The Arrival

2 weeks ago I boarded a flight out of O’Hare International Airport set for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. A million thoughts ran through my mind as I embarked on the journey of a lifetime filled with unfamiliarity. With my face mask on and antibacterial wipes ready to go (thanks mom), I was prepared to take on this new challenge and immerse myself in all that Malaysia and Southeast Asia had to offer.

After 32 hours of economy class flying and several interesting airline meals, my stomach was squirmy and I was drained, but I made it. New smells, a rising sun and a private driver with a KPMG sign greeted me as I stepped out of the airport into my hot and humid new home.

After an hour and a half drive winding through Kuala Lumpur morning rush hour, I made it to the OneWorld Hotel. At the time it was crazy to imagine spending the next month couped up in a hotel, but I soon realized that it wasn’t going to be half bad. The hotel sports a massive breakfast buffet with everything you could ever imagine, a full-size gym, swimming pool, and even tennis courts (sadly forgot my tennis racquet).

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The first couple days in Kuala Lumpur consisted of waking up at strange times in the night, trying new foods, and walking around the mall connected to our hotel (1 Utama). Fun fact: 1 Utama is one of the top 5 largest malls in the world! To my surprise, there are an incredible amount of malls in Malaysia. Due to the intense heat of the daytime, Malaysians are known for spending their free time window shopping and hanging out in malls.

Our first adventure outside the comfort of OneWorld and 1 Utama took place on the first night. Someone recommended that we go to “The Curve” (another shopping center) because it had great restaurants and a fun atmosphere. We caught a “Grab” (the local equivalent to Uber) to “The Curve” and had dinner at a place called Thai Express. The food was amazing and very spicy. Craig Johnson (a fellow US Global Intern) and I managed to fight through the pain while Grace Smith (another fellow US Global Intern) decided to sit out and play it safe (probably a better call).

All in all, the arrival to Kuala Lumpur went swimmingly. All flights were on time, 0 viruses were contracted, our stomachs were adjusting fine to the new cuisine and we were all excited to start work!

In my next blog post I’ll be covering our first day in the office at KPMG Malaysia. First days are always interesting, and this one in particular is one I won’t forget. As a precursor, I’d like to share some advice.

You can never go wrong with a light blue dress shirt on your first day in Malaysia.