Hikmahnya aku ke Victoria University

Sewaktu di Malaysia, aku sering ditanya akan Universiti yang akan kupergi kelak. Bila disebut Victoria University, maka naik pening sang bertanya. Kalau sebut RMIT University, UniMelbourne, Monash University, belum habis sebut dah tahu di mana. Tapi VicUni...???

Lantas terhumbanlah pelbagai persoalan,

"Kat mana Universiti tu?"

"Diiktiraf ke?"

"Cemana boleh ke sana pulak?"

Tak lupa juga kepada komen,

"Masa aku tanya Uni mana yang bagus - bagus, diorang rekemen X, Y, Z. Tapi takde la diorang sebut Victoria Uni pulak..."

Bila ditanya kepadanya akan jurusan yang ditanya, maka jelaslah bukan jurusan kejuruteraan. Nak aje aku lepuk kepala beliau.

Ya, saudara...memang tak ramai di Malaysia yang mengenali Universiti ini. Publisitinya di Malaysia pun tak seberapa. Namun, apabila aku bertanyakan Universiti yang sesuai untuk bidang kejuruteraan, Universiti ini salah satu daripada yang dicadangkan.

Ketahuilah, lain bidang, lain Universiti yang disyorkan. Adakah anda akan bertanyakan kursus perubatan di Institute of Art & Design? Sudah sekali tidak!

Maka, bagaimanakah boleh aku mendarat di Universiti ini? 10 tahun perancangan, 8 bulan menyelidik, dan 2 bulan menyaring yang telah membawa aku ke VicUni.

Selama 10 tahun, aku meletakkan matlamat untuk menyambung pengajian di luar negara. Dalam 10 tahun ini juga aku telah menyenarai pendekkan negara - negara yang sesuai berdasarkan geografi, demografi, serta kestabilan ekonomi dan politik.

Menjelang berakhirnya zaman aku di UiTM, aku mula membuat penyelidikan ke atas universiti - universiti di negara pilihan; UK, Kanada, Australia, dan New Zealand. Pada peringkat awalnya, Kanada dan New Zealand telah dibuang; Kanada kerana tidak ada MoU dengan mana - mana universiti di Malaysia dalam bidang kejuruteraan. New Zealand kerana IELTS diperlukan.

Maka tumpuanku adalah pada UK dan Australia sahaja. Kelebihan bagi kedua - dua negara ini adalah tidak perlunya kepada IELTS, memandangkan UiTM menggunakan bahasa Inggeris sebagai bahasa pengantara. Tambahan, pengalaman bersekolah di UK memudahkan urusan memohon ke sana. Setelah mendapatkan maklumat yang diperlukan, maka muncullah senarai berikut:

United Kingdom

1. University of Sheffield
2. Manchester Metropolitan University
3. University of Portsmouth

Australia

1. University of New South Wales
2. University of Newcastle
3. RMIT University
4. Victoria University
5. University of South Australia

Seterusnya, aku menilai setiap universiti darihal berikut:

1. Yuran
2. Kualiti pembelajaran
3. Kebajikan pelajar Islam

Setelah disaring, maka tinggallah University of Portsmouth, RMIT, VicUni, UniSA, dan Newcastle Uni. Namun pada saat - saat akhir, aku membuang RMIT daripada senarai ekoran isu musolla di kampus Swanston.

Aku ada cuba pertimbang semula RMIT. Namun, seolah - olah takdir Allah aku tidak dapat memohon ke RMIT. Ini kerana, setiap kali aku ke EduFair, ada sahaja yang akan mengganggu aku daripada ke kaunter RMIT, antaranya barisan yang panjang gila, ataupun tidak ada orang yang jaga kaunter sewaktu orang tak ramai.

Berbanding dengan yang lain, permohonan berlaku dengan pantas. Ada hikmah...

Dua minggu kemudian, keluarlah keputusan. Alhamdulillah, semua universiti menawarkan tempat. Cuma, memandangkan aku memohon proses pemindahan kredit, kena tunggu lagi sebulan. Langkah seterusnya adalah untuk ke ibupejabat JKR di Jalan Sultan Salahuddin untuk bertanyakan pengiktirafan kerajaan.

