Chapter 9

One week before orientation day…

Nabila and Izzati were busy packing their necessities for the dormitory in their respective rooms. Once they had packed everything they needed, Nabila headed to the kitchen to prepare dinner for both of them. After cooking, she dished out the rice and dishes into bowls and set them on the dining table. When everything was ready, she called out to Izzati from where she was standing. But there was no response from Izzati.

Nabila called out again, this time with a slightly louder yet still gentle and sweet voice, "Izzati!"

Still, there was no reply. So, Nabila climbed the stairs and went to Izzati's room. Upon reaching Izzati's room, Nabila was taken aback and then smiled and chuckled softly when she saw Izzati sound asleep on the bed, surrounded by her clothes. Nabila moved towards Izzati and tried repeatedly to wake her up.

Finally, Izzati woke up, and Nabila said, "You were sleeping so soundly, huh? You didn't even hear me calling you. It was hard to wake you up."

Izzati replied, "I was tired from packing all these things. I thought I'd lie down for a bit to rest, but I didn't expect to fall asleep."

Nabila responded, "Hmmm, you. You can continue packing later. For now, come down and eat. I've made dinner."

Izzati said, "Alright, I'll wash my face first. I'll be down soon."

Nabila said, "Okay.", as she headed towards the door of Izzati's room and added, "Hurry up, I'm starving."

Izzati said, "Yes, I'll be quick."

Nabila just smiled and went to the dining table, while Izzati went to the bathroom to wash her face. Afterward, Izzati came downstairs and joined Nabila, who was playing with her smartphone while waiting for her at the dining table. Once they had served the food onto their plates, they poured drinks into their glasses and began their dinner with a prayer.

After they had finished eating, Nabila asked, "What else haven't you packed?"

Izzati replied, "My clothes."

Nabila was surprised and asked, "Clothes? You've been packing since the afternoon, and your clothes still aren't packed?"

Izzati said, "Hmmm no, because I can't decide which clothes to bring there later."

Nabila slapped her forehead and said, "You.", she sighed and said, "Just pack your daily clothes for when you're not going anywhere, then pack clothes for class, and clothes for when you want to go out. That should be enough. How much do you want to pack?"

Izzati replied, "I'm not packing a lot. It's just that I'm not sure which clothes to bring for classes, which ones for going out, and which ones for daily use. That's it."

Nabila said, "Oh my goodness. So, you still haven't decided which clothes to bring?"

Izzati replied, "Yeah, I still can't decide."

Nabila said, "Hmm, you. After we clean up the table, I'll help you pack. If I leave it to you, even by tomorrow, or on the day we have to leave for Sarawak, you still won't be able to decide."

Izzati glared and asked, "Are you mocking me?"

Nabila replied, "I'm not mocking. I'm just stating facts."

Izzati said, "Hmmm, alright then."

Nabila and Izzati finished their drinks and then cleaned up their dishes and the dining table.

Two days later, on sunday morning…

Nabila and Izzati were preparing to leave for the airport. While they were getting ready, the doorbell rang. Izzati went downstairs and headed to the house window to see who was ringing the bell. When Izzati saw that it was the owner of the flower shop where they worked standing in front of the house, she quickly grabbed the gate keys from the cabinet near the door and opened the door to go out and unlock the gate.

As Izzati was heading towards the gate, she said, "Miss, you arrived early. Why didn't you call first before coming? You wouldn't have to wait outside in this heat."

The shop owner said, "Oh, it's okay. I know you're busy packing. I didn't want to disturb you, and if I stayed in the car, you wouldn't know I was here. So I thought I'd just ring the bell instead of calling."

Izzati said, "Oh, Miss. It's okay to call. Never mind, let's go inside. It's hot out here."

The shop owner replied, "Okay.", and then entered the house compound as Izzati closed the gate behind her.

After locking the gate, Izzati invited the shop owner into the house.

Once inside, Izzati said, "Miss, please have a seat here. I'll continue packing for a bit."

The shop owner asked, "Huh, not done yet? You're already wearing your scarf."

Izzati chuckled and said, "Not yet, Miss. I just placed it on my head, but it's not fully on yet. Hehe, please wait for a moment."

The shop owner replied, "Alright."

