16th September 2017, 12AM, in the tent.
Everyone in my group had already done what had to be done before going to bed. We were all in the tent with our facilitator, Teacher Shafina, squatting outside of our tent as the ground was wet and she wanted us to sleep before she went to her hotel room (lucky I say, lucky.)
"Remember, set your alarm to 4 AM. It would be your turn for hirasah." (Hirasah is when we guard the others' tents in the middle of the night.) Teacher Shafina reminded us.
Faiqah, a Primary 4 girl that was also in my group, nodded and set her digital alarm clock to 4 AM.
"Make sure you didn't set it to 4 PM." Joked a Primary 5 girl that was also in my group, Aisy. I elbowed her and we giggled.
One of us, named Aisyah who was also from Primary 5, opened up her sleeping bag and set it up.
"Seriously? A sleeping bag? It's like 40 degrees in here!" I told her as I took off my hijab.
"We have to share it." Faiqah announced. Aisyah nodded and unzipped her sleeping bag to the fullest and it ended up being our little sleeping mat.
"Alright, good night, guys." Teacher Shafina said before zipping our tent. We all wished her goodnight and laid down.
12.15 AM
"MY GOODNESS IT'S SO HOT."
"I'M GOING TO DIE IN HERE."
"I'D RATHER SLEEP IN THE LAKE."
"OH MY GAWD."
"Oh god can't y'all just sleep?" I said, annoyed as I flashed my torchlight into their eyes. They all wailed and I said, "shut it or I'll bring it closer to your eyes."
"Okay, okay." Said Sofea who was a Primary 4 girl in my group.
"I know how to get cooler." Aisy said. She moved her pillow to the mouth of the tent. She unzipped the bottom part.
"Everyone, put your pillows or whatever you use as a pillow at the opening of the tent." Aisy continued.
"Won't mosquitoes get in?" I asked tentatively.
"No they won't." Faiqah told me. She took out an anti-mosquito patch and stuck it somewhere in the tent.
"Alright," I said. "Let's sleep."
1 AM
I suddenly woke up to the sound of thunder. I looked around the tent and saw that I was the only one who's head was at the mouth of the tent. The others had moved back to where we had originally slept an hour ago.
I was wondering why until I put out my hand beside me.
It was dripping wet! I looked at the mouth of the tent and saw that it was zipped. Phew, I thought. Thank goodness these kids were smart.
My head was wet. I thought of moving next to them but then thought 'hey, this spot is actually cold. I'll just stay here.'
So, with that, I continued my slumber in cold and wet clothes and the sound of crashing thunder and rain drops hitting the outside of my tent.
'We're going back today, Nuha.' I thought to myself just before sleeping. 'You can do this.'
4 AM
Beep! Beep! Beep!
I woke up to the sound of Faiqah's alarm. I woke up the others who apparently were in a deep slumber.
"Guys! Wake up," I said, waking them up. "It's our turn for hirasah!"
They all woke up with a start. They put on their hijab and raincoats.
"But, sister, do we really have to? It's raining outside." Aisy asked me. As soon as she spoke, everyone stopped moving. I thought about it for a while.
"Well," I started. "We haven't received any notice that we shouldn't. And, even if we shouldn't, it would be better to try rather than to not try." I said, realizing that my voice had changed, probably because of the sore throat I had.
The others seemed confident with my words as they continued to search through the heaps of bags for their raincoats and other stuff.
I was the first person to get ready. I unzipped the tent and got out. It was raining heavily and very cold.
As soon as we all had got our shoes on, I flicked my torch light on.
"Where's teacher Shafina?" Asked Sofea.
We all begin to murmur and we just stood their, lost, not knowing whether to continue hirasah without her or go back in our tent.
"Hey," said a male voice. I knew exactly who it was. It was Mr Hisyam. "What are you all doing here?"
"It's our turn for hirasah." I told him with the change in my voice. I saw him flinch a little.
"Where's your facilitator?" He asked.
"That's what we're trying to find out too." I told him.
"Hey!" Shouted a voice. We all flinched and I flashed my torchlight to the direction of the sound. It was teacher Shafina, dripping wet without any sort of rain attire.
"Teacher!" My group members and I said in chorus.
"Guys! You don't have to go for hirasah! It's raining heavily!" Teacher Shafina told us. We weren't hesitant to go back in our tent.
"I'm sorry I wasn't there to wake you guys up." Teacher Shafina told me as we walked back to the tent.
"I was actually waiting outside your tent already. I poked your tent, trying to wake you all up. I couldn't go in as I was dripping wet and I didn't want to make your tent wet as well." Teacher Shafina explained. I smiled.
"It's okay." I told her, hugging her without caring whether or not I was going to get dripping wet as well.
We all got back in the tent and right after teacher Shafina zipped our tent close, we slept.
5 AM.
"Sister, wake up." A voice woke me up. I knew it was Faiqah.
"What time is it?" I asked sleepily.
"5 AM. Qiyamullail time." She answered shortly. I woke up and saw that Sofea, Faiqah and I were the only ones awake.
