Tourist for a day

I last visited KLCC park quite some time ago, that I have forgotten that it is actually quite nice - the green grass, shady trees, huge playground and pool for kids. And what better day to go to KL other than the Chinese New Year. Traffic was unbelievably smooth. My family went there relatively early, so it wasn't too crowded yet. But as the day progressed, more and more people flocked in, and we were happy to leave the crowd some time after noon, after the kids (and adults alike) had enjoyed themselves.

Many from the crowd appears to be groups of foreigners. Foreign workers specifically, of several nationalities - Bangladeshi, Vietnamese, Indonesians and probably others. And me, being a melodramatic soul, started to imagine - how they must have looked forward to this outing for weeks, maybe months even. Perhaps they have planned for it meticulously, deciding how to get there, what to do. They would have chosen the best attires that they have. For one day, they would imagine themselves being a tourist. The next time they call home, they would be able to tell their family that they have visited Malaysia's KLCC.

Ah, foreign workers - you can't live with them, you can't live without them. Last year several issues regarding them propped up. With estimated population of about 2 million, they made up a whopping 10% of the whole of Malaysia's population! Directly or indirectly, their cheaper labour costs (I'm talking about unskilled and semi-skilled of course - the expats are different story altogether!) have helped us reduce our living costs, with them working as domestic helpers, in construction sites, factories, plantations, farms, restaurants, etc. Some would say they cause a lot of 'troubles' here. It's not altogether deniable, however we must be careful not to fall into the trap of generalizing people. As with every group of people, there are the good ones and less-than-good ones too.