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Quarantined abroad : Stories from Malaysia

31 May 2020

By Mahika Panditha Hello again, everyone! Another week and another country that we cover quarantine stories in. Now, although things are looking up for us here in Colombo, things are still not that great all over the world. This week, we had the chance to talk to some students from the beautiful Malaysia. As some of you might know, there are so many of our Sri Lankan students studying in Malaysia; some of them did come back home in the last two weeks but some did not. I have said this before and I will say it again – it is imperative that we check in on our friends and family as much as we can during times like these. Although everyone is at home, they could still be going stir-crazy! Anyways, let’s dive right in and hear what our students in Malaysia have to say about their quarantine experiences. UZAIR KIDWAI – CURRENTLY IN KUALA LUMPUR
  1. How has your quarantine experience been in Malaysia? What is a day in the life of someone in quarantine such as yourself?
I am currently halfway through my final year studying for my Bachelor of Arts and Social Sciences at Monash University Malaysia, and the quarantine experience has been tough. Adapting to a fully online lifestyle took some time, but eventually, a routine was set in place. A normal day includes working on assignments, watching Netflix, and making use of Amazon Prime subscriptions as well as some sort of exercise to keep myself active.
  1. What is the situation like in Malaysia?
As we speak, Malaysia is currently under a CMCO (conditional movement control order) implemented by the Government to limit how much people can go out. Most essential businesses are open from 7 a.m. till 10 p.m., but the cases are definitely not as severe as they were in the beginning of April. Normalcy should resume in June, but until then, the Government has done a very good job in tackling this pandemic in the country.
  1. What have you been doing to fill or pass the time?
Catching up with friends through every possible social media forum and to be honest, I didn’t even know half of them existed! Assignments have kept me sane and productive, but the seclusion from society also gives the mind some much-needed time to gather one’s own thoughts and work on oneself, which I’ve found to be very refreshing. Working on upcoming side projects has also kept me busy and has kept the creative side of me active in a time when it’s very easy to fall into a lazy whirlpool of procrastination.
  1. What is the first thing you want to do once life returns to normalcy?
Once we’re able to go back out, a trip to the barber for a haircut is of paramount importance and, of course, meeting friends and loved ones as well as getting involved again in university activities before the journey is wrapped up. --- ARNILA KAPUKOTUWA – CURRENTLY IN SUNWAY
  1. How has your quarantine experience been in Malaysia? What is a day in the life of someone in quarantine such as yourself?
Quarantine in Malaysia has been eventful; although extremely hard at times, we have found a way to make this experience a little better. I was dealt a good hand though as I stay with my cousins and several of my closest friends who all stay close by as well, so I’m never really alone. Having all these people around me has made not going outside a lot better, but it feels as though we live the same day on repeat. We pretty much have the worst sleep schedule. We usually wake up at around noon and then cook lunch, attend an online class, workout, work again, and then hang out until 4 a.m. the next day. We try to keep it interesting, but most days we fail and say we’ll try again tomorrow.
  1. What is the situation like in Malaysia?
Malaysia has around 7,009 coronavirus cases as of the time I sent this, so we can say it’s bad. However, the Government has lifted the movement control order and has increased the time of lockdown from 8 a.m-8 p.m. to 6 a.m.-10.30 p.m. Many restaurants are open to the public now and Sunway Pyramid mall is open as well. However, only one/two people are allowed to sit at the same table, your phone number and ICAD are taken at the entrance, and almost everyone is wearing masks and gloves so it’s still far from normal, but my friends and I try not to go out at all. Other than our occasional trips to the grocery store or our random drives, we try to stay indoors because the number of cases don’t seem to be getting any lower but are only increasing. 
  1. What have you been doing to fill or pass the time?
