Some Old Photos

The other day, I was trying to get to this blog using cik HB's phone and somehow only managed to type 'behabella' kat google and keluar kat list search tag photo of me kat smug.mug.com bawah akaun Didie. So kita pon clicked dan jumpa dua gambar ni yg kita sendiri pon x penah tgk. 

Kembar masa usia nak mencecah 3.5 thn

Us

My, my...I remember clearly when and where it was taken. 

Masa tu kami baru few weeks sampai Jerman dan masa tu pulak kami sedang sibuk nak set-up rumah yg kami nak sewa. So gambar tu di amik on our quest ke kedai perabot second hand somewhere in Frankfurt. Liza, Mat, Didie n Nazrin la yg gigih temankan kami, naik train turun train, naik bas turun bas nak pegi tempat tu.

Tak sangka, it's been more than 4 years already. It was a hard time sbb ingat lagi masa tu hujan dan musim masa tu dah nak masuk autumn, jadik agak sejuk la utk kami yg hanya berjalan kaki, lepas tu nak tunggu bas pulak. But it was such a sweet memory di perantauan.....

So Didie, if you happen to read this, I hope you don't mind ye me sharing these photos here....

Our Last Days in Germany - Part 4: Kenduri Doa Selamat & Kesyukuran

Ni la antara event yg membuatkan kami terharu - kenduri kesyukuran & doa selamat sekaligus memerangkap surprise farewell party utk kami sekeluarga. Dirancang secara rahsia oleh Kak Liza & her family, Liza & Mat serta adik2 junior Rheimers dan kami cuma tau pasal majlis ni waktu ianya mula berlangsung.

Kisahnya, pagi Jumaat itu, sehari sebelum flight kami pulang ke Malaysia, sy nak ke Frankfurt - nak buat last-minute shoppings, beli brg2 yg masih ada dlm list, sedikit sedikit souvenirs. Cik HB pagi2 dah ke Darmstadt menguruskan hal2 terakhir berkaitan pengajiannya. Sikembar, sy minta tolong Liza jagakan. Tapi sebelum sy keluar rumah, kak liza call katanya tuan rumah sy call dia bgtau kami kena settlekan sampah2 yg sy tinggal sbb lori sampah x mo amik sampah kami. Maybe sbb sampah kami x dok dlm tong sampah (sbb tong sampah penuh sgt masa tu) and maybe sbb kami x asingkan sampah seperti sepatutnya.

Again, kak liza la yg menjadi penyelamat, kami sama2 mengerjakan sampah - asing2kan sampah dan letak dlm plastik lebih kecil dan dgn kereta kak liza kami angkut sampah2 ni dan cari tong2 sampah yg kami boleh sampah kami. Bayangkan la tong sampah utk apartments area rumah kak liza & mat siap duduk dlm cage dan berkunci. Hanya penghuni aje yg boleh buang sampah kat tong sampah blok masing2. So sy buang separuh kat blok rumah mat dan lagi separuh kat blok rumah kak liza. Tapi yg sy terharunya, betapa baiknya kak liza menolong sy, sanggup mengangkut sampah-sarap dlm keretanya!

Lepas sampah dah settle, sy ke Frankfurt seorg diri. Memborong souvenirs apa2 yg patut buat sedara mara dan sahabat handai. Penat! Tp padan la ngan muka sendiri, dok 2.5 thn kat sana, last day before balik baru nak beli segala.

Pulang ke Raunheim hampir pukul 5ptg. Liza kata Mat nak belanja dinner kat kebab for the last time. cik HB pon sampai Raunheim lebih kurang waktu yg sama. Tapi yg peliknya dok berlegar2 kat area rumah Kak Liza dan kemudian Liza panggil masuk rumah Kak Liza. Masuk2 ´SURPRISE!!!!´. Junior rheimers penuh didalam dan rumah dihias ala2 party. Ada banner, ada reben2 bagai, terlopong sy tgk!

Makanan pon byk dah disediakan. Ada nasi ulam, kambing panggang, sup kambing, kuih-muih segala. Rupanya pagi kami sibuk menguruskan sampah, kak Liza rupanya sibuk nak berkejar shopping brg2 utk kenduri. Aduhai! Kesian sungguh sy mendengar...sanggup dia bersusah-payah utk kami.

Dgn adanya majlis ini, kami mengambil kesempatan mengucapkan terima kasih byk2 kepada family kak liza, famili Mat & adik2 Rheimers. They played very important role in our life in Germany dr mula kami sampai disini hingga la ke saat kami balik for good. Sgt terharu bila kak Liza memberikan kata2 ucapan dgn linangan air mata, terasa yg kami sungguh disayangi dan dihargai.

Lepas makan2, Mat mengetuai solat Maghrib dan bacaan Yasin serta doa selamat serta kesyukuran. Ya, kami sgt bersyukur kerana cik HB berjaya habiskan studynya walaupun byk cabaran, sgt bersyukur sbb kehidupan kami disini dipermudahkanNya.

Cemana pon malam tu kami kena pulang awal ke rumah Mat sbb packing tak abis2 lagi. I slept at 2am kot, dok sibuk menyusun beg dan timbang berat the whole luggage sbb takut terlebih berat.

Our Last Days in Germany - Part 3: Farewell Drachenland Kindergarten

Khamis - 31/3/2011

Hari terakhir sikembar menghadiri kindergarten. Dan sempena itu, the group teachers menganjurkan farewell party. For that purpose, sy bawakan store-bought chocolate cake dan goodies utk kanak2 di Maulwufgruppe (group sikembar). Nasib baik Liza tolong packed kan all the goodies mlm sebelumnya. Sy dah knocked out dah.

Sy n cik HB ingat nak stay for the party but it seemed that the teachers tak berapa nak bagi, x tau kenapa. Sbb ini adalah guru2 baru menggantikan Claudia dan Charlotte yg lebih friendly sebelum ini, sy pon malas nak ckp byk. Just tinggalkan kek & goodies dan kemudian balik ke rumah Liza.

Teachers & kids of Maulwufgruppe

Though sikembar masih kecil tapi diorg dah faham erti perpisahan, especially Nabilah yg mmg emotional dan very expressive about her feelings. She said she was sad to leave behind her best friends Luna & Leyla. Sy kata nak buat cemana, kita dok sini sementara saja dan Malaysia is our real home. Being almost 6 years, I guess they will remember all the memories they have while living in Germany sampai besar nanti kot.

Xpe la kembar ye...belajar rajin2 , mana tau esok2 boleh further study kat Germany mcm uncle Razif dan semua2 abg2 Rheimers dan eh, mcm Abah juga. Ameen!