"Wake up the others. I'll get ready." I instructed them. They nodded and I went to put on my hijab and then, contemplated whether to put on my shoes or slippers.
"Yo, did we cover our shoes with anything to prevent them from getting wet?" I asked. Everyone gasped and wailed.
"No we didn't!" Wailed Aisyah.
I unzipped the tent and peeked outside. It was still raining but less heavy and I saw our shoes outside without any sort of coverage.
"Oh god." I exclaimed.
"We still have to wear shoes, sister." Aisy said. "We have to cover our aurat."
We all sighed. Aisy was right. For the sake of our religion and aurat.
"Alright, let's do this." I said, going out with my torchlight in my hand. I flicked it on and put on my shoes. As soon as my foot went in, my shoes begin 'producing' water that my socks absorbed.
'Demmit.' I thought with an eye-roll. We all walked to the hall where we had our lunch and zuhur prayer yesterday.
We were the first girl group to arrive there. Most of the boys were already there. We sat at behind the boys' line.
Soon, everyone arrived and prayed tahajjud, taubat and other prayers during Qiyamullail.
After the last prayer for Qiyamullail, Aisy came to me and 2 other girls that couldn't pray too.
"Sister! Ain's group hasn't woke up! They're still in their tent!" Aisy told us.
"Oh my god." I exclaimed. "Safwa's in that group!" I glanced at my watch and saw that it was 6 AM.
Sarah,who also couldn't pray, got up and we both ran out of the hall to wake them. We put on our shoes and walked fast to the campsite, the light of my torchlight leading the way.
"Do you know which tent they're in?" I asked the Sarah who happened to be in the same class but a different camping group with Ain.
"No, sister." Was her reply. "Do you?"
"If I did, why would I be asking you?" And that was enough for an answer to her. We continued walking to the campsite.
We literally unzipped every tent, hoping to find Ain's group. It was when we unzipped our 4th tent that we found Ain's group, still sleeping.
"WAKE UP!" I said loudly. Ain and Safwa woke up with a start. Their other group members woke up lazily.
"What time is it?" Ain asked sleepily.
"GOD, IT'S 6 AM! THE OTHERS HAVE FINISHED WITH THEIR QIYAM AND THEY'RE PERFORMING THEIR SUBUH PRAYER NOW!" Sarah said loudly as well.
Safwa's eyes looked surprised, Ain's one as well. They got up, put on their hijab and slippers and got out, their group members trying to catch up with them.
Sarah and I zipped their tent for them as they'd forgotten. We walked back to the hall in the rain with the torchlight leading our way. Ain and the others had went to the toilet to take their wudhu'.
Sarah and I got back at the hall while the others were praying subuh. A few minutes later, Ain and the gang arrived at the hall when the others were already at the second rakaat of subuh prayer.
After subuh prayer, we had a tazkirah by Teacher Noraini. As she gave a tazkirah, Safwa and I sat side-by-side behind most of the students.
"Who realized my group and I weren't here?" Safwa suddenly asked me.
"Aisy." I replied shortly with a slight grin.
"You didn't realize I wasn't here?" Safwa asked me, as if she had expected me to realize that she wasn't there during Qiyam.
"Nope." I pointed out the obvious. "Though I did feel like my morning wasn't complete. It was as if something wasn't there."
Safwa grinned and I grinned as well. We talked half-way through the tazkirah, not really listening to Teacher Noraini's tazkirah (haha, sorryyyyy.)
The tazkirah lasted from half past six in the morning to seven o'clock in the morning. We then had light breakfast and some of us even had fried rice cooked by Mr Rasyid, one of our male teachers.
I had a chocolate nestum drink with a few biscuits and crackers. We had mud trekking after that.
We all gathered at one spot which was facing the mangrove we were going to enter. We had a briefing by one of the staffs there before entering the mangrove.
He told us to take off our shoes and, honestly? I was hesitant to even go mud trekking at first, what more mud trekking bare footed?
But I thought 'meh, it's gonna be fun anyway.' So I took off my shoes.
After his briefing, we went mud trekking. My group was the second group to enter the mangrove with my mandarin teacher, Lao Shi Mohd, in front of me.
The mud was REALLY DEEP! NO KIDDING, GUYS! It got until one point where, the mud was until my knees and I accidentally hugged Lao Shi! He was worried that my hands were dirty with mud but I told him my hands were cleaned.
Laughing, screams and many more noises could be heard coming out from the students including me.
Aida, a primary 4 girl, was behind me during the mud trekking. She suddenly felt like falling down and she grabbed onto my hijab with her dirty hands.
"WOI!" I shouted, shaking her off and, guess what? She fell flat in the mud!
I laughed hard like mad. "BYEEEE!!!" I told her, leaving her there.
I walked in the icky mud, with Lao Shi still behind me and still, he was cautious about me touching him in anyway. I laughed.
"Ayyyy." Said a voice. I turned back and saw Ameera who looked like she had the time of her life in the mud. I, at least, looked rather clean for a person who was mud trekking. Only my hijab and the lower part of my sports pants were muddy.
