When she awoke, she was dismayed to find she had missed her stop. The driver had not seen her sleeping, and the bus was now parked in a lot about 10km away from town!
Sharmina ended up having to walk, and she covered about 5km before managing to get a ride to Kuala Terengganu.
Weary, she decided to stop at a warung for breakfast – which is when a chance encounter took place that would lead to an unexpected and heartwarming friendship.
There, a local woman introduced herself as Pauziah Chemat and offered to show her around in her car. The pair spent the day exploring the city’s landmarks, and Pauziah remained in close contact throughout Sharmina’s trip.
Even after she left, they continued to stay in touch. Pauziah would send her postcards or WhatsApp messages greeting her “good morning” or wishing her a nice day almost daily.
Today, Sharmina calls Pauziah her “mak angkat”, or foster mother.
Looking back, Sharmina, 24, admitted she doesn’t really remember how they began talking.
“Pauziah asked me a few questions, and I ended up inviting her to sit at the same table so we could talk more. When she offered to show me around the city in her car, I said yes.
“Maybe if I hadn’t been so sleepy, I might have thought about it more – but I’m really grateful I didn’t, because it turned into such a beautiful story,” she said with a laugh.
Pauziah recalled being moved to help Sharmina out of compassion. “I took her under my wing because she was the same age as my children.
“I thought how nice and beautiful it would be for anyone to have a friend or family member help them when in a new place,” the mother of six told FMT Lifestyle.
Pauziah ended up bringing Sharmina to locations such as the Floating Mosque and Batik Pavilion. On a visit to Kapas Island, she even drove her to Marang – and then even joined her on the boat to the island!
Pauziah also introduced Sharmina to some local people, and made sure she felt comfortable and had everything she needed.
“A week later, she came to visit me on Kapas Island again, just to check that I was OK and that everything was going well. It honestly felt like a mother’s love,” Sharmina said.
She confessed that she hadn’t had strong expectations about Malaysia – “I thought it would be similar to other Southeast Asian countries I had visited” – but it turned out to be “completely different in a really good way”.
“Now it’s one of my favorite countries, mostly because of the connections I’ve made with people,” she added happily.
Sharmina expressed her awe over how easy it had been to connect with Pauziah, and how open and inviting she’d been from the very beginning.
Plus, thanks to Pauziah, she was able to try a lot of the local foods! “I’m usually quite afraid of unfamiliar tastes, but my mak angkat was very encouraging.”
Sharmina has since continued on her travels across Southeast Asia and, as of press time, is in Indonesia. She hopes to return to Malaysia later this year – and naturally, spending more time with Pauziah is a must.
Pauziah looks forward to it. “Hopefully we can visit other places all over Malaysia next time,” she said, adding that she has many “anak angkat” from other countries including Germany, France, Algeria, China, South Korea and the UK.
Fortunately, Sharmina does not feel any “foster sibling rivalry”!
“I know I’m not the only one she has ‘adopted’. Pauziah is always kind to strangers; she loves meeting new people, building connections, and helping in any way she can,” she said.
“I think we should always be friendly and kind to one another,” Pauziah agreed, “because in the end, we are all brothers and sisters.”
Follow Ella Sharmina’s adventures on Instagram.