I have always looked forward to alumni events organised by my alma mater, if not to meet up with long-lost colleagues, to foster closer relationships with them, as in the saying, “eratkan hubungan silaturrahim”.
Unfortunately, I was unable to attend the special event recently held at Sekolah Menengah Sains Teluk Intan, or popularly known as Semesti, the science-stream boarding school southwest of the silver state in Hilir Perak district. I have a fondness for Semesti, although I was only there for two years.
The last alumni dinner I attended was a few years back where I stayed overnight at the school’s hostel. It brought back bittersweet memories of days in classes and bullies in the corridors.
There was the tap-tap-tap footsteps of cautious Form One students, the more confident 14- and 15-year-olds and the 16- and 17-year-old seniors who often looked down their noses on the juniors. But, it was the lessons of life learnt over the years that sometimes now make me yearn for those simpler times.
Truth be told, initially I was not keen on attending Semesti, as I was then happy at my day-school Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Clifford, which was nearer to my hometown, Kuala Kangsar.
I had many friends there, and at the same time, nobody dared bully me as my two elder brothers were respected “taikos” at the school. As day schoolers, we perceived those who attended boarding schools as nerds or bookworms and often made fun of them, especially the boys in their white shirts and shorts or long pants from the nearby Malay College Kuala Kangsar (MCKK).
Despite my reluctance, my parents’ constant persuasion finally made me leave behind all my friends and I started life anew at Semesti. The first few months were tough for me. Whoever said life at a boarding school was easy must have been reading about them in travel brochures!
We had to be up as early as 5.30am to prepare for subuh prayers, and if we were late, the seniors would crow over us. We had to wear formal attire, tie and all, to class every day and at night, the baju Melayu.
Classes started at 7.30am and would end at 1.30pm every day. Sometimes we had extra classes in the afternoons. It was tiring, but fun, too.
Of course, bullying, or ragging, was the norm then, but mostly, it was quite harmless. I was once slapped for not greeting a senior student. Seniors also taunted and jeered juniors and basically made life hell for them. But, I was lucky, because I was “protected” by my brother’s friend.
Not many could endure such challenges and a handful left the school when they could not adapt themselves to the new environment, physically and mentally. Semesti at that time was only three years old and surrounded by oil palm plantations, where snakes and huge insects would enter the classrooms and hostels.
Its remote location also made the school creepy, with hysteria cases surfacing every now and then. When my friends and I were in Form Five, the situation changed for the better as we were considered the seniors.
After a tumultuous first year at the school, positive changes could be seen in most of us. As with any other boarding school, competition was stiff since the chosen students were the cream of the crop, including those from the cities. I could no longer bask in the limelight as the best student as there were many more who were better than me.
We learnt to be independent when we had to wash and iron our clothes and make the bed everyday. Throughout the two years, there were disagreements among us and punches exchanged, but such experiences nurtured us and brought us closer.
I also realised the importance of English and was lucky that many of my friends from the city were willing to help me and a few others speak English properly and not with a thick Perak accent.
In the end, we did our school proud when Semesti clinched the second spot among the best schools when the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia results for 1987 were announced a year later.
Most of my friends are now successful professionals in various fields. There are also others who succeeded in their own way, thanks to the experiences and knowledge we gained at Semesti. It just goes to show that anyone can succeed if given the opportunity.
The other day, while driving to an assignment in Bagan Datoh, I passed by my old school and immediately the memories came flooding back. This was where I learnt to become the person I am today. This was where my friends and I had our toughest tests and we all came through with flying colours. And, through all that, we had our happiest moments.
“Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort.” — Franklin D. Roosevelt
M. Hamzah Jamaludin is a Universiti Malaya science graduate who refuses to follow Einstein’s path, and chooses journalism for a more colourful life. It’s a crucial decision which helps to spare dozens of labs and research facilities from accidental explosions