The BUS ELEP 2013 video - Part 1

So, my journey in BUS ELEP 2013 has almost ended now. As far as I long for home, I also feel that I will miss my "family" in this programme. 

Here I share with you a video of the programme that one of us made. I shall cherish the moments and memories in the programme. May our friendship last forever. 

Thanks to Sam for the video! :)

The counting continues....

6 more days, and I shall be in the arms of my husband and family. 

Last Friday, we moved from Abraham Lincoln Hall at East West Center to Ambassador Hotel at Waikiki. The first night here, Amy and I went out to hunt for food for iftar: we were just too tired to cook after the whole day spent on packing, loading and unloading our luggage. After those multiple times of shopping, the impact has taken its toll! I think, we all have over exceeded our luggage weight! Whoops!!

So we had sushi at Doraku Restaurant for iftar. My treat, coz Amy had treated me some appetizers at this coffee shop just a few blocks away from the restaurant. I love its Caramel Mocha. I've had it twice and surely will have another one before leaving Hawaii.

My Saturday and Sunday were spent staying in the hotel room. I found the aura around Waikiki as just too.... strange for me. Having a 5-minute walk to the beach, you can see men and women in their shorts and bikinis. Something I choose not to see, especially now it's Ramadhan time. Call me conservative, but I just don't wanna lessen my pahala puasa. Enough said.

Besides, the wind is just too cold for me. It hits me to the bones. The last thing I want right now is my asthma to come back, which I usually get every time I masuk angin. 

6 more days, and I think I need to repack my bags. I sensed that one is heavier than the other.. We'll see!

The moments : missing him...

14 more days... and I will be home!

This is my first time away from DH and familuz. It is harder when pressure is at its peak, especially when I find it difficult to catch up with the course content in the programme. Back in Brunei, I had him to lean on and him to wipe away my tears. Here... :(

And I miss them nephews! :'(

The Ups and Downs : Life in Hawaii

So.. Here I am on the beautiful green island of Oahu for the past two weeks. 70 of us landed on Honolulu on 27th June 2013 after about 36 hours leaving the land of hidden treasure, Brunei Darussalam.

We were grateful by the warm welcome by the people of East West Center, the institution that has been giving us the shelter to stay and grab precious knowledge for a month stay here in Hawaii.

Life here is not very much different from the life back home. The people are friendly and it is very safe to go everywhere here. The only difference would be the difficulty in finding halal food in every store in the city. So basically, we, the Muslims, rely on vegetables and fruits to survive, although some of us did bring canned foods and instant noodles from home.

Despite being home sick and missing family at home, friends here have been very wonderful and I must say, we have become one big family now, especially in the month of Ramadhan when we fast as part of our responsibilities as Muslims. The pain of being away from family has lessen now we face Ramadhan together and break iftar as one big family. Alhamdulillah.

Other meaningful moments here in Hawaii are obviously the tours we were taken to by the East West Center. I can never forget the beauty of Hanaoma Bay, the serene sight of Nu'uani Pali Lookout, and the cold windy experience looking out for blow holes on the beautiful rocky beach. The visit at Bishop Museum had also taught me the life of Hawaiians in the past, as well as the history of their Royals. A close encounter with a Pearl Harbor Attack survivor, Jimmy Lee, in our visit to the Arizona Memorial was also a dear to my heart. Watching the actual video footage of the attack, and standing in front of the Memorial Wall did not fail to shed me tears of agony.

I will still be here in the next two weeks, and I am sure more memories are in the making. I may be missing home right now, but I am sure when I leave here, I shall be missing my one-month life here in Hawaii.