Izzati went back upstairs to finish getting ready. A few minutes later, Nabila came down with her handbag. When she arrived in the living room, she saw the shop owner busy with her smartphone.

Nabila greeted the shop owner softly and said, "Miss, I'll go to the kitchen to make some drinks."

The shop owner said, "Okay. Make it tasty."

Nabila chuckled softly and went to the kitchen to prepare drinks for them. After the drinks were ready, Nabila brought them to the living room along with glasses for the shop owner, Izzati, and herself. Nabila poured the drinks into the glasses and handed one to the shop owner. The shop owner thanked her, and Nabila responded gently, then took her seat in front of the shop owner.

After taking a few sips, the shop owner said, "Hmmm, you make good drinks. Not too sweet, not too bland. Good."

Nabila smiled and said, "Thank you, Miss. Sorry, Miss, I just want to confirm. Are you okay with sending us to the airport? Is it not a bother?"

The shop owner replied, "No, not at all. I wanted to send you off. You guys didn't ask me to."

Nabila said, "I feel embarrassed, Miss. We're just regular employees at your shop. There's really no need for you to send us off."

The shop owner said, "Oh, what's there to be embarrassed about? Even if you're regular employees, you're still my employees. Besides, you two are the regular employees I really like. You've worked hard at my shop without taking leave. Even when I told you to rest after coming back from the village, you both refused and wanted to work as usual. So, just consider me sending you off as a thank you for working so hard at my shop, okay?"

Nabila nodded and said, "Alright, Miss. Thank you."

The shop owner said, "You're welcome," with a smile.

At the same time, Izzati came downstairs and joined Nabila and the shop owner in the living room.

When she reached the living room, Izzati asked, "What were you guys talking about?"

Nabila replied, "Talking about how slow you are getting ready.", with a slight smile.

The shop owner chuckled, and Izzati glared at Nabila.

The shop owner said, "Enough. Izzati, have your drink first. Then we'll head to the airport."

Izzati said, "Okay, Miss."

Nabila, the shop owner, and Izzati finished their drinks, and Nabila took the jug and glasses to the kitchen to wash them, followed by Izzati, who took the shop owner's glass and hers. Izzati handed the glasses to Nabila to wash, then returned to the living room.

After Nabila finished washing the dishes, she went to the living room, and the shop owner asked, "Have you checked everything? Nothing left behind? Everything packed? Everything locked?"

Nabila and Izzati answered, "Yes, everything's done. Just need to leave now."

The shop owner said, "Alright then. Let's go."

Before Nabila stepped out of the house, she recited Ayat Al-Kursi.

Once outside, Nabila locked the door while reciting a prayer for protection, Surah Yasin, verse 9.

After securing the house, Nabila walked towards the gate and locked it. While she was saying the prayer, Izzati and the shop owner were loading their belongings into the car. The shop owner started the car after placing Nabila and Izzati's belongings inside, while Izzati waited for Nabila to lock the gate outside the car. After Nabila locked the gate, she approached Izzati and raised her hands, signaling that they should recite a prayer before leaving. Izzati understood, nodded, and they recited Surah Al-Fatihah, followed by Surah Al-Falaq and An-Nas.

After finishing the prayers, they got into the car, and the shop owner asked, "Why were you two just standing outside? Why didn't you get in the car?"

Izzati replied, "We were saying the prayer before leaving."

The shop owner asked, "Oh, there's a prayer for that?"

Izzati replied, "Yes, there is."

The shop owner said, "Okay. I thought you were discussing something. That's why I asked. If I had known, I wouldn't have asked. Sorry, I didn't know."

Izzati said, "It's okay, Miss. We understand.", Nabila nodded in agreement.

The shop owner said, "Alright, thanks. Everything is packed, right? Nothing left behind?"

Nabila replied, "Yes, nothing left."

The shop owner said, "Okay. Let's go.", as she shifted the car into drive and began the journey to the airport.

Kuching International Airport…

When Nabila and Izzati arrived at Kuching Airport, they were surprised by its atmosphere and size. It was quieter and smaller compared to Kuala Lumpur International Airport Terminal 2 (KLIA2). Despite this, they were still happy and excited to be in Sarawak, a place they had been thinking about since receiving their acceptance letters to study there.

