This is especially true for Malaysian Chinese. Malaysian Chinese can speak at least 3 languages: Malay, English and Mandarin. Some can speak more than 4 dialects including Hakka, Cantonese, Hokkien, Teochew... etc. Some even can speak Tamil!
But I don't find myself belong to anywhere, though. I speak primarily in English in day to day basis in school and University, I speak Cantonese to family members. I speak Mandarin to Malaysian classmates back in high school. I speak Malay to Malay friends and other local people. I speak Hakka to my extended family. Yes, my first language is not English, but that doesn't mean I really totally can't understand what British people are saying. My Cantonese is not up to the Hong Kong students' standard, nor is my Mandarin compared to Mainland Chinese students. My English is actually Malaysian English: called Manglish, interchangeable and mutually intelligible with Singlish (Singaporean English). And British people had a hard time understanding my English because it is full of Mandarin or Malay slangs.
That's why Malaysians are special, if we look at the positive side. We can more or less mix with any students from Caucasians to extreme Chinese cultures. On a more negative note, we belong nowhere other than ourselves.
So, it's up to us, really, if we want to mix all around or to be isolated and lonely. But note that it may take some time for Malaysians to really adjust and integrate with students from other cultures.
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