Our Last Days in Germany - Part 2 : Leaving An der Lache 17A

Rabu - 30/3/2011

It was the last day we can hold the key to An der Lache 17A - the second floor apartment. By 7pm that day, kami perlu memulangkan kunci kpd tuan rumah dlm keadaan rumah yg bersih dan teratur.

Since sy & kak liza dah mula berkemas dan membersih dr hari Isnin, maka hari ni xde la byk sgt yg perlu kami buat. Tinggal mop lantai & cuci toilet. Cuma sampah2 je la yg byk belum dibuang dek kerana tong sampah dibawah dah penuh. Konon2nya nak buang all the restmüll on the following day bila lori sampah restmüll dtg.

Living hall yg tinggal kenangan

This was our room

Kids´room

dapur

balcony

the neighbourhood

Pukul 7pm, tuan rumah suami-isteri dtg dan perbincangan kami tentang kontrak rumah berlangsung dgn baik. Kak Liza sbg negotiator, Mat pulak umpama ejen kami yg dgn gigihnya memeriksa figure terakhir meter2 bacaan heater, air & gas. Terima kasih byk2 guys! Tuan rumah bersetuju memulangkan 2/3 duit deposit rumah, 1/3 dia nak pegang dulu sampai September, in case kalau ada apa2 bil yg perlu dibayar, which kami agreed sbb Kak Liza akan follow-up balik pasal ni September nanti. Harap2 kami boleh dpt balik full amount.

Mat, tuan rumah, kak liza, cik HB & me

Agak sedih juga meninggalkan rumah yg dah kami diami sejak October 2008 hingga la ke tarikh 30 Mac 2011. Rumah ni dulu hasil pencarian kak liza yg byk sgt menolong kami set-up kehidupan awal kami di Jerman. Walaupun dulu agak terkilan sbb kami menetap jauh dr universiti tempat cik HB belajar tapi ada byk hikmahnya kami duduk disini. Lokasi rumah ni sgt strategik, terletak pulak di neighbourhood yg aman dan cantik, dgn 2 buah supermarket, tadika yg cuma 5 minit away berjalan kaki, ada byk klinik, playgrounds, pendek kata sy betul2 menikmati kehidupan di Raunheim ini. It´s really a nice place to raise a family.

I miss Raunheim and its surroundings already.

bersambung....

Our Last Days in Germany - Part I

Dah lebih sebulan kami meninggalkan Jerman dan kembali ke tanah air. tapi ada byk memori di hari2 terakhir kami disana yg belum sempat sy blogkan. Dan haruskan diblogkan kerana memori2 tu semua adalah amat bermakna dan indah utk dikenang terutama kpd mereka2 yg byk membantu kami, mengambil berat pasal kami dan mendoakan kesejahteraan kami. Pertolongan dan kebaikan mereka2 ini, xkan mampu kami balas walaupun berjuta2 terima kasih diucapkan dan sy berharap semoga memori ini kekal diingatan dan dihati kami semua kerana ianya kenangan terindah kami hidup diperantauan.

Minggu terakhir disana, adalah minggu yg sgt sibuk sbb ada mcm2 hal diuruskan. cik HB pulak sgt sibuk dgn urusan thesis & qolloqium, makanya dia tak dpt nak bantu sgt hal2 dirumah dan urusan perpindahan. Tapi sy ada Kak Liza & Liza yg tolong sy all-out. Kak Liza siap amik cuti dan berkejar kesana kemari menguruskan hal kami. Liza pulak tolong jagakan sikembar waktu sy sibuk berkemas dan pegi sana sini. Mat pulak tolong review all kontrak2 utiliti dan rumah dan bgtau apa perlu dibuat. Cik dee, awie & zurina pon sama, byk hal2 yg diorg tolong here and there.

Isnin - 28/3/2011

Hari kami mengasingkan perabot2 dan sampah2 besar yg perlu dibuang sbb kami dah dpt appointment dgn lori sampah keesokan harinya. Sampah2 ni perlu ada di tepi jalan depan apartment kami seawal pukul 6 pg. So malam tu, adik2 Rüsselsheim, Mat, cik Dee, awie dtg membantu angkat2 brg2 ke bawah. Kalau takde diorg semua, x tau la cemana kami nak uruskan sbb barang besar2 dan berat2.

Adik2 were having simple dinner prepared by Kak Liza & me

Then, waktu yg sama kami kebuntuan cemana nak settlekan isu barang2 elektrik yg dah berhari2 kami fikirkan solutionnya sbb brg2 elektrik tak boleh dibuang dgn perabot, kena buat termin lain. Masalahnya termin yg ada sgt lambat, kami dah kena keluar rumah dan brg2 yg nak dibuang tu tak tau nak letak mana. And kami pon nak bg washing machine dan peti ais to kak liza tapi takde transport nak hantar. Kos sewa lori pulak mahal.

Alhamdulilah malam tu, masa kami sibuk2 turunkan perabot2, cik Dee yg kebetulan baru balik keje terserempak dgn org yg sedang meronda2 mencari metal scrap. So cik dee buat arrangement ngan org tu, diorg boleh amik electric cooker & kabinet sinki kami tapi as a payback, tolong hantarkan washing machine & mesin basuh ke rumah kak liza. So settle masalah kami! Sgt2 bersyukur dgn bantuan yg Allah s.w.t kurniakan ini.

Malam tu juga malam terakhir kami tido di An der Lache 17A.

Selasa - 29/3/2011

Sy kembali menyambung keje2 mengemas dan mencuci rumah dan seawal kul 10 am, kak liza dah pon sampai menolong. Lori sampah tu cuma dtg kul 2 ptg. Sedih je rasa bila tgk perabot2 yg stil elok2 tu di remuk2 ngan lori yg ada compressor tu. Kalau ada org nak, bg free pon takpe. Tp takde org nak, juniors nak amik pon, diorg takde transport. Nak sewa lori lak mahal.

ni ler brg2 yg dibuang

sekejap je brg2 besar dihancurkan si cik compressor

Kami buat cleaning all-out aritu sbb dah janji ngan tuan rumah nak bg kunci keesokan harinya. Dan rumah harus la dlm keadaan tip-top utk mengelakkan tuan rumah mencari alasan utk cut duit deposit atau x bg langsung.

Malam tu kami dah start tido kat rumah Mat & Liza walaupun masih belum bg kunci kat tuan rumah.

bersambung....

Cleaning in Progress

Hari ni cik HB dah plugged-off electric cooker, sinki dan mesin basuh. So officially dapur dah ditutup dgn rasminya - no more cooking & washing. Sy baru lepas menyental dinding & lantai dapur, tapi tak abis pon lagi. Penat la, konon nak abiskan malam ni tapi tak larat dah, sakit pinggang dok gonyoh2 dinding/lantai. Dapur rumah ni dipasang tiles sampai ke ceiling, and dgn stail masakan melayu kita, takde lak tu kitchen hood, makanya mmg melekat2 la dinding ngan minyak: Kebaikannya, x yah cat, cuma tang menyental tu kena kuat mental & fizikal! Mujur la dapur tak besar sgt.

