Thankful Thursday - May Kuen Choo, Harbinger of Joyful and Responsible Tourism

May treated me more like a friend than a client from the very first moment we connected. I instantly knew I chose well when I selected her as my tour guide in Kuala Lumpur, yet I didn’t expect that a lovely friendship would blossom. 

As we drove to the night market together, we talked in the car about our lives, passions, and aspirations. We were so similar that I thought I was talking to myself!

She had told me how food is the soul of Malaysia and its people. For example, “Have you eaten?” is a more common greeting among the locals than “How are you?”

That sounds just like Hong Kong, where my family and I are from. We revolve nearly our entire schedules around feasting together, and it was refreshing to meet someone else who is equally passionate about her food.

We also talked about finding our way in life and pursuing our passions. I was at that time deeply dissatisfied with where I was in my work. I wasn’t honoring anything that was in my heart; I kept making excuses for why I couldn’t do what I loved and focused solely on all the fear I had. Almost as if the universe was nudging me, it brought May to me, who was clearly using her gifts to benefit visitors and locals alike with her deep love for her country, its beauty and culture, and this Earth. She shared with me how it isn’t always easy being in business on one’s own like she is and how self doubts of course persist, yet when you have a clear purpose and passion, it’s a waste not to go after it.

That day, I saw through May what it would be like to align my true self to what I do, and it set in motion a number of breakthroughs that led me to the beautiful and fulfilling journey that I am now on, and for that, I am so thankful to May and grateful to the universe for bringing her to me.

What I also greatly appreciate in May is her commitment to practice what she preaches. She loves her country and all its beauty. She also deeply believes that we need to protect the one Earth we have and all the living things on it. I hear plenty of people say the same things, yet she’s one who demonstrates her beliefs through tangible actions, even if it is a small one. For instance, she brought with us on our tour at the night markets of Kuala Lumpur reusable straws and has since expanded her plastic-free approach to all of her tours throughout Malaysia, such as bringing reusable silver cups and paper bags for the treats she and her clients enjoy during the food tours. Because of May’s vision, passion, and “walk the talk” approach, I started being much more conscientious about my use of plastic items, especially when I travel. I now bring my own bags for shopping even when I go abroad, decline the offer of straws at restaurants and cafes, and re-use any plastic water bottles I am given if I am not able to bring my own Nalgene bottle. I want to leave fewer footprints behind when I travel, and May helped me see how we can each do something to help.

Another aspect of May that I am thankful for is her inclination to be grateful. She consistently recognizes all the people in her life who positively impact her, especially her mom. “It’s hard for me to show emotions, yet I am super grateful for my mom,” she mentioned to me when we were chatting about the inner work journey that both of us have been on. “My mom is my biggest cheerleader. She’s always there for me and emotionally supporting me.” As a fellow Asian woman, it is so encouraging for me to know that May has in her mom a loving and advocating role model and not the Tiger Mom that is usually associated with the Asian upbringing.  

As if she were an onion, the more May talked with me, the more layers I saw in her, and the more I learned from her. For instance, she reminded me of the Japanese art form of Kintsugi, which involves repairing broken pottery with lacquer mixed with gold, silver, or platinum. A new piece of art is thus created from the blending of the previously broken pottery and the new adornments from the presence of the scars. The idea is centered on embracing precious scars: the art form’s philosophy is that scars tell the history of the pottery piece and thus are to shine rather than be disguised. To me, personally, Kintsugi has an even more relevant story for a recovering perfectionist like myself: Perfection isn't everything. 

When she shared with me her own tale of how she was able to progress to the successful and full life that she’s now living because of her own precious scars, I was so encouraged to know that what I myself had been struggling with would one day allow me to shine in ways that I wouldn’t be able to otherwise had I not been tested. That beautiful story May gifted me has become a core part of my own tale of growth and discovery as well. I truly do believe that the universe pulled May and me together despite the fact that we live nearly 10,000 miles apart, and I am so thankful that it worked its magic to make our meeting and our subsequent friendship possible.

Thanks to May, I am already planning my next trip to see the rest of her beautiful country. I didn't get a chance to see other spectacular Malaysian locales like Penang or Sabah the last time I was there, and I'm eager to return.  

If any of you would like to know more about the beauty of Malaysia and/or are considering visiting there, first, I strongly endorse you in that decision, and second, please ping May or myself for suggestions. Alternatively, if any part of our story stirred you to make meaningful changes to your life as well, please contact us so that we can impart to you our own lessons learned as well as send you encouragement. 

Thank you, May, for sharing with me all of your gifts and for inspiring me to go after mine!

May's contact info is as follows: Website: www.jalanwithmk.com; Facebook: www.facebook.com/jalanwithmk.com; Instagram: www.instagram.com/jalanwithmk