~FLASHBACKS~ Memory Avenue: Escape to Isles Nostalgia ~Part Three

And there we stayed. A “Duties” chart was drawn up by the food committee that made all of us take turns to make breakfast, lunch and dinner for everyone. Every morning we have to take turns to wake up at 6am to make breakfast. The guys have to pull the bullock cart outside to the water pump to pump a barrel of water, this will be what we have to use for that day. As the pump is quite low to the ground and there were not any pipes for us to use, we had to first pump the water into a small bucket, then pour that into the big barrel until its full. It is quite a messy and tiring work. Then came pulling the cart back, the road was pretty bumpy and thus full barrels usually don’t stay full by the time it reaches the kitchen. Yes, so we learnt not to fill it up in the first place.

Back at the kitchen the rest of the crew will be preparing whatever was conjured up to be the breakfast of the day. Hot Milo, biscuits, butter, kaya and fruits, these are the usual stuff we get everyday. As for the kaya, apparently they don’t sell that in India. So all we had was whatever we could bring from Singapore. It is quite delightful to smell hot Milo as we gathered around the stove, awaiting some warm comfort in the chilly mornings. We would all be too sleepy and cold to talk, just sitting around staring at the big pot as steam streams above.

On some days, breakfast was provided by our facilitator and we need not wake up early to prepare it. The same sometimes also happens for lunch and dinner. This somewhat messes up the duties chart and as a result, most of the time we don’t really follow it strictly. Not that that really matters much though, as most of us were enthusiastic enough to volunteer working extra.

Around the time we have our breakfast, the rest of the school would be assembled at the field to sing their school song before being herded into the classrooms. We would sit by and watch as they performed their daily routine. Some of the children who are unable to walk were carried along the backs of their friends around the school, happy and oblivious as can be. During break time they would sit in the shaded areas of the field or corridors and play games, filling the dusty school with the lively chatter of joyful children.

After breakfast we would wait for the arrival of a small rickety 3-wheeled lorry that would ferry us to the worksite. All of us would squeeze onto its back, leaving behind just the duty group to prepare the lunch of the day. Along the way we would pass by a short stretch of road flanked by simple stalls and shops made of mostly leaves, branches and some bricks built on the soil. On display were myriads of fruits, local snacks, daily necessities and even live poultry.

Down the road lies a petrol station newly built into the ground. From here the lorry turns left to bring us down a winding road. On both sides of the road one can see the beauty of the rural countryside. Vast plains of padi fields spotted with islands of coconut trees against the clear blue sky of day. Occasionally one can spot cows grazing in the fields. Some might even venture to the roads which sometimes obstruct the traffic. The bulls would have a rope tied around their neck to one of their front limbs to prevent them from charging. No birds can be seen though, I wonder why…