This is the thing about menyewa rumah kat sini. That when you want to go out from your rented house, you have to make sure that the house is clean & proper order, kalau tak chances that you don´t get back full deposit. Dulu masa kat Malaysia, everytime kami keluar rumah sewa, kami bersihkan juga apa2 yg patut, cuma takde la sampai lap2 tingkap. Kat sini, bukan setakat sapu2 aje, kena lap tingkap, sental2 apa yg patut. . Setgh2 rumah, siap kena cat balik. Kami ni nasib x payah cat sbb dlm kontrak dah kata, kami masuk rumah ni dulu without renovation, so we leave the house as it is. Tapi kan masa winter 2009/2010 bilik anak2 kena serangan kulat, wall paper rosak, so yg tu kami pasang la wall paper baru. Thanks to Kak Liza & Mat/Liza yg dtg menolong buat wall paper dan keje2 lain.

hoh!!, dah ngantuk sgt ni...taip pon dah berapa kali tersasul ntah apa2 yg keluar!

Urusan Perpindahan

Insyaallah, lagi seminggu kami akan berangkat pulang ke tanahair. Plan nak fly 31/3 tak jadi sbb cik HB dpt date buat qolluqium on 30/3. So agak kelam-kabut la kalau nak balik 31/3. Besides, since kami nak amik MAS, 31/3 tu pon takde penerbangan MAS. Makanya target kami 2/4. Tiket dah booking tapi belum confirm sbb by Monday cik HB nak pastikan semua keje2 dia settle, baru boleh confirmkan tiket.

Hari Khamis lepas, brg2 kami dah siap dihantar utk shipping ke Malaysia. Barang2 takde la byk sgt tp nak ngangkut 38 kotak dr apartment kami turun ke bawah, jenuh jugak la. Nak2 cik HB mmg ada masalah sakit pinggang. So kami minta bantuan adik2 junior Rheimers. Mujur diorg boleh tolong. Alhamdulilah.

Kalau amik kontena agaknya, lagi jenuh nak angkut brg2...huhuhu

Abg botak susun2 kotak dlm kontena

Abg hensem yg serabut! (alamat kena delete la ni jap lagi...hehe)

Thanks adik2 Rheimers!!

Tapi walau dah shipped brg2, byk lagi keje2 nak diselesaikan. Bab nak clearkan rumah and buang brg2 pon byk gak keje. Buang barang2 pon tak boleh buang semberono. Kena contact majlis perbandaran (Rathaus) Raunheim dan buat appointment utk buang barang. Service percuma aje. Actually kami x tau pon urusan nak buat appointment tu senang, so kami minta tolong Mat callkan Rathaus since kami tak pandai Deustch. Rupa2nya kena register secara online aje, then terus dpt e-mail utk tarikh pick-up brg2. Tapi yg menguruskan benda2 ni bukan Rathaus, sebaliknya private company. Dan baru kami tau, urusan buang brg2 perabot company lain, brg2 elektrik company lain pulak. So kena buat dua appointment.

Yg buang perabot ok, kami dah dpt tarikh 29/3 ni. Adik2 Rheimers pon dah janji nak tolong angkat2 brg. Yg barang elektrik ni agak complicated sbb tarikh yg diberi on 6/4, which by that time kami pon dah balik Malaysia. So sapa pulak nak uruskan kan? Ni salah kami la sbb tak check urusan buang2 barang ni dr awal. Kalau tak, boleh buat appointment lebih awal.

Tapi kami dpt tau actually kita pon boleh hantar sendiri brg2 nak dibuang ke tempat pelupusan tu. Cuma kena keluarkan belanja sendiri la. Tu yg sedikit rugi, sbb service kutip brg2 terbuang ni free aje sebenarnya. Tapi nak buat cemana, bukannya kami boleh tinggalkan kat depan rumah camtu aje. Sini undang2 mcm2 dan nanti bising pulak tuan rumah if we do things improperly. So takpe la kalau kena keluarkan duit sikit, janji semua urusan settle dan tak menyusahkan org lain.

Doa2kan semoga urusan kami disini berjalan lancar!

Counting days...

Aaaa..lamanya blog ni terbiar sepi!

Tuan punya blog takde la busy mana tapi tadak mood dan situasi mcm tak berapa best nak memblog. Bila rasa nak memblog, masa tu ada je benda yg nak kena buat.

Bulan Mac sudah! Dah nak tgh bulan lak tu...

Bermakna dah boleh menghitung hari2 nak meninggalkan Deutschland dan pulang ke tanahair tercinta.

Buat masa ni preparation is like 70% i would say. Benda2 byk yg dah dok dlm kotak. Kotak2 pon dah byk tersusun sana sini. Cik HB sedang memulun sakan menyiapkan report dan target utk submit full report pd 15 Mac. Then bersedia utk qolloquium. Kami target utk amik flight pulang ke Malaysia pd 31/3/2011. Mudah2an semuanya berjalan lancar.

Ada org tanya apa perasaan nak balik Malaysia for good.

Ntah, takde perasaan apa2 so far. Tapi bukannya takde perasaan rindu kat family, mmg la rindu sesangat, I'm sure yg menunggu kami lagi la tak sabar2 nak nantikan kepulangan kami. Setiap kali call Mak, soalan dia mesti "dah beli tiket flight?", "sampai nanti balik mana dulu?", "bila balik rumah Mak?"

Camtu la...

Sikembar pon asik tanya bila sebenarnya kami nak balik Malaysia. Hari2 mesti tanya "esok ke balik Malaysia?". Susah nak explain to budak2 yg belom paham konsep masa ini.

Tak sabar juga nak tgk reaksi dan komen diorg sampai2 Malaysia nanti. Sebab masa tinggalkan Malaysia dulu, umur diorg around 3 years old, ckp tak byk lagi masa dan x tau apa yg diorg ingat about life in Malaysia. Now dah makin besar, komen mcm2, so boleh imagine la beribu2 soklan cepu emas diorg akan tanya.

