Days in the Water

I am delighted by the many very interesting reactions to Muséng Sejok. I loved them all, especially the place maps and persons long gone who came back to our midst. From the many delightful reads I feel I must do a very quick translation of Zulomar's description of his childhood in the water. I enjoyed it immensely as it is a narration of times now lost. I hope you will enjoy it too. Thank you Zulomar, and thank you all of you who have left your comments.

"Kalu ingak piyang ujang & mase boh jamang kecik2 dulu memang sedak mmaing air.

"Di Beladau Kolam kalu mase air boh besor memang sedak mandi ssunga - air keruh macang teh susu & memang derah. Ambe dengeng saing2 ppakak turung dari se kkalang pah tu ppakak peranyuk ikuk aruh air, naik pulok kkalang laing hok ddepang - stak Kkalang Pasor naik Kkalang Che' Ming, hok beraning lagi peranyuk sapa Kkalang Sekoloh. Naik pokok Rengah (pokok Rengas - pokok bergetah yg kalau kena boleh jadi kudis) pah tu terjung sunga dgn macang2 gaye - (silak2 buleh lawang penerjun Sukan Asia/Komanwel he he...). Kalu gatung tali di pokok Rengah buleh wak tali Tarzeng terjun sunga. Kadang2 ppakak lawang aruh derah sapa lenguh gi ttepi. Bowok tangguk buleh takak udang & ikang.

"Kalu air boh koho besor, air nnembok tebing sapa ttepi rumoh. Kawasang rendoh hok ade air jjadi tepak mmaing - papang, batang pisang wak jjadi rakik. Sapa kecuk bberuk abih kaki tangang - biru hherang sejuk ketor. Ade mase jugok jjupe ulor, kale jeking. Serung pulok bile pikir smula.

"Jamang budok2 dok mmikir bahaye. Kalu pikir smula muking dok beraning doh nok buak. Tapi ALHAMDULILLAH takdok hok mati lemah sebak mmaing air boh.

"Llening takdok doh hok mmaing air ggitu. Sunga pun jjadi tepak org bele ikang Talapia, Ppating & Baung dlm sangkar.

"Piyang ujang memang sedak makang ubi kayu/stele rebuh cicoh nyor, minung air kupi. Llening kalu musing ujang, kg. Kubang Jela & Banggul Tuan Muda banyok org jjua ubi ttepi jalang.

"Hmm....sweet memories."

"Going back to the rainy season and the floods during my childhood days it was a joy to be playing in the water.

"In Beladau Kolam during the big floods we loved to play in the river - the water was muddy like milky tea and flowed very swiftly. My friends and I went down to the river. Starting from one jetty we went down with the river's flow, and then we went up again at the next jetty downstream - we started from the jetty at the market place and then went up again at the Jetty of Che' Ming, the braver ones drifted on to the School Jetty. We climbed up the Rengas (gluta renghas) tree (the Rengas tree has a sap that can cause the skin to blister) and then we dove into the river in every style that we knew - (we could have competed in the Asian/Commonwealth Games diving competition he he...). If we attached a swing rope to the rengas tree we could have used it like Tarzan to dive into the river. Sometimes, together, we swam against the swift flowing river and retired to the river bank when we were worn out. With a landing-net we would have been able to catch some prawns and fish.

"If the flood water continued to rise, the overflow would go to the edge of the houses. The low lying parts now filled with water became our play areas - we used planks, banana stems as rafts. We played until our hands and feet shrivelled from the cold - we turned blue and had the shivers. There were times when we encountered snakes and scorpions. It gives me chills thinking about all that now.

"Children never thought of danger. If I think about it I don't think I'll have the courage to do all that now. But ALHAMDULILLAH (Praise be to God) no one drowned while playing in the flood.

"Nowadays they don't play in the water like we used to. The river has become an area for the farming of tilapia and catfish.

"The rainy season was a good time to enjoy tapioca/sweet potato dipped in coconut shreds, to drink coffee. Now during the rainy season many people sell these roots in Kampung Kubang Jela and Banggul Tuan Muda, by the roadside.

"Hmm....sweet memories."