Back To My Hometown

Assalamualaikum wrh wbt,

Thank you for still reading this blog. I want to share my experience going back to my father's hometown, which is Sarawak, during the school holidays in December. I haven't been there since my aunt was married which was four years ago!

I went there with my mother, father, brother, grandfather and grandmother. We have to wake up very, very early because our flight was at around 7 o'clock. We took taxis to the airport. Before we depart, we had a little breakfast in the airport. I had Nasi Lemak which is the local food in Malaysia.

It took almost two hours to reach Sarawak by plane and my little brother, Yusuf, cried when we were landing. When we arrived, my grandmother's cousin waited for us and lent his car. We were in Kuching that time and my grandparents' house is in Sri Aman. We drove off using the car. It took a couple of hours to get to Sri Aman. We stopped to have lunch halfway to Sri Aman. We ate Mee Kolok which is a popular type of noodles in Sarawak. We continued our journey. I think I slept all through the winding roads of the hills because I was pretty dizzy.

A few hours later, we arrived at my grandparents' house. Unfortunately, the front entrance was locked! We had to drive all the way to Tanjung Bijat to get the key to the house. Even the key my grandfather brought can't open it. Tanjung Bijat is a village where other of our relatives live. I was longing to see Kak Sufi and Kak Sara -- my father's cousins -- when I get there. There were a few paddy patches, wooden and long houses and rocky roads, but we made there at last.

I met again the relatives that I have not seen for three years. I met with Kak Sufi and Kak Sara again too. They are now fourteen and thirteen years old respectively. I really missed them so much so I talked with them and asked how they are and started other conversations. Then we went to the house behind that house to see other relatives.

Eventually, we went back to my grandparents' house when we got the key and did some cleaning. We rested and sorted out which room to sleep in. I have to be in an air-conditioned room so I crossed of my aunt's -- the aunt that I mention above -- old bedroom which is small and doesn't have an air-conditioner. So, I slept with my grandparents in their room because my father doesn't turn on the air-conditioner at night and they slept in another bedroom with a bathroom attached in it. It also had an air-conditioner.

The next day, we rested because of our one-day journey the day before. We were all so tired. The next day, which is Saturday, we celebrated my father's other cousin's wedding. We celebrated it again the following day, but this time, in Kak Sufi's grandmother's house, which is the house we went to get the key. That time was so fun! There people singing, dancing, playing drums, playing a violin, singing karaoke and more! The house was very happening indeed. My grandfather joined the classical dancing which is led by the classical music played by drummers and a violin player. One of the drummer sang a classical song. My grandfather asked me to take pictures and videos of all of the interesting that happens, like the dance, for instance.

Half the wedding, Kak Sufi, Kak Sara and I went out to explore the whole village. Everyone in the village knew them. We bought drinks from a small store and walked down the roads of the village, talking and asking what we have been doing all the years we didn't see each other. We also bought some sweets in the store, and ice cream in another house. I don't know anyone in the village, but they were very fun.

We went home to take some pictures with the bride, which is my father's cousin. We ate our dinner. My mother said we should spend the night there. And we did. I slept in a room with Kak Sufi and Kak Sara, my parents and Yusuf in another room, my grandmother in the living room with her cousins and my grandfather went back to Sri Aman. There were many people in that house at that time. My mother helped Kak Sufi to get a signal on her phone. KakSufi and Kak Sara showed me things in teir computer -- and I wrote some things in Microsoft Office Word -- before we go to bed (which we don't have and we have to sleep on mattresses on the floor and no air-conditioner). It was kind of cold anyway.

The next day, we went back home to Sri Aman. I rested all week in the house, doing what ever things I had to do like reading the books I brought from home (which was not enough for me to read in ten days), reading my father's biology, physics and chemistry textbooks (I tried to understand since they're form 5 subjects), go to the living room if there are any visitors (some were my grandparents' friends and some were relatives) and cleaning the living room (after their visit).

There is this one day, my grandmother suggested that we all go to the Sungai Batang Ai which is a river nearby, to see the river tide. In Malay we call it 'benak'. We took pictures while waiting for it. But we didn't get to see it at all. My grandfather said it will appear at 9 pm. So, we went back.

On Friday, our second-to-last day in Sarawak, my grandparents brought me back to Tanjung Bijat to say goodbye to everyone there. Kak Sufi and Kak Sara already went back to their own home in Kuching. Then, we went to a restaurant. We ate Mee Kolok again and set off home. I din't eat lunch that day since I was so full of noodles.

The next day, we all went to Kuching, bought some fish and layered cakes, and visited Kak Sufi and Kak Sara's family. We had lunch there and prayed there. Their father sent us to the airport because we returned my grandmother's cousins's car. We rode a van the could load our things perfectly. When we arrived at the airport, we had some snacks, had a little mix-up with someone else's layered cakes, and took our flight. My little brother Yusuf slept all the way! He did cry a little when we land, but it wasn't long. We arrived at KLIA2 and waited for our baggage. We took turns praying because it took a long time to wait for the bags. My aunt waited outside the airport and called us because we took so long. She had to move her car away from the place she had to wait at. At last, we managed a taxi, my grandparents rode with my aunt and uncle and we all went home. Everyone was so sleepy and I slept as soon as we arrived home.

That was the journey back to my hometown in Sarawak. It was great fun! I wish I could go back there again. thank for reading this post. Assalamualaikum...

In the KLIA2 airport

A picture with my great-great-aunt, Tok Ngah