Lyssha Tan shares how she found a home away from home in the Malaysian Society, and writes about why being on the committee changed her university experience for the better.

By Lyssha Tan | Nov 1 2024

When I started my university journey, I would've never imagined running for a position in a society. However, looking back, I am glad I stepped outside my comfort zone and experienced the contentment one can only get from running a society in UCD. 

My name is Lyssha, and I’m the secretary for Malaysian Society, and I’m currently a Stage 4 Medical Student. Growing up abroad but raised with traditional Malaysian customs, I constantly wondered if I could assimilate with my peers back home. I knew of all the traditions and holidays celebrated back home, but I never got to fully experience how it would be if I were living in Malaysia. I craved to find a group of people to celebrate and share my culture with. This is why I joined the society and eventually ran for a committee position. 

Malaysians, by nature, love being in a community where they can find comfort and familiarity, which is why our motto is ‘Your Home Away From Home’.

I’m sure everyone has heard the slogan ‘Malaysia Truly Asia’ at one point and maybe wondered how true that statement is. Well, what's so beautiful about Malaysia isn’t the landscapes or food but the diverse culture and rich history that have formed the nation it is today. Malaysians, by nature, love being in a community where they can find comfort and familiarity, which is why our motto is ‘Your Home Away From Home’. The combination of wanting to honour our culture in a new country and make it as ‘homely’ as possible, while introducing it to curious newcomers creates the distinctive atmosphere our events showcase. As a cultural society, the majority of our attendees would be Malaysians. Still, our goal from the beginning has always been to introduce our culture to the other students at UCD who hail from different backgrounds. We have run many successful events, seen new faces attending our events regularly and giving us feedback on how to make our society more inclusive. 

Malaysian Societies across Ireland and the UK often collaborate with each other, with the Embassy of Malaysia, and with different student associations, and my job as a secretary is to maintain connections with these external groups and the student population at UCD. At first, the job seemed so daunting, and nothing really could prepare me for it. But like most things, it was a matter of  time. I used to have at least 3-4 people proofread my emails before sending them out, especially if I sent something to the Embassy of Malaysia. I wasn’t confident in my organisation, my writing, my communication or even my leadership skills. At the start, I always felt like everyone was more experienced than I was. And for me, I never really had a ‘I woke up and realised I should be more confident in myself’ moment. It was gradual, and I attribute much of it to studying medicine.

The difficult times came with the new friendships, and every high stake situation ended with a successful night and words of appreciation from society members. Sometimes, the only reason I even go to campus is to attend society events.

Everyone knows about imposter syndrome, but for me, it wasn’t just a feeling that came and went; it was an insidious, persistent voice in the back of my mind. I came to medical school with only an International Baccalaureate diploma that was essentially given to me out of pity for coincidentally being the graduating year of the second wave of COVID-19 in Shanghai. I spent three out of the four years of high school in the comfort of my own room, and now I’m expected to schedule my own study time and be motivated to even go to lectures. For the first few months, I felt like a stranger to myself. I kept comparing myself to others, but I eventually learned to embrace my strengths and focus on what is important to me. I understood that everyone has a different learning curve, and it is okay to make mistakes, learn and grow. I took the experiences and built confidence both inside and outside the classroom. To grow was to accept that making mistakes was okay. One of the biggest mistakes I made when I first started was getting personal and professional opinions mixed up in my decision-making abilities. This led to tension between previous committee members, but from that came a very important lesson of conflict resolution. The difficult times came with the new friendships, and every high stake situation ended with a successful night and words of appreciation from society members. To tell you the truth, even if I weren’t on the committee, you would catch me at all the events. Sometimes, the only reason I even go to campus is to attend society events. Malaysian Society’s events are mainly holiday-based, we host events like Chinese New Year, Hari Raya Adifiltri (Eid al-Fitr), Ramadan Iftar, or Lantern Festival. We also have events where we introduce parts of Malaysian culture to curious members. 

Our events with Malaysian tea-time snacks and traditional games are well-loved by the members. And our flagship event is a theatrical production called Malaysia Night, better known as M’Night, where the committee of a year chooses a theme and an aspect of Malaysian Culture to bring to life in the form of a play for the members. The production is written and directed by Malaysian Students across Dublin and includes a variety of traditional dances which students also choreograph. The custom of hosting M’Night spans the UK, and Malaysians travel from one university to another to watch the different M’Nights and meet new people. It is a unique tradition maintained by Malaysian Societies. This year’s M’Night explores the universal themes of family and redemption through the lens of a horror/thriller production. It’s an emotionally charged narrative filled with suspense and cultural richness, performing at Astra Hall on October 26th, 2024. Whether you're Malaysian or not, M’Night offers a window into a vibrant culture, and I hope you’ll join us and experience the joy of discovering something new—just as I did. More information can be found on M’Night’s Instagram, @ucdmnight, and Malaysian Society on @ucdmsoc.