Things I realized I took for granted after coming to Korea

Assalamualaikum and good day :D

I haven't written for such a long time! I tried to, the ideas are there, but materializing it into words is getting so hard. I was given an assignment in English class, but unfortunately, we were only allowed to write 1 page, with times new roman font 12 and double spaced, and because I love writing, 1 page is obviously not enough. The title I picked for my essay was 'Things I realized I took for granted after coming to Korea."

There are 3 biggest things that I realized I took for granted after coming to Korea. The first one is my mom and her job as a mother. I live alone in a room the size of an elevator (this is pretty bombastic but it's really small), and between assignments, friends, and other responsibilities, I almost have no time to cook and very little time to clean my room. I support only myself, I only have to worry about whether I eat or not, and if I'm too busy, I can just skip my meals. My mom supports at most 10 people, she cooks, cleans, she's a lecturer and she has to worry about 8 kids (including daughter in law) and a husband!

She's like my superwoman. I only wonder how mothers achieve this impossibly looking feat. Her responsibilities are just hard to even fathom, but she makes it look so easy. I'm always regretting that I never was a helpful enough daughter, but I'm going to make her proud. Never take your family for granted! Ever! Cherish them now and cherish them plenty.

The second thing I took for granted is holidays and routines. Every Eid, we would go to our grandmother's house on the day before Eid. Our kampung is pretty big, and had lots of room for my extended family. We would make Raya biscuits, sing Raya songs, play football at night in the frontyard, watch tv together, make rendang and I wasn't too keen on going back to kampung because it had no internet (I know, shameful excuse). On raya day, we would take turns to take a shower because there's only 2 bathrooms, we would also take turns to iron our Raya clothes, we would dress up prettily with make up and whatnot, and then we would eat, then we would go and pray at the mosque. After coming back from the mosque, we would take pictures, and then we would watch tv or sleep in front of the tv. If we went to visit people's house, it would only be 1 or 2.

Now, after spending raya in Korea, I've realized how much I missed that routine. Every time it's Raya, that would be basically the first and second day. I spent Raya 2013 in Malaysia, but because my grandmother is sick, we spent our Raya a different way. I was so looking forward to Raya 2013 because after taking Raya in my grandmother's house for granted, I wanted to really cherish my time with my extended family. But unfortunately, I didn't get my traditional Raya and I was really sad. Nevertheless, I got to spend time with my family, and that is the most important thing.

The third thing I took for granted is Malaysian food. They say that if you really want to insult a Malaysian, you should say that our food is not delicious, or more horrid, not edible. There's so much Malaysia has to offer in terms of food. Traditional malay, chinese, indian, fusion, and the list goes on and on, Malaysia is really heaven on earth in terms of food. We do have Malaysian food here in Korea, but making them is a nuisance, buying them is expensive. It isn't just normal expensive, like kopitiam Nasi Lemak is pretty expensive but this is EXPENSIVE. 30 ringgit Nasi Lemak, and the sambal isn't even that spicy.

I crave spicy food. Korea has it's share of spicy food, but it isn't Malaysian spicy. I say, that if it isn't spicy, then to me it isn't delicious. Spicy is when my ears are ringing, my eyes are watering, my lips are swollen, my cheeks are red and my tongue is numb. That is usually what I crave when I eat a good helping of lemak cili padi, or ayam masak pedas, or my mother's special nasi goreng (it really is special, ask my high school friends.) Sadly, you can count the number of spicy dishes here in Korea, and the really spicy ones are usually those we cannot eat.

To conclude this rambling, do not take;

1. your family for granted
2. even the most boring gatherings for granted
3. food for granted, any food.

Some people don't have the blessings that you and I are so lucky to have. Some people don't have parents, a mother to cook your favourite dishes, care for you when you are sick, tuck you in at night, listen to your random babbling no matter how ridiculous it is, a father to be your protector, a brother to fight with, a sister to be your best friend.

Some people don't have homes. They don't have a kampung to go back when it's the holidays, no shelter, no gatherings, some are so engrossed in work they don't bother to visit their family. Some can't even enjoy holidays, or routines, because part of that routine is distorted. Some don't have a place to sleep, a safe abode to foster love and happiness.

Some don't have food. Some are sick because of the lack of food. Some are slowly dying because of the lack of food, a slow painful torture, because food is wasted, taken for granted by people who eats too much, and care so little.

Cherish everything and anything you have. Make the most of everything you have now. Whilst you still have time, still have a family, still have a home, still have food on the table everyday, cherish every part of it. Because a person in Africa, in Syria, in Palestine, beneath that bridge you cross everyday, that old man that sleeps in railway stations would be so grateful if they were in your place.

Cherish, before it's too late.