Bukan tak happy nak balik Malaysia, itu kan negara sendiri tapi as I always said to friends bila ditanya best ke dok oversea - hidup disini rileks. Rileks la kot sbb sy tak payah keje, hanya fikir hari ni nak masak apa, nak beli apa. Rileks sbb kita tak payah fikir pasal nak beli rumah, nak beli kereta, atau nak bersaing dgn org keliling mcm2 aspek. Maybe kalau duduk permanently, my views will be different. Tapi dlm 2 thn lebih duduk disini, ada byk living aspect & quality disini yg sy kagumi - recycling system, education system, driving attitudes, social attitudes (bab2 menegur, senyum) yg sy harap satu hari nanti Malaysia juga begini. Ok, bukan semua bagus la, kang ada pulak org ckp, kalau benda2 oversea tu semuanya bagus la ye...tapi yg mana bagus tu, harus la dicontohi! Yg tak bagus tu tolak la ketepi!

So there would be a lot to think of bila dah balik Malaysia nanti - kualiti kehidupan, pendidikan anak2, kerjaya sendiri, pembagunan keluarga, well....it's reality of life!

Thus, at the moment, I'm not going to think about any of these yet. Sy masih mau menikmati kehidupan yg rileks ni (tapi rileks ke bila dah nak pindah?) yg tinggal lagi beberapa hari.

Nebenkosten

Kat Germany, bila sewa rumah, bukan setakat sewa itself yg harus dibayar, ada service charges dan utiliti lain juga perlu dibayar sama dgn sewa rumah setiap bulan, dipanggil nebenkosten. Nebenkosten ni tak fix, ikut kontrak sewa rumah yg dipersetujui oleh tuan rumah dan penyewa. Macam rumah kami, nebenkosten meliputi caj gas (utk heater & air panas), bekalan air, urusan sampah, pembetungan, insuran rumah tertentu dan lain2. So setiap bulan, bersama dgn duit sewa rumah, kami juga bayar 150 Euro utk nebenkosten. Yg kami bayar sendiri cuma bil elektrik.

Dulu masa mula2 nak sewa rumah ni, nebenkosten yg asal 100 Euro tapi bila tuan rumah lama tgk kami ada 2 anak, dia jadikan 150 Euro. Mulanya nak bising juga la sbb rasa mcm tinggi tapi kak Liza kata xpe bayar nebenkosten lebih pon sbb by the end of the year, ianya akan dikira semula dan kalau amaun bil rendah dr apa yg kita dah bayar, duit kita akan dipulang balik. Tapi kalau guna lebih, sendiri mau hengat la top-up itu duit!!!

Kawan2 malaysia se-jerman ada byk kisah melibatkan nebenkosten, ada yg sampai kena top-up sampai 2 ribu euro utk nebenkosten. So ramai la yg warning kami supaya berjaga2 dgn penggunaan air dan heater. Tahun pertama (October 2008 - January 2009) kami tak dapat pon bil nebenkosten, which kami assumed sbb kami baru menyewa kan....in the meantime kami cuba la kawal penggunaan utiliti sbb takut terlebih guna. Untung kak liza dah bg kami mcm2 tips utk menjimatkan penggunaan utiliti ni semua.

Tahun kedua (January 2009 - January 2010), kami masih tak dapat bil nebenkosten. Agak seriau la jugak sbb org lain kecoh terpaksa top-up banyak utk nebenkosten. Nak pi tanya tuan rumah tapi tak tertanya2 sbb masa tu ada peralihan tuan rumah. Tuan rumah lama kami dah jual the whole lot to org lain masa tu tapi tuan rumah lama masih menginap disitu sampai Ogos 2010. So nak tanya tuan rumah baru, pon tak tertanya2. Kami cuma assumed mungkin bil nebenkosten kami kurang dr apa yg kami bayar sbb kalau lebih, mesti tuan rumah dah awal2 tuntut duit dr kami.

Tapi still wonder la jugak apa la kes nebenkosten kami ni? sy cuma risau sekali tuan rumah bg bil nebeskosten tertunggak, dibuatnya nachzahlung beribu2 euro, hey! mana nak cekau duit???

Dan akhirnya, minggu lepas kami dapat la bil nebenkosten kami yg di kira dr Jun 2009 to September 2010 (kira dr time tuan rumah baru officially memiliki rumah ni). Dan sgt lega bila tgk nachzahlung kami cuma perlu top-up 33.39 Euro!!!

Alhamdulilah!!!

Akhirnya kerisauan berakhir....tapi kisah bil nebenkosten dr October 2008 - May 2009 tidak la kami ketahui sbb masa tu pemilikan masih dgn tuan rumah lama. Samada bil kami kurang dr apa yg kami bayar, then tuan rumah lama buat dek aje (x pulangkan balance) atau bil kami ngam2 dgn nilai yg dibayar atau terlebih sikit so tuan rumah absorbed shj (i doubt yg ini!).

Ada la jugak hikmahnya tuan rumah lama suruh bayar extra utk nebenkosten sbb bila bayar bulan2 walaupun rasa tinggi sekurang2nya kita x kalut nak kena top-up amaun yg banyak kemudian hari.

Apa pon, moral of the story - berjimat-cermat dan berhemah la bila menggunakan kegunaan utiliti :)

Lega

Officer dr jabatan kebajikan masyarakat dah dtg ke rumah 2 hari lepas. Sy, cik HB & kak liza mmg dah bersiap sedia menunggu dia. Lega bila berdepan dgn seorg officer, seorg perempuan jerman yg tidak sombong2 dan mahu memahami situasi kami.

Mulanya agak susah mau diterangkan dlm bahasa English sbb officer mcm tak berapa nak faham (sbb pd awalnya kak liza kata let her be pemerhati dulu), so bila kak liza start bersuara, officer tu mula faham dan pointed out apa yg patut kami buat. (oh kak liza, what would we do without you?)

Actually dia cuma mahu pastikan kebajikan kanak2 terjaga, dan since private insuran tak mahu bayar kos utk pemeriksaan U9, dia bagi kami satu borang/surat dan hanya suruh doktor kanak2 kami buat check-up ringkas dgn bayaran 5 Euro. Ok, yg tu acceptable. Tapi dia cuma baw satu borang utk Nabilah, Nabihah punya takde...sbbnya dia tak tau yg sebenarnya ada 2 kanak2. Mesti diorg confused dgn nama Nabilah & Nabihah dan assumed cuma ada satu budak yg involved.

Makanya kami tunggu la dia hantar lagi satu borang dan mudah2an lambat la borang tu sampai and by then masa pon dah sampai utk kami pulang ke Malaysia.

Undang2 Hessen yg mcm2

Haih...pening lagi dgn rules kat Jerman ni....oh, maybe bukan Jerman in general tapi negeri Hessen ni in particular sbb kat Jerman ni lain negeri lain undang2nya.

Dah abis bab sekolah (harap2 abis la sbb dah daftar semua, cuma tak daftar kelas bahasa aje...so far takde surat tanya hal tu), ingat abis dah la rules & regulation berkaitan anak2 yg kami kena fikirkan sementara nak tunggu masa balik Malaysia lagi 2 bulan ni.

