我家的客人

20岁的塔吉克斯坦共和国青年拉逊（Rakhshon)来马来西亚读建筑学，在吉隆坡一间大学读了一年，错过了在原校申请继续就读的日期，转来我家附近的工艺大学，住宿一时没有着落，住在酒店，不堪负荷。

他通过吉隆坡的巴哈伊朋友，联络上正在吉隆坡参加一项服务课程的李湘凡，我的女儿。她问我，可以不可以让这个外国的巴哈伊在我们家住几天。

我说可以。过了一个钟头左右，拉逊就出现在我家门前了。

今天下午，跟这位塔吉克斯坦的朋友聊他的家乡。他诞生在西西伯利亚产油城市Surgut。这里，冬天温度可以低至零下40度，后来他们举家搬去了塔吉克斯坦的Khujand。他的父母是公务员，有四个兄弟姐妹。他会讲俄罗斯语、塔吉克斯坦语和英语，他对历史和时事的了解，我觉得，比我们这里同龄的青年好很多。他能准确地说出俄罗斯与乌克兰交恶的原因，知道欧盟为什么拒绝斯拉夫人加入北约。

我给他讲述我们依斯干达区的巴哈伊社区情况，我们这里有合格的投票人大约300名。他说他的家乡Khujand，有100名巴哈伊。

傍晚，一家四口吃着我煮的晚餐，我便问他在家乡吃些什么。他打开手机给我看各种食物的照片，由于天气寒冷，他们的食物每餐都有肉。我说一方水土养一方人，我们这些清淡的蔬菜，你一定吃不惯。他说是不容易习惯，这里的食物对他来说，都不习惯，尤其马来人的菜肴，辣得实在受不了。

明天，他会去工大安排宿舍。接下来的三年，他属于我们社区的一份子，可慢慢适应这里的食物。

A 20-year-old youth from the Republic of Tajikistan, named Rakhshon, came to Malaysia to study architecture. He studied for one year at a university in Kuala Lumpur. After missing the deadline to apply for continuation at his original school, he transferred to Universiti Technoloji Malaysia which is near my home. Because he hadn't yet found accommodation, he stayed in a hotel, which was too expensive for him to bear.

Through some Bahá'í friends in Kuala Lumpur, he got in touch with my daughter, Shirin Lee who was attending a service course there. She asked me whether it would be possible to let this foreign Bahá'í stay in our home for a few days.

I said yes. About an hour later, Rakhshon appeared in front of our house.

This afternoon, I chatted with this Tajik friend about his homeland. He can speak Russian, Tajik, and English. His understanding of history and current affairs was good, well ahead of many youths of the same age in our country. He could accurately explain the reasons for the hostility between Russia and Ukraine, and he knew why the European Union refused to let the Slavic nation to join NATO.

I told him about the situation of the Bahá'í community in our Iskandar region. We have about 300 qualified voters here. He said that in his hometown, Khujand, Tajikistan, there are about 100 Bahá'ís.

In the evening, while the four of us were eating the dinner I had fried, I asked him what kind of food people in his homeland ate. He opened his phone and showed me photos of various dishes. He said that the food here is too spicy for him and that he isn't used to it.

Tomorrow, I will accompany him to the university to help arrange his dormitory. From now on, he will be living in our community for three years, and there will be many opportunities for contact.

2025.10.12

Lee Hoy Chin