Kampong Girl - part 1

While blog hopping from one to another, I stumble to this one entry. That has an interesting statement . “You can get the girl out of the kampong but not let the kampong out from the girl”. That statement make me wonder enough to make this entry. As I keep on smiling to myself, I start to reflect on my own life.

You see long time ago when my parents got married, they decided to stay in a village rather than staying in the big city. While almost all his friend buy their properties in KL, Subang and other area, my parents bought a land in village a little bit further up from Klang. They build their house over there.

Both my parents came from not a very wealthy family. At least for my father....when he was six years old he already been thought on how to sell kuih from one house to another. He was thought to identify 5 cents looks like and how to calculate. How far he has to sell and how hot the weather are. He keep on telling the story to us when we were small. At that time, we felt nothing except just a repeated story day by day. But now if I recall the story, a full stream of tears will fall down from my eyes...Imagine my sweet little boys have to endure all that. Now I understand how lucky I am and how lucky my kids are. As what my father keep on telling me.

When they first build their house, it was small with two room. Both of my parents are civil government workers. Lucky enough that my father job promotion are base on exam. His first salary was 70 ringgit stgh ( he always tell us the exact amount, but I am sanguine, how can I remember) and goes up to a 5 figure salary when he was around 40s. That was when I’m in secondary school. So you see ... life become better for us. The house with 2 room has expand to a double story bungalow with 6 rooms. But it is still a kampong house. No fancy marble floor or fancy finishing. It is just spacious.

I always thought my father’s house spacious even when I was small. We get to play around the house...and kebun. My dad love his kebun so much. I still remember when we were small we always follow him to our backyard which is a half acre kebun and help him to plant, cleaning and our most favourites...bakar sampah. Which kid doesn’t like to play bakar2 right? Then we learn how to ride bicycle. And of I went to cycle around the kampong, till one day I fell down and broke my teeth...lesson learnt for not listening to my parents!

From the kebun we get to eat durian, pulasan, rambutan, maggis, rambai...you name it! I see how papaya, banana, durian and all other stuff around me grow. I get to know many2 insects...though I am not a fan of any of it. See my neighbour tangkap ayam for hari raya and also how they sembelih and process the chicken. A lot more if I were to list it down here.

Oh ya, living in kampong also mean you have many friends. Is all around you...no restriction...no competition. We play sincere, no bragging no nothing as we afford to have more or less a similar thing around us. My best friend at that time, just live across the road..yeah..cik puan daun.
We went to mengaji at night together with his brother and few other at one of our neighbour house. They thought us every night after Maghrib. At that time, no street light. It was very dark...One night after our usual mengaji, we went back on foot. From far we can see a dark shadow ...and it’s coming nearer and nearer. We already holding each other hand...maybe around five of us. Reciting Al-Fatihah loudly....and start shaking as well. Suddenly a loud voice said”hoiiiiii buat apa tu !!!!” I think we all scream our lung out....That was my dad haha... (syura ko jgn gelak guling2..kau pun dalam ini filem).

I get to learn how to ride motorcycle at the age of 11. Some time I ride my motorcycle to school and leave it at some shop near the school. I am not sure if my parents are aware about this :D. They are one time, cik puan daun and I took a ride to somewhere else rather than just helping her mom to buy some groceries from nearby shop. Well again, for not listening and lying to our parents, we almost went into the big drain!!!! Half of my motorcycle is already going into the drain....Luckily I get to brake and syura slowly pull the motorcycle back on the road!. That is one of our biggest secret that time.

We join Scout during our primary. It was fun as we are in kampong. We cycle cross the palm tree on a small titi to reach a nice small river to get our cycling batch. We camp in front of the school with my mom bring my bantal busuk and comforter to my tent! Haih. We cook, real food for our cooking batch. We go cari kayu....really cari kayu to make a fire for our cooking day. Those were the sweetest memories when I were small.

Come secondary school, my father send me to a girl school in Klang. His intention is for me to get some exposure. Well true enough, from kampong girl to the city....makcik jakun. I think I almost messed up there...but as my father are very strict and I stayed far from the city, I get myself straight dan taklah hanyut dalam kesesatan. Being a teenage I always ask my dad on why he stays back in kampong. Why not we move to somewhere in the city. All the hormone raging as a teenager. Little that I know what are the impact of being a kampong girl has to do with me. (to be continue)