Howdy, people. It's been two days since I reached home. and since that too, I've been planning to blog on my unforgettable memories in Sandakan. I wish I could upload all photos for permanent storage purpose but I already got tired of uploading half of those huhu. I wish I could write on every single thing happened there but some things are better kept secret :) as what life is, there are sweet as well as bitter memories. Despite those bitterness, all I want to say is that this journey to Sandakan with MISIans is one of the most awesome experiences I ever had in my lifetime! Kudos to all.
5th of July
Around 10pm, all people involved gathered at MISI's Operation Room, located in CCAC building. Final touch-ups were done by the respected main boards and several briefings were given by the Program Manager, Program Coordinator, and me myself as the Assistant Head of Discipline and Ibadah. To be frank, I could feel the nervousness at that time. This is my very first program with MISI, after all :) Before the clock struck 12, we headed to LCCT by IIUM bus and reached there after about 1 hour.
briefing by the PM.
6th of July
Due to certain circumstances, we were divided into two teams. Team A would fly straightly to Sandakan while Team B would reach Kota Kinabalu first. I was included in Team A. Around 7.00 am, we officially began our journey to Sandakan :) It took about 3 hours to reach Sandakan. My back hurt a lot. The worst part was that I couldn't sleep during the last two hours, because of stomach ache. Hence I did anything I could; read all magazines provided, went through the tentative and facilitating modules, etc. I had no one to talk to since Ima seemed to be sleeping so soundly. huhu. Around 10.00 am, the suffering ended! Hello Sandakan, cantiknya airport! I was seriously amazed but before I had the chance to explore, I was in need to find Ladies first. hihi. Then we met Kak Bell and Kak Lala there. They brought us to Kompleks Sukan Sandakan; where we would be staying for one night.
pathetic girls who were abandoned by the guys.
group photo. click!
here it is. Nice place :)
(referring to the first aid kit I was holding) it was the night where I was appointed to be in charge of Welfare bureau.
7th of July
After breakfast, we all headed to SMKA Sandakan (SMAS). Nervousnya time ni! In less than 5 minutes time, we reached the school. As told by the PM, who's a former student of SMAS, the school is surprisingly big. We were welcomed by the counseling teacher. Right after storing our luggages, we began our final preparation for the most-awaited Educational Hearten Camp :)
one-day room mates!
again, group picture :)
8th of July
As the Discipline and Ibadah committee, I was among the ones who woke up first. Surprisingly, I managed to wake up earlier than others till the last day of program. Breaking the habit, huh? :p The Opening Ceremony of EHC started at 9.00 am sharp (if I'm not mistaken) and ended one hour after that. At 1.30 pm, form 3 and form 5 students of SMAS began reaching the hall for registration and that was when we officially started the program :) We started the modules even until midnight. I was partnered with my Sarawakian course mate: Noor Atiqah Rafa'ie. What a nice person to work with :) Our group was the eleventh one which was then named "Panthera Leo". Great work. It was seriously a tiring day since I was also busy preparing for the Self Enhancement; a slot under Discipline and Ibadah Bureau. I even skipped dinner :( However, the first slot entitled "Adakah Lelaki lebih hebat daripada Wanita" went great. I could see the enthusiasm in every student's face. Each one of them has the potency to excel. They expressed their brilliant point of views. It was extremely excellent :) Around 1.00 pm, we called it a day but only 1 hour after that I managed to close my eyes.
lovin' this backdrop :)
silliness due to sudden boredom.
emcees of the day; Haire and Hilda.
my most favorite group photo of all!
explaining the rules and regulation to the students. trembling~
9th of July
The most hectic day ever!~~ Again, I was the earliest one to wake up. If I'm not mistaken, it was 3.50 am in the morning. My head hurt a lot but Alhamdulillah I managed to bear it. I woke all committees up and began calling for all students to go to Musolla for Qiyamullail. Honestly speaking, it was a hard task for me since I ain't such a strict person with a voice which people would be scared of. It hurt when most students were just ignoring my announcement. It hurt more when they replied with such a harsh word. huhuhu :( after Qiyamullail, we had our second Self Enhancement. This time, we dealt with Love issue. Again, it was nice seeing all students were so enthusiastic in voicing out their opinions. After the slot ended, they had breakfast (which I again, skipped) and began the brand-new day with more modules. Throughout the day, I admit that I was a bit strict to my brothers and sisters. I just couldn't help it. My body condition was getting worse at that time hence I couldn't entertain them nicely. For God's sake, it was too painful to bear :( I managed to take lunch but didn't finish all of it due to some personal reasons. huhu. Before the evening session ended, my head of Discipline and Ibadah Bureau assigned me a new task for our next Self Enhancement slot which would take place in 2 hours time. Hence again, I skipped dinner to start the preparation all over again. This time, the discussion was about "Malu". As the previous slots, it went great too and I do hope that all students did learn something from that. It ain't wrong to be shy but it must be according to the context. What I could obviously observe was that most students are too shy in most situations and this is apparently not good for them. It is understandable that they are trained that way but as someone who was also educated in a religious school, their condition is quite critical. Nak masuk musolla pun malu. It ain't embarrassing but rather pathetic. May things get better soon, InsaAllah. At night, we had Islamic Cultural Night; where students had to perform according to the task given. Right after that, we proceeded with Momentous Night; another slot under Discipline and Ibadah Bureau but this time, it was fully handled by Syaufiq. yadda yadda yadda, as usual, we ended the day at around 1.00 pm.
