I have never thought that I would have the chance to go to the UK. I was a kampung girl staying at Kampung Tanjung Petai in Kuala Pilah. I climbed trees, bathe in rivers (the only girl in the crowd of a few boys), played hantu-hantu everytime I came back from mengaji the Al-Quran from Pak Ngah Din and I even went to school there. I was at the Sekolah Rendah Kebangsaan Dato' Idris. My 'twang' was that of a pure Negri. I loved my grandparents to pieces and I never thought that come standard 3, I would be whisked away to an unknown land called Birmingham. When my Dad told me that he would take us on a plane and that we would go to the UK, I was excited. Not really thinking much then. Heck, I was 9 years old. What do I know. All I wanted to do was get on a plane. Do remember that I was a kampung girl. But when the actual day did come, I didn't want to go. I didn't want to leave my grandparents behind. They raised me. They loved me (both my beloved grandparents have passed away). And I couldn't leave. But the day came and as soon as we reached the Subang Airport, my brothers and I forgot about the grandparents that we were leaving behind. We were excited to get on the aeroplane.
We landed at the Birmingham Airport in the morning. We could see Indian nationals sweeping the floor. And we could also see the Mat and Minah Salleh's walking. We were surrounded by them! It was such a different sight. Here I was, used to the sawah and the coconut trees, among the thousands of Mat and Minah Salleh's at the Heathrow Airport. It was AMAZING. It was not until we reach Selly Oak, the house of Uncle Kaida that it finally dawned on me. I had left my kampung life behind and was about to begin an entirely different life there in Birmingham. How would I go about with life? I didn't even know English. I couldn't even understand it let alone speak the language. I became sad thinking of the beloved grandparents that I left behind. My schoolmates. My best friend, Haslinda. My brothers and I huddled with one another and we cried.
First day at the Adderly Junior Primary School was atrocious. I would have thought that there would be a lot of white folks, but the only white folks in the school were the teachers. The majority of the students were of Pakistani, Bangladesh and Afghanistan descendants. They didn't like me. They kept calling me Chinese. They even had a song for me. "Chinese, Japanese, what is this" - pointing to the upper part of the body, you know where. I hated it. I wanted to go home. The students bullied me. There was this one time, a boy spat on me. I was upset so I smacked him. He cried and told the teacher. The teacher was angry with me. I tried telling her that he spat on me but I didn't know how. The boy's face was smiling. I was mad. Really mad. But the teacher was on his side. I came home that day crying. I told my mother what happened. And the next day, my mother went to school to clarify the matter. The teacher was sorry and told the boy off instead. It was my turn to smugly smile at him.
But it wasn't all bad. When I got the grasp of the English language, life at school was fun. Really fun. Very different than Sekolah Rendah Kebangsaan Dato' Idris. I made a lot of friends. I was good with the teachers and the teachers liked me. They said that I was good student. My English accent then was very much like the others around me. They had accepted me. And I loved it. I joined the choir singing christmas carols at the Town Hall during Christmas and I was also active in sports. But, it was not until secondary school that I became VERY active in sports. Surprisingly, I had many friends as well.
I later joined the Washwood Heath Secondary School in Alum Rock. It was very different than the primary school. The majority of the students were white. But there were also quite a number of Asians. I was in the Asians category. I LOVED the school. And the students. My best friend then was Jennie Beattie. We have lost touch but during the wake of Tsunami last year, she sent me a letter as she was very worried about me. I was touched. Jennie still remembers me. I had many friends. Not just the ones I made in class, but also those in other classes. As I was active in sports (netball, softball, etc) and represented the school for the 1st year students, my cirlce of friends widen. It was good. As we were young then, a lot of the girls were also into silly things. Smoking, kissing with boyfriends and all. A friend of mine, Kelly urged me to smoke but I didn't want to. Kelly called me a coward but Jennie stepped in for me. I was so thankful for having a friend like Jennie then.
When I had to leave school to return to Malaysia, I was sad. So was the rest of my friends. They arranged a surprise party for me. Mr Day, the 1st year tutor told me that there was a netball competition. So I brought along my PE gear, all set to change and play. But he told me to go to the classroom first. So I did. When I opened the door, the room was dark. There was no one there. Suddenly, out of nowhere, 'SURPRISE..!!" I was shocked. There was no netball. There was only a surprise party, for me. I was equally touched as well. Going back that day which also happened to be the last day before the term break began was particularly sad for me. After nearly 5 years staying in Birmingham, I was finally going back to Malaysia. Mixed feelings really. I was afraid. And I also missed my friends. Besides, I no longer speak with a Negri 'twang'. I spoke with a British 'twang'. Gone was the kampung girl. I was then known as the one who went to England girl.
