A FORTNIGHT in THE US of A

From KL to Abu Dhabi to New York

My husband and I made our way to New York from KLIA on Saturday, 11 May 2013. We stopped over in Abu Dhabi, spending a night at a beautiful desert resort but were not able to see much of anything as we arrived very late at night and had to depart very early the following day.

13 hours in the plane could have been nerve wrecking if not for in-flight movies and trashy novels I brought along with me. I also got the opportunity to snooze quite a bit and I realized later, how fortunate that I managed to get that much needed rest before the ordeal I had to go through once we disembarked at JFK.

Exhausting Three Hours at the Airport

We arrived at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York on Sunday, 12 May. Queuing up for over three hours in the immigration line was no joke.  By the time I got to the end of the line, I was ready to scream blue murder!

But everyone who is not an American Citizen or who does not possess a Diplomatic Visa has to go through the same process.  When I saw elderly people and couples with babies and toddlers going through the same challenging situation, it was kind of hard to  keep on griping and complaining.

The airport officers were meticulous, but pleasant nevertheless. It was my first trip to the US after donning the Hijab, so I had some concerns earlier.  But after the immigration checkpoint, everything was a breeze and we came across some very hospitable and friendly Americans from then on.

On the way to our hotel the taxi driver, a Haitian migrant gave us an entertaining commentary of New York, in his quaint accent.  The city he says never sleep. There are some stores that are opened for grocery shopping throughout the night, 24-7. We were surprised to hear that.  We thought only Asian Cities had workaholics and insomniacs. Being a shopaholic I wonder if that would come handy in the days to come.

New York  - I love this City

The day after we arrived, we took a bus from the hotel in Jersey to the City and spent the whole day visiting iconic New York tourist sites, like the Empire State Building, Midtown Manhattan and of course, Time Square. We also posed for photos outside the Broadway theatre, along the streets of the famous Seventh Avenue and familiar backdrops we only see on Television or movies.  According to a magazine I read, Time Square is the world’s most visited tourist venue, with 39 million people visiting this major attraction annually.

Middle Eastern and Indian food were easily available. There were street vendors displaying HALAL logos at almost every conceivable corner.

The following day, we joined a city tour. We learned more about the other four boroughs of the City apart from Manhattan. – Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island.  We did not manage to visit all the boroughs though, but had a glimpse of the overall city from the bus. We also explored Lower Manhattan, from Battery Park and South Street Seaport  to the Financial District. We also strolled through Central Park – the man-made park, appreciating the magnificent landscape and observing people from all walks of life enjoy the park in their own special way. Contrary to what we sometimes see from TV shows about crimes and murders happening in Central Park, our guide reiterated that nothing of that sort ever occur in this park. It is one of the safest parks with regular and stringent security patrols to ensure a crime-free space.

Stunning Rockefeller Centre – A Must -Visit Venue

The architecture and design of the Rockefeller Centre is simply spectacular . The center, conceived by John Rockefeller Jr in 1929 was built during the Great Depression, with the aim of churning jobs  to revive the economy for New York during that period.

Today, the complex is a thriving commercial center housing global businesses, offices, shops and eateries. We had lunch at one of the cafes and I must say the Salmon Sandwich was awesome – I can still remember biting into the juicy, perfectly-grilled, fish fillet, covered with yummy tomatoes and  lettuce, which had just the right amount of tangy sauce, mustard and some other stuff I cannot really identify. Anyway, it  was one of best sandwiches in the world,  a close second to my daughter’s “Simply Sandwiches”.

We stopped just for a short while at the site of the former  World Trade Centre. The mood was pensive for all of us.  Later we also got a view of the Statue of Liberty and the guide provided a brief history of the location. It was kind of surreal for us – seeing all the places we only used to watch on TV or movies

Enriching Event in New Jersey

I was  also privileged to attend a special three-day seminar conducted by a US-based Learning Consultancy dedicated to help people create a better workplace through products and services in the areas of training and development, employee engagement, communication and culture change.

The seminar was led by HumaNext President and CEO, Francois Basili who has provided consultancy services for small businesses as well as leading organizations like AT & T, Boeing, Chase, Dell, FedEx, IBM, Intel,  Bristol Myers-Squibb, Pfizer, NASA, the US Army, World Bank, the United Nations and several others.

The best part of the event was meeting participants from all over US, a few from Canada, Nicaragua and one from South Africa.  They were a playful and entertaining bunch who were game for everything when it comes to learning through fun. I learned so much from them as much from the facilitators.

