Monday, March 2, 2009
A Letter To A Friend
Assalamu ‘Alaikum,
A Letter to A Friend
In Grade One handwriting the envelope says “we will not come back”. In Grade One English the contents says “April we will go to the Malaysia. I love you Sofea. I miss and you miss me. I love Nur Adila. My family we will go to the Malaysia.”
Contents of a letter my eldest daughter Nur Adlin wrote to her best pal, Adryana Sofea Haliman of Grade 1A AlFaris International School. It’s on her study desk still, I don’t know when and if she will pass it to Sofea.
Truth is my family and I are now somewhat excited at the prospects. We will leave on April 1 insyaAllah. No April fool here, Papa booked that date for what would have been our normal Course trip to KL. Now we have kept the one way reservation so that Nur Adlin can start Malaysia school fastest possible. Papa too has lots of things to do after leaving the Company much to itself the last two and half years. Mama needs the time to build up the courage to drive her automatic small car we intend to buy insyaAllah. Adila looks forward to going to Bukit Jelutong Kindergarten with Zahir. Zahir, I can’t read, there was some tears recently questioning why Papa still does not send him to school like the two sisters. We believe the smiles will come again when he goes to school with Kak Dila soon.
There was a hold on things recently when we contemplated a possibility to stay based on formation of an Advisory company with some Saudi friends but as it turned out it was too rushed to fit into our hurried schedule as a departing expatriate family. So we mutually agree to KIV the idea and tackle it from a different angle with Papa’s role changed from full time stay to probably a Malaysia based Consultant. It was a load of our mind that at last a firm decision can be made to proceed home. I remembered 2006 when I penned a hurried plan in my exercise book called ‘17 days to Riyadh’ describing what we had to do in the number of days left before the target date to arrive here. It became a favourite conversation piece of my paternal Aunt with her friends, admiring the efficiency of Mama rounding up the packing side, whilst Papa ran and somersaulted with the all manner of conditions set by the Saudi authorities before we can set foot in this beloved country. My favourite was the Certificate of Good Behaviour from Wisma Putra which until now I am not able to convince Mama, is a personal vouch by the authorities that I’m such a good hubby. Now its ‘30 days to Kuala Lumpur’ but no less stressful.
As an amateur or rather accidental expatriate we had no inkling of the correct thing to do when it comes to possession of things when abroad. Whilst the more experienced expatriate family amongst us would move from postings to postings carrying their entire possessions only in suitcases we made the fundamental mistake of buying and owning possessions whilst abroad. Now I have an IKEA showroom full of furniture to dispose and what seems a million small things from kid toys and scooters to elaborate wash hangers and a kitchen full of pots and pans to decide what to do with. My strategy now God willing is to sell the 4 wheel drive which by the look of things happily should not be too much of a problem; garage sale the furnitures and donate what’s left of the small possessions to poor Saudis via a Charitable body that specialises in such things. According to Majed my Saudi colleague they will come to your house, pack and take away all the possessions you want to donate and give them to the more deserving souls you intend to give to. They will even repair those things which are not in good condition before delivering them to the poor.
Today is Day 28 to Kuala Lumpur, Mama is looking for the soundtrack to upload to her Facebook whilst the kids keep asking Papa to repeat the lyrics of our current favourite oldie. “All my bags are packed I’m ready to go, I’m standing here outside your door… “ you know the rest.
Wassalam,
Zahid.
A Letter to A Friend
In Grade One handwriting the envelope says “we will not come back”. In Grade One English the contents says “April we will go to the Malaysia. I love you Sofea. I miss and you miss me. I love Nur Adila. My family we will go to the Malaysia.”
Contents of a letter my eldest daughter Nur Adlin wrote to her best pal, Adryana Sofea Haliman of Grade 1A AlFaris International School. It’s on her study desk still, I don’t know when and if she will pass it to Sofea.
Truth is my family and I are now somewhat excited at the prospects. We will leave on April 1 insyaAllah. No April fool here, Papa booked that date for what would have been our normal Course trip to KL. Now we have kept the one way reservation so that Nur Adlin can start Malaysia school fastest possible. Papa too has lots of things to do after leaving the Company much to itself the last two and half years. Mama needs the time to build up the courage to drive her automatic small car we intend to buy insyaAllah. Adila looks forward to going to Bukit Jelutong Kindergarten with Zahir. Zahir, I can’t read, there was some tears recently questioning why Papa still does not send him to school like the two sisters. We believe the smiles will come again when he goes to school with Kak Dila soon.
There was a hold on things recently when we contemplated a possibility to stay based on formation of an Advisory company with some Saudi friends but as it turned out it was too rushed to fit into our hurried schedule as a departing expatriate family. So we mutually agree to KIV the idea and tackle it from a different angle with Papa’s role changed from full time stay to probably a Malaysia based Consultant. It was a load of our mind that at last a firm decision can be made to proceed home. I remembered 2006 when I penned a hurried plan in my exercise book called ‘17 days to Riyadh’ describing what we had to do in the number of days left before the target date to arrive here. It became a favourite conversation piece of my paternal Aunt with her friends, admiring the efficiency of Mama rounding up the packing side, whilst Papa ran and somersaulted with the all manner of conditions set by the Saudi authorities before we can set foot in this beloved country. My favourite was the Certificate of Good Behaviour from Wisma Putra which until now I am not able to convince Mama, is a personal vouch by the authorities that I’m such a good hubby. Now its ‘30 days to Kuala Lumpur’ but no less stressful.
As an amateur or rather accidental expatriate we had no inkling of the correct thing to do when it comes to possession of things when abroad. Whilst the more experienced expatriate family amongst us would move from postings to postings carrying their entire possessions only in suitcases we made the fundamental mistake of buying and owning possessions whilst abroad. Now I have an IKEA showroom full of furniture to dispose and what seems a million small things from kid toys and scooters to elaborate wash hangers and a kitchen full of pots and pans to decide what to do with. My strategy now God willing is to sell the 4 wheel drive which by the look of things happily should not be too much of a problem; garage sale the furnitures and donate what’s left of the small possessions to poor Saudis via a Charitable body that specialises in such things. According to Majed my Saudi colleague they will come to your house, pack and take away all the possessions you want to donate and give them to the more deserving souls you intend to give to. They will even repair those things which are not in good condition before delivering them to the poor.
Today is Day 28 to Kuala Lumpur, Mama is looking for the soundtrack to upload to her Facebook whilst the kids keep asking Papa to repeat the lyrics of our current favourite oldie. “All my bags are packed I’m ready to go, I’m standing here outside your door… “ you know the rest.
Wassalam,
Zahid.
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