My City Brats

This was posted in this month's SJ Echo.

I’ve always considered myself a city lass. Probably because I’ve lived in Subang since I was six or because my parents’ folks, (when they were still around), were all staying less than 50 km from Subang. Up until I was about 20, the place I referred to as my kampung was Banting, which is only about 45 minutes away by car. So I never had to face those tiresome balik kampung journeys that my friends did.

Then I married a lad from Taiping. So for the first few years, I experienced the monthly pilgrimage to see my mom-in-law. Then she moved to KL. Now my kampung is Subang Jaya and Ampang. So, I guess I am now a certified city lass.

I’ve always known I am a city lass, but have never realized how much an impact that is to my kids.

Recently, in one of my lets-do-something-different-day moments, I thought I’d bring my kids closer to nature. So after much Googling, I woke the kids up early one Sunday, made them put on their sports shoes, packed enough food for a day, and off we went to the Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM) in Kepong.

I thought it would be fun to let the kids run around with fresh air around them, trees over their heads and dirt below their feet. It would be a change from the recycled air-conditioned air in the concrete jungle of shopping complexes. I would not have to worry about exhaust fumes, jostling shoppers or lunatic drivers.

Adam was gung-ho about the whole idea, but Sarah was not too sure. I cajoled them anyway, certain that they were going to enjoy themselves. They were kids, and kids enjoy being outdoors, right? Wrong.

When we got there, the weather was simply beautiful. We went to the information centre, and enquired about the easiest trek that would be suitable for kids. The nice lady suggested we go on the Salleh trail. She said it usually takes about 45 minutes to complete the entire trail. I was looking forward to 45 minutes of quality time with my kids in a healthy environment.

So off we went, passing by a fish pond which contained a huge Arapaima Gigas. Adam and Sarah were still excited at this point. But once we reached the start of the trail, Sarah was already whining. “I don’t want to go in there, this place is spooky, I don’t like the smell, it’s too dark, I’m too tired…” and the list of complaints went on and on.

Since we were already there, I coaxed her to enter the jungle. She went in, still with a string of complaints. The trail itself was okay. We had to climb a bit and descent a bit, but overall, it was not too exhausting. But for a couple of city kids? Hah! Sarah’s whining was full blast by then, and Adam’s were only starting. Adam was saying “I don’t like this place, it’s got ants”. It is a jungle, for crying out loud! What did he expect? The mosquitoes did not help either. Strangely, I did not get bitten even once, but the kids were scratching all over. Not sure whether there really were lots of mosquitoes, or they were just allergic to clean air, so used to carbon-monoxide-laden hazy air of Subang Jaya that they were.

In the end, I just could not take the complaints any longer, so once we reached the spot where we could see the kapur trees, we decided to turn back. Mind you, this was not even halfway, but I thought, any much longer of this whining, I would leave the kids in the jungle and they would have to find their way back themselves a la Hansel and Gretel.

So that was my attempt in trying to get a couple of city kids closer to nature. We ended up at Port Dickson that day, where the kids enjoyed a fun day with thousands of other beach goers and inhaling carbon monoxide from the jet-skis and motorboats.

A few weeks later, on a spur of the moment, we went to Pulau Pangkor, where we spent the night. There we were on a beautiful island surrounded by jungles and beaches, and Adam and Sarah were more excited about the swimming pool, the pool table and the dart boards. Alas, we had a fun time going around Pangkor Island visiting the little stalls selling all sorts of knick knacks. We saw fishing villages, and kampung people in their idyllic lifestyle.

Sarah was smitten enough to say, “Mama, this is fun. Can we stay here forever?”

I teasingly said to her, “But Pangkor Island does not have a shopping mall or McDonalds. If you want to get new clothes, you’d have to buy them from the stalls.”

She seriously considered this, and immediately changed her mind. This was from a 5-year-old girl, a 5-year-old girl who can’t live without shopping malls. How much more city brat can you get?

Throughout both our attempted rendezvous with nature, only one person seemed to be totally oblivious to the mosquitoes, the ants, the climbs, or the absence of McDonalds and Megamalls. He totally enjoyed the trees, the walks, the beaches and the sand. All in all, he was totally Zen-like and one with nature. Never mind that he is only two, and most of the time his father carried him. Next time I am taking only Danish to FRIM, and leave the other two with their Play Stations.

After our FRIM trip, I asked Adam whether he would want to come back. He said maybe, when he is 20. As for Sarah? It is a resounding NO. And matter-of-factly she told me, “Mama, I do not want to go to places where I have to walk and climb and sweat. I only want to go to places where there are air-conditioners, escalators and elevators”.

Sigh.. city brats.