We’re all going through it right now.

Countries around the world are dealing with COVID-19 and everyone’s feeling the heat. For me, it’s weird living abroad in this time of global crisis. I’m at the whims of an unfamiliar government, and travel restrictions are mounting by the day.

In the big picture, I feel very fortunate. Just last month I made a long airline journey to visit my father before he died. I got to America and back without hinderance or illness, and just a little shift in timing could have blown that all to hell.

In another stroke of fortune, I renewed my spouse visa (the document that lets me legally stay in Malaysia) just DAYS before things got really crazy here. That involved a bunch of paperwork, several trips downtown, and surrendering my passport for a few days which was stressful. In the end, I retrieved my passport with a fresh one-year visa extension less than 48 hours before the country went into lockdown.

I guess someone is looking out for me.

I mentioned in my previous blog that Malaysia was pretty relaxed about the coronavirus, but I was waiting for the other shoe to drop. Sure enough, after a few daily spikes in new cases, the government issued a 14-day “Movement Control Order” and things suddenly got serious.

It’s not a full-on lockdown. Essential services like medical, financial, and utilities are still operating. People can go to the grocery store and many restaurants are offering delivery.

Other than that, everyone is encouraged to stay home, and large gatherings are prohibited. For now, it feels like an appropriate balance of restrictions without hitting draconian quarantine.

My wife and I had been stocking up already and avoided last minute panic buying. Even so, I felt a sense of unease as the clock ticked down to midnight before the order went into effect.

What will I experience in the coming weeks? I’d heard rumors of strict movement controls and police checkpoints. Would I have Malaysian military checking my papers to buy a bottle of milk? There’s a lot of information flying around, and I don’t really know what to expect.

I think my biggest source of anxiety right now is the uncertain timeline. This movement order is in place until March 31^st, but who knows what comes after that? I can ride out two weeks no problem, but two months is a different story.

For now, I just try to remind myself that we have things pretty good. We have a nice home where we feel safe, and enough food for our family. I’ve seen pictures and read horror stories of people trying to get in or out of the country at the last minute, and I know there are millions out there having a harder time than me.

My wife suggested I document the coming weeks so that’s what I’m here to do. Enjoy these daily snippets of my experience locked down abroad.

Day 1

We woke up today feeling pretty good. No work. Good night’s sleep. Everybody’s healthy. Things could be worse!

We threw on some music and had a morning workout. My wife cut and colored her hair.

Looking outside, traffic is noticeably light for a weekday. The streets are far from bare, but the typical jams and bottlenecks are nowhere to be seen.

Last night we watched heavy traffic on the freeway as people scrambled to get to family or hometowns before the lockdown. I saw people coming home with loaded grocery bags and cases of water. I bought some ice cream because why not.

Malaysia just reported their first two Covid-19 deaths (out of 673 cases). That seems pretty impressive. Maybe this government intervention will slow the spread and keep our health facilities from getting crushed.

A large percentage of the cases here have been traced to a single 16,000-person religious gathering in a KL mosque. They are working hard to track those people down and isolate the cluster.

Aside from that, it’s mostly been a normal day. Raining now.

Time for dinner.

Day 2/3

Pretty lazy days. We set out to accomplish a bunch of tasks but ended up doing very little.

We’re eating well and enjoying time with our son, but widespread cleaning and organizing has been put off because – let’s be honest – we aren’t going anywhere for a while.

We did finish watching Breaking Bad, so that feels like an accomplishment. Hell of a show but pretty heavy in these dark times. I need something light and fun and easy to watch next. I’m thinking Schitt’s Creek.

I’ve been keeping an eye on Malaysia’s daily updates for new cases of Covid-19. For a while it seemed to be flattening out in the 100-120 range, but we had one daily spike to 150 and surpassed 1,000 cases overall. Many are still linked to that big religious festival, and it will take a few weeks to determine the effects of the lockdown on transmission rates.

The streets outside are quiet, sometimes shockingly so. Here’s a picture I took at noon:

Not a car in sight.

Sometimes I enjoy the peace and quiet. Other times it creeps me out. I expect to bounce back and forth between those emotions for a while.

Day 4

We took a walk outside with Adam today. Just a short stroll around our building. I saw a guy on his balcony holding a baby, and we made the babies wave at each other. It was the most social interaction I’ve had all week.

I can see people sitting in apartments, gazing wistfully out the window, pacing the balcony. It’s a sobering reminder that we are all going through the same thing. It’s weird to feel so lonely and isolated knowing that millions of people are in the same boat.

A part of me is glad we’re doing this. It sucks to be stuck at home, but I’m glad Malaysia is doing something. All the experts say it needs to happen, and I’d rather spend a few weeks in isolation than have the public health system overwhelmed.

Even so, it’s starting to sink in that this is gonna be a while. I think there is a zero percent chance that Malaysia’s “Movement Control Order” (MCO) lifts on March 31^st. I keep reading that this will be necessary for months and may come in waves until a vaccine is available.

Bloody hell.

All we can do right now is keep things in perspective and try to stay sane. My sister had the quote of the day when she said, “When this is all over, I never want to hear the term ‘Social Distancing’ again.”

Amen to that.

Day 5

Apparently, the army is rolling in today to help enforce the MCO. They say they will be managing roadblocks and chasing off people who gather where they shouldn’t. I haven’t seen any military action around here, but I did see two army trucks going down the freeway this morning.

There’s a police checkpoint just down the street from our building, so if we do go out we’ll have to explain ourselves. It’s a bit unsettling, but I’ve spent some time watching the operation and it looks low key. For now.

I haven’t heard any stories of looting or unrest around Malaysia. Maybe a few small incidents, but the biggest issue is just people hanging out in restaurants or parks. I feel like large open public spaces should remain accessible. It’s easy enough to keep your distance and people need fresh air.

If (when) this drags on for weeks and months, mental health becomes a concern as much as physical. People get stressed and stir crazy and even happy families can become strained. I hope that with time authorities take all that into account.

I’m planning to buy a guitar online. Just a cheap acoustic with nylon strings. I don’t know when it will get here, but it will give me something new to work on.

I’ve been listening to a lot of music to stay sane. It helps calm the anxiety and take my mind off the world’s troubles. Sometimes I’ll just go on YouTube and look for peaceful music or meditative tracks. This one has been working for me lately.

Day 6

Today I did a four-way video chat with my family. It’s a bit clunky with a big group, but we’re getting the hang of it. Nice that we can all talk together while sheltering in our respective homes.

I’ve been trying to video chat with someone every day. It helps me feel connected, which is important right now. I’d say it’s a nice distraction but we probably spend half the time discussing the virus and its outsized impact. It’s just hard to get around it.

Everyone I talk to seems to be on the same page:

• This sucks
• Everything is crazy
• How long will it last?

I feel like we’re in the early stages, but I pray it will get easier with time. What else can we do but ride it out?

It’s a weird time.

I wish you all the best, and bid you to stay safe, stay healthy, and stay sane.

If you’re still reading this, take a few minutes and throw some positive vibes out into the universe. A prayer, a mantra, a dance… whatever works for you We can all use it, and it will make you feel better.

Until next time, be well…

---