Remembering a not-too-distant Ramadhan
Today is the eve of Ramadhan (InsyaAllah). This afternoon the sighting for the new moon of Ramadhan is taking place all across the country.
Almost everybody is quite certain that Ramadhan starts tomorrow, a blessed Friday it will definitely be.
I'm remembering my first Ramadhan away from home. And by "away", I mean Newcastle UK. A bunch of us, 9 girls & 1 guy, under JPA scholarship (I should really say loan :Þ) flew to cold, misty Newcastle in September 1997. And Ramadhan that year was in December / January.
Of course, I was really excited being in Newcastle. Everything was new and strange, and everything felt like an adventure. Can you imagine buka puasa at 4.30pm? Hehhehe..
That Ramadhan, my housemates (Rina & Sheils) and I, and the next door neighbours (Darls, Sha, Mel & Lia) decided to take turns hosting buka puasa. Why?
1. Variety of food
2. More people = more "ceria"
3. It would feel like having meals with family
The first day of puasa, and it was hectic at our house. Can't exactly recall the menu, but I think I cooked a last minute-dish, Sambal Telur. Hehe.. All 7 were there, plus 3 juniors from NU. Sheils decided to bring her Mini system (eh betul ke it was a Mini System?) to the lounge and blasted away lagu raya. Oh goodness, we were all really in Raya mood already!
To this day, every time I somehow manage to talk to one of the juniors from NU who came to that buka puasa, he would always ask me: "Kak Yam, bila nak masak untuk saya sambal telur lagi? Teringat lah.."
One day, Dik. Just make sure you come back to this homeland first.
And of course I can clearly picture the last day of that first Ramadhan in Newcastle. It was at the neighbours' place. Also, a mini system was placed in the lounge (Sha punya eh? Or was it Lia's or Mel's?). After the doa berbuka, someone played the cassette which was already inside the player.
It was the takbir raya.
OMG. The air was thick with choked emotions. I had tears in my eyes, remembering that this raya I would be away from my family and relatives. Sha too was crying – she got up and said: "Dah lah, aku tak tahan ni." I think everybody went through that day in a blur. Either you’re in the kitchen preparing food for the next day, or you were on the phone crying, calling the family back in Malaysia.
That moment, I decided that I was definitely gonna book a flight home to KL for summer holidays. I was seriously homesick and just couldn't wait 2 years to see my family again. And I didn't care if no one else was going back to KL during the coming summer of '98. (Of course, Sha too decided to go back to KL. Same case with me: Tak tahan lah... Homesick!)
Oh yes, Sha was with me all the way. Checking for exam timetables (to see when is the earliest we can leave Newcastle), going together to the travel agent at the Uni to ask about flights back to KL, asking around for the cheapest fares. We were two busy-bees, weren't we Sha?
I'm glad to be back in KL. Definitely. Among loved ones. Who wouldn't?
But I must admit, after 5 years, I miss the life in Newcastle. I miss being answerable to me and me alone :P (OK OK. Sheils and Rina and myself looked out for one another. Hehe.. I can’t exactly say I did as I please all the time lah ;-)). I miss Kedai Haji and his famous samosa. I miss walking through the fields on my way to the university, seeing the cows lazying around. I miss Netto and Safeway and MetroCentre and Eldon Square and Warner Village.
One day I'll be back. Oh it won't be the same, for I'm a student no more. But at least I'll get to see the places that had once been a part of my life.
No, correction. I'll get to see the places that had once been my entire existence.
Almost everybody is quite certain that Ramadhan starts tomorrow, a blessed Friday it will definitely be.
I'm remembering my first Ramadhan away from home. And by "away", I mean Newcastle UK. A bunch of us, 9 girls & 1 guy, under JPA scholarship (I should really say loan :Þ) flew to cold, misty Newcastle in September 1997. And Ramadhan that year was in December / January.
Of course, I was really excited being in Newcastle. Everything was new and strange, and everything felt like an adventure. Can you imagine buka puasa at 4.30pm? Hehhehe..
That Ramadhan, my housemates (Rina & Sheils) and I, and the next door neighbours (Darls, Sha, Mel & Lia) decided to take turns hosting buka puasa. Why?
1. Variety of food
2. More people = more "ceria"
3. It would feel like having meals with family
The first day of puasa, and it was hectic at our house. Can't exactly recall the menu, but I think I cooked a last minute-dish, Sambal Telur. Hehe.. All 7 were there, plus 3 juniors from NU. Sheils decided to bring her Mini system (eh betul ke it was a Mini System?) to the lounge and blasted away lagu raya. Oh goodness, we were all really in Raya mood already!
To this day, every time I somehow manage to talk to one of the juniors from NU who came to that buka puasa, he would always ask me: "Kak Yam, bila nak masak untuk saya sambal telur lagi? Teringat lah.."
One day, Dik. Just make sure you come back to this homeland first.
And of course I can clearly picture the last day of that first Ramadhan in Newcastle. It was at the neighbours' place. Also, a mini system was placed in the lounge (Sha punya eh? Or was it Lia's or Mel's?). After the doa berbuka, someone played the cassette which was already inside the player.
It was the takbir raya.
OMG. The air was thick with choked emotions. I had tears in my eyes, remembering that this raya I would be away from my family and relatives. Sha too was crying – she got up and said: "Dah lah, aku tak tahan ni." I think everybody went through that day in a blur. Either you’re in the kitchen preparing food for the next day, or you were on the phone crying, calling the family back in Malaysia.
That moment, I decided that I was definitely gonna book a flight home to KL for summer holidays. I was seriously homesick and just couldn't wait 2 years to see my family again. And I didn't care if no one else was going back to KL during the coming summer of '98. (Of course, Sha too decided to go back to KL. Same case with me: Tak tahan lah... Homesick!)
Oh yes, Sha was with me all the way. Checking for exam timetables (to see when is the earliest we can leave Newcastle), going together to the travel agent at the Uni to ask about flights back to KL, asking around for the cheapest fares. We were two busy-bees, weren't we Sha?
I'm glad to be back in KL. Definitely. Among loved ones. Who wouldn't?
But I must admit, after 5 years, I miss the life in Newcastle. I miss being answerable to me and me alone :P (OK OK. Sheils and Rina and myself looked out for one another. Hehe.. I can’t exactly say I did as I please all the time lah ;-)). I miss Kedai Haji and his famous samosa. I miss walking through the fields on my way to the university, seeing the cows lazying around. I miss Netto and Safeway and MetroCentre and Eldon Square and Warner Village.
One day I'll be back. Oh it won't be the same, for I'm a student no more. But at least I'll get to see the places that had once been a part of my life.
No, correction. I'll get to see the places that had once been my entire existence.
posted by Yam @ 1:50 pm
<< Home