It is day 3, and I am truly less scared of my room.
Sure, I still tie up the door with a bag strap every night. But I've checked the kitchen, the under of my bed, and bathroom for creepy intruders significantly less times today than the past two. From eight times in a day, I have brought the number down to three. Following the scientific method, I can safely assume that I am making progress. Yes.
This isn't my first time travelling alone. I've done it several times actually, and it really doesn't bother me. Hashtag bucketlist or whatever people call it. (I have never used that hashtag btw, just to be clear). I don't know, maybe it's because I'm so close to the forest. Maybe it's because Ubud doesn't have well lit streets at night. I really can't say what it is exactly. But the place just gives me extra jeebies. I'm gonna go with forest. That's probably it. Yeah.
To those travelling solo to Ubud, it's pretty safe btw. I'm just being irrational, and I am fully aware. It's the perfect place to travel solo. The food is good, life is cheap, and the people are friendly. You can walk on the streets at night, and you'll be perfectly safe. There's nothing to worry about. I've probably Googled "Is it safe to travel alone in Ubud four times this whole week (and I'm only on my third day. Ugh. I still think I am less scared now, see top paragraph for justification).
My villa is nice. It's pretty big for one person, it's clean, and quiet. Owned by a nice little Balinese family. The only thing separating my bed from the outside is a glass door with a hook and a curtain. Quite possibly designed for aesthetic reasons. Hopefully my bag strap will save me. Truly, this was not the way I had imagined my life would end. But it's day 3, and I have lived to blog another day.
Learned lots of cool stuff in class today. But nothing quite cooler than my classmates. Today I got to chat with Barbara. She's from Italy. She's a fashion designer, and used to run her own store back home. But one day she woke up and had enough of her life in the city. So she sold everything she owned and left. She moved to Bali, a place on the other side of the world that she has never even been to in her life.
When asked why, she said Bali called to her. It is where she would be at peace. She's been here three years, and all of what she felt in her heart when she made that decision to move was true. The day she arrived at the airport, she found a bracelet hanging from a tree. It was the first thing to greet her home. She believes it was a gift from the universe, sent to protect her. She's been wearing it for 3 years now.
I never got my bracelet.