Didapati bahawa untuk UK, hanya Masters sahaja yang diiktiraf ekoran pertindihan silibus serta tempoh antara UK dan Malaysia baru - baru ini. Pihak JKR turut mencadangkan Australia kerana kualiti pembelajaran di dalam bidang kejuruteraan. Maka dengan hati yang pilu, terpaksalah aku lupakan UK.

Kemudian aku ditunjukkan rekod pengiktirafan universiti. UniSA dan Newcastle diiktiraf sekitar tahun 1990-an ke tahun 2000-an. Namun VicUni...sejak 1972???!!! MasyaAllah! Rupanya VicUni ada nama lama, dan terkenal kerana bidang kejuruteraannya.

Sebulan kemudian, keluarlah keputusan pindahan kredit; Newcastle menawarkan 3 tahun, UniSA 2.5 tahun, dan VicUni 2 tahun. Maka setelah berbincang dengan mak, abah, VicUni lah pilihan.

Ketahuilah, dalam setiap fasa perancangan serta tindakan, aku tak lupa berdoa dan bertawakkal kepada Allah memohon ditunjukkan jalan terbaik. Walaupun agak liat nak terima VicUni pada awalnya, namun disebabkan aku telah berdoa, maka aku terima ini sebagai jalan terbaik yang Allah berikan.

Antara hikmahnya aku ke VicUni, disebabkan ramai yang lebih rela ke RMIT, Monash, UniMelb jika memilih untuk belajar di Melbourne, maka tak ramai pelajar di sini...khususnya dalam bidang kejuruteraan. Palajar tahun ketiga dalam bidangku hanyalah sekitar 20+ orang.

Tambahan pula, Universiti ini adalah Muslim-friendly. Kebajikan pelajar Islam dijamin. Dewan solat disediakan di setiap kampus, sekali dengan solat Jumaat. Semua makanan di kafeteria mereka menggunakan hanya daging Halal.

Namun, setiap kebaikan sudah tentu ditemani dengan pengimbangnya. Kampus aku terletak di kawasan Footscray, 'perkampungan' Vietnam. Kawasan ini dikenali sebagai kawasan yang 'keras'; dengan gejalanya, samsengnya dll.. Boleh kata, sewaktu tiba di sini, aku didedahkan kepada Melbourne yang aku tak sangka wujud berbanding dengan ketika aku datang pada tahun 2007.

Namun, pendedahan ini telah membuat aku lebih berwaspada, tidak terlalu selesa, dan juga mengentalkan diri dalam menghadapi segala cabaran dan dugaan selama di sini. Walaupun pada peringkat awal agak melemahkan semangat. Namun, as time goes by, sedikit demi sedikit aku mula membiasakan diri dan memberanikan diri.

Alhamdulillah, kini aku tak berapa nak hairan sangat jika bertembung dengan puak - puak ini. Sungguhpun demikian hazar (berhati - hati) adalah satu kemestian.

SALAM RAMADHAN

Assalamualaikum wrh. wbh..

Salam Ramadhan diucapkan kepada sanak saudara, rakan - rakan, teman - teman, serta sahabat - sahabat sekalian...walau di mana jua anda berada.

Semoga diberkati dan diterima segala amalan di dalam bulan mulia ini...

HAKMA AL-ARZUSSAUQ
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA

Ramadhan in Melbourne - How I Go About My Day

My last Ramadhan spent outside of Malaysia was about 15 years ago, back in England. However, during those years being in England, I was still a child, knowing nothing about the obligations of fasting upon Muslims.

This Ramadhan, will actually be my second experience spending it outside of Malaysia...down Melbourne way, and the first time going through it with a matured understanding.

So far, there's not much difference than to that of fasting in Malaysia. Only that the southern hemisphere is experiencing winter for the moment, so the daytime is short.

On average, my day begins by waking up at 4am in the morning, and having my sahur in the kitchen. The mornings are cold and chilly, so it would usually take sometime if I was to heat my food on the stove.