My Dad enrolled me in Convent Seremban. I hated it. I didn't want to go to an all girls' school. But my Dad insisted on it. He felt that I was left behind in terms of studies AND my Malay language was terrible..!! I despised him for that. Pn Fatimah Hari happened to be his friend and after much discussion, I was placed in 1 Intan, the top class of the form. The good influence from 1 Intan was supposed to help me catch up with my studies. As it was approaching the end of the year exam, I went to the exam hall 'tembak-ing' the answers. I didn't know how to answer them. But suprisingly, I passed all the papers. But on the border sort of thing. I later learnt that the teachers were 'kesian' at me. Whatever. At least I passed.
Convent days were also the best days of my life (after I got used to the school). At first, only prefects and show offs wanted to be my friends. They spoke English with me, as if I couldn't speak Malay. But I later spoke a lot of Malay and that got the prefects and show offs to slowly trail behind. I made friends with another set of girls, who till this day, are the few of my closest friends. No more prefects. I came to enjoy school. My results were terrible, but who cared. I was in school..!!
I was active in school plays, choir and debate. I loved them. I got to learn about puppy love during Convent days as well. There was Wan who went to Sekolah Menengah Sri Ampangan, then there was Labu, who went to KGV. The funny thing was that, at that time, I thought Labu was the first and final love for me. I loved him to the max. We never sort a had a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship, BUT we flirted a lot. Especially on the bus on the way back home and at the stadium (Paroi Jaya) or the football field. I took the courage to speak with him on the phone (I made the first move you know. Very the timba mencari perigi sort of thing. But I didn't care). And we would constantly be on the phone. When I was in Form 5, a few weeks before the SPM was about to begin, I told him that I liked him. I couldn't help it. I was going nuts. Infatuated with him. He kept quiet and told me that he had a girlfriend and that I knew that he had one. I was upset. Of course I knew that he had a girlfriend but I thought if I confessed he would like me in return. He said he liked me, but he couldn't break his girlfriend's heart. I hung up and ignored him. But from thereon, he sort of made a move at me. But I couldn't be bothered. Let him go to his girlfriend. I didn't care. As a result, he made a statement which made me cry during one of the monthly tests in class. I think it was a test for science. Everybody was busy doing the test but I was crying. He said, "Alah Budak Convent. Petik satu jari, 10 marilah". That really made me upset. BUT, that did not reduce the amount of the so-called love I had for him. How funny and stupid was that.
From there onwards, any boy who admired or liked me, I would put Labu as a benchmark. Crazy? I know. I felt stupid when thinking about it now. But there you go. It was during one of those silly BUT wonderful teenage years. I did see Labu a few years back. I was already working at that time and was in Carrefour. I was wearing this dark brown flaired slacks with light brown tight fitting turtle necks. He saw me and I could see that he was suprised to see me and appreciating what he saw as well. I was glad that he saw me at my best. But I didn't have feelings for him anymore. Those feelings for him was SO school days. At that time, I was already seeing someone else. Someone whom I married a few years later.
Before I went to PPP/ITM, I went for form 6 at KGV. This was also one of the memorable times of my life. I had so many admirers at this time that I was enjoying the attention to the max. Each with their own individual attraction. It was the best. I was always going out with them. Or drink float at A&W with AM. AM always fetched me after school in his mother's car. I didn't dare go on his bike. ANA would become a driver picking me up whenever I need a lift from somewhere to somewhere. M would call me in the middle of the night conessing his love for me (actually this guy, was TOO much. Too much love was killing me..!!). I felt I was the prettiest girl then. My saham was very high then. So I just enjoyed the ride.
