一碗 Bakso 的慰藉：清洁移工 Lia 的思乡味 A Bowl of Bakso as Comfort: Lia, a Migrant Cleaner’s Taste of Home

莉亚是那种你在校园转角常常会遇到的人——总是忙忙碌碌，但看到你还会报以微笑。她从家乡来马的这几年，生活没有轰轰烈烈的大事，倒是充满许多小细节：工作的节奏、学生偶尔的迷糊、她最爱的Bakso（印尼肉丸粉）、还有放假时只想赖在家的慵懒。

这篇专访，就是想把这些微小、普通却无比真实的瞬间记录下来。

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莉亚（Lia）的笑容很温柔，是那种一看到就能让人放松的笑。她说她来自印度尼西亚的万隆(Bandung, Indonesia)，三年前来到马来西亚，在新纪元大学学院做清洁的工作。她语气轻轻的、慢慢的，但当我们谈起她的生活时，她的那份坦诚和直率，却让人觉得她比想象中更加的坚强。

“我在这里工作三年了。”她说的很轻描淡写，好像这些年花的时间只是眨眼之间，但实际上，背后藏着的是十年离乡背井的故事。在莉亚离开印尼前，她忆起自己曾经在工厂工作了将近十年，但那是结婚、生孩子之前的人生。后来因为家里经济不稳定，所以她做出了一个非常重大的决定，便是离开家人和家乡，到国外工作。

“我选马来西亚，是因为这里离家近，从雅加达（Jakarta）来（这里）只要两个小时。这样父母也不会太担心。”她笑着说。

莉亚的工作时间是从早上七点半到下午四点半。这样的日子规律、朴实，却也乏味。她主要在学校工作，负责打扫宿舍楼、办公室和食堂厕所的卫生。谈起同学们总是友善地和她打招呼问好，让她觉得自己被尊重，也感到很开心。

当然，工作上也会有比较麻烦的时候。比如，有些学生会在她正忙着清洗厕所时仍然走进去上厕所，让她感到一头雾水。“有时候我也会觉得生气啦，但能怎么办呢？他们也是学生嘛。” 莉亚觉得那是她的工作，是她的分内事，所以即便生气她也没有埋怨，反而更多的是自我调适，展现了一位清洁工人应有的专业素养。

当问到莉亚是否遇到过不公平的对待时，她轻轻地摇摇头。“至少本地人（马来西亚人）没有，他们都很好。反而有时候是自己同乡的人看不起我们。”她把这些经验当作激励自己更努力的力量。“以前我很像Hello Kitty，一点点就哭。现在比较坚强了啦。”

生活的小确幸：朋友及休息日

工作之外的生活其实并不复杂。莉亚忆起她以前在这里也有好朋友，她叫贝德莉（Bedri），两个人平时会一起去KLCC、TRX、时代广场（Times Square）逛街。只是后来这位可以让她依靠的朋友回了印尼，或许是环境不同了，所以如今的联络也渐渐变少。

如今的她，假日多半在家休息。“工作很累”占据了她外出走走的机会。虽然她偶尔会去蒂蒂旺沙湖滨公园（Titiwangsa）走走，让自己轻松一下。问到平时有没有什么喜欢吃的东西，她说她喜欢去加影附近的 Plaza Metro Kajang，那里有一家好吃的肉丸（Bakso），还有巴东饭（Nasi Padang），让她能够找到家里的味道。

也许是思念家乡的缘故，Lia自己会比较常在家烹饪，她笑说自己煮的比较习惯自己的口味。

讲到家，她的眼泪止不住

莉亚在和我们团队一起打扫的期间，一直不自觉地提起家人。或许当时忙碌的氛围，让她短暂地忘记了悲伤。但当我们沉静下来，再度聊起家人这个话题时，莉亚的语气忽然有些伤感，眼眶也开始泛红。

“一定会想啊，我们离开父母这么久，见不到孩子，也见不到妈妈。我其实在马来西亚已经10年了，只回过家一次。那时候孩子还很小，现在已经18岁了。”

因为工作，莉亚不会随意请假回乡。她深知回去一次，除了是时间上的花费，也是金钱上的花费。莉亚虽然在外国工作，但是收入还是不够，生活上的开销还是很多。她表示，自己不是不想存钱，只是需要用钱的地方太多。

聊起这些时，她的手在轻轻搓着那张被泪水浸湿的纸巾，像是一个压抑思念的人，试着把自己的难过揉掉。

给所有离乡的人：不要放弃

访问最后，她想对所有像她一样在外打拼的外籍劳工说一句话：

“像我这样离乡的战士们，在外面跟我一样的外籍劳工们，不要放弃，还没成功不要认输。不要听那些想打击我们的话。继续努力，专注赚钱。当然不要忘记祈祷。不管是穆斯林还是非穆斯林，每个人都有自己的信仰，继续加油吧，所有在外奋斗的人。“

她说这段话的时候眼睛亮亮的，那不是单纯的鼓励，而是她十年来的体验、委屈、努力与坚持所换来的一句话。

莉亚的故事不是轰动、也不戏剧化，但是却有满满的重量。她站在我们身边，看起来普通又温柔，小小的身躯背负着一家人的希望。

Introduction

Lia is the kind of person you often meet around in the campus corner, she is always busy, yet still offers a smile when she sees you. In the years since she came to Malaysia from her hometown, her life has not been marked by dramatic events. Instead, it is filled with small details: the rhythm of work, students’ occasional absent-mindedness, her favorite bakso (Indonesian meatball soup), and the laziness of wanting to stay home on her days off.