Sekali TIDAK.

Actually dr bulan September 2010 kami dah dpt surat dr Jabatan Kesihatan & Kanak2 Hessen, minta kami hantar laporan kesihatan U9. U9 ni rutin check-up yg terdapat dlm buku kuning perkembangan kanak2 kat sini. Kira U9 ni dah final check-up la utk kanak2 kat sini. Tahun 2009 kami complied, bawa jumpa doktor kanak2 and then doktor tu buat check-up U8. Basically check-upnya involved ukur berat, ukur tinggi, check mata, check telinga then buat physical activities - lompat dua belah kaki la, sebelah kaki la, then brain activities - melukis, point gambar so and so. Bagus mmg bagus cuma masalahnya, lepas tu kami nak claim kosnya dgn pihak insuran, pihak insuran kata diorg tak cover those kind of check-ups! Dah la kos utk seorg budak aje dah dekat 150€. Tapi kami redha saja la x dapat duit claim tu sbb takut kalau tak buat nanti x leh nak renew visa pulak.

So yg U9 ni kami buat tak tahu aje la sbb kami fikir since kami dah tak perlu renew visa sampai masa kami balik for good, so tak perlu la. Then dtg surat reminder 2-3 kali, pon kami ignore kan juga. Bukan kami tak concern pasal kesihatan kembar ni, kalau x sihat mmg kami akan bawa ke klinik tapi nak buat check-up ni kosnya mahal dan pihak insuran tak cover dan kami dah nak balik dah. Pada sapa2 yg terpaksa amik private insurance kat Jerman mcm kami ni, sila la pastikan pihak insuran tu cover mcm2 utk mengelakkan masalah mcm kami hadapi.

Terbaru, surat dtg lagi, kali ni katanya since diorg masih x dpt laporan U9 anak2 kami, makanya pihak diorg merancang akan buat lawatan ke rumah Rabu depan.

Ayoyoyo!!!!

Adoi, takut la jugak kan...so sy consult kak liza - patut sy go somewhere on that day or just berdepan dgn pihak tersebut dan bagitau situasi kami?

Kak Liza kata it´s the best sy berdepan saja dgn mereka ini sbb kalau tak diorg akan keep pestering us on the issue. Imagine how alert diorg ni bila surat sebelum ni bertarikh 11.1.2011 dan suruh kami buat U9 sebelum 25.1.2011 (which kami ignored juga), sekali surat bertarikh 25.1.2011 sampai! Maknanya diorg mmg sentiasa follow-up la. Such a good working attitude, cuma skrg the disadvantage is on us la...huhuhu

Kak Liza kata dia akan teman sy on the day, so in case kalau ada masalah bahasa (org2 kerajaan mmg selalunya takkan ckp English), dia akan back-up.

Alahai....malasnya nak berdepan ngan isu2 mcm ni tapi dah dok negara org, kena la hadapi jugak kan?

Time camni la rasa nak cepat2 balik Malaysia!

A Quiet Day

It´s Christmast day but outside is so quiet, it feels like this area is deserted. Mcm takde perayaan. Tak mcm raya kat Malaysia, hari raya sgt festive, dgn org keluar menziarah sanak-saudara dan sahabat handai. Maybe sbb snow tebal diluar meyebabkan org malas nak keluar. Tgk snow on the road pon mcm x disodok and I hardly see vehicles nor people on the road. The Germans probably celebrating inside their homes with closest family and friends. Lagipon I guess diorg dah puas berpesta about a month ago with weinachmarkts dan christmast dinners held before hand.

Kitorg pon x kemana2. Nak kemana pon...satu kedai pon x dibukak bila ada cuti umum mcm ni. Before ada jugak terfikir nak travel ke mana2 within Germany masa cuti krismas tapi memandangkan byk sgt travel chaos news - flights, trains and road traffic jams, it´s the best kami stay kat rumah aje. Sy and sikembar pon x berapa sihat since yesterday. Hari ni cik HB yg masak, it´s bubur nasi on the menu since it´s the simplest thing to cook and suits the situation - org2 demam dan cold winter.

Mat, Liza & Liya selamat juga berlepas ke UK hari ini dan selamat sampai kat Leeds utk bercuti selama seminggu despite the travel chaos around Europe with the heavy snow and cold harsh temperature. Alhamdulilah. Kami agak sunyi jugak bila diorg xde because at least selang 2-3 hari mesti kami jumpa2. Moga diorg dpt balik on the arranged schedule next week, no delay or cancellation of the flight.

Hmmm....a bit bosan jugak bila x berapa sihat and then have to stay indoor for few days to come. I´m hoping to get better, at least sy boleh main masak2 kat dapur to occupy the time.

Winter Blizzard

The long winter continues....

Malam tadi snow turun ngan lebat dan pagi ni bgn tido, tgk kat luar balkon...mak aii, tebalnya!

Snow malam tadi at 12 am

Buka pintu balkon, nyaris snow masuk ke rumah

Cik HB mengukur kedalaman snow

Pagi ni dah la kena hantar sikembar ke kindy sbb sbb diorg ada rombongan menonton wayang. Ngan snow tebal melebihi buku lali org dewasa, kesian jugak budak berdua tu nak mengharung snow. Suasana pagi kat neighbourhood Raunheim ni agak huru hara la jugak...semua org sibuk menyodok snow, buang dan scrap snow dr kereta, jln pon byk kereta sbb kereta x leh nak gerak laju2. Confirm pagi ni ramai yg sampai tempat keje lambat!

boleh buat ABC ni...

whitey morning..cantik kan?

And the German newspaper this morning reported this:

The blizzard “Petra” hammered Germany with more snow overnight, causing three auto accident deaths, forcing airports to cancel flights and creating havoc for commuters on Friday morning.

The German Weather Service (DWD) said severe storm warnings remained in effect for the states of Saxony and Baden-Württemberg.

But even in regions where the heavy snowfall was expected to ease, the situation for roads, rails and airports was chaotic, authorities said.

In North Rhine-Westphalia police placed a ban on any trucks over 7.5 tonnes overnight after dozens became mired down in snow and ice. In the Bergisches Land region some 50 trucks were reportedly parked in a row on the A4 motorway, while autobahns near Cologne, Dortmund and Münster were closed.

Traffic jams of up to 40 kilometres formed in the state, with rescue workers providing hot drinks and blankets for chilly drivers.

By morning the truck ban had been lifted in most areas, but treacherous ice near Münster would keep the vehicles of the road indefinitely, authorities said.

Traffic jams were also reported in the states of Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Berlin and Brandenburg following countless accidents.