At PPP/ITM, I made a lot of friends. It was fun. Though I did not fall under the cool, popular and glamarous type of girls, I was alright. Made lots of friends. And I enjoyed it. After 2 years of hard studying (didn't think I did a lot of studies. I was busy with my drama club and was involved in college activities like the Open Day, etc) Praise to Allah, I got a cool A Levels result. 2A's and 1B. I was so thankful and felt very lucky. So I did my 1st year in Cheras before flying off to the UK for my degree. I went to the University of Northumbria at Newcastle-Upon-Tyne. Life in Newcastle was FANTASTIC. Need I say more. I learnt a lot of thing here; independancy, control finances and budget, make-up with friends after a fight, keep secrets, wear high heel shoes, and I also learnt the actual meaning of true love. And believe me, this love was NO Labu love. This love was genuine and I am thankful to this day to Allah for bestowing this feeling of love to me which I hope will flourish for many, many years to come. I met my first ever boyfriend here in Newcastle. After much flirting, going out with that person and this person, receiving gifts and cards, I finally said yes to a guy whom I knew for just about a couple of months. We went steady for nearly 5 years before taking the huge step towards marriage. We wedded on 27 December 2002; it certainly was one of the best days of my life.
Staying at Newcastle taught me a lot. It also made me realised just how much I love my parents. So when I graduated and they came, it really meant a lot to me. I felt their pride as I walked up the stage to receive my scroll. With my cape and hat, and the green kebaya that my parents brought for me from Malaysia, I felt that I was holding the world. I couldn't help grinning from ear to ear. The feeling of overjoy was overwhelming. One of the many experiences that I shall cerish.
I returned to Malaysia in September 1999. All my friends were looking for jobs. I lazed around. Too lazy to start looking for jobs. In January 2000, I started looking for a job. I didn't want to be unemployed anymore. In April 2000, I secured a job at Nikkei Pacific Corporate Advisors. A year and a half later, I joined the property division of the then Renong Group of companies and have been staying here ever since.
I also got married during that period and in 2005, Allah gave me a beautiful daughter whom my dearest Bie and I named Marsya Hazirah. She is one of the best things that has happened to me. Next to my marriage to my dearest Bie, Marsya is the best thing. I love the way she leans against me when she wants to go to sleep, her eagerness in searching for my milk when she's hungry or thirsty, her smiles which show her firmly rooted six pieces of teeth, her dancing when she hears the music being played (bunyi gitar being her favourite), the way she watches Disney Playhouse. In fact, I love everything that is to love about her. AndI couln't thank Allah enough for giving us such a beautiful and healthy baby. Now that she's approaching 10 months, I felt that time travelled so fast. The next thing I know, she will have started talking and going to school. And going through the same cycle that I went through.
These days, I am taking things at a step. I am also hoping to add more to the family. BUT not now. Marsya is still very small and I want her to enjoy us pampering her before we give her another baby brother or sister. Life is good. It was hard to believe that from a kampung, Negri-speaking girl, I have actually turned out to be what I am today. I'm not regretting it. Oh no. I treasure the days of the kampung and I also treasure the days that followed.
Life really is like a big wheel. It just turns and turns and turns...
We landed at the Birmingham Airport in the morning. We could see Indian nationals sweeping the floor. And we could also see the Mat and Minah Salleh's walking. We were surrounded by them! It was such a different sight. Here I was, used to the sawah and the coconut trees, among the thousands of Mat and Minah Salleh's at the Heathrow Airport. It was AMAZING. It was not until we reach Selly Oak, the house of Uncle Kaida that it finally dawned on me. I had left my kampung life behind and was about to begin an entirely different life there in Birmingham. How would I go about with life? I didn't even know English. I couldn't even understand it let alone speak the language. I became sad thinking of the beloved grandparents that I left behind. My schoolmates. My best friend, Haslinda. My brothers and I huddled with one another and we cried.
First day at the Adderly Junior Primary School was atrocious. I would have thought that there would be a lot of white folks, but the only white folks in the school were the teachers. The majority of the students were of Pakistani, Bangladesh and Afghanistan descendants. They didn't like me. They kept calling me Chinese. They even had a song for me. "Chinese, Japanese, what is this" - pointing to the upper part of the body, you know where. I hated it. I wanted to go home. The students bullied me. There was this one time, a boy spat on me. I was upset so I smacked him. He cried and told the teacher. The teacher was angry with me. I tried telling her that he spat on me but I didn't know how. The boy's face was smiling. I was mad. Really mad. But the teacher was on his side. I came home that day crying. I told my mother what happened. And the next day, my mother went to school to clarify the matter. The teacher was sorry and told the boy off instead. It was my turn to smugly smile at him.