We have been filling our time with cooking! Since lockdown in Malaysia started, we’ve hosted an Easter brunch, had an Avurudu feast, and made brownies, chocolate cake, cookies, burgers, and Sri Lankan rice and curry almost every day. So I think it’s safe to say that us being homesick may have had a positive impact as well. In addition to this, we’ve started bleaching our clothes, at least the t-shirts we wore out have been bleached now; we’ve all also done something drastically different to our hair as some of us have bleached and clouded it while others now have fringes, some have cut their hair, and others have just straightened it. We’ve also just been enjoying our time by having random dance parties, playing lots and lots of games (president, Jenga, exploding kittens, twister, speed, and psych), and of course everyone’s favourite – making cringe-y but funny TikToks. It’s strange because I feel like had we not been under lockdown, our source of entertainment would have continued to be just movies and screen time, but now we all just socialise, talk, and enjoy each other’s company more than we have before.
  1. What is the first thing you want to do once life returns to normalcy?
I want to sit in the Monash cafeteria with all my friends and enjoy an iced Milo and a waffle! And, of course, walk around the mall for hours not keeping track of time and just busting all our cash on stuff we don’t really need or can’t afford, eating out at restaurants, and going out clubbing. I think the one thing I miss the most is getting ready with my girlfriends to go out. The process of some basic song blasting loud, picking out clothes, doing each other’s makeup, and finally going out, whether out clubbing or just out to dinner. Last semester was so entertaining and memorable because every day we did something different and we met all our friends everyday but now, we see a few of them at a time and it’s almost always us chilling in our PJs. --- MANDIRA GUNASEKERA  – CURRENTLY IN SELANGOR, MALAYSIA
  1. How has your quarantine experience been in Malaysia? What is a day in the life of someone in quarantine such as yourself?
We have been staying at home for over two months now and so far my quarantine experience has been fine. I feel like the introvert in me is really thriving, although lately I have been missing hanging out with my friends. I’m self-quarantined in my dorm room in Malaysia. I share the room with my roommate who's also an international student. We have both chosen to remain here for the semester. The time I wake up in the morning depends on my class schedule, which is still the same as before. The only difference is we attend these through Zoom or Google Classroom. I usually wake up in time for the class, as I have been sleeping in later than usual. Most classes start at around 9/10 a.m. and my latest class finishes at 6 p.m. My roommate and I have adjoining desks and work together on our various work tasks, occasionally commenting, joking around, and sharing memes. I spend time between classes usually eating and keeping up with assignments. After classes, I usually reward myself with my daily dose of Netflix shows and YouTube videos.
  1. What is the situation like in Malaysia?
The situation in Malaysia has improved greatly since the Government took immediate action by providing safety guidelines and implementing a movement restriction order in March. Back in March, the situation was more serious and there was an increasing number of cases. Now, due to the significant decrease in cases, businesses and restaurants have gradually started to open while adhering to strict safety precautions such as checking the temperature at the door, maintaining a distance of six feet, and requiring the wearing of masks. Me and my roommate still make essential trips to the grocery store once every two weeks and continue to take serious precautions.
  1. What have you been doing to fill or pass the time?
Since I have my normal class schedule, I remain busy, if not busier. I have had to adjust to a bigger workload as I have also had to deal with completing and submitting all my assignments and mid-semester exams through online platforms. Transitioning to online exams has been hard but overall, I have begun to enjoy this experience. I have become more adept at cooking meals for my roommate and me. As a student in a dorm room, I have access to very few cooking appliances. I do have a rice cooker and microwave and we have enjoyed experimenting to discover different dishes that can be cooked in a rice cooker. So far besides rice, we have made noodles, spicy dhal, eggs, and chicken nuggets! Also, my best friend made a mug cake. You can make a variety of cakes in your microwave, including butter cake and chocolate cake too.
  1. What is the first thing you want to do once life returns to normalcy?
I can’t wait to go to the salon since I can’t wait to get my eyebrows done! On a more serious note, I haven’t been able to meet my sister in person for the last couple of months despite the fact that she lives 15 minutes away. When I finally do get to meet her, I will be ecstatic! Photos Uzair, Arnila, Mandira


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