In Dresden police counted more than 100 accidents within just a few hours.
Meanwhile three people were killed in auto accidents caused by ice. Two men were run over near Straubing while trying to help a friend tow his car. And a 60-year-old Passau man died when his car lost control on a patch of ice and hit a tree.

Heavy snow began falling in the morning in the neighbouring state of Baden-Württemberg , leaving up to 20 centimetres of snow on motorways, but there were few accidents because residents stayed in, police said.

There was so much snow in the state of Hesse that even street cleanup vehicles became stuck, while in Frankfurt so many people slept in their vehicles during traffic jams that police had to wake them once the roads began to clear.

Air traffic was also hindered by the storm, with Germany’s largest hub, the Frankfurt Airport, reporting more than 62 cancelled flights for Friday morning. On Thursday the airport had already had almost 250 cancellations, a spokesperson said.

Many flights at Berlin’s Tegel Airport were also cancelled.

But the storm pleased at least some children in parts of northern Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein, who got a second day off from school thanks to the snow.

Winter dan Kerja yg Banyak

Hari ni snow turun ngan lebat lagi, snow setakat ini setebal 10-11cm (based on my measurement on the snow at my balcony). Tadi lepas hantar anak2 ke kindy, terserempak ngan tuan rumah yg tgh gigih mop lantai tangga level dia...aduhai, means sy pon kena mop gak ni walau tau sia2 aje kang kotor balik dipijak oleh ahli keluarga sendiri dan keluarga diatas. Tapi as my landlady ni sgt fussy dan rajin orgnya, with high standard of cleanliness, I just follow suit.

Bukan setakat mop tangga aje yg nak difikirkan time2 winter ni. Nak jaga rumah time winter ni pon mencabar jugak. Sebab, time winter rumah sy ni senang naik fungus kalau tak dijaga sebaiknya. Problem utama - toilet/bathroom rumah ni takde tingkap dan ventilation system. So bila winter humidity menjadi bertambah tinggi dan akibatnya bilik tidur anak2 yg sebelah toilet selalu aje naik fungus. Fungus is a critical issue kat sini, jgn la buat main2 kalau rumah anda ada fungus kat sini...satu, sbb kesihatan sbb spora2 fungus tu boleh mengakibatkan masalah serius pd sistem pernafasan dan dua, boleh merosakkan rumah dan kalau menyewa, tuan rumah boleh tuntut ganti rugi disebabkan masalah fungus ini.

First winter kami disini, kami x notice sgt hal ni. Nampak la fungus naik kat ceiling tp cepat2 sembur anti-fungus spray. But winter last year paling teruk la sbb kami tak tau pon akibat masalah humidity, rupa2nya disebalik almari, dinding sgt lembap sampai wall paper rosak. Bilik tu winter last year mmg kami tak on heater sbb konon nak jimatkan bil gas. Anak2 tido sebilik ngan kami masa tu. So imagine la tahap humidity nya. Mujur la perasan cepat, sebelum fungus membiak dgn dasyatnya sampai merosakkan dinding. Cuma wall paper saja yg rosak, so kami peeled off about half of the wall paper in the room. Sampai sekarang kami tak ganti lagi wall paper tu. Ni kami decide bila dah dekat nak pindah nanti baru kami pasang wall paper.

Then one thing lagi, sy takde pengering baju dan kami menyewa dirumah ini pon tak diberi kemudahan basement. Kebanyakan org menyewa akan dpt basement utk storing barang dan buat urusan laundry so rata2 akan sidai baju di basement. Kami ni takde choice kena la sidai baju dlm rumah. So bermakna humidity bertambah. Heater pulak, kalau on tinggi, satu - of course bil tinggi dan satu lagi heater yg tinggi akan buat rumah sgt panas dan kering, hence boleh buat kulit kering, gatal dan sakit tekak. So kena balance kan setting heater.

Mujur kami kenal kak liza yg byk experiences utk menghadapi isu2 mcm ni. So byk la nasihat dia yg sy apply utk jaga rumah ni dr serangan fungus and at the same time balance the humidity dan jimatkan kos heating. Cuma kerja byk la sikit. Contoh: pagi2 sebelum keluar hantar anak2 ke kindy, sy akan off heater, then buka tingkap dapur, bilik dan hall utk pengudaraan. Lepas balik dari hantar anak2, tutup semua tingkap dan on balik heater. By this doing, dpt menurunkan humidity level dlm rumah. I can see this by looking at the humidity meter. Recommended humidity should be at 65.

But then since heater cuma on up to setting 2.5, it is not high enough to dry the house, so u can see wap2 air kat tingkap rumah. Wap2 air ni tak boleh biarkan sbb boleh meyebabkan fungus, so from time to time kena la lap wap2 air ni.

Dan from time to time jugak kena check kat celah2 almari, kotak2, sofa, ruang2 tersembunyi takde fungus yg wujud.

Ini la keje sy hari2....leceh kan?

Snow and Its Consequences

Org kat Malaysia selalu kata:

bestnya dpt main snow!!!

Dari panas mcm kat Malaysia baik la sejuk mcm kat Europe tu

Hakikatnya takde la best mana. Tapi ye la...sy dulu pon masa belum merasa snow, selalu fikir best aje main snow, bestnya la bersejuk2an. Masa first time tgk snow, main snow, agak jakun la jugak.

First winter sy disini (2008/2009), snow takde la hebat sgt turun. The first snow turun masa tu end of November tapi ala2 intro gitu. Turun pastu melted on the ground. Then ada la sekali dua masa December dan Januari yg lebat sikit dan stayed on the ground for 2 days kot. Sempat la utk org2 enjoy main snow.

Last winter (2009/2008), agak extreme jugak (berdasarkan pendapat org2 yg dah lama menetap disini). Snow agak tebal tapi hanya mula turun dipertengahan December. Tapi tak la snow berhari2. Di Raunheim, suhu terendah dicatatkan (yg kami noted la) was -18C. Sejuk gedi!!!

Tapi nampak gayanya tahun ni winter bertambah extreme. Di kawasan sy, baru je winter bermula, snow dah mula turun dgn lebatnya...takde intro2 gitu. Padahal Raunheim/Frankfurt is classified as area yg tak berapa sejuk compare dgn area2 lain kat Germany ni. Since snow start turun khamis last week and a few days after , sampai skrg snow tak mencair. Ni dah 3 hari snow tak turun tapi suhu semakin dropped dan snow dijangka turun lagi dihari2 mendatang...huaaaaaaaaa....

In general, Europe mmg dilanda snow yg extreme. Berita airport ditutup, jalan raya sesak, kenderaan kemalangan disana sini, org mati kesejukan, sekolah ditutup dan mcm2 la. So far Germany mcm ok lagi.

