Recently, I had a rather unpleasant experience during my stay at a hostel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It was late at night and I was stone cold sober as I returned to the hostel. The hostel was inside an apartment building and occupied several units in the same hallway.
As I approached the door, a very drunk and very tall man came stumbling out of another unit owned by the hostel. He asked if I wanted to go downtown with him, and I politely declined. He then asked me to go to a sauna with him, to which I again said no. He then came uncomfortably close and asked me where I was from. I told him I was from Canada and returned the question. He then replied, “Belarus. Can I have a kiss?” He was now blocking the door and I stepped back. I sternly told him “no. I’m going to bed now.” He then tried to grab my arm and I pulled away. He then slapped my ass and finally stumbled away, still saying gross things over his shoulder. I called a few profanities after him as I went inside.
The next morning, I told the front desk about the encounter and asked if they had any security measures in place. They told me that they had security cameras and door locks, but that they hadn’t had a problem like this before. They apologized and promised to be more vigilant in the future. I appreciated their response, but was still shaken by the experience.
Although this was a scary experience, it made me realize the importance of always being aware of my surroundings and trusting my gut instincts. I am grateful that nothing worse happened, but it is still something that I will never forget.