The last morning spent at the Canggu hostel. Today was the day to move to Kuta.
I decided to have one last morning meal at a favorite nearby Indonesian restaurant.
It was a nourishing start to the day. On the way back to the hostel, I wanted to say a final goodbye to them.
Hey! Let's take a photo together!
When I returned to the hostel, Andrea was packing. Apparently they were also checking out today and were going to Monkey Beach.
I wanted to take a commemorative photo. But when I went to the front desk, Alexandra was talking with some Australians, and I immediately became shy. I didn't know when would be the right moment to talk to the group.
I checked out for now and went back to my room. I took about a minute to steady my breathing. Now I had to say, 'Let's take a photo!' For me, that was a challenge.
I fixed my hair and headed to the lobby. I took a deep breath and said, 'Hey! Let's take a photo together!'
Then Alexandra said, 'Oh! You are here.' She hadn't noticed I was there.
Ninety percent of my worries never happen. Phew.
I asked someone nearby to take a photo of us in front of the pool. I was nervous, but we got the center shot just like I imagined.
After the photo, I told them how I felt. That I was grateful. That I was happy to have met them. Because I'm shy, it was thanks to brave Alexandra that we became friends.
Alexandra told me she was really happy about the letter I had written earlier.
Pineapple pancakes and Swedish music
We decided to just eat together at the hostel.
I had pineapple pancakes. It was an unfamiliar combination and interesting. Andrea had nasi goreng, and Alexandra had fruit, bread, and eggs.
It was very hot today. While eating the pancakes, I drank water and took a break.
In the course of conversation, Alexandra showed me the drawings she was working on. They ranged from creepy to creative. I wondered how anyone could come up with such drawings. I was curious about what was going on in her head.
There was always French music playing in the hostel lobby. Andrea brought the remote and said, 'Let's request some Swedish music too.' Everyone else reacted like, 'What is this song?' but we were the only ones hyped.
When the music played, Andrea suddenly stood up and started dancing. Without caring about others' eyes, she moved purely to the rhythm. It felt so pure and innocent, not what you'd expect from a 25-year-old.
I dance alone in my room at night with headphones on. But she danced boldly in the lobby during the day. That was dazzling.
We even talked about ABBA. Andrea is a quarter Swedish—her grandmother is Swedish and often listens to ABBA. When I shared that I'd wanted to dance during the Dancing Queen scene in Mamma Mia, she said, 'I totally get it! I love it too!'
I was so happy to have someone who understood me like that.
The Japanese letter I left in the notebook
Alexandra took out a notebook and asked me to write a message. I decided to write it in Japanese.
Precisely because I deliberately wrote in Japanese, I could convey my feelings plainly and as they came. I ended up filling a whole page.
At the end I wrote the date and signed it, then handed it over. 'You can read it if you translate it with Google Translate!' they joked.
Goodbye, Canggu
Even when it was time for the taxi, our conversation didn't end.
Andrea told me, 'If you come to Norway, you're welcome to stay.'
We hugged one last time and said goodbye. I slung my 11-kilogram backpack on my shoulders and headed to Kuta.
