because of the transportation, to take the children to school, and from school to home. It is not only costly, but also quite risky, because if they arrive home at eight or nine, the children will be alone at home during after school up to nine o’clock but for me, even in Malaysia, I am from a smaller city, so the traffic is not that bad. So we actually do not have problem with getting our children to school. So if I came home late, my husband will pick them up. So if he has work to do then I will pick up the children. So, to me it is convenient to work, and I still have a lot of time to manage my family.
Okay, usually he will take care of the children. Sometimes we do have like an occasion where I have to work late, then we’ll do some takeaway food, right but most of the time he will not do the cooking but mostly they taking care of the children in terms of getting them ready to school, ready them ready to bed, and everything. So keeping up the household like, throwing out the rubbish. So, I perhaps just do the cooking and some ironing or, the rest of that he will be able to fill in the role,.
So Muslims; as a Muslim we have to cover our head and the only part that we can who is our hand, and that’s all, and face. So it is in our religion. So, not only Malaysian, but any Indians or Pakistan who are Muslim, then we are obliged to do this. Islam is to us is a way of life. So it’s actually everything that we do. We actually follow what is prescribed by the Quran. It’s like your Bible, but itis our Quran. So whatever that the prophet Mohammed do we adopt from that. We do have obligatory five prayers a day. Okay, and then we fast in the month of Ramadan.
We give Zakat which is maybe in your term it is donation, but to us it is Zakat. It is almost the same concept as tax, but it depends on a different calculation and yeah so that’s how we serve ourselves as a Muslim. With every religion peace. Even in the Quran there are ways on how to deal with things, taking action towards people who make offences. I think in, as well as in any other religion as well, there are some who are extremist.
Perhaps sometimes they follow a certain people who actually they don’t really go and look at what the Quran says, but just believe on a particular leader’s point of view, and some people can be very, like a cult. So some people can be very influenced to others, I think being guided by a wrong person would be the reason why they become an extremist, but in fact that is not what Islam is about.”