Picture from BBC News

On a smaller scale (our life to be exact), life is not much affected sgt except things not running smoothly aje. I´m just very concern on health issues sbb time winter ni, org mudah jatuh sakit. I, myself dah start batuk2. The twins mmg are having running nose dan batuk sikit2. So pagi2 nak hantar diorg pegi kindy, sy balut diorg tebal2. Dressing up takes longer time dan semakin lambat la kami ke kindy setiap pagi. Yg sy risau, selalu by noon, before parents dtg amik anak2, kanak2 ni dilepaskan main kat playground kindy. Budak2 tau la...bukannya tau sejuk, diorg tau seronok main snow. And then since budak2 kena dressed up sendiri with the jackets, schal, hat, gloves, kadang2 ikut dan aje diorg sarung. Cikgu2 cuma supervise dan bila dah ramai sgt tu, cikgu2 pon bukannya perasan whether budak2 dah properly covered. Before this selalu sgt sy caught Nabilah tak pakai topi dan schal main kat playground. Dah pesan kat dia berkali2 jgn lupa topi dan schal tapi mek sorang tu...haih...

On the way to kindy

Perjalanan ke kindy yg selalunya 5-10 minit pon dah jadi longer. Simply because sy tak boleh jalan laju2. Bila snow dah mengeras dan jalan x ditabur garam, permukaan jalan dah jadi ala2 skating rink. So walau dah jln ala2 pengantin pon, still mcm rasa nak tergolek. Sikembar tu suka la, saja lagi pi skate atas ice tu...kita dok risau kang diorg tergolek...

Jln yg licin

Tangga rumah yg dulu boleh dicuci seminggu sekali, skrg like selang sehari dah kena mop dek kerana kasut2 yg kotor2 yg memijak. Kang kalau tuan rumah tgk kotor2 kang, mesti dia bising. Dulu penah terlambat sikit mop tangga, mak aii..dia pubya bebel, tahan aje telinga dengar!

Anyway, harap2 this winter would not get any worse. I don´t mind the snow sikit2...yg enough utk main2 tapi bila semakin tebal, semakin banyak masalah yg akan timbul.

Buat saja donggggggggg

Another school matter....

After we had done the screening test at Social and Health Department in Groß Gerau town council, I thought all the processes with the school´s registration were completed - at least for now. And even there are more procedures to do, I was thinking maybe they would come out in next year, maybe after we leave Germany. Maybe sometime in May onwards since the new school session begins in August.

Apparently it is NOT.

Last week we received letter from the school, inviting us - the parents and the registered child to attend a meeting with the school administration. Thought of ignoring the letter and the meeting but we were afraid of receiving legal letter from the court. Last time when we ignored the previous letter, subsequently we received a warning letter. So we don´t have much choice but to attend this matter properly.

I told kak liza about this. Last time when we did the registration and check-up, she was vacationing in Malaysia. She also did not agree with the fact that we had to do all the procedures for school enrollment though we had informed the school about our situation. Now that she is back, she is more than willing to go with me to the school and explained the whole situation to the school. Maybe because I made explanation to the school in English/bad Deutsch, they didn´t seem to understand.

My appointment supposed to be at 12pm but we went at 9.30 am. Kak Liza said it didn´t matter because we must explain that any further processes with school enrollment is not necessary, therefore the meeting at 12pm should be cancelled. When we arrived at the secretariat office, there were some parents and kids waiting. So probably they had to attend the same meeting I had to attend.

So kak liza met the secretary (the one I dealt with before ) and explained our situation. The secretary said she understands our situation but as she said before - No excuses! As long as we are registered living here in Raunheim, under the district of Groß Gerau and under Hesse state (rules & regulations in every state in Germany may differ from one to another), we are obliged to comply to the regulations of the state! When kak liza argued further, she said she would check with the school´s director. And after a while, she came back to us and said we still had to attend the meeting at 12pm. So any complains and inquiries will be discussed in the meeting.

So we just had to comply lorrr....

At 12pm, we came back to school taking the twins with us. At first, I had the impression that all parents and kids were to gather in a room/hall then there will be some kind of speech/talk by the school admin. But I was wrong. When we arrived at the secretariat office, a lady was waiting for us and introduced herself ( I don´t even remember her name!).

She told us to follow her to a room and said she would carry out an interview with one twin at a time in the room and the rest of us were to wait outside the room. Wow, it seemed to me it´s like an interview to get into boarding school/university or something! She asked the twins who would like to go in first and Nabilah volunteered! Then another lady also went into the room.

Nabilah was in the room was about 15-20 minutes. I took the opportunity looking around and was amazed with the school. The school looks so clean and beautiful. And while waiting, we saw a teacher holding a shopping basket with a group of her students going towards Tegut - the supermarket located right in front the school. Kak Liza said it´s part of the lessons - learn how to shop things! It appears that children not only taught in academic aspect but also learn how to live a life. Interesting eh?

Then Nabilah came out and Nabihah was invited in. We asked Nabilah what did they ask her but Nabilah with her complicated behaviour, just refused to tell, kept saying she just didn´t remember! Nyampah.....

Nabihah came out after 20 minutes and so excited telling us her experience in the room with the two ladies. And because kakak was telling, then only Nabilah wanted to tell her stories too. But I couldn´t hear more as Kak Liza and I was called to get into the room.

At first the ladies talked in Deutsch to us and Kak liza helped translating some of the parts I couldn´t understand. Somehow kak liza explained to me English, then the two ladies said if I can speak English, then we could have the conversation in English. Of course I loved it! I can discuss better.

Then we talked a lot of things. I told them my whole situation - about we are going back to our country for good in March, next year. They seemed refuse to believe it - keep saying what if we still have to stay back, or will have to come back. I know why they were saying these - because majority of foreigners coming to Germany stay here for long time, most choose to migrate for good. So they have the impression we are the same. The fact that my husband is a student, gave them idea that my husband probably will be looking for a job in Germany. Which happens a lot. And they kept saying that I should learn Deutsch too and find a job for myself. I have to explain that my husband already has a job in Malaysia and he´s now studying under Malaysia´s government sponsorship. So the probability of us staying here is so small.

They said they understand (but I can sense they just wouldn´t take it). However, they still want us to cooperate with the school enrollment processes and one of them, they want the twins to attend Deutsch course. They said the twins speak quite good Deutsch - enough for communication but since Deutsch is not their first language, it´s the best to enroll them into Deutsch course so their Deutsch would be better. And the class is free, I don´t have to worry about money. Hmmm...if it has to be paid, I would just say "hai, hai -bye-bye" la! And they asked if I would like to learn too because they can fit us into mother-kids Deutsch class. Well, since I have to send them to this class, it would be better if I learn too. So I said why not?

They said they will inform us about the Deutsch course and our meeting ended there.

