Outstation

Assalamualaikum warahmatullah wabarakatuh,

It was a busy week. With only 3 weeks left before the final exams and a close to this semester (14 weeks!), everything was packed right at the end of the semester. I have to finish the trainee teachers supervisions who were placed far from UTM. It is in Muar, about 2 hour drive from UTM. I used to drove there in the morning and came back late in the afternoon. But seeing that I need to finish the supervision and many of the classes are scheduled at 7.30am, I decided to stay at Muar for 2 nights.

I have been at Muar and stayed there before but that was at my friend's house while I was doing the same thing like now. But then my friend was still living and working in Muar. Now that she has moved to somewhere at Gelang Patah, I don't seem to have any choice but stay at a hotel. It wasn't a pleasant thing for a single woman to stay at a hotel by herself! That was what I have been avoiding but since I had to supervise classes at 7.30am, meaning that if I had to drive from UTM, I will have to start my journey at 5am, which is one hour before Fajr! So, no because it is worse to travel alone at night and stop at any random R & R to pray Fajr.

After surveying with my colleagues who have been staying at Muar for a few times, they recommended Muar Traders Hotel is the best for me because of the location, safety of parking and convenient in looking for food and stuff. When I walked into the hotel, a staff member asked me if I'm a school student! You see, people working in the hotel always think that a young woman (looks young) only stay at a hotel because she has a sugar daddy or what. I had to prove that I'm a government officer to avoid such a fitnah.

Anyway, other than that unpleasant first impression, it was not a too bad experience staying there. The utmost reason is that it has free wireless service inside every room! Alhamdulillah, I still can work while away from my office and chat with friends. The view from my room was quite nice because the hotel is just next to the Muar River. I came back every evening after the supervision and bought some food for dinner. After that, I didn't go out until 7am to the school again.




On 30th September, it was raining and I was driving in the busy town. A car in front of me was reversing from the side street (where it is illegal to park cars) and I had to brake but I didn't make such an abrupt brake, it was a slow brake. And then a loud bang behind me, I didn't feel anything so just moved on as usual. When I looked at my back mirror, I saw a motorcycle and a girl on the street. I stopped my car and parked it aside and quickly walked to the motorcycle. She was sitting on the street with her helmet still attached on her head but the motorcycle's side mirror was broken and the battery was sticking out of the body. I quickly helped her to get up while 2 passer-bys offered to help as well. They picked up her motorcycle and parked it in a building's ally way. I tried to talk to her by asking her name but she was too dizzy or shocked maybe to reply. I asked if any part of her body was hurting, she said her shoulder. So I offered to bring her to the hospital.

While in the car, I asked her name and age. She was only 19 years old and so I asked her to phone her elder brother or sister or father. She refused, maybe too scared, so I drove her to a clinic but they advised us to go to a government hospital. Upon hearing that, she asked me just dropped her at her work place not far from the place of accident. I insisted to go to the hospital and asked her to phone her father. She said she was fine and her shoulder was not hurting anymore. I insisted to bring her to the hospital but she refused and so she phoned her father but he didn't pick up the phone. I asked if her motorcycle is insured, she replied no. So upon her request I sent her to her work place where her father can come and pick her up later.

I didn't take her contact number because I don't think it is a good idea to ask her to pay for my car. According to the law, if you hit a vehicle in front of you, it is your fault even though you may say that the vehicle in front of you made the mistake first. It happened to me once when a lorry came out of no where from a junction and the car in front of me made a sudden brake, I hit it right at the back and I was the one who had to pay. Anyway, in this case, I had to let her go because her motorcycle was in a bad shape and there was no insurance coverage for that, and she is only 19 years old.

There was a significant damage on the body of the back of my 3-month old car. I think that must be where her head hit. That's why she was so shocked. Alhamdulillah, no one was injured in this little accident and I hope she fixed her motorcycle. I travelled back to UTM again on Thursday afternoon in time to prepare for my Eid Open House - a tradition that many muslims in Malaysia do for a whole month of Shawal - which was scheduled on Friday. More than 150 guests (colleagues and students) were invited not just as a celebration for Eid but also to give thank on my PhD completion. Not much were prepared, only normal Malay Eid food like rice, ketupat, beef rendang, lodeh (lontong), nut sambal, watermelon and sirap juice, and of course kuih raya.

Eid Mubarak - still.

Wassalam.