MISI's advisor: Prof. Dr. Dolhadi Zainudin :)
my Panthera Leo during the Islamic Night :)
10th of July
Just like previous times, my day began way earlier than others. I was the first one to wake up besides Kak Jijah. After waking up all committees, I rested for a while. I thanked God that Syaufiq decided to cancel the next Self Enhancement slot but replace it with a morning exercise called Break Bone slot. Way better though. We then had our breakfast, which I didn't skip this time sebab tersangatlah lapar huhu. We then proceeded our next modules before I began preparing the emcee text with my pair, Hilda, while others were enjoying their Explorace game. At 2.00 pm sharp, the Closing Ceremony of EHC took place. Frankly speaking, it was the worst experience as an emcee. I was seriously not in a good condition. Fever - sore throat - cough, whatever you name it huhu. However, thanks to Allah that it had ended smoothly. We then headed to Kg. Bokara for the next program; Foster Family. I was adopted by Hjh. Zaharah and Hj. Hassan. The best part was that I was not alone; Izzah Rohimi was under the same family :) We chatted a lot after reaching the house. We also managed to do group visit to other foster families and due to unspeakable weariness, we straightly went to bed after that. ohh, I had fresh sea weeds for dinner! awesomeeeeee :)
worst experience ever. anyway, thanks Hilda :)
facilitator-less group hihi. Kak Erin left early.
kudos to all. Salute!~
my Panthera Leo luvvies :)
Kak sayang kamu semua :')
11th of July
I initially planned to wake up early to help Mama and others preparing Nasi Lemak and Nasi Kuning. Oh, my foster family owns a stall near the entrance of Kg. Bokara. Mama's a very good cook. I miss her Nasi Lemak the most! Kuih2 pun sangat sedap :) Back to the story, I and Izzah didn't wake up as early as we had planned. We rushed to the bathroom, taking shower, preparing ourselves for the next activity. Our Mama cooked a lot, and of course I ate a lot :p Superb! She even packed some food; which made everyone envy of me hihi. Then we all headed to Sepilok; another amazing adventure. Besides Mount Kinabalu, I had always wanted to visit Sepilok. But since I already paid the Orang Utan a visit at the National Zoo few weeks earlier, I wasn't as excited as I was at the National Zoo back then. However I was glad to see them doing just fine in Sepilok. Sadly, I decided not to join others to go inside the place. -'cause my fear of leeches and things like that exceeded my excitement to see Orang Utan. eeiii. There were a few of us though. Hence we went for post-breakfast at Sepilok cafe. Makan lagi. When it was about Zuhr time, we all had sponsored lunch. Makannnn lagi. Bla bla bla...jalan2 di Sandakan city...we went back to Kg. Bokara for a session with the children of Bokara :) It was nice though. They seemed to enjoy it. Apart from teaching them English, we taught them some other things we did in SMAS. Before Maghrib appeared, we reached our own foster home and got prepared for a mass dinner :) Bla bla bla...balik rumah, tido :)
hey, I was here!
sleepyheads!
the smiles to cover the unbearable sleepiness.
LOL. Bella was adopted at Sepilok!
highlight of the day! :P
two people got bored.
with Kak Jijah and Mimie~~
the people who still had fun outside.
chicken burgers for late breakfast.
sponsored lunch. Free food always taste the best :P
them. at Pasar Umum Sandakan.
another us.
special session with teens of Bokara.
happy faces of Bokara's younger generation :)
with Mama and Izzah before heading to dinner.
at the Steamboat restaurant :)
Izzah and Mama :)
12th of July
-The final day in Sandakan :( Just like the day before, again, we woke up a bit late huhu malu jak sama Mama and Kak Arida huhuhu :( I thanked them for understanding our condition. I had not had sufficient rest even since our stay in SMAS. My fever was getting better but head ache had not gone yet. After having breakfast, I and Izzah straightly went to Bokara's Balai Raya for Closing Ceremony, where I was suddenly assigned to be the emcee with Abg. Pajil. I wasn't mentally prepared, but Alhamdulillah it wasn't that bad. I was not in a good mood but I did have to put away all those thoughts and feelings. The ceremony was fun though; with Marhaban performance as well as the Igal-Igal dance. Nice :) Then, at around 1.00 pm, we headed to Majlis Perbandaran Sandakan for some briefings and refreshments. Then, jalan- jalan lagi. We hit Pasar Umum Sandakan, for the second time, spending money on souvenirs to be brought back, and then visited Agnes Keith House before it got dark. At around 7.00 pm we arrived at Sandakan Airport as our flight to KL would be at 9.30 pm. Sedihnya huhu :( My foster family even came to the airport to say goodbye. I was deeply moved to tears. I bore that, so I wouldn't be too sad to leave them. There's always another time. If God wills, I'll hit Sandakan again :)
Then after about 3 hours, we safely arrived at LCCT. We had our late dinner together and headed back to UIA. That's when the journey officially ended.
sudden preparation before emcee-ing.
famous Igal - Igal dance hand movement :P
with Mama and Izzah after the ceremony.
I miss this :'(
cantik kan Kak kami? :)
Mama and Bapak. Oh my~ I couldn't watch her crying :'(
in the end, I couldn't bear my own tears. tskk.
briefing at MPS.
depictness of our boredom.
group picture at Agnes Keith.
sampai terjatuh aku.
Mimie :)
Ima :)
me with Mama at the airport.
my 15-year-old foster sister. pandai masak ni tau :) -unlike me.
Kak Arida yang cantikkk :) Teda pun gambar sama Kak Ngah :(
That's it. I miss Sandakan. I miss my Panthera Leo in SMAS. I miss my foster family in Bokara. I miss every single thing happened there. One thing for sure, I'm gonna hit that place again. InsyaAllah :) I love all of you. Thank you for the beautiful memories. Thank you for the wonderful experiences. For God's sake, those memories will never be erased and you will never ever be replaced.
Hugs and kisses from me! :')
