by VENUS WONG
We’ve always championed women with the courage to leave their lives behind and see the world solo. But, being on the road on your own does come with complications. This is especially true if you’re a Muslim woman. Anissa Syifa Adriana, a 25-year-old backpacking Youtuber, is one such intrepid soul that inspires us with her determination to explore new countries — even in the face of prejudice. Ahead, Syifa tells us — in her own words — how her identity as a Muslim woman has shaped her travel experience.
I was brought up in Indonesia, a nation with the largest Muslim population in the world. To us, backpacking has always been a very foreign concept. Holidays are seen as a luxury because of how weak our currency is. My parents have never been abroad, and we don’t even travel within our own country.
I was working at a job with the government when one of my coworkers told me about Couchsurfing. All of a sudden, this whole community — and the idea of inviting someone to stay with you and showing them your own city for the sake of new friendship — was opened up to me. I met up with a few local Couchsurfers here in Jakarta, and that helped me build the mindset that I should be traveling more.
In August 2016, I had saved up about US $1,000 (on a $200 a month salary) and left my job. I was on the road for six months, hitting up different countries in Southeast Asia — including a 550-mile motorcycle trip throughout Southern Vietnam — before settling down as an English teacher in Northwestern China at the beginning of the year.
In many ways, I feel like I was quite naive before leaving Indonesia. As a Muslim woman, I was part of the majority: I wore a hijab daily as a personal choice and prayed five times a day. It wasn’t until I was out of the country that I realized that some people are uncomfortable with it.
Nearing the end of my stay at a big hostel in Thailand, I thanked my male host and asked if I can give him a hug. He was very hesitant and asked “Are you sure you can hug me?” Little gestures like that would happen a lot on my trip: People are a bit reluctant to look me in the eye when I wore my hijab. I often needed to initiate conversations, so that people would know I’m a somewhat a cool person to talk to. This was more common when I interact with Western travelers, probably because they have less exposure to Muslim women, or haven’t directly communicated with them. When I worked in a hostel in Malaysia, I didn’t wear it, and there was no judgement or prejudice.
“[The hijab] doesn’t change who I am. But, when I put it on, things are different, and I become self-conscious of it as well.””
A Couchsurfing host I had in the Philippines also transferred me at the last minute to one of his friends, because the friend has a Muslim fiancée. He’s never hosted a Muslim person before, so I think he just wasn’t sure what to do. He told me, “Your hijab is a really bold statement to me — I don’t really know how to interact with you, and I don’t know if it’s okay for me to stay with you.” He was being respectful of the fact that he’s a man and I’m a Muslim woman, but this episode stayed with me vividly.
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