I know that most coffee shops open after 8 a.m., so there is no point in waking up earlier than that. I’m not really good at waking up early anyway. For me, getting enough sleep is more important at the moment.
At the Starbucks I had gone to the day before, I spent time journaling, learning French, and writing this blog. It got pretty loud because of a big group of young people who were speaking Chinese. I got a breakfast set—a drink and a donut—which cost only 9 MYR ($2). I ordered a grande Americano afterward, though.
Maybe because of all the caffeine I had or something else, I started feeling more anxious after the second coffee. I felt a bit mentally unstable that morning.
After leaving Starbucks, I went to a busy hawker center called Sri Weld Food Court, where I had nasi lemak, Malaysia’s national dish, featuring fragrant rice cooked in coconut milk and pandan leaves. I got it with anchovies and an egg for 3.50 MYR ($0.80). I also had another noodle dish called kuey teow for 7 MYR ($1.70). I had no idea what it was, but I decided to try it anyway.
I loved not only the food but also the atmosphere. The place was packed with locals as well as some tourists. On top of that, it was cheap. It immediately became one of my favorite places to eat.
As I was eating alone, a couple who looked Japanese glanced at me a few times, which made me think that we both knew the other was Japanese. It always feels strange when I come across Japanese people in other countries. Should I talk to them, or should I just ignore them and pretend I haven’t noticed that they’re Japanese?
After leaving the hawker center, I settled down in a random shop because it had started raining. The rain became much heavier afterward. For some reason, I was feeling so anxious that I didn’t feel like doing anything. I just scrolled through my phone without really doing anything.
Eventually, it was time to go to judo practice.
The bus is the best option for me here in George Town. It costs only about 50 cents, although it took more than 30 minutes to get to the dojo.
The dojo I visited was Budo Academy, where there is a Japanese JICA coach. I had contacted him beforehand and gotten permission to practice there. Since I also wanted to watch the kids’ class, I arrived before 5 p.m.
There were more than 20 kids practicing judo. Every time I visit a dojo in another country, I’m reminded of how hard Japanese kids train in judo.
At the same time, the high school students were training at the edge of the dojo. They joined the main practice after 6 p.m. I practiced with them for about two hours. I had a great time doing judo with them and teaching them some techniques.
After leaving the dojo, I took a bus back that was packed with people.
Since I had a lot of clothes to wash, as well as my sweaty judo gi, I took a quick shower at the hostel and went to a laundromat. It cost 12 MYR ($3) in total for washing and drying.
While my clothes were being washed, I had dinner at a food stall near the hostel. I had a noodle dish for 9 MYR ($2.20), which came out very quickly, and a fresh orange juice for 5 MYR ($1.20). I get the impression that ordering a drink is either expected or very common when you eat at a food stall or hawker center in Malaysia.
While I was waiting for my laundry to finish, I noticed a guy with the longest beard I had ever seen. He asked me if I could exchange some small bills for his large bill. Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough small bills either, so he went to a convenience store to break the large bill.
When he came back, he gave me a bottle of water that he had just bought.
It turned out that he was from Oman, although at first I had thought he was from India. He seemed happy to meet another solo traveler. He started traveling last year and told me that he loved it.
We talked until my clothes were dry. Then we said goodbye, and I left.
I went back to the hostel, folded all my clothes, and put them into my backpack. For some reason, doing that made me feel calm and relaxed.
Looking back on the day, I realized that judo practice had completely eliminated the anxiety I had been feeling earlier.
It was another moment when I felt grateful to be a judoka.
I went to bed at midnight.
BUDO ACADEMY