But it wasn't all bad. When I got the grasp of the English language, life at school was fun. Really fun. Very different than Sekolah Rendah Kebangsaan Dato' Idris. I made a lot of friends. I was good with the teachers and the teachers liked me. They said that I was good student. My English accent then was very much like the others around me. They had accepted me. And I loved it. I joined the choir singing christmas carols at the Town Hall during Christmas and I was also active in sports. But, it was not until secondary school that I became VERY active in sports. Surprisingly, I had many friends as well.
I later joined the Washwood Heath Secondary School in Alum Rock. It was very different than the primary school. The majority of the students were white. But there were also quite a number of Asians. I was in the Asians category. I LOVED the school. And the students. My best friend then was Jennie Beattie. We have lost touch but during the wake of Tsunami last year, she sent me a letter as she was very worried about me. I was touched. Jennie still remembers me. I had many friends. Not just the ones I made in class, but also those in other classes. As I was active in sports (netball, softball, etc) and represented the school for the 1st year students, my cirlce of friends widen. It was good. As we were young then, a lot of the girls were also into silly things. Smoking, kissing with boyfriends and all. A friend of mine, Kelly urged me to smoke but I didn't want to. Kelly called me a coward but Jennie stepped in for me. I was so thankful for having a friend like Jennie then.
When I had to leave school to return to Malaysia, I was sad. So was the rest of my friends. They arranged a surprise party for me. Mr Day, the 1st year tutor told me that there was a netball competition. So I brought along my PE gear, all set to change and play. But he told me to go to the classroom first. So I did. When I opened the door, the room was dark. There was no one there. Suddenly, out of nowhere, 'SURPRISE..!!" I was shocked. There was no netball. There was only a surprise party, for me. I was equally touched as well. Going back that day which also happened to be the last day before the term break began was particularly sad for me. After nearly 5 years staying in Birmingham, I was finally going back to Malaysia. Mixed feelings really. I was afraid. And I also missed my friends. Besides, I no longer speak with a Negri 'twang'. I spoke with a British 'twang'. Gone was the kampung girl. I was then known as the one who went to England girl.
My Dad enrolled me in Convent Seremban. I hated it. I didn't want to go to an all girls' school. But my Dad insisted on it. He felt that I was left behind in terms of studies AND my Malay language was terrible..!! I despised him for that. Pn Fatimah Hari happened to be his friend and after much discussion, I was placed in 1 Intan, the top class of the form. The good influence from 1 Intan was supposed to help me catch up with my studies. As it was approaching the end of the year exam, I went to the exam hall 'tembak-ing' the answers. I didn't know how to answer them. But suprisingly, I passed all the papers. But on the border sort of thing. I later learnt that the teachers were 'kesian' at me. Whatever. At least I passed.
Convent days were also the best days of my life (after I got used to the school). At first, only prefects and show offs wanted to be my friends. They spoke English with me, as if I couldn't speak Malay. But I later spoke a lot of Malay and that got the prefects and show offs to slowly trail behind. I made friends with another set of girls, who till this day, are the few of my closest friends. No more prefects. I came to enjoy school. My results were terrible, but who cared. I was in school..!!
I was active in school plays, choir and debate. I loved them. I got to learn about puppy love during Convent days as well. There was Wan who went to Sekolah Menengah Sri Ampangan, then there was Labu, who went to KGV. The funny thing was that, at that time, I thought Labu was the first and final love for me. I loved him to the max. We never sort a had a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship, BUT we flirted a lot. Especially on the bus on the way back home and at the stadium (Paroi Jaya) or the football field. I took the courage to speak with him on the phone (I made the first move you know. Very the timba mencari perigi sort of thing. But I didn't care). And we would constantly be on the phone. When I was in Form 5, a few weeks before the SPM was about to begin, I told him that I liked him. I couldn't help it. I was going nuts. Infatuated with him. He kept quiet and told me that he had a girlfriend and that I knew that he had one. I was upset. Of course I knew that he had a girlfriend but I thought if I confessed he would like me in return. He said he liked me, but he couldn't break his girlfriend's heart. I hung up and ignored him. But from thereon, he sort of made a move at me. But I couldn't be bothered. Let him go to his girlfriend. I didn't care. As a result, he made a statement which made me cry during one of the monthly tests in class. I think it was a test for science. Everybody was busy doing the test but I was crying. He said, "Alah Budak Convent. Petik satu jari, 10 marilah". That really made me upset. BUT, that did not reduce the amount of the so-called love I had for him. How funny and stupid was that.
