my living ground

Yesterday I went back to my hometown in Malacca with my parents and Naqib. We first went to Tangkak to send K.Rina and Arif (my new nephew, Wan Arif Hafiy) to her parents’ home, I’m seriously going to miss him, the most adorable 10 days old child who never gives us any trouble during days or nights. So after having our lunch in Tangkak, we straight went to Mak’s hometown, Kg. Belimbing Dalam in Alor Gajah, Malacca. It was less than 2 weeks to my departing date and only then I had the chance to visit my old people in kampung. How pathetic was that.

And how more grateful could I be, there were still the same loving greetings from the same lovely faces I know, that instantly made me realized that how educated I am or I’ll be, this is my root and the people I hold on to. No matter how Irish my tongue would be, I’ll never can change my ‘Malakau’ tongue with its high-pitched tones and rudeness words. That’s the beauty of Malacca people I’d say.

“Bila engkau nak habis belajar ni nak? Mak dah nak mati dah ni, tak dapat lagi rasa Dr. Shuhada rawat mak.”

I just smiled hearing that, giving my comforting words back to them (all of us call our aunties Mak and uncles Abah/Bapak, it’s just how thing goes in my place). What more could I say, it was just depressing to give promises that I’m not sure to be kept. Most of my aunties and uncles on my mum’s side are really old, two have deceased years back and my grannies passed away when I was a small kid. So they have illnesses beyond descriptions and leading their lives in the most basic and simplest kampung styles, they have no proper treatments for them.

Of the 7 people in Mak’s siblings, only 3 made it to live outside Kg. Belimbing and educate their children to the third level of education. And my eldest sister, Along was the first one in the big family to go overseas furthering her studies, and my parents were the first and only ones who stepped their feet in outsider’s land when they visited my sister in Leicester for few times few years back. It’s not that my family is rich or what, I think it’s just the fact that Mak was a very hardworking and determine person back then and even now that she planned her life carefully ahead of time. My parents are not some executives in some big companies, they all started working from scratch with Mak being a school teacher and Abah was a police officer years back, and they worked very hard to put our family where we are now with Abah who just retired from being the Head of Security Department in Petronas Permata and Mak who’s a vice principle in a school near our house, and my Along who’s a manager of a company, Angah a lawyer, Ola and me, an engineer and a doctor in the making, and Adik who’s doing aircrafts maintenance in a private college in Seremban. Ok so what’s the relevance of talking about this? It’s just my way to convey the idea that we all started our lives from the very basic point and from there with the correct methods we developed our lives to the highest level that we could achieve. (and it’s a continuous process still)

Now back to my hometown story, I was so touched when my aunt asked her grandson (my cousin’s son) to climb the rambutan tree to get some fruits for me, and my other uncle instantly went to get some mangoes (ok not some, it was a boxful of mangoes) for us to bring back home. And my best part came before we went back when Mak Esah (Mak’s eldest sister) served me a plateful of fried prawns, I mean it was such a simple cooking of prawns with turmeric powders and salt, yet it was the best prawn serving I ever had I think. Seeing me eating deliciously, I heard Mak Esah said

“makanlah nak, Mak dah tak leh makan dah udang ni. Bisa kaki.”

Aiseh, the food just stuck in my throat hearing that. This is the sort if thing that boosts up my spirit to continue my studies, get a degree, have a good job with some good pays, and help to improve my family’s living condition. And it’s not just some financial aids that these people really need, they would really appreciate it if their relatives go back and visit them sometimes, or call them once in a while, just some simple thoughts would be enough.

So we went back home not long after Isya’. I was a bit sad leaving the place for I knew it’ll be uncertain for me to see and count the same number of people that I love on my next visit to my hometown again, which I guess would be another coming year from now. Generations come and go, there’ll be newborns and deaths, and for me old people are to be remembered and the new ones are to be guide. Kg. Belimbing Dalam that once being an underdeveloped place with muddy trails now has proper tarry roads, but still the family tradition continues as Pak Ali and Mak Esah breed their cows and goats, Pak Akub’s family with their mango orchards, so much for the changes and similar, yet inside me it is this place where my heart and soul falls back onto..