African-American student gets 14k views for YouTube video about her first week studying in Malaysia 

Just months away from turning 25, Bayinnah Shah packed up her bags and moved from the US to Malaysia to pursue her undergraduate degree in Islamic finance.  

It’s not every day you see someone moving across the globe to study in Malaysia, especially as an older student — which is why Shah’s YouTube video about it managed to catch the attention of a few thousand people.  

Finding community through video  

In September, Shah posted a YouTube video entitled, “My first week as an older international student in Malaysia,” which has now amassed over 14,000 views. 

In the YouTube video, she shares her first impressions of Malaysia, exploring local culture and cuisine while documenting the challenges of culture shock and university life.  

The comment section is flooded with support and advice, with many sharing advice for navigating Malaysia and its people. Some also shared their own experiences as international students. Through their feedback, Shah was able to bond with people who went through similar experiences as her.  

“I wasn’t really thinking the video would be that big because I’ve been doing YouTube for like a year or something,” Shah says.  

She supposes that the unique elements to her student journey as an older student as well as an international one helped attract viewers. Another reason why she believes it gained some traction was because of her authentic sharing.  

“I’m just being myself and giving my experience, and I’m being honest with the struggles that I have,” she says. “I’m being honest, and I’m genuinely excited to learn and to get to know Malaysia in general. I want to eat your food. I want to go to your house. I want to see what’s up, you know.” 

Shah has been consistently posting YouTube videos for her Malaysia Diaries series. Source: Bayinnah Shah

Being an overachiever  

Beyond creating YouTube videos of her own, Shah also consumes a lot of content, which helped her in her process of moving to Malaysia.  

She calls her tendencies one of an “overachiever,” and she urges others who might want to follow in her footsteps to do the same.  

“I looked up a lot of things beforehand. So, because I looked up a lot of things, I wasn’t as confused as I would be if I didn’t do that,” Shah says.  

Specifically, she looked through forums, articles, and videos to learn more about Malaysia. For her visa process, she was also assisted by the university administration, which was helpful.  

“Luckily for me, I knew somebody who went to this school before that was also African American, so I was given more advice or more nuanced things that African Americans would experience here in Malaysia. So, I would suggest reaching out to previous students or previous international students so you can get their take on the particular school that you’re going to,” she advises.  

She was even an overachiever when it came to the language. While many Malaysian locals are able to communicate in English, Shah began learning basic Malay before she came. She’s managed to learn some basic phrases and numbers. 

Despite all the preparation, Shah still went through a bit of culture shock, such as with the QR payments system in Malaysia. Thankfully, she had her family with her during her first weeks in the country, providing her a sense of familiarity and safety.  

Religious nuances have also been interesting for Shah. A practising Muslim herself, Shah hails from California but spent much of her time in the Middle East. Here, she was surrounded by many conservative Muslims. While Malaysia is a Muslim-majority country, the way they practise their faith is different, too. Seeing those differences has been eye-opening and intriguing for the international student.  

“At the end of prayer in some masjids (mosque), they will turn around and shake your hands or something,” she says. “I thought that was a really beautiful sentiment, and a beautiful action to take.”