As I was writing this post, I'm on my bed in Phnom Pehn. Cambodia. It's 5.36 A.M and since I woke up for my responsibility towards His Almighty, the city is already awaken with loads of vehicles on the road and the people chitchatting to one another.....well this hotel is just by the roadside and I can almost hear every word of their conversations!! Should have asked for a sound proof room....hahahhaha.
Being here, reminded me of my yesterday , a life that I missed but not want to be there anymore. No entertainment like television and let alone cinemas! Once a month, the Ministry of Health will come to our kampung. They came to teach us about our health. To do so, they will put up a big screen in an open space, played a film and stopped half way through to start their campaign on healthcare. Then they will play back the film until it ends. All the while families will sit on the ground and my parents will always have food and drinks for us. We even bring our pillow so we can lie down on the mat while watching the film. The hardship of life where my parents had to wake up very early to make Kuih , Nasi Lemak and so on for my sibblings and I to sell in school. The tuck shop operator was so angry with me and made some complaints. Because of that I was sent to the Principal's Office... but I explained that it was not my wants but my needs to do so. This is my survival!. I told him that if he caught today, I will still have to sell tomorrow and days after to fulfill my needs! The money was used to pay for my school fees and buy text books! In the end, even the teachers bought from me and I bet so did the Principal! hahahahah!!! In the evening, I have to do the gardening like watering the vegetables. There is no water supply at home and river is where we did everything! That was where I took up swimming. After cleaning ourselves, my sibblings and I will have to carry a pail of water each for tomorrow mornings consumption before school starts. My parents had to carry more! Electric supply came late. Before we had to use Kerosene lamp we called Pelita . The flame from Pelita produces carbon and some trapped in our nose. Then life got better and we used the Gasoline Pump lamp. Because of that I had to finish my homework at school and sometimes I even skipped doing my homework! The electric poles still uses the visible kind of wiring and when there's too many wires around they became entangled. I remembered seeing hundreds and thousands of sparrows resting on the wire waiting for the time to fly back to their nest. How long was that? Far back up to 30 to 40 years! I am glad I survived and I really understand the needs and wants of the locals....just like mine!!!!
This country was once under France (from 1863 and independence on 9th November 1953) The French left quite a number of similarities to their home country like the architecture of the buildings and roads. They uses words like Boulevard, Rue and Streets and almost all apartments old and new have balconies. If you go to Paris, the French love to enjoy their coffee at the sidewalk cafe. Well you have those right here but of their own kind. And not forgotten, French loaves are sold by the roadsides.
We had our Independence 4 years later than them and I am very proud being a Malaysian! Our country progressed rapidly and at the same time we were educate properly since day one in the primary school until our last day of secondary school. Then we proceeded to colleges and to the universities. Those who were luckier, were sent overseas. Now, just look at us....see how much we have change. My children cannot even imagine the hardship I went through when I was at their age. They fail to imagine going to school with only a pair of shoes to be used throughout the year. They fail to imagine all the life experiences I went through because they were born in such modern world where everything is there for them. Just take and use. I told them that they should be very thankful to be born Malaysian!! They must bear the reposibility to make sure that this beautiful country remains ours forever..................
Some dayI will bring my children to this country so they will appreciate life better....Insyaallah!
