Author: Merel Nahuijsen
Merel Nahuijsen
Merel Nahuysen is the editor of The Expat magazine. She coordinates content relevant to Malaysia’s diverse international community and works closely with writers, contributors, and partners to ensure engaging, high-quality stories that inform, inspire, and connect English-speaking audiences.
Multilingualism wasn’t something I thought much about until my own children came along. In our home, Dutch mixed happily with Australian English – that very specific, sun-soaked language of beaches and barbecues. My bilingual kids moved easily between the two languages, sometimes mid-sentence, depending on whether they were speaking to me, their dad, or each other. But the real magic began when we moved to Malaysia. Once the kids began at an international school, their world expanded quickly: local friends, yes, but also classmates from every corner of the globe – over 50 nationalities in total. On any given school day, they came…