Anyway, I´m glad I came to this meeting eventhough at first I was very much reluctant to do it. It´s a new experience - being exposed to the German education system. It´s quite impressive to see how committed these people are to ensure better education for every child they deal with. Imagine they interview each child and parent! According to Nabihah, when she was in the room, they just asked her to draw, play LEGO, and just talking. And they are so friendly and kind, Nabilah said she liked them very much!

Now I feel how it would be nice if the twins have the opportunity to attend this school, even for a short while. Because they may have the learning experience that might be different in Malaysia. I hope they would enjoy school in Malaysia later on.

Salju

Salji dah mula turun sejak semalam...agak lebat tapi tak la sampai menutup seluruh permukaan bumi. Sebab suhu baru -1C. So snow cepat cair. Tapi pemandangan cukup indah di mata. Let´s see the photos:

View dr tingkap dapur

View at balcony

Winter Datang Lagi

Kat luar sana dah sejuk mcm ais. Pokok2 semua dah togel, menandakan autumn dah berakhir dan masanya utk winter. Esok dijangka snow akan turun and I dread the negative temperature!

Hidup dlm negara 4 musim ini, winter adalah musim yg paling sy kurang gemari. Walaupun ini dah winter ke-3 since di bumi Deutschland ini, still I am struggling with mood swing dan mcm2 kind of depression bila tibanya winter. Sedih tak tentu pasal la, malas semakin menjadi2..nak mandi pon boleh depressed! Sejuk terasa sampai ke tulang....kalau boleh tak mo keluar rumah langsung!

Which is normal rupanya for some people to have depression during winter.

And from the news, katanya winter kali ni akan lebih buruk dr winter tahun lepas.

Oh my....

Anyway, i'll be positive going thru this winter. Since this is our last winter in Germany, I guess I'll try to enjoy the snow as much as possible. Si kembar dah tak sabar2 tunggu snow. Every morning diorg bangun, sure jengah ke luar nak tgk snow dah turun ke belum.

Let's see esok snow turun ke tidak....

Laternefest

Khamis lepas, kindrgarten si twins buat laternefest (lantern festival). Rasanya mcm sama dgn pesta tanglung masyarakat Cina. Laternefest ni pada asasnya sempena mengingati kebaikan seorg askar di zaman Roman yg sanggup meredah kegelapan malam dgn membawa lantern demi membantu org2 susah.

Lantern yg digunakan adalah hasil tangan ibu-bapa dan anak2. Dua minggu sebelum tu, ibu-bapa dijemput dtg ke kindy utk sama2 buat lantern. Sy yg agak kureng dlm crafting, agak kalut juga mulanya nak pegi sbb takut nanti lantern x jadi. Tapi sebenarnya sgt senang sbb lantern tu tinggal nak assemble aje dan decorate bagi cantik.

Ramai sungguh yg dtg. Bukan setakat parents dan kanak2 kindergarten saja, nampaknya mcm seluruh family pon dtg! In our case, Kak Liza, Cik Dee dan Awie sama2 dtg join the twins utk laternefest parade. Patut Liza and Liya pon join sekali tapi sbb Liya tido, maka x dpt la Liza join. Yg kelakar, tunggu parade nak mula punya lama, tapi parade berjln x xampai 300m. Dari kindergarten sampai ke rumah org2 tua yg mmg x jauh dr situ. Tapi mujur la x jauh pon sbb dlm dekat2 tu, mcm2 aksi boleh jadi. Lilin lantern terpadam la, ada yg lantern terjatuh la, ada yg menangis2 cari mak ayah la...kot2 jalan jauh lagi, x tau la apa yg jadi. Pulak tu cuaca pon x berapa bagus, sgt berangin dan ada tanda2 hujan mcm nak turun.

With Achik, Cik Dee & Abg Awie

With Luna & Leni

Ramainya!

Kelam kabut cikgu dia try to control the parade....

Dirumah org2 tua, kanak2 kindergarten ni menghiburkan org2 tua yg ada kat situ dgn menyanyikan lagu2. Org2 tua kat sini mmg kesian, hidup diorg mmg sunyi sbb byk masa dihabiskan kat rumah org2 tua saja especially yg dah x sihat dan duduk on wheelchair. So nampak la yg diorg happy sbb tgk kanak2 ni semua. Siap ada org tua tu dok usap2 kepala budak2.

at rumah org2 tua...

Tapi rumah org2 tua kat sini sgt cantik dan selesa. Ala2 hotel gitu. So dr segi penjagaan, mmg tip-top la cuma diorg sunyi la sbb rata2 xde anak & cucu2 dan kalau yg ada pon, jarang sgt la dpt berjumpa dgn ahli keluarga. Kesian kan?

Mudah2an nasib kita bila tua nanti x kesunyian mcm diorg.

Lepas nyanyi2 tu, habis lah sudah laternefest. By the time, hujan dah lebat. Mujur la rumah kami x jauh, x sampai 5 minit dah sampai rumah!

Was ist los??????????

Pagi tadi, sy berjalan menuju ke kedai daging sambil menarik troli brg sy tu.

Sy berjalan di laluan biasa yg sy gunakan - laluan menuju bahnhof. Bukan jalan sunyi, bukan juga jalan yg sibuk.

Dihadapan sy, ada sekumpulan lelaki berjalan. Dari gaya dan percakapan , sy tau mereka ausländer tapi bukan Turki atau Morocco (they have darker look) dan semenjak dua menjak ni sy mmg selalu nampak lelaki2 asing dlm kumpulan besar berkumpul di area rumah sy ini - situasinya mengingatkan sy org2 Bangladesh atau Indonesia bila berkumpul. Bukan nak racist - siapa la sy nak racist bila sy sendiri pon org asing di negara org tapi sorry to say - suasananya sama bila kita nampak Bangla or Indon berkumpul beramai2.

I walked as fast as possible trying to overtake these people sbb diorg jln pon lambat2 sambil gelak2. And the same time I heard someone walking behind me. Tiba2 terasa troli kena tarik! My first thought - aku nak kena rompak ke? I spun around and saw this guy pulling my trolley, grinning at me and said "wie gehts?" (apa khabar?)

Seriously menakutkan!

I was speechless, rasa marah sgt tapi x terkeluar satu perkataan pon. Dia ingat dia bergurau ke apa? Seeing my angry face agaknya, baru la dia ckp "Entschuldigung" (sorry) sambil tersengih2 pastu join the group of men kat depan tu.

After that, though still shocking dgn kejadian tu, I walked as fast as possible passing them and hoping they were not going in the same direction I was going. Dan nasib baik diorg hanya nak ke bahnhof!

Although kejadian tu berlaku dlm tempoh beberapa saat saja, for the first time living in Germany, I feel not safe walking alone!