My old village never dies

reading The Return by K.S Maniam makes me flashback my peaceful and calm village.named Kampung Pulau Panjang.even though practically it was not my family's original village.but i grown up there.so, I was the one who making friends.not my brothers n my sisters.Our family moved again to another village (named Kampung Pulau Tukang Dollah)when i were 14 years old.(If i'm not mistaken)trust me.i almost didn't remember half of my childhood.i was young!all i know was enjoying myself without worrying what years and what days it were.still, I made lots of friends.i didn't mean to brag but they like me.hahaha.sometimes, in the afternoon or evening, tourists came to my village with bicycles.couples,family.they would ride together and nicely greet us.sometimes me and my friends stood near the road.just to wait for the tourists to u-turn and high five with us.i wanna feel how strangers' hands felt like.when me and my friends were playing games, and they saw tourists,they would said 'mat saleh maghi.mat saleh maghi'.we stopped playing and hurried near the road.stand still while smiling wide.and high five!


i still remember how friendly the English family were.they came with bicycle.all of us were just kept smiling.I didn't how how to speak English during those days.one of their children wanted to catch some kind of fish.(ikan becok rasanye.)but he slipped on the mud and didn't catch the fish.he cried cause couldn't get it.his father tried to console him.his pants was covered with mud.my friends couldn't stand it and burst up laughing.watching people from different country tried to catch a fish with bare hands.funny.we knew that he would not make it to catch a fish with his hands.finally,they said goodbye to us.nice memory tough. 


all folks in that village knew that I'm the youngest.so,they think i'm fragile.they wouldn't dare to let me follow them to go somewhere which is until now, i wanted to go to that place again.oysters hotspot! *smiling


Still want to go there.My mother always would not let me to follow them.but,she would bought the oysters that were already sealed.what a bummer.no kidding.my mother was a killjoy.especially when i was young.but,every time she wanted to buy the oysters, i asked her to buy the oysters which were not sealed yet.so that i could seal it.hehe.syok la buka kulit tiram.tak boleh pergi cari tiram.bukak kulit tiram pun jadi lah.if i could not go to the oysters hotspot, i would go to my neighbor's house and watched them to sealed the oysters.with sharp knife.their old hands were already thick and almost did not feel the shell of the oysters.the shells sometimes could cut your fingers.but there was one year that i broke my mother's rule.i sneaked from the house and quietly went to the oysters place with old folks and of course.my 'supporting' friends.i thought my mother would let me cause i asked her in the first place and she said 'go lah!go!'. but, i didn't know that it means 'no!you cannot go!'.so, i went there.and it was absolutely fun! and i was not regret at all to go there even though after that my mother gave me a surprise 'present'.i can still feel my feet stepping on the oysters.they were a lot and everywhere.I almost can pick them blindfolded.


it was truly truly a wonderful experience.i brought back a half sack of oysters.i was enjoying myself finding it and not eating it.so glad my brother, Abe Ha, is a big fan of oysters.so,he was the only person who can finish up my oysters 'stock' inside the refrigerator before my mother opened her old 'radio'.you know what i mean.I really appreciate my experience 'teacher'.I learn.I explore.I enjoy.actually, there were many stories about me and my old village but i don't think that i can finish it in one night.but,it will come back to me sooner or later when i reading a novel.one of the reason why i love novels.


if people said that I came from the urban area.no.actually.you are wrong.I'm just a Kampung girl.yes! I am.I am the most kampung girl above them all.and I'm proud of it.LOL.