Living with her husband in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Robyn is an American who writes about Asian food and culture for a living. She immerses herself in the local culture by learning the language and observing the customs, among other things. Working in conjunction with her husband (who's a photographer) hardly seems like work since they both love what they do and are having a lot of fun with it--while learning many new things in Malaysia and other parts of Southeast Asia.

Robyn Eckhardt

January 29 2007 

-Where were you born?
A suburb of Detroit, Michigan (USA)

-In which country and city are you living now?
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

-Are you living alone or with your family?
With my husband - and 3 dogs and 4 cats!

-How long have you been living in Malaysia?
About a year and a half

-What is your age?
44

-When did you come up with the idea of living in Malysia?
My husband's employer transferred us here (we had been in Saigon for 2.5 years and Bangkok for 1 year before this). But we'd visited Malaysia prior and welcomed the move.

-Was it hard to get a visa or a working permit?
Husband's company handled it but yes, it was a long and complicated process. Malaysia is notorious for making work permits pretty difficult to get.

-Was it difficult for you to get medical insurance before you went there or when you first arrived?
We have the same insurance we've always had, through my husband's company. Filing claims with a US insurer is, of course, more complicated when you are doing it from overseas.

-How do you make your living in Malaysia? Do you have any type of income generated?
I'm a freelance writer, focusing on Asian food and food culture. I'd dabbled in it for a few years but got serious about establishing my career after we moved to Malaysia. I've just started as a monthly food columnist for the Malaysian magazine KLue, and have had articles published in magazines and newspapers overseas. I work primarily with my husband, who - when not doing his day job - is a photographer. I can attribute a lot of my success so far to our food blog, which has introduced my writing and his photography to a lot of people.

-Do you speak the local language and do you think it's important to speak the local language?
It's not *necessary* to learn the local language in Malaysia because almost everyone speaks English. But I think it's important. I already speak Mandarin (we lived in China for 4+ years), which I can use on occasion here, and I'm studying bahasa Malaysia. I learned Thai when we were in Thailand and I tried (but failed!) to learn Vietnamese in Vietnam. When you speak the local language - even if minimally and/or poorly - it tells locals that you are willing to make an effort to know the place that you are living. If you don't speak the local language, or don't try, you'll always skim along on the surface of the culture. You can only go so far in your native language.

That said, I know language study is a pain for some people. I happen to be lucky enough to really enjoy it.

As for respecting local customs, absolutely. Respecting and observing are two different things. Local customs should always be respected, I think. I don't cover my head when I'm in a Malay (Muslim) kampung (village), but I dress respectfully - no shoulders or knees bared. That's just common courtesy.

-Do you miss home and family sometimes?
We miss family, of course. We get back to the States once a year for a family visit. I can't say that I really miss the US. I don't dislike the US, of course, and I'm proud to be an American (actually I never feel so American as when I am not in America). But we've been overseas now for more than ten years total and the US doesn't feel like 'home' anymore. We don't really plan to go back there to live permanently, ever. I suppose we're addicted to the excitement of living somewhere that we don't know 100%.

Here in Malaysia we spend a lot of 'leisure' time working on research for articles, etc. This is work but it's pleasurable work for both of us - day trips to search out local food specialties, travel outside of Malaysia devoted to tracking down ingredients etc. Much of our leisure is devoted to food - but it's led us to get to know Malaysia in a way we never would have otherwise. Malaysians are first and foremost food lovers, and if you can relate to their food you will be welcomed wholeheartedly. If you can't - or if you don't try - you'll miss out on a lot of great experiences.

We also run and bike, outside and at a health club. We don't really have a lot of free time. Daytrips to small towns and villages near Kuala Lumpur are fun and easy.

-Do you have other plans for the future?
We'd like to stay here for a few more years at least... we haven't lived in any one place longer than 2.5 years since the early 90s. Eventually we'd like to be making our living writing and photographing. I expect we'll be in Asia for another 6 or 7 years. Then - who knows? Turkey is a place we'd like to settle for a while.

-What about housing, have you bought, or are you renting a home? How much do you pay for it?
We live in company-provided housing. It's expensive - about U$4,000 a month. If we were here on our own steam we'd live well outside of Kuala Lumpur to save on housing costs. I'm not sure we'd buy in Malaysia. It's a great place to live but I feel the government is still a bit ambiguous vis a vis foreigners, even with the Malaysia My Second Home program.

-What is the cost of living in Malaysia?
Cheaper than the States, much more expensive than Thailand. Alcohol is ridiculously expensive, fruit is surprisingly expensive. If you stick to a more local diet it's easy to keep costs down. But if you insisted on eating all Western food all the time I would imagine grocery bills for a family of two could reach into the stratosphere.

-What do you think about the Malaysians?
Malaysians are great. They are very welcoming, very friendly, very curious. It is amazing to me, when we are out and about doing our 'research' (i.e., eating locally) how few foreigners seem to leave their enclaves and mix with the locals. Malaysia is a very easy place to be and Malaysians are a lot of fun.

-What are the positive and negative aspects of living in Malaysia?
Positives: the food, the people, the quality of life (other than Singapore KL is probably Asia's greenest city), the ease of getting around (if you have a car), the '3-in-1' culture (Malay, Indian, Chinese). Malaysia is very heterogeneous and thus a really interesting place to be. After a year and a half I feel I'd need another 10 here to really know and understand all the cultures well. Maybe more like 20. Endlessly fascinating. KL is also a great 'hub' for travel around SE Asia.

Negatives: bureaucracy, inefficiencies (no dependable DSL, occasional power and telephone failures), public transport system in KL is not logically designed. Too much of the city and the country for that matter is giving way to bland, characterless development - shopping malls, sprawling gated communities. But that's the case in much of Asia, unfortunately.

-Do you have any tips for our readers about living in Malaysia?
Don't expect a SE Asian Hong Kong - efficiency is not the name of the game here. But if you are looking for a laid-back, welcoming population and interesting culture and fantastic food, this is the place.

-Do you have any favorite Web sites or blogs about Malaysia?
MalaysiaExpat.com was helpful before we moved here.

Other than that, I'd have to urge anyone interested in Malaysian (and Asian) food and food culture to check out my own site, EatingAsia, for gorgeous food photography (thanks to my husband) and lots of info on cooking and eating around SE Asia.