I take it all back…
Ok, well, not all of it. But today I had a pleasant surprise. You know, the kind of surprise you get when you expect someone to be really arrogant, but they turn out to be really nice? Or someone you thought hated you gets you a birthday present?
Today I had to head to Immigration, because my passport has almost expired (which means I can’t, oh, say, flee the country…). I’ve been psyching myself up for weeks to get it done, but have been procrastinating, largely because I can’t bear the thought of spending half a day sitting there waiting for my number to pop up.
Luckily, Alvin mentioned that there’s a new machine that makes the whole process really easy – you just stuff all your crap into it, let it read your thumbprint, and three minutes later, off you go. So, confident that it would take me three minutes, I set off to try it out.
What Alvin didn’t tell me was that the machine closes (who’d have thought) at 3.30pm. I guess it doesn’t like long days, or it’s part of a kick-ass union. Either way, I had to descend into the offices, and do it manually. I braced myself. I’ll admit, I stood on the threshold, took a deep breath, and physically prepared for the plunge…
But it never came. From the smiling pair of officers who held the doors for me and directed me to the form counter, to the friendly desk guy who helped me fill in my form (cause my Malay sucks) while complimenting my English, to the efficient processing lady, the whole experience was, dare I say it, almost pleasant. And certainly a surprise. What’s more, it took less than half an hour, and they stayed open past 4.30pm to help customers.
As I left, I had to check the signs once or twice to make sure that I hadn’t accidentally been teleported to some other country, but no, I was in Malaysia, and I was served wonderfully, efficiently, and with a smile. So, I think an apology is owed, for all the times I’ve bitched about Immigration being slow, boring and inefficient. They certainly don’t deserve the stigma anymore, and what’s more, they have done wonders to help my almost non-existent faith in this country’s operations. If they can do it, why not everyone?
Maybe, just maybe, Malaysia boleh.
Sorry seems to be the hardest word.
WillQ.
