MAKTAB PERGURUAN MOHD KHALID, JOHOR BAHRU - 1981 - 1983

As I was looking through my facebook, I found this page. There was even an MPMK 81-83. It's raining and I could not go for my evening walk. Thus, I am sitting in front of my laptop. Maybe, this is a good topic to explore and recall for my blog although it's like...30 years ago.  :=)

1981. I was 20 years old. I had completed my HSC in 1980 and was waiting for the results. I got the offer for PSM PI/G (Pendidikan Sekolah Menengah Pengajian Inggeris/Geografi) course and although I was afraid of leaving home for the first time in my life, Bapak told me to go. He said that as we were good in English, it's time we gave back to the society. Now it is called Corporate Social Responsibility - :=D) He was not well after suffering from another stroke. I was not very keen to leave him. He had arranged for Baba and Mak to send me to register to Johor Bahru. Maktab Perguruan Mohd. Khalid aka Maktab Perguruan Mencari Kekasih... That was what it was known during the orientation.

On registration day, the usual crowd was there along with parents and their sending off entourage. I went to the register counter. Either the seniors were tired or half heard me, he was looking for the name Seet or Sit. A Chinese name. When he could not find it, he asked me for my letter. I showed him and he told me off by asking why did I not tell him that I was a Malay. I have always wondered to myself - "Do I look so Chinese that people cannot distinguish my race?" It never occurred to me that I am so Chinese looking. I did not know what racialism was all about being in a Convent school. It did not help that my mother was wearing her usual kebaya nyonya as she was a Chinese.

I was sent to my hostel i.e. a double-storey bungalow with 4 rooms. No: 4, Jalan Juara, Off Jalan Mariamah, Johor Bahru. (Surprisingly, I can still remember the address!) Seven of us were sent here : Zaleha Badiul Zaman (our spokesperson), Shamsuriani Shamsuddin (my room mate for three years), Maimunah Yunos, Laila, Alina Paat and Salmiah Shafie. Zaleha, Salmiah and I were in the same course - PI/G. Thus started the orientation week which lasted for two weeks.

I had never been in a co-ed school being educated for 13 years in an all girls Convent school. I started to mix with boys in GPMS night class. Those guys were quite decent, courteous and nice. Here, I met all types of guys that some were rude, obnoxious and just plain irritating. Sometimes, I wondered why did these orientation took place if just to demean, belittle and intimidate juniors? Of course, I was a bit on the defensive side when they touched on race, religion and language. I was just born lucky or my parents' prayers were with me - I was not bullied much as I had these two "abang angkat" who always seemed to be around when a male senior wanted to orientate me. Usually, it was the male who orientated the girls. After a few days, the two guys - now I remembered one of them : Abang Ron - took me out from orientation and put me in drama practice for the Orientation night. I was Tun Teja. I had fun because no more screaming and bullying from the male seniors. I only had to write love letters to all of them. Hmmm... practice made perfect...  :-DD))

If college orientation was tolerable, house orientation was worse. This was from the house seniors. All female. Firstly, they asked me to correct my language as they said I spoke with a slang. What slang? I spoke Malay like the others! Oh well, just bore with it. We juniors, tried to get along together. I got the small room downstairs. There were 3 rooms on the first floor and only one small room downstairs. I got Sham, another junior, as my room mate. She was 2 years my senior and from Negeri Sembilan.

Reflecting on the orientation week, it was fun, enjoyable and overall, we managed to get to know the seniors very well. Some became good friends, some protectors and some "abang angkats" who would like to further the relationship but I guess, it was just not meant to be. I was aloof, in a class of my own and very dignified being a convent girl. Oh well...I slowly got into the routine of college life. As soon as I managed to get a public phone, I immediately called Bapak and made my report. Of course, "mengadu" about my life here. I depended on letters and public phones. Here, I made friends for life besides my school friends. It was the best 3 years of my life albeit the tears, laughter, joy and sorrow.

MPMK sekarang

MPMK yang pernah kami kenali....   ;-(

 Now it seems that the new MPMK campus is relocated to Batu Pahat. I have not had the chance to go there. One day, maybe. Nostalgic. Actually, three years of college life (we were the first batch for the three year programme) moulded us into adults. Now, 30 years hence, hopefully, we became wiser for having been a part of the MAKTAB PERGURUAN MOHD KHALID fraternity and we have made it proud to uphold its name.