Willem A. Whitlau
As I stepped into the home of expat Willem A Whitlau and his wife, patricia, in mont Kiara, the sheer creative and homely feel of it left me awestruck. the Whitlaus are avid travellers, and have managed to convert their spacious condo into a beautiful oasis of different asian textures.
Whitlau, who is of dutch descent but born in Java, indonesia, has always been fascinated by and attracted to south east asia specifically, apart from the fact that his wife is also malaysian. at 70, he is contented and happy to call malaysia his home.
The expat: how long have you lived in malaysia under the malaysia my second home Programme?
Whitlau: nine years. When we first moved here in 1997, we stayed in sri petaling and a couple of years later in sungai buloh. now, we are finally settled in mont Kiara, which is also convenient for us since it is close to everything.
The expat: Why did you choose this part of malaysia?
Whitlau: Well, my wife, who was born in melaka, is used to living here and it is close to pJ and other parts of Kl. there are also great restaurants and eateries here. We like to try out different cuisines and participate in many activities such as theatre and classical concerts.
The expat: have you lived or visited malaysia prior to that?
Whitlau: since the 70s, we have been visiting malaysia every two years. before i retired, i worked as a tour operator in different places in south east asia, namely indonesia, philippines and thailand. my wife had also worked in europe as a secretary and accounts administrative for eighteen years, based in Geneva. (laughs) i actually pushed her to settle in malaysia despite some objections from friends. it was tough at first but we eventually became accustomed to malaysian life.
The expat: What was the main reason you decided to come and live here under the mm2h programme?
Whitlau: i like the warm tropical weather here, although that is often the opposite of the malaysian view-point (laughs). anyway, it is only logical that i settle down here since my wife is malaysian. We wanted to stay in indonesia, but due to the instability there, we came here. in addition, it's tax-free for pensioners.
The expat: What do you least like about living in malaysia?
Whitlau: the potholes! they are terrible. the first year was the worst because we were "new" to the house visitors of cockroaches, cicak (house lizards) and other creepy crawlies. another peeve is the constant power failure. the public transport system could also be improved.
The expat: have you travelled out of malaysia in the last year?
Whitlau: our most recent trip was to China. it could have been better because of all the haze which was bad there as well. since it was the general holiday season there, we were travelling with about one billion-odd holiday-makers. other places we visited were australia and south africa. We love europe but it is very expensive to travel there now. however, we love south east asia because of the beautiful white sandy beaches.
The expat: have you taken any trips within malaysia in the last year?
Whitlau: We went to Kuantan and terengganu. the best was pangkor laut. although it was expensive, the overall ambience was great. actually our favourite holiday beach spots are Krabi and phuket in thailand. Just beautiful.
The expat: do you socialise mostly with foreigners, malaysians or both?
Whitlau: We love to entertain so yes, we do some socialising but mostly with fellow expats within our age group. We go out or have them over to the house.
The expat: What do you miss most about your home country?
Whitlau: (husband and wife) the food! it's always the food. We really miss good french and swiss cuisine. and there is the hunting season as well. We miss that also the ladies' club outings.
The expat: how do you pass your time - hobbies, activities or participation in organisations or charities?
Whitlau: both of us love to read a lot. We also like to go to concerts and theatres such as the ones held at the dewan philharmonic and the actors studio in bangsar. We like to help our friends with the down's syndrome Charity drive. other than that, it's swimming and eating out and trying different cuisines.
The expat: how happy are you with the mm2h programme? is there anything you would like to see changed?
Whitlau: i am quite happy not many changes. however, i am not email-savvy and am sure there are many expats in my position who are not either. so, it would be wonderful if there was an occasional get-together with other expats. that way we can exchange information and ideas, especially about renewing our visas.
The expat: do you have any comments you would like to have listed on the mm2h website (www.mm2h.com)?
Whitlau: on malaysian Visas - they should be in the form of a separate document instead of being glued in the passport. sometimes, the officers at the malaysian immigration are confused when they see our passports, which is valid for five years and our Visa which is valid for 10 years.
General comments: there should be proper signs in putrajaya. foreigners frequently get lost in the area when they are trying to get to the relevant ministries. there are signs showing the way to the alamanda but no proper ones to the offices.
By Aida Ahmad
