Mixed Identity

Sometimes I'd find it a bit difficult to tell people where I was from. It's easier to say that I'm from Pahang. But when they start to ask "Where in Pahang?" then I'd start to fidget.

I was born in Kuala Lipis. Then I moved to Raub where I spent most of my teenage life. Then I moved to Bentong when I was already in College and where I don't know a lot of people except for the neighbours. Most of the time I'd say I'm from KL (Kuala Lipis...duhh...). Heh. Sometimes, just for the fun of it, I'd give this lengthy answer "I was born in Kuala Lipis and now my parents live in Bentong. But I'm staying in JB".

And since I've been staying in JB for quite some time now (10 years) and I'm married to a Johorean, people would say that literally I'm a Johorean too. Initially I'd dismiss that and say "No. I am a Pahangite". And I realised that I dismissed those remarks because I was afraid that I might lose my borne identity.

Now I'm not afraid anymore. So what if I say that I'm a Johorean. Afterall I married one and I'm staying in Johor anyway...I worked here and my two kids were born here. And I'm going to promote Johor as the preferred industrial location to foreign investors, meaning that I need to know all the corners and the bends in Johor. So literally, yes. I am a Johorean.

But so long as my Identity Card shows '06' and my Place of Birth remains as 'Kuala Lipis'...I still have my Pahang identity in me. Oh! And Penang too...