In case you’ve missed it, The Flash was recently here with his Malaysian fiancee about two weeks ago and he seems to have really enjoyed our awesome country! Thomas Grant Gustin, 27, better known as Barry Allen a.k.a Flash the superhero, had returned to the United States with Andrea Thoma, 29 on December 28.
Gustin had mentioned that he would be visiting in December and he had posted a photo on Instagram on December 18 with Thoma with a small building in the background captioned, “We made it.” Many Sabahans immediately recognised the background and knew that they were in Kota Kinabalu.
Although they did not reveal where they were staying, Thoma’s Instagram posts mentioned that they were staying on the beautiful Gaya Island Resort. Looks like they had lots of fun! According to the Star, the couple were very excited to learn more about the state and also the Kadazandusun culture which was part of Thoma’s heritage.
Gustin said that they were recognised a lot but thankfully, most of the people respected their privacy. “They were very respectful. Most of them would just come up to us requesting for a photo if they saw us. There were not many who would sneak a picture or come rudely up to us,” he said.
They met with the Minister of Tourism, Masidi Manjun as well at a dinner hosted by the Sabah Tourism Board on December 23 and Gustin said that he found Malaysia to be “very beautiful with amazing people.” Aww, thank you!
He had been learning simple Kadazan words and Thoma said that although she has been living in the United States all her life, her mother would ensure that they did not lose touch with her Borneo heritage. Her family returns to Sabah every few years to keep in touch with their roots.
“My mother makes sure that she speaks to us in Kadazan at times so that we would not be completely clueless about our other identity apart from being American,” she said.
Showing a true Malaysian side, Thoma and her siblings love food with belacan or shrimp paste because their mother would always cook food which reminded her of home. Malaysian food is the best! Gustin is also showing a real love for Malaysia and said that they would be coming back more often now as he is already talking about buying land and property here.
Come back anytime, Grant and Andrea! Malaysia welcomes both of you!
Also read: ‘The Flash’ Actor Settles Down in Real Life with Sabahan Girlfriend