A peculiar scene occurred to me in the first morning of Raya when a group of boys emerged from the stairs in John Niland Scientia Building - handsomely cloaked in baju melayu and seemingly occupied with trying to find the right angle for their photos.
There they were, soaked in the blissful joy of ‘Eid, and there was I in my shirt, jeans and backpack, filled with enthusiasm to begin again my day in the class taught by a teacher so amazing I feel almost disappointed now the class has ended.
The meaning of ‘Eid comes to me in a different package this year, the triumph of enduring Ramadhan was not celebrated with the usual new baju kurung, ketupat, and rendang. Oh yes how I missed all those Malaysian food, but things I gain in its place at the moment is no trade-off I wish to afford.
Ramadhan, with it came the confusions of things which need changing in my country, religion, and environment. Rendered helpless by the gigantic challenges, I was almost on the verge of burning out with the causes I am fighting for.
But Gerald Frape seems to come (or to be sent, as I prefer to see it) aptly at the right moment. Discussing about communicating democracy, driving social change, and influencing people behavior throughout the 4-day classes has given me a new sense of directions and power in controlling my life, things I can do and I can’t do.
Therefore in missing my family, my home, and our Malaysian ways of celebrating Eid-ul-Fitr - I am not devastated. By virtue of qadha’ and qadr (God’s plans), the old adage ‘as one door closes, another door opens‘ rings true. I’ll write about it soon, in the meantime;
Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri and Maaf Zahir Batin.
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