My Story

Trust me, the trip was so much fun that I see myself slowly slipping into depression for missing the team so much! Really! Now that calls for a gathering soon soon! Bandret bandret!!! Haha

I miss our morning songs and late night laughters plus the “pek pek!” from the cik pons! I miss hafiz K’s antics, aqi n ari (as usual), izad’s craziness (he was going bonkers I tel u), the sunset! Oh! The sunset! Subhanallahhh. And Pak Rahmat laaaaa….ho hum…

But ultimately, I think I’m here to share my story, THE story, of a trip that will not be forgotten, that kept us grounded despite the challenges we faced.

So let’s start off with the most memorable event EVER! The bus ride from Medan to ACEH! Yes, it was the longest bus ride of my life! The road to Aceh was a ten hour ride that runs through mountain roads winding along a steep drop and with every hairpin turn, I could feel my stomach lurch back n forth. The road was so narrow that the vehicle from the opposite direction had a very tiny margin whilst passing our bus. I dono how the rest could sleep thru the ride

Miraculously, we reached Banda Aceh close after 2 am, and warmly greeted by the anticipating ibu aning AND the not so welcoming “local residents”…heh heh heh. But being the exhausted us, the supernatural thoughts were absent until days later.

As if the bus trip was not torturing enough,we had no sleep that night n the next morning, Aishah n Izad surprised us with the news of a bus accident. A similar bus to the one we took that overturned just after we left the same venue. Hur hur. No wonder God stalled our journey with the punctured tyre. Otherwise, the accident could have been us. Somehow, after I reached, I strongly believed that everything was predestined. Should fate says that we do not reach FH, then we do not…but it was written and by Allah’s will, I gotta see those familiar faces again…

My first day was assigned to be the home team where we had to help the kids cook for the rest of their friends. Truth be told, I wasn’t that elated to be cooped in the kitchen and meddle with the gas stove, but hey! It was fun la!

In reference to my initial intentions, I was glad to be placed in the kitchen to at least help in the food preparations for 150 kids. Orphans, let me add.

Alhamdulillah, the water supply and electricity flowed well throughout this trip so no one complained abt lack of water, except that every morning, the queue to the bathroom is like the queue to the doctor. HAHA! We practically had to take numbers. Once again, ppl, please eh, be grateful!

Every passing day is just a day with the kids in whatever activities that we planned. The late noons spent at the sawah or shopping at the market. The evenings were spent interacting and entertaining them and vice versa. But when night falls………………

Jeng jeng jeng

HAHAHA!

I did not get proper sleep for almost 3 nights cuz I had to “take care” of Pi who was blessed with the third eye. EH! I think I had to look after 3 more adults la! Apparently these ppl could not sleep as there were sightings and feelings of the hair-raising kind. HAHA! I don’t know how I found my courage to brave thru the nights la but trust me, I was perspiring like them too. I imagined the cik pon above me, beside me and all over me…but Alhamdulillah, I understood the power of Bismillahiirrahmanirrahim after that night. A very simple phrase that carries profound significance.

I can go on rambling about the trip yes, but that is abt the gist of the whole thing. I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I know I dont need Aceh as a constant reminder of how luxurious life is in Singapore, but I know, you hafta immerse yourself in the experience to know what i mean. Ask the first timers. They wanna go again. :)