What happens when people assume you understand a language simply because you look like you belong? For Fajri Matahati Muhammadin, an Indonesian who pursued his academic journey in Malaysia, this became an unexpected part of his experience.
In the first snippet of PhD Unfiltered, Fajri talks about what it was like navigating Malaysia as an Indonesian — including the curious experience of being perceived as Malay while not actually understanding Malay.
It sounds like a small cultural misunderstanding. But as Fajri’s story shows, assumptions about identity and language can create surprisingly awkward moments.
“You look Malay. Why don’t you understand Malay?”
Indonesia and Malaysia share many cultural and linguistic similarities. For someone arriving from Indonesia, Malaysia can initially feel familiar in many ways. Yet familiarity does not necessarily mean complete understanding. Fajri describes moments when people assumed that, because he looked Malay, he would naturally understand Malay.The expectation was understandable. The reality was different.
He did not necessarily understand what was being said — and that created moments where he had to explain that looking Malaysian or Malay does not automatically mean speaking or understanding Malay. It is a simple experience, but it raises a broader question:
How much do we assume about people based on how they look?
Being an Indonesian in Malaysia
International students often have to navigate much more than their academic work when they move to another country. There are new systems to understand, new social expectations, different ways of communicating and sometimes assumptions about who you are before you have even introduced yourself.
For Fajri, being Indonesian in Malaysia came with an interesting paradox. There was a degree of cultural familiarity, yet there were still differences that mattered. And sometimes, the biggest challenge was not being seen as a foreigner. It was being seen as familiar — and therefore expected to behave like someone who was not actually you.
The experience behind the PhD
This is one of the reasons we started PhD Unfiltered. Academic journeys are often reduced to qualifications, publications and research achievements. But the experience of pursuing a PhD is also shaped by the people we meet, the places we live, the cultures we encounter and the assumptions others make about us.
Fajri’s story is a reminder that international academic experiences are not simply about moving from one university to another. They are also about learning how to navigate a new environment — sometimes while explaining who you are to the people around you.
Watch Episode 1, Snippet 1
In the first snippet of Episode 1 of PhD Unfiltered, Fajri shares his experience of being an Indonesian in Malaysia, including the amusing and sometimes awkward experience of being assumed to understand Malay because of how he looks.
🎥 Watch the conversation on TikTok:
And this is only the beginning. In the upcoming snippets, Fajri will share more about his experiences in academia, academic publishing, unethical practices, university life and balancing his personal life with his academic journey.
About PhD Unfiltered
PhD Unfiltered is an interview series by IBP Editorial and Communications exploring the people and experiences behind the PhD.
We talk about the things that don’t always appear in a thesis, CV or academic profile — the unexpected experiences, challenges, cultural encounters, career decisions and personal stories that shape the people behind the research. Because behind every PhD is a person. And every person has a story.
Follow IBP Editorial and Communications for more conversations, insights and perspectives on academic, editorial and corporate communications.
Related topics
Indonesian in Malaysia | Indonesian student in Malaysia | Studying in Malaysia | International students in Malaysia | Indonesian PhD student | Malaysian culture | Indonesian-Malaysian culture | PhD experience | Academic life