I Want To Go Home!

“Father, I want to go home!”, exclaims Daniel at the other end of the phone line. “Calm down, Son. Just tell me what the hell is going on?” Daniel’s father asks him in a worried tone. “I don’t like it here. Just get me out of here!”, Daniel cries. “Can’t you calm down, please? Why don’t you like it there?” his father asks helplessly; his son’s desperate tone unsettles him.
“London is not what I think it is before I came here, Father. It’s a strange place with strange people and I don’t think I can live and study here.”, Daniel pleads. “Be specific, Dan. What don’t you like? What happened?”, his father cut him short, in exasperation. “Do you know that I don’t have a proper sleep for the past two weeks since I arrived? The central heating system is not working because workers at the British Gas are on strike. They chose to go on strike at the best of time! My bed is cold at night. I catch cold in the morning. If it is not because of cousin Suan who bought me what they called a ‘hot water bottle’ and tugged it under my blanket at the foot of the bed to warm my feet every night, I would have frozen! I need to take bath twice a day, like back home. But people here don’t bathe every day and during winter months, they don’t bathe for days. I have to slot coins in the gas machine to take bath as the central heating system is not working and it’s cold ”, Daniel moans. “I see, well, I read it in the papers too. But, they can’t go on strike forever. I read that their trade union is negotiating with the government. I am sure they would resolve things soon”, his father tries to reassure. “The people here can’t understand my English. Can you imagine? My English is not understandable? I scored distinctions in all my English exams. They say I speak too fast! They say they don’t understand why I always finish my sentence with a ‘la’! The tube is so crowded and dirty. Each time when I get out of the tube, I have to run to the wash room to clean my nose and my face. People don’t talk much here. They talk with their eyes and ears. They are always walking briskly and busy with something but they don’t speak much! The trains are crowded and packed with people like sardines in mornings. The train is full of people and yet they don’t talk much; they just read and read and read their newspapers, novels and any thing readable they can get their hands on! The other day, I woke up late and rushed for the bus. But, when I got up the bus, the driver pointed at me and asked me to get off his bus in no uncertain terms. The passengers didn’t say anything. You know the British people, they are very upper-lipped and I felt that they executed me with their telling looks. It’s awful Dad. ”, Daniel continues his tirade. “Why did the bus driver ask you to get down of his bus?”, his father enquired. “He said I didn’t join the queue. He scolded me for jumping the queue. But, I have no choice do I? I was late for uni.”, Daniel relates the incident from his perspective. “London is nothing like the postcards cousin Suan wrote to me. It is so grey and foggy. River Thames is so murky and muddy. The skies are grey most of the time and it gets dark at 4p.m. Last week, we went to Leicester Square in Soho. The place is full of Asians, Blacks, Pakistanis and non-white people. There are more foreigners than British. It is not the London I thought it is. I have to do everything by myself; doing the laundry, ironing and cleaning. I don’t have to do all these things back home. I can’t find nasi lemak, chicken rice or roti canai here. It’s mash potatoes, boiled potatoes, chip potatoes, potatoes and potatoes every day! ”, Daniel continues to pour out his unhappy situation. “You are in a foreign country, Son. Each country has its own culture, traditions and way of life. I am sure the British would find it difficult to fit into our society too. You just have to adapt, Son.”, his father tries to rationalize with him.
“How is university life?”, his father changes the subject. “Yeah, talk about London University, you know the students hardly study. At the LSE, they debate and talk politics all the time. They have very leftish ideas. The student union here is very strong and powerful; they organize fierce debates and noisy demonstrations and I am frightened by it, Dad. They are very anti-establishment. They must be a very unhappy lot, because they find problems in everything! When the workers don’t get enough pay, it’s their problem, when there is racial inequality, it is their problem, when families are breaking up, it is their problem and when husbands and wives do not speak to each other, it is also their problem!”, Daniel describes student life at the LSE the way he sees it. “Ok, I hear you, Son. But, of course, you don’t have to join them, right?”, his father finds that this is the only answer he could offer. “Yesterday, I had an unpleasant argument with a German student. We were attending a sociology lecture and after the lecture, I found myself sitting next to her, having lunch at the canteen. She asked me why is that our Eastern society treats women unequally to men? I told her that we come from a very male dominated society which is shaped by centuries old cultures and traditions. It is an accepted lifestyle of living. She asked me why women in our society do nothing to stand up to this tyrannical sexist system. I told her that it would be very difficult for a woman in our society to rebel against the rules of a male dominated society. Males influence a woman‘s lifestyle and decisions. Patriarchy will always be a part of our Eastern society. The traditional cultural stereotype of the female is being weak, soft, and dainty, and the males on the other hand are tough and strong. Sons are preferred over daughters in matters of education, inheritance, and even love. She said that the burdening weight of household responsibilities should be lifted off women's shoulder, allowing them to seek opportunities in the outside world. I told her that achieving true equality between the sexes will require fundamental change and it would take time. All things should be given time to change I said. After all, Rome wasn't built overnight. You know what? She was angry with me and accused me of being a male chauvinist pig! She said we are a backward country, and that we are still living on tree tops!”, Daniel relates the incident to his father with renewed vigour.
“I am sure there are nicer people whom you have not met, Son. How can you say you don’t like a place when you are only there for just over 2 weeks? You have not experienced the full spectre of the British way of life yet. Britain has a great history and heritage. Her impact in the world stage has been astounding. That’s why they are referred to as Great Britain. During the height of their power, they ruled the oceans and the high seas of the world. They colonized many countries from Africa to Asia and their legacy is felt widely today. We in Malaysia have benefited by inheriting their Administrative System and which is why we are a lot better off than many countries in the Far East. This is the land that produced many famous people. People who made a difference in the lives of other peoples; like Winston Churchill, who led Britain to victory in World War II, Charles Darwin, the 19th century British naturalist who developed the theory of evolution, William Shakespeare, the world’s greatest playwright and poet, Isaac Newton, the mathematician and scientist who invented differential calculus and formulated the theory of universal gravitation, Charles Dickens who wrote some of the most popular and widely read novels of the 19th century such as ‘Oliver Twist’, ‘A Tale of Two Cities’ and ‘Great Expectations’ which you have read them in your literature classes in school. And they give the world, ‘The Beatles” whom you adore so much. Every year, thousands of students from the globe are applying to get into Britain to study and to be educated. Stay put Dan. Open your eyes, open your ears and open your BRAINS!’, his father who is a history buff himself gives Daniel an earful at the other end of the phone line, using the opportunity to boast his historical knowledge. “Listen to me, Son. Don’t waste this opportunity. See it through and see what happens. Maybe you are missing your friends. I am sure you are missing Janet. We miss you too. I won’t let your mum know of this conversation. She will be worried sick over you. It’s out of the question to get you out of here. You are only there for slightly over 2 weeks and you must give yourself time to get adjusted. You complain too much. It’s unlike you. Suan has been living there for 2 years now. His father told me that he is doing well and he is happy in London. Tell me in 6 months time. Ok Dan? Take care”. his father pleads with him, trying to put some sense into him.
“Ok, Father. I will try. Give my love to mum, brother and sis. Bye.”, Daniel hangs up.