"Ayyy... I'm just tryin' find my way out in this concrete jungle, who, walks, with, meh?!" I replied. We both laughed and I saw Lao Shi shaking his head with a grin.
"Lol, how did you find me?" I asked her.
"I saw a landmark."
"Really?" I asked her. "What?"
"A fallen Aida."
We both laughed hysterically, despite the fact that we were mud trekking. Where we were, the mud had stopped it's muddy and icky track and we were walking on soft but not deep mud.
"Hey, anyone could've made her fall." I told her with a grin.
"But no one but you would've left her there." Ameera replied. We both laughed.
We got to a wooden house which was opposite the beach. We were the first few people to arrive.
"I WANNA GO TO DA BEACH." I said loudly.
Soon, girls and boys came. And oh my gawd you should've seen them. Syaima, my friend, looked horrible. Safwa on the other hand, brought trouble.
"How's it going?" Syaima asked me and Ameera when she arrived. She suspiciously put a hand on my shoulder. I turned to her hand and saw that it was filled with mud.
"SYAI! What the heck?!" I shouted. She laughed along with Ameera. Safwa on the other hand, went right for the kill.
She came running towards me with a big old hand-full of mud and threw it towards me. I was covered in mud. My rather clean-self, now covered in mud.
"ATTACK!" Ameera shouted. And, as usual, I was being bullied by my three friends (AAAAAGH.)
We ran towards the beach and they were still chasing me like mad people. I tried to grab a hand-full of mud but alas, I 'didn't have the heart to hurt them' (HAHA. Yeah right).
When we got to the beach, we cleaned ourselves up in the water by swimming and soon, we got out, soaking wet. We walked back to the campsite using a different route.
"God I wanna do that again." Ameera said.
"Lol, did you see Azim's face?" I asked my three friends on the way back.
"Oh tell me about it." Syaima rolled her eyes at me playfully with a smirk.
"He looked like a beast." I said with a laugh.
"And the mud got dry and hardened on his face."
"Bahaha."
We bathed as soon as we got back to the campsite. We collapsed our tents before bathing, though. And I did not feel comfortable; AT ALL.
After bathing, we all gathered in the hall where we had early lunch. Those who were done, got their stuff and lined up at the campsite's entrance.
"I'm exhausted." I heard a voice say behind me. I turned around and saw one of my juniors smirking behind me.
"Exhausted, but...?" I asked her.
"Happy, excited." My junior replied.
Soon, almost everyone was ready to board the bus. A few students, mostly my juniors, were still on the way.
I helped a few of my juniors who were clearly having trouble bringing their stuff.
I saw one of them struggling. It was Hana Humaira, a Primary 3 girl. I'd been observing her for the last 10 minutes and yet, no one was there to help her, not even her facilitator.
I ran towards her and gave her a hand. I carried a few of her bags to her group and, that's when I saw her facilitator; Teacher Fasihah.
"Thanks, Nuha. For bringing my group member here." Teacher Fasihah thanked me with a grin.
"Oh, she's your kid? Honestly, I thought you were going to help her." I replied.
"Oh, I did, Nuha, I did. 10 minutes ago. I told her how to carry the stuff and she said, 'Noooo it should be like this' so I thought 'FINE UP TO YOUUUU.'" Teacher Fasihah gave me a brief story about how she tried to help the girl. I laughed, saluted to her and went back to my group.
Soon, we all boarded the bus and I was seated next to my friend, Syaima. I thought I could catch some Zs in the bus but oh, what misery I had sitting next to that... THING.
"Hey Nuha, look. A shop." She would tell me every 5 minutes. I would turn around and it would be too late.
"Missed it." She would say with a laugh and I would roll my eyes and say "Let me sleep."
In the end, I ended up not sleeping because 1. My favourite songs came up and Syaima begged for me to listen to them. 2. Syaima wouldn't stop disturbing me which was a totally different level of annoying.
When we got to school, I felt really miserable and exhausted and couldn't help but glare at Syaima. She winked and laughed.
4 PM
"Where's my grandfather? He was supposed to be here 2 hours ago!" I whined. The only people left at school was me, Safwa and her siblings and a couple of teachers.
"Nuha, I can send you home." Offered one of my teachers, teacher Farahin.
"Yeah, I can send you home too, Safwa, Yusof and the rest." Teacher Amira offered them.
Soon, I found myself in my teacher's car, on the way home. We talked as if we were friends and soon, when I got home, I thanked her a bunch.
I ringed on the bell and the bell opened out came my uncle.
"Woah you look horrible." He told me.
"I was camping, what do you think?" I replied.
"Did you bathe?"
"What do you think?"
"Assalamualaikum." And the conversation ended there. I saluted to him and he saluted back with a grin.
Alright, that's all from my camping this year. I'm sorry this came out a bit late, though. I was kind of busy for that 1 month I procrastinated this post.
Until my next post,
Jzk!
-Yours truly, Nuha.
