JOMS '11 (Journey of a Muslim Student)

I went to IPIP two weeks before and kept on receiving similar questions from my lecturers:

‘Tell me…what's your plan is for the three-month holiday.’

Well, I was puzzled and thus have no slightest idea what the future holds. Being ‘normal’ is too overrated so I ended up confessing that I'm up to nothing but just to have plenty of quality time with my dearest family, apart from messing with close friend’s life. To sound more poetic, hence, one day my friend offered me a chance to do something beneficial to the community. It was not a very big and worth talking errand but something that’s worth personally to be remembered. You know how I’m so fired up when it comes to community service. It’s time to repay the kindness of the tax-payers who’re willing to supply me with monthly ‘income’.

In another word, I was given a chance to be a facilitator to a motivational camp held at my brother’s very own school (and he’s one of the participants too). I decided to join the camp since I was moved by what my seniors in my secondary school had done for me and the rest of my friends. They came from every part of the world just to help us and motivate us to work harder for the coming SPM. I still remember that time when I was one of the most sluggish students can finally understand what’s the meaning of hope and determination.

A boy senior was my mentor and he was from another school but he joined the programme to help his friends. Now that sounds familiar. He studied engineering at a well-renown university, University of Sheffield. That was how my interest in becoming an engineer was spurred. He told me many things like how wonderful it is to study overseas, the different experience from his first time fasting in the UK and even how he had a wonderful English lecturer. He had given me a hope. Not a false hope but a hope that I can also study overseas. He came from an ordinary family. That’s the best part of his story. I can still remember him clearly how he held his DSLR when DSLR was not yet the big ‘toy’ that everyone yearns for. Now here I am! I just hope I can meet him one day and thank him for being such a cool guy. I can never achieve this if it is not because of you and the other seniors too. Thank you.

Okay, enough of that. So this motivational camp was called ‘JOMS’ or ‘Journey of a Muslim Student’. I know this sounds like ‘JOM’ but this was way a different programme. JOM is a pre-departure programme that is meant for the soon to be overseas students while this one was a programme for muslim students. I will not write hundreds for the programme but I just want to highlight important stuff that I had learnt form the programme which was plenty. Although this sounds ironic, but it is never wrong to learn something than becoming an unknowing person.

some of the activities: treasure hunt. i just can't get it. why do we have to throw away those beans? i mean we can feed the birds or even...students...oppss hamsters with them. just saying

I just love how the students can be very critical at giving a reflection. There’s a point when the students were required to write feedback on what they’d gone through so far. I don’t know how to describe it but most of them had provided us with astute and even in depth feedback that really had caused me to look twice at those crumpled papers. Students, there are not fools. They have hearts and they learn. That really had taught me an important lesson that I shouldn’t prejudge anyone without learning who and what they’re made up first. This should be a lesson since I will insya-Allah become a teacher. Hence, I should remove this bad habit before entering a class.

‘You’ve changed. I see that you’re starting to love kids.’

I am? Well yes. Part of me agrees that I’ve changed a little bit maybe not everywhere but here and there. I have to. I must. I am a grown up. I’ve turned 21 and that maturity requires me to think like a grown up. I see children as no longer mischievous and nuisances but I see them as persons who are still learning. They’re oblivious of the reality which only contains ugliness that shrouds the beauty of life. What am I saying? The world is ugly and is filled with greedy people.

The last lesson. I hate this word but I just have to write it down. Favouritism. Yes. I detest. I hate. I dislike this word ever since I realised what it means. A teacher should learn to let go of this word. I simply don’t want to make students hate me just because I always talk to a particular student. I want to apologize if I ever do it maybe purposely or unconsciously. I will try to change and remove this bad habit. Biasness shouldn’t be included inside of a teacher’s dictionary. That’s what I’ve been told. I guess becoming a facilitator at this motivational camp had taught me this important lesson. Thank you.

Just to reiterate. I think joining a community service is the best way to kill boredom especially during a three long continuous holiday. Well, I did.

Ramadhan is approaching and I’m really sorry for leaving this blog with only old posts. I will try to update this blog from time to time. Just hope that I will stumble upon interesting topics or novels. Ahhh…I miss fiction writing. I’m thinking of joining the Creative Writing class next year. Break a leg!

 them and ermmm me