Malaysia
Jensen Lo is a writer and journalist currently based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, who covers the areas of culture, travel, racial identity, cultural identity and self-identity. He has published his creative work that is focused on stories and voices of the Malaysian and Asian community on Medium. His work has also been featured on the independent digital writing platform, ManyStories.
Born and raised in the multicultural city of Penang, Malaysia, Jensen’s writings have been heavily influenced by the rich yet polarising history of British colonialism in Malaysia. Spending his university years in the United Kingdom has further prompted himself to question and explore how the colonial history has shaped Asian societies. His work is also heavily influenced by the different elements that have impacted the society including music, food, fashion, sports, films and TV. From his experience of having lived in Malaysia and the United Kingdom, Jensen is enthusiastic about telling stories to build a larger platform for different communities, through his content writing and creative writing.
It was the restaurant I would go to when I was lazy to cook. It was the place I would go to when I was sick. It was the place I would go with my friends if we were celebrating. End of finals, Chinese...
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to London Gatwick Airport. The local time is 12:30 am." I landed at Gatwick just after midnight from my tiring yet remarkable week in Athens. Peeking through the window, there was a heavy drizzle - even though, this was in the month of July. Ughhh...
I had struggled to find like-minded Asians who embrace their racial identity apart from my British cousin. Even after more than a year since I moved to the UK. I didn't feel the sense of belonging in the British Asian community, particularly in my university.
You'd never felt out of place until you've stepped into a meat market in the middle of Athens as an Asian kid. This is not a story about the ancient Greek buildings and the iconic Acropolis. On the contrary, it is a story which does not involve any tourist attractions that would instantly remind people of Athens.
"What are you gonna do? Are you gonna do judo and karate? Are you gonna do Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan?" the security officer from my university said in the middle of an altercation. I reported the incident and waited for five damn months for an official apology letter from the university.