At around 5.15 to 5.30, Subh would emerge, and I would perform my prayer. What happens after that would usually be various; either wash the dishes if I didn't have time to do it before praying, checking incoming e-mails on the internet, or sleep for another hour or so depending on last night's activities.

If my lecture starts at 9, I would catch the 7.59 from Westona Station, or the 9.59 if it was to start at 11. Classes usually end for the day at around 1pm. I would go and pray in the University musolla before walking back to Footscray Station...or taking the bus if it is within 5 minutes of waiting.

Upon reaching Footscray town, I would head straight into the station. If I have some groceries to do, I'd stop over at Footscray Market for vegetables and fruits, and one of the two Halal butchery for meat. If I have to buy other groceries, I would take the 411 or 412 bus to Altona Gate Shopping Centre on my way back home, which houses the Safeway supermarket. Usually, I'd prefer Safeway/Woolworths rather than Coles, eventhough Coles is available in Altona.

Once I've reached home, I'd pray 'Asr, and then start smoking the kitchen to prepare a meal for breaking fast later on.

After having broken fast, prayed etc., I would leave home and head for the station to catch the 6.37, or 6.57 train to Newport, some 10 minutes away.

There's a mosque adjacent to the Newport station where I would perform Tarawih prayers. This is an Arabian mosque, hence all forms of announcements are mostly being made in Arabic.

I'm not sure if their khutbah is in Arabic or English, because I've yet to perform Friday prayers there, as I usually perform so at Victoria University.

Here, Tarawih is only performed up to 8 rakaats. More than that, do it at home. After 4 rakaats, the congregation would pause from prayers, and give way to a brief tazkirah or short sermon...similar to what is practised at Masjid Batu in Permatang Pauh, Penang.

It's a beautiful experience; Muslims from all walks of life, from different races lining up under one roof to worship the One true God.

After that, I would return home, recite the Quran, prepare some meal for sahur, recap on any outstanding academic matters, and jump into bed.

Geelong

Last Thursday, I received an SMS from my younger sister in Geelong, telling me that my package from Malaysia has arrived. Finally, after a month going about bookless, I finally have the books I needed for my studies.

I decided to go to Geelong on the following Saturday. Come Saturday, it was the first day of Ramadhan. To go to Geelong by train, I have to catch the V/Line train. This train stops at either Melbourne Southern Cross Station, Footscray Station, Newport Station, and Werribee Station. The closest from Westona Station was of course either Newport or Werribee.

I chose to go to Werribee because I won't have to double back on the same route just to switch trains. The only disadvantage was that Werribee lies on Zone 2, whereas my monthly travelcard covers only Zone 1. So, I bought a Zone 2 Daily Travelcard.

Furthermore, the fare from Werribee is half the price of the fare from Melbourne CBD, not to mention it's the weekend, so there's an off-peak price, half the normal price.

The average temperature was around 7 Celcius and very windy throughout that day, somewhat unusually cold. So, I brought my jumper along just in case the weather drops further. The problem with Melbourne, is that the weather tends to change every 10 - 30 minutes.

I caught the V/Line train from Werribee at 12.26 pm, and arrived safely at Geelong Station at around 1 pm. From there, my sister met and took me to her house in Preston Street. Atiqah was busy with her submissions, so I prayed Zuhr, and went out to venture Geelong CBD. Atiqah told me to be back in time for Iftar (breaking fast).

I first went to the waterfront. Masya-Allah, it's so beautiful. The blue sea stretching out as far as the eye can see. Then, as I was walking along the Deakin University building, I came across a museum; Ford Discovery Centre.

Hey, nonny nonny, a museum! In it I must go. I got a concession's price since I was an enrolling student...though I was hoping that I'd get free admission. The museum was filled with arrays of Ford vehicle models, beginning from the infamous Model T, up to Australia's renowned Falcon.

The exhibition on the upper level was my favourite; the processes of designing and manufacturing a certain model of a car. I was more attracted to the instrumentation equipments which were on display.

After that, I went for a walk around Geelong, until I realised that I've not prayed 'Asr, and that Maghrib was closing in. So, I rushed back to Preston Street just in time to pray, an wait another half-an-hour before we broke fast.

