When patriotism hits you
A Malaysian student away from home realises how proud she is of her motherland.
THE United World College, Costa Rica (UWCCR), is a college of 160 students, with 57 countries being represented.
Recently, Costa Rica celebrated its independence day and as students in an international college, we participated in a national parade by dressing up in our national costumes.
The writer (third from left) with some of her schoolmates all dressed up in their respective national costumes.
Personally, being away from home has made me realise how important it is to be patriotic.
As a Malaysian, I’d have to say that I was proud to be Malay, wearing a Cheongsam, while carrying the Malaysian flag. I’ve never felt more patriotic than I did that day.
As a teenager, I realised how amazing it was to actually see the Malaysian flag soaring high, together with flags from Brazil, Spain, Finland, Costa Rica, Korea, Holland, Argentina, Sweden, and many others.
Apart from exhibiting patriotism on the surface, the love for Malaysia actually came from deep within.
I still recall the morning of the parade. Seeing all my friends getting up early to get dressed in their costumes made me eager to put on mine.
The Jalur Gemilang flying high among flags of other nations during the parade .
As we were dressing up in front of the mirror, cracking girly jokes and putting on make-up; we started asking each other about our respective countries.
It was then that I realised how proud I was to be from a country that had a modern metropolis like Kuala Lumpur as its capital. It was also blessed with thick jungles and lush greenery in places like Taman Negara, and breathtaking beaches on beautiful islands like Pulau Redang.
This is, of course, on top of our multi-culture and numerous traditions that seem to be in syncwith our respective heritage.
Now that I’m in an international college, I find that I am at ease when mingling with people of different cultures, faiths and backgrounds.
And I would give most of my thanks to Malaysia itself, for preparing me to fit in the outside world with its diverse cultures and religions.
It may, at this point sound very cliché, but being away from home has helped open my eyes on what it really means to be patriotic as a teenager.
History is, of course, something that we ought to learn and appreciate, but as a modern society, I think it is important that we put it to practical use.
“Why do we study history, apart from learning the mistakes made?” a friend asked. And I’ve never had a right answer to that until last week when I was telling others about Malaysia.
The answer is, of course, as simple as being able to feel gratified and content about our country.
The Star
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