Name: Joe Billingham
Home Country: United Kingdom
Marital status: Married, with 2 children
Other countries you have lived: United Arab Emirates
What brought you to Malaysia?
Business – our company has grown from the UK to the Middle East and is now in Asia. KL was our first choice because of its accessibility to the rest of Asia. We’ve settled in really well, and it’s proving to be a great place to live!
What do you like or dislike about the country?
The food for starters! Malaysian cuisine has a massive range of tastes and flavours, not to mention the vast number of places where all this food is available. We enjoy the street side Indian cafes just as much as the rooftop bars. We love the local people here and of course, the weather – although getting caught in the rain between meetings isn’t ideal! The smell of some of the taxis is certainly one of the few things I dislike – jumping in and out of them on a day-to-day basis means I’m slowly getting the knack of which ones to avoid!
What is your favourite holiday destination here? Why?
We love Langkawi, because it’s so easy to get there and it’s just lovely. We’re off to Tanjong Jara on the East Coast in a couple of weeks for the first time so we are really looking forward to that.
How long do you think you will live in Malaysia for? Where will you go next?
Business wise, we are committed to Asia and our next office is due to open in Singapore in early 2014 – so no plans to move on just yet!
Is Malaysia a good place to work and do business in? Why?
There’s a great work culture amongst the expat community in Malaysia. We’ve been well received since arriving so it’s been a very positive experience thus far.
What do you miss most about your home country?
We definitely miss family and friends. Our daughter has just turned one, so you do feel a little lonely on special occasions like that, when you’re away from home. Thank goodness for Skype!
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