An army of brown skinned people of medium to skinny build are sweating their asses off in construction sites, plantations, factories and city streets across Malaysia. These are the Indons (slang for Indonesians) and Banglas (slang for Bangladeshi). With them are also Nepalis and Tamils. Selling cheap labor for all the dirty and difficult jobs, these hardworking people help Malaysia run and throb as the big economic hub of Asia
I realized that South-Asians are no less hardworking than other people on earth. They are also quick to build connections with each other in foreign lands. To a Malaysian I was probably just an "orang lua" but I myself found countless “vai”, “dai” and “ayya” on the streets of KL. It also led me to realize how close we are. Back in Bangladesh, we think the other 6 south asian countries as foreign. But standing on yet more foreign land, entire south-asia felt like home. I started associating myself with entire south asia now. I was a south-asian, not just a Bangali.
This was my greatest lesson from traveling abroad for the first time.