From there onwards, any boy who admired or liked me, I would put Labu as a benchmark. Crazy? I know. I felt stupid when thinking about it now. But there you go. It was during one of those silly BUT wonderful teenage years. I did see Labu a few years back. I was already working at that time and was in Carrefour. I was wearing this dark brown flaired slacks with light brown tight fitting turtle necks. He saw me and I could see that he was suprised to see me and appreciating what he saw as well. I was glad that he saw me at my best. But I didn't have feelings for him anymore. Those feelings for him was SO school days. At that time, I was already seeing someone else. Someone whom I married a few years later.
Before I went to PPP/ITM, I went for form 6 at KGV. This was also one of the memorable times of my life. I had so many admirers at this time that I was enjoying the attention to the max. Each with their own individual attraction. It was the best. I was always going out with them. Or drink float at A&W with AM. AM always fetched me after school in his mother's car. I didn't dare go on his bike. ANA would become a driver picking me up whenever I need a lift from somewhere to somewhere. M would call me in the middle of the night conessing his love for me (actually this guy, was TOO much. Too much love was killing me..!!). I felt I was the prettiest girl then. My saham was very high then. So I just enjoyed the ride.
At PPP/ITM, I made a lot of friends. It was fun. Though I did not fall under the cool, popular and glamarous type of girls, I was alright. Made lots of friends. And I enjoyed it. After 2 years of hard studying (didn't think I did a lot of studies. I was busy with my drama club and was involved in college activities like the Open Day, etc) Praise to Allah, I got a cool A Levels result. 2A's and 1B. I was so thankful and felt very lucky. So I did my 1st year in Cheras before flying off to the UK for my degree. I went to the University of Northumbria at Newcastle-Upon-Tyne. Life in Newcastle was FANTASTIC. Need I say more. I learnt a lot of thing here; independancy, control finances and budget, make-up with friends after a fight, keep secrets, wear high heel shoes, and I also learnt the actual meaning of true love. And believe me, this love was NO Labu love. This love was genuine and I am thankful to this day to Allah for bestowing this feeling of love to me which I hope will flourish for many, many years to come. I met my first ever boyfriend here in Newcastle. After much flirting, going out with that person and this person, receiving gifts and cards, I finally said yes to a guy whom I knew for just about a couple of months. We went steady for nearly 5 years before taking the huge step towards marriage. We wedded on 27 December 2002; it certainly was one of the best days of my life.
Staying at Newcastle taught me a lot. It also made me realised just how much I love my parents. So when I graduated and they came, it really meant a lot to me. I felt their pride as I walked up the stage to receive my scroll. With my cape and hat, and the green kebaya that my parents brought for me from Malaysia, I felt that I was holding the world. I couldn't help grinning from ear to ear. The feeling of overjoy was overwhelming. One of the many experiences that I shall cerish.
I returned to Malaysia in September 1999. All my friends were looking for jobs. I lazed around. Too lazy to start looking for jobs. In January 2000, I started looking for a job. I didn't want to be unemployed anymore. In April 2000, I secured a job at Nikkei Pacific Corporate Advisors. A year and a half later, I joined the property division of the then Renong Group of companies and have been staying here ever since.
I also got married during that period and in 2005, Allah gave me a beautiful daughter whom my dearest Bie and I named Marsya Hazirah. She is one of the best things that has happened to me. Next to my marriage to my dearest Bie, Marsya is the best thing. I love the way she leans against me when she wants to go to sleep, her eagerness in searching for my milk when she's hungry or thirsty, her smiles which show her firmly rooted six pieces of teeth, her dancing when she hears the music being played (bunyi gitar being her favourite), the way she watches Disney Playhouse. In fact, I love everything that is to love about her. AndI couln't thank Allah enough for giving us such a beautiful and healthy baby. Now that she's approaching 10 months, I felt that time travelled so fast. The next thing I know, she will have started talking and going to school. And going through the same cycle that I went through.
These days, I am taking things at a step. I am also hoping to add more to the family. BUT not now. Marsya is still very small and I want her to enjoy us pampering her before we give her another baby brother or sister. Life is good. It was hard to believe that from a kampung, Negri-speaking girl, I have actually turned out to be what I am today. I'm not regretting it. Oh no. I treasure the days of the kampung and I also treasure the days that followed.
Life really is like a big wheel. It just turns and turns and turns...
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