Izzati and Nabila walked outside the airport, and again they were amazed by the vastness they felt in their eyes and hearts as they took in the surroundings. Their excitement doubled, and they couldn't wait to go to their temporary accommodation.

Without wasting any time, Izzati booked a car service through the Grab app. On the way to their accommodation, the Grab driver asked, "Are you here for a vacation?"

Izzati replied, "No, we're here to study."

The Grab driver asked, "Oh, where are you studying?"

Izzati replied, "I'm at UiTM, and she's at Polytechnic."

The Grab driver said, "Oh, good luck."

When they arrived at their temporary accommodation, the Riverside Majestic Hotel Puteri Wing, Kuching, they were stunned by the luxurious atmosphere and interior design of the hotel. The same went for their booked room, where everything was neatly arranged and well-designed. Shocked by how different the reality was from the perceptions they had heard, they were sure that seeing and experiencing things for oneself was far better than believing hearsay.

Izzati said, "Wow! Those people who say Sarawak is backward, that people live in tree houses, that it's not developed— they must be jealous. I wonder if they've ever even been here, talking nonsense like that."

Nabila said, "True. Maybe they've forgotten that our ancestors were also poor. No one was born rich. They worked hard to build their lives so that their children and grandchildren could live well. So, it means their families were also poor. We're all the same."

Izzati said, "That's what you call biting the hand that feeds you. Then they talk bad about Sarawak people, saying all sorts of things. The people here don't say anything about us. They just live their lives without badmouthing anyone. And suddenly, they're the ones being insulted. It's the people who insult Sarawak who are backward. But it's true, they've forgotten where they came from. If Sarawak wasn't developed, where did all the oil come from? I'm not that knowledgeable about this, but as far as I know, a lot of Sarawak's natural resources have been brought to the Peninsula."

Nabila said, "I'm not that knowledgeable either, but yeah, I've heard about that too, about how a lot of Sarawak's resources have been taken there. But hey, why are we debating this?", then she laughed along with Izzati.

Izzati said, "Yeah, you're right. There's no point in arguing about this. Even if we argue, only the two of us will know. Those people who badmouth Sarawak won't know. Never mind, let's unpack."

Nabila asked, "Unpack? Where are we going?"

Izzati said, "We're not going anywhere. I mean unpack our luggage, take a shower. Later we'll need to pray again. If we're too tired, we'll sleep first. If we're not, we can go out."

Nabila said, "Oh, okay."

That afternoon…

Nabila and Izzati couldn't resist resting in their room after their prayers. But at 5 PM, Izzati woke up and quickly woke Nabila.

"Nabila, wake up. It's 5 o'clock, time for Asr prayers now.", said Izzati.

Nabila woke up and got up from her bed, still feeling sleepy. They both took their wudu and performed their Asr prayers.

After the prayer, Izzati asked, "Are you up for going out? If not, we can just stay in the room. I'll order food on Grab. If you're up for it, we can go now."

Nabila replied, "I'm fine, I'm up for it. We can go now so we don't end up rushing later."

Izzati said, "Alright, let's get ready then."

After getting ready, they went down to the hotel lobby and then headed to the counter. Izzati asked, "Which is the nearest shopping mall around here?"

The receptionist answered, "The closest one is right next to us, miss. Just step out of the lobby, there's a walkway on your left. Follow that path, and you'll find the shopping mall. It's the Riverside shopping mall."

Izzati asked, "Oh, right next to us?"

The receptionist replied, "Yes, miss."

Izzati said, "Alright. Thank you."

Izzati and Nabila walked to the Riverside shopping mall as directed by the hotel receptionist. They were surprised as they didn't expect the hotel they were temporarily staying at to be right next to a shopping mall.

Nabila said, "Come on, let's go in. It looks nice."

After they were satisfied exploring all the shops in the Riverside shopping mall, Nabila and Izzati decided to visit another shopping mall as they wanted to see more of Kuching's malls, not just the Riverside one. After searching on Google, they decided to go to Plaza Merdeka.

Nabila and Izzati booked a Grab ride to go to Plaza Merdeka. Upon arriving at Plaza Merdeka, they explored the mall so thoroughly that they lost track of time.