Florida – Like Home for my Hubby

The day after completing the seminar, we flew to Florida.  When we drove to Gainesville, it was like coming home for my hubby, Eldy because he spent part of his formative years there when his father was doing his Masters and PHD in the '60s at the University of Florida. He visited his favorite haunts - from the lake they used to go swimming on the dad’s day -offs to the grocery store his mum did her shopping to the small creek, he and his brother used to catch tadpoles. It was fun to watch him so very excited, looking around reminiscing and pointing out and sharing with us places he thought he would have long forgotten.

Our son Shazmeer who joined us in New York earlier had a whale of a time at the Factory Outlets in Orlando. He got his hands on designer labels and trendy outfits according to him at incredible prices, unheard of, in Kuala Lumpur

We enjoyed the Sheraton Village hospitality, sumptuous offerings at selected eateries and of course, Disney World as well. And before we knew it, it was time to fly back home.

It was a long journey to and from US, but I am not complaining. I would pack up and go again if I had the opportunity – it was such a wonderful, unforgettable trip!

IN MEMORY OF MY BELOVED MOTHER

Passing of a Matriarch

My mum took her last breath at 7.28pm, Malaysian Time on Saturday, 2 February 2013 at our family home in Penang.  She had a long and colorful life filled with triumphs and challenges and she will be remembered by all her fourteen children; more than 50 grandchildren and great grandchildren.

I cannot in all honesty say that my mum and I were really close. I was kind of rebellious and hard- headed in my younger days and my mum’s regimented ways were not something I could accept readily. There were many arguments and disagreements and most times, ended up me branded as recalcitrant and opinionated.  

Did Not want to be Like Her

But the funny thing is that although I have always said that I am never ever going to be like my mum, I find that as I get older, some of her ways seemed to be surfacing in me.  She was always complaining that I was too flighty. My driving was reckless, I was not careful enough. When she was in my car, I had to observe the speed limit of 60 kilometers per hour – that is the maximum. Her ideal was about 40. Some of her incessant reminders that used to bug me included “Don’t forget your prayers ….do it now, don’t delay it.”  This used to drive me crazy because she would not listen to reason – that I had every intention of doing it even without her reminders. She would go on and on…“Keep your room tidy, clear the table, clean the bathroom or kitchen – now!”  These phrases of hers used to make me so mad that I ended up shutting her out at times.

Now that I have children of my own with incredible minds and egos of their own, I know how she must have felt. I humbly accept it as “Payback Time”. Now I realize that her intentions were ultimately to nurture me and help me grow into  a good human being. On hindsight, all the values and attributes I possess which have helped me remain strong, resilient, dependable and responsible have been as a result of my parents’ upbringing. I could not have had a better teacher than my mother.

The Bond that Endures

And the love we had for one another was undeniable. I feel blessed that I had the chance to visit her frequently towards her last months when she was still able to, with some effort eat. I fed her, some times had to trick her into opening her mouth and did all sorts of creative coaxing to make her swallow.  I cherished the time when I cleaned her up with the help of my sister Mimi. The moments when we bathed her and washed her beautiful white hair were particularly sweet. When I recall those beautiful moments, making a deliberate effort to be gentle and patient (constantly reminded and guided by my sisters) because of our immense love for her, it would always make me tearful and thankful to Allah for providing me that  opportunity.

If  the small amount of time can give me such touching memories, I can only imagine the extent to what my sister Mimi feels. Her whole life revolved around my mother.  She was with her everyday until the very end. None of my other siblings and I can say that we have taken care  of our mother as selflessly as she had. Even the way she touches and carry out the daily routine responsibilities for our mother is more like the way a parent would care for her child;  not out of  filial duty but more out of absolute love and devotion.

How I Wished I Had Connected More

I would not have predicted that I could miss my mother as much as I do now. Although I realize that her time was just up, and all of us will come to that, I constantly wish that I had taken more trouble to listen to her. My daughter Shaheera, at the wise-old age of thirteen once reminded me that I should take time to talk to my mum when she observed that my sisters and I were more involved with social kitchen chatters leaving our mum on her own in front of the TV set.  I did make some feeble effort to join my mum a few times but her favorite shows were definitely not to my taste, so I just let her be – it was easier.  Her memory deteriorated rather fast and in 2009, after a bout of fever, she became bed-ridden and her Alzheimer condition worsened.

What I was/am Trying to Do Right

I comfort myself that during the times I visited, I made every effort to be as close as possible. I recited verses from the Quran in her ears, kissed her hand, and asked for her forgiveness. I put my arms around her whenever possible and slept beside her at night, listening to her breathing and snoring. Some nights she talked in her sleep – often mentioning my father’s name or her own father. I remember times when she would take the hand I placed into her palm to her chest close to her heart or to her cheek. It was really moving.

Now I constantly pray that Allah will place my parents among the righteous and the blessed. May they find each other and achieve peace and serenity in the hereafter, AMEN !