I’ve ceased to write for while as I’ve been busy relocating and adapting to my new job role and city. I’ve moved to Penang, a state up north, in Malaysia. Although my company is based on the mainland, I have decided to live on the island.
When someone utters the word Penang, everyone images it to be an island. While this is part true, Penang state has two parts to it – the island and mainland.
*Penang has two cities: Butterworth (on the mainland) and Georgetown (on the island). More than half the Penangites would refer to Georgetown or Penang Island as ‘Penang’ and mainland as Butterworth. So it can get rather confusing as when you mention you live on the island they would go, ‘Oh you live in Penang’ or they would say ‘I’m going to Penang this weekend’, even though they too live in Penang but not on the island.
When someone utters the word Penang, everyone images it to be an island. While this is part true, Penang state has two parts to it – the island and mainland.
*Penang has two cities: Butterworth (on the mainland) and Georgetown (on the island). More than half the Penangites would refer to Georgetown or Penang Island as ‘Penang’ and mainland as Butterworth. So it can get rather confusing as when you mention you live on the island they would go, ‘Oh you live in Penang’ or they would say ‘I’m going to Penang this weekend’, even though they too live in Penang but not on the island.
Penang Island has a lot of history embedded in its soil. From the early days of the Kedah Sultanate to British colonisation and the World Wars (I & II), you’re still able to see the remnants from the past. What fascinates the most is its history - the myriad of cultures present in the past, its wars and its role, leading it to be the Penang today.
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