Long Overdue

Assalamualaikum.

My last post was on the Borneo trip I had with some friends. Since then, I haven't been writing in here, and somehow for some reason, there's no particular reason for that. Quite a few significant things happen to me, to people around me, to those in an extended radius; about me, about them.

I went for a meeting in MARA HQ a few days after the Borneo Trip and there, despite the acceptance of a horrifying-looking agreement forms, I've been given the chance to spend time with my best friend & some good friends. I guess I already know back then I'd to make the most out of it because anything could happen on Graduation Day & we might simply just won't have time for each other. Well, as it turned out, I was correct.. and a week later the G-Day turned out to be one hell of a rush. I was required to leave in a hurry, with just a few snapshots of pictures & small exchange of conversations. I guess I was happy enough with the whole thing though.. I've got lots to be grateful for; and brief moments with the people I care about on earth seemed unquestionably better than none at all. Alhamdulillah, and may Allah helps keep our friendships genuine and true.

Somewhere in the middle of it all, I was back in my hometown in Sibu, Sarawak. I settled the things necessary for my agreements; medical check-up @ the hospital, declaration forms @ the court, renewal of passport @ the immigration office. They were all completed in three days. Everything's so simple over there, as I've got close friends & families working in those places, and it's a small town I could easily steer my way around; with my aunt Bokyah in the driver's seat of course. And my parents, my aunts & uncles arranged a Majlis Kesyukuran for me going overseas.. and it was overwhelming, to say the least. Family friends, relatives & fellow neighbors came all the way, even from as far as Kuching to join in the celebration, each with an envelope filled with a certain amount of money for me. I did not expect any of it and by the end of the day I was pretty astounded by the amount - nearly RM5,000 were collected. I'm not disabled, I'm not an orphan, I'm not homeless, I'm not entitled for charity of any kind; I'm just Ain - their granddaughter, their cousin, their niece, their family who are (presumably) going to make them proud someday. Holding back tears, I then made a vow to not let myself forget that day; a vivid reminder that other than my own merits, there are many things that had brought me to where I am today, and where I am heading for after this. I owe my family a good name.. and a trip back down to earth once in a while.

Anyway, I've gotten the result of my university placement around that time as well. My name was listed under the University College of Cork (UCC), Ireland, for a full five year-course with eleven other KMB students. The other fifty of them are under the ACMS group, a twinning (2.5 years) program with UCC. In all honesty I was taken aback when I first heard the news. I was quite upset, really. I was hoping for Dublin for many reasons (being the capital city is not one of it), but I got landed with Cork; situated roughly two hours of travel from there. I have never given the place a serious thought before, and for the first time (in a long period of time), I actually felt insecure. After a few days though, I was reassured, and it doesn't sound that bad at all. I always believe I am granted with the best things (for myself), and Cork County seems like a beautiful place to live & to study in. Time will tell, so I just need to get there and see it all by myself! Ha-ha speaking about optimism -.-

Things are going my way right now. But sometimes, a few random thoughts came knocking on my mind, and for example - at times like this, how can I write about the privileges I received, when I read the newspapers in a daily basis, filled with horrifying photos of Somalian kids starved to death, and bodies everywhere. It's like living in an entirely two different worlds, two different planets. It makes me wonder if things could turn out to be different. And I wouldn't even dare to wonder if things are reversed. I couldn't help but to sigh upon those images, and be grateful of this country, this homeland I belong to today.