-Where were you born?

France

-In which country and city are you living now?

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

-Are you living alone or with your family?

With my family

-How long have you been living in Malaysia?

More than six years now

-What is your age?

30

-When did you come up with the idea of living in Malaysia?

At the end of my business studies, I decided to take a few months to explore Asia and work in the region. After considering the usual top of minds for a French (Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand) I decided to go for Malaysia because it is a little more rustic than Singapore yet people speak good English. The multi-cultural specificity of the country also intrigued me. After six happy months, I decided to extend my stay a wee bit longer. It's been more than six years now.

-Was it hard to get a visa or a work permit?

It can be a lengthy and complicated process. If you are working, it is the responsibility of the employer to apply for the visa. You should never pay for the visa yourself. If you are planning to retire here under the Malaysia My Second Home program, then you should read as much as you can about it online before processing your application.

-Was it difficult for you to get medical insurance before you went there or when you first arrived?

Nope. Local and international insurances are easy to come by.

-How do you make your living in Malaysia? Do you have any type of income generated?

I'm a web entrepreneur working on a few projects of my own. Getting a job in Malaysia is all about who you know rather that what you know. So if you don't land here with a job waiting for you, go out and network!

-Do you speak the local language and do you think it's important to speak the local language? Please add your thoughts on local customs and whether it's important for expats to respect/observe local customs.

Boleh Cakap sikit sikit. If you plan on living in KL, Penang or any other main city, learning the local language is not really necessary. Almost everyone speaks decent English.

It is very important that you respect local customs. Malaysia is a melting pot of culture, and it's a privilege to discover and experience them in one place. If you respect their cultures, locals will be very happy to welcome you and introduce them to you.

-Do you miss home and family sometimes?

Of course I do! I make sure to go back to France every year for Xmas to see the family and indulge my tummy with delicious French meals. Leaving family and friends behind is the toughest part of becoming an expat. It is especially difficult when there is a birth or a wedding back home.

Still, we're lucky to live in such an inter-connected era. Emails, Facebook, Skype really do help with keeping in touch. But be prepared to be the one initiating contact most of the time. You only realize how precious those social interactions are when you can only rely on social tools to know the latest goss and happening in your family.

-Do you have other plans for the future?

Carpe Diem.

-What about housing, have you bought, or are you renting a home? How much do you pay for it?

We've bought. As expats, you can only buy properties that are tagged RM500K plus.

-What is the cost of living in Malaysia?

It all boils down to your lifestyle. If you plan on living and eating European most of the time, then it's going to be expensive. If you are ready to experience local fares and adapt to the Malaysian lifestyle, then life is cheap. The infamous Big Mac Index from The Economist shows how cheap life here can be. Two notable exceptions to this rule are cars and alcohol. Malaysia is the second most expensive place to buy or own a car in the world - after Singapore. It also is a Muslim country, so prices of haram products are heavily taxed.

-What do you think about the locals?

Very warm and welcoming. Being a Westerner in Malaysia is easy. You are well treated wherever you go.

-What are the positive and negative aspects of living in Malaysia?

Positives: The people, awesome food, great quality of life, stunning beaches

Negatives: corruption, growing racial tension

-Do you have any tips for our readers about living in Malaysia?

• Mingle with the locals and experience new things.
• Do not try to re-create here what you enjoyed back home.
• Take a few weeks to visit Malaysia before confirming your move.
• Try as many different dishes as possible. Malaysian's culinary prowesses are endless.

-Do you have any favorite Web sites or blogs about Malaysia?

• iproperty.com - The best real estate website out there. 
• Malaysia Expat - Expat forums and wiki by Expatypus
• Malaysiakini - Independent news website
• My2Home - The best MM2H website and forums

-Where were you born?

In Germany

-In which country and city are you living now?

In Petaling Jaya, next to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

-Are you living alone or with your family?

I live here together with my husband.

-How long have you been living there?

More than 2 years now

-What is your age?

48

-When did you come up with the idea of living in Malaysia?

3 years ago we decided to move to Malaysia. We did a lot of research before and visited some other countries too. But after comparing pro and contra we chose Malaysia.

-Was it hard to get a visa or a work permit?

We are here under the MM2H program, with a 10-year visa.  We had a very good agent, so it was very easy for us.

-Was it difficult for you to get medical insurance before you went there or when you first arrived?

We still have a private German medical insurance, but it was not easy to find one which covers you overseas for a long period.

-How do you make your living in Malaysia? Do you have any type of income generated?

My husband works as a consultant in the Asia region and he made contacts before we moved here.

-Do you speak the local language and do you think it's important to speak the local language?

I have to admit, we know only a little Bahasa Melayu, but English is widely spoken and that makes it very easy for foreigners.

-Do you miss home and family sometimes? Describe your favorite recreational activities there or those that are available.

I think everybody gets homesick in a new country, after a while, mostly between the first 3 and 9 months, some more, some less. It hit me after 6 months, when the first excitement was gone and normal life took place. But when you accept that as a normal, common thing that happens to everybody and is part of the process, you get over it. Best advice: treat yourself very well, go to restaurants, shopping, pet your animals, walk through nature and you get over it soon.

Other activities: many parks and museums, amusement parks, beaches, golf, many great shopping malls...

-Do you have other plans for the future?

We want to visit Borneo, many people told us that it is very different from the western part of Malaysia.

-What about housing, have you bought, or are you renting a home? How much do you pay for it?

We lived in a condo in Mont Kiara, Kuala Lumpur before, but we found out that living in an apartment, within a suburb with so many expats, is not our style. We moved to PJ and rented a terraced house, corner lot there. Now we live amongst the locals, have a nice garden, kois and  cats and like to sit on our terrace and enjoy life. Prices for a condo in Mont Kiara are around 3000 to 4000 RM for 3 bedrooms. Prices for terraced houses, or semi-D in other expat areas of KL are between 5000 and 15000 RM. In PJ you can get nices houses in gated areas between 2000 and 4000 RM.

-What is the cost of living in Malaysia?

The cost of living here is extremely low. If you take a look at the Big Mac Index it really shows how low. But in Malaysia you get a very good infrastructure too and that's a good and rare combination!

-What do you think about the locals? 

The locals, doesn´t matter if they are Malay Malaysians, Chinese Malaysians or Indian Malaysians, are all very nice, friendly, helpful, and you get local friends easily.  As a  foreigner, especially when you are from a western country, you are very welcome.

-What are the positive and negative aspects of living in Malaysia?

 There are a lots of positives and only a few negatives. The positive ones first:

One of the best infrastructures in SE Asia, very low cost of living, English is widely spoken, warm weather all year round and lots of sunshine, stable and democratic country, nice and friendly people, many private schools and kindergartens, foreigners are allowed to buy property and at least Malaysia is a secure and peaceful country.

The negatives are: air pollution in KL, cars are expensive.

-Do you have any tips for our readers about living in Malaysia?

More about living in any new country, don't compare it with your home country. Enjoy the difference and welcome new experiences, than you will have a happy life!

-Do you have any favorite Web sites or blogs about Malaysia?

I run a German/English-language website about living in Malaysia, with many tips for expats and tourists:

http://sites.google.com/site/malaysiaauswandern

I also run a German blog: http://auswandernmalaysia.blogspot.com