This interview seeks to record these tiny, ordinary, yet deeply real moments.

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Lia has a gentle smile, one that instantly puts people at ease. She told us she is from Bandung, Indonesia, and came to Malaysia three years ago to work as a cleaner at New Era University College. She speaks softly and slowly, but when she talks about her life, her honesty and straightforwardness reveal a strength greater than one might expect.

“I’ve been working here for three years,” she said lightly, as if those years had passed in the blink of an eye. Yet behind that simple statement lies a story of a decade spent away from home. Before leaving Indonesia, Lia recalled working in a factory for nearly ten years back when she was not yet married and had no children. Later, due to financial instability at home, she made a major decision: to leave her family and hometown to work abroad.

“I chose Malaysia because it’s close to home. From Jakarta to here it only takes about two hours,” she said with a smile. “So that my parents wouldn’t worry too much.”

Lia works from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Her days are regular and simple, but also repetitive. She mainly works on campus, cleaning dormitory floors, offices, and cafeteria toilets. She shared that students often greet her kindly, which makes her feel respected and happy.

Of course, there are challenging moments at work too. For example, some students still enter the toilets while she is in the middle of cleaning them, leaving her feeling confused and frustrated. “Sometimes I do feel angry,” she said, “but what can I do? They’re students.” Lia sees it as part of her responsibility. Even when she feels upset, she does not complain. Instead, she adjusts herself, demonstrating the professionalism expected of a cleaner.

When asked whether she had experienced unfair treatment, she gently shook her head. “At least not from locals (Malaysians). They’re all very kind. Sometimes it’s actually people from my own country who look down on us.” She treats these experiences as motivation to work harder. “I used to be like Hello Kitty, crying over the smallest things. But now I’m stronger,” she said with a small laugh.

Small Joys in Life: Friends and Days Off

Beside work, Lia’s life is fairly simple. She recalled having a close friend here before—her name was Bedri.  The two of them used to go shopping together at KLCC, TRX, and Times Square. Later, Bedri returned to Indonesia, and as their environments changed, they gradually lost contact.

These days, Lia mostly spends her days off resting at home. “Work is very tiring,” she said, which often takes away her energy to go out. Occasionally, she visits Titiwangsa Lake Gardens to relax. When asked about her favorite foods, she mentioned Plaza Metro Kajang, where there is a good bakso restaurant as well as Nasi Padang. These foods help her find the taste of home.

Perhaps because of homesickness, Lia often cooks for herself at home. She smiled and said she is simply more accustomed to her own cooking and flavors.

When She Talks About Home, her tears flowed uncontrollably.

While cleaning together with our team, Lia kept unconsciously mentioning her family. Perhaps the busyness helped her momentarily forget her sadness. But when we slowed down and returned to the topic of family, her tone suddenly grew heavy, and her eyes began to redden.

“Of course I miss them. We’ve been away from our parents for so long. We can’t see our children, can’t see our mothers. I’ve actually been in Malaysia for ten years and only went home once. At that time my child was still very young, now they’re already 18.”

Because of work, Lia does not take leave to return home easily. She knows that every trip back costs not only time but also money. Although she works abroad, her income is still limited, and daily expenses are many. She explained that it’s not that she doesn’t want to save money, it's just that there are simply too many necessities that require spending.

As she spoke, her hands gently twisted the tissue soaked with tears, like someone trying to knead and erase her longing.

A Message to All Who Are Far from Home: Don’t Give Up

At the end of the interview, Lia wanted to say something to all migrant workers who, like her, are struggling far from home:

“To warriors like me who have left home, to migrant workers out there like me, don’t give up. If you haven’t succeeded yet, don’t admit defeat. Don’t listen to those who try to bring us down. Keep working hard and focus on earning money. And of course, don’t forget to pray. Whether you’re Muslim or not, everyone has their own faith. Keep going, everyone who is fighting hard away from home.”

When she said this, her eyes shone. It was not just encouragement, it was a sentence forged from ten years of experience, grievance, effort, and perseverance.

Lia’s story is not sensational or dramatic, but it carries great weight. She stands beside us, looking ordinary and gentle, a small figure carrying the hopes of an entire family.