After having eaten and prayed, I rested in my sister's room while waiting for 'Isya at 7.15 pm. The V/Line runs every hour or so. I decided to catch the 8.26 back to Melbourne. After having prayed and passing goodbyes, I headed for the station.

Chill winds passed by me as I headed down the lamp-lit street towards the station. The last time I walked in the dark, cold night was about a month ago. On the train, I gazed out into the dark valley. Though there was nothing visible, it sure was a peaceful view as dark outlines of the hills emerged every now and then.

As I reached Werribee station, a Melbourne metropolitan train was waiting across the platform. One thing I liked about travelling public was that everything was on time and that they are properly synchronised to meet connecting services. By the time I reached home, it was 9.40 pm. I had a quick hot shower, prepared my sahur meal, and flunked right onto the bed.

Maribyrnong --> Altona

Alhamdulillah, last Sunday I finally left the Student Village for good. Packing my stuff took about two days. Looks bizarre; I came to the Village with two luggage. Now I'm leaving with stacks of boxes and cases.

My new home is in Altona, southwest of the CBD, and about 15-20 minutes away from Footscray by train. The house that I'm renting with my two Chinese chums is a one-floor unit, isolated from the main road. So, it's peaceful and quiet...good for studying. There is also a patch of land surrounding the house.

Maybe I can take up gardening every now and then. It's been quite sometime since I did some gardening.

It is also 2 minutes from Westona Station. Not to mention, the beach is just 10 walking minutes away. I must say, the beach is very beautiful. The closest mosque is the Bilal bin Rabah Mosque, situated next to Newport Station, three stops away. Now I don't have to travel all the way to Victoria University for Jumaat prayers, and Tarawikh prayers.

Since it is close to the coastline, the weather tends to be very cold at night. I only hope that I won't have any troubles whilst residing in this neighbourhood.

I and my fellow housemates took a couple of days to spring-clean the house. The previous tenants was not very hygiene-conscious, so they left the house in a very, very horrible state. The rooms, kitchen, hallway, courtyard...na'uzubillah. Not to mention the toilet!!!

Anyhow, it's clean now...and hope it stays that way 'til we move out.

Curry

InsyaAllah, come this weekend, I will move into my new home. The house is in Altona, a sub-urban areon the southern part of Melbourne, close to the bay. I will be sharing the house with two mainland Chinese; of of them of whom I've met at the airport previously.

I was a bit skeptical sharing a house with a non-Muslim due to dietary purposes. However, we came into an agreement regarding my diet, and that it shouldn't be a problem. However, I'm not sure about the other chap, as I've not seen him yet. I hope it won't be a problem for him too. May Allah show His guidance.

And so, after unpacking my luggage prior to arrival in Melbourne, it's time for me to pack again, plus all items I've bought here.

One other thing I had to do, was to finish up all my raw groceries. While some can be stored over a long period, the same can't be said towards the rest. Among those that I have to finish up are the chickens and vegetables.

This afternoon, after having ended my lectures for the day, I went into Footscray town. I was looking for matches. The one I had had gone all soggy due to my stupidity of having left it next to a wet sponge. However, while browsing around in a Vietnamese minimarket, I came across a wide variety of spices.

I suddenly remembered that I had bought a packet of Korma curry powder last week. And so, I had an idea of how to finish up those bunch of raw groceries back at the Village.

After Maghrib prayers, I went down to the communal kitchen to cook. I took out the chicken pieces, defrosted it in the microwave and gave them a good run under the tap. Previously, I marinated these chicken pieces with tumeric powder, chilli powder, salt, and pepper. The intention was to fry one at a time without having to defrost and refrost the pieces each time I wanted to cook.

Somehow, during the marinating process, I somehow spilt a large portion of tumeric powder. So, the pieces had a heavy tumeric taste. At one time, I became hysterical over the sight and smell of tumeric.

However, while I was cooking, heads popped out from behind the wall.

"Smells nice, mate..." they would say.

A Chinese girl came up to me. I thought she was wanting to share the stove as usual. I said to her,

"I'll be over in a few minutes..."

"No, no. It's OK." she said while peeking into my frypan,

"What're you cooking?"

"Curry," I said, while still debating whether or not to specify that it was Korma.

"Hmmm...smells nice..." she said.

I thought to myself, haven't these people seen curry before? Or is it due to the fact that the Village students do not cook curry? Or that they seldom go for Indian cuisine? Never mind. Concentrate on the cooking, else you'll be eating bananas tonight.

While eating, I remembered a conversation on Yahoo Messenger; I was asked whether I miss all the dishes back at home. Of all the dishes I missed, the one I missed most, was Gulai Tempoyak. I had thought about cooking it here, since most of the ingredients are available.

But then, when it comes to the tempoyak itself, I ain't gonna be easy looking for a durian fruit here. Maybe there have it up Chinatown way...because I remember Abah buying durian from Chinatown when we resided in London years ago.

Hmmm...I think I'll pay a visit to Chinatown on Little Bourke Street. Hope they sell it, or at least when the season comes.

You know, all those years smoking the kitchen back in Malaysia really helped me in maintaining my budget in this foreign land. Although sometimes, I would look silly spending my time in the kitchen, but hey! Who gives a damn.

Settling Down in Melbourne

A day after arriving in Melbourne, I transferred to the Student Village residences in Maribyrnong, some 10-15 minutes journey by bus or tram to the Footscray Park campus. This was only meant to be a temporary residence, as I've yet to find a permanent one.

I need not mention about the fees shock that I received upon checking in. However, after settling the registration processes, I was brought to my unit; a room in a two-bedroom unit. The room was simple; one bed, one study desk and chair, one built-in wardrobe, one book shelf, and a sitting chair.

However, a display in the lounge adjoining both rooms with the toilet and exit somewhat shocked the hell out of me. I was a pyramid stack of beer cans and a few beer and gin bottles. It immediately struck me that my unit-mate was a heavy drinker!!!

However, I was relieved that my stay in this unit, particularly the Village was only temporary. Hence, I would have to live with the stench of frsh liquor every now and then.

The first couple of nights were a bit tough for me. There were no bedlinen and pillows provided, so I had to provide myself with a make-shift for the two; my sleeping bag that I bought from home became my linen cum blanket, and my thick winter jacket (of which I bought in Alexandria, Eypt in late 2002) became my pillow.

At the same time, the heater in my room was not functioning, so I had to cuddle up as warm as possible during the night, and had the windows tightly shut (usually I'd slacken it a little so as to let fresh air in).

The first week, I had no choice but to eat out. Eventhough there was a communal kitchen, I do not have the cooking materials; pan, knife, and the basic groceries (e.g. salt, pepper, onion, garlic etc.).

Usually I would buy either kebab, briyani, or fish & chips. Eventhough these come between $5.00 to $7.00 per serving, they are served in large portions, enough to make you last the whole day. Sometimes I would buy a 6-inch vegetarian sub at Subway for $3.00.

On occasions, I would just make my own sandwich; usually just with butter or chocolate spread. But, this week I can substitute it with salami and lettuce, as I have the necessary items to store food in the communal fridge.

Whenever buying processed food items at the supermarket or wet market, I have to inspect the ingredients. Eventhough they are but harmless crisps, sauces, breads or any whatnots, it is the substances that are being used, especially the gelatines and emulsifiers that is of concern. How do I detect this? These substances have a standard code (e.g. for non-halal substances; E471, E120, E491, 160A, 471). However, if it is mentioned that they are soy or plant-based, then it is OK.

Alhamdulillah, Victoria University gave me a Muslim Student Guide Book which contains a list of mosques, restaurants, and butcheries throughout Melbourne and its surrounding suburbans. Eventhough I am familiar with the outlets and mosques in the City, the book really helped a lot when I am in an unfamiliar suburban; one that I've never ventured when I came here in 2007.

Come to think of it, it is quite troublesome when it comes to having to inspect every food item prior to purchasing, or travel halfway across town jus to get Halal meat. But then, if we as Muslims do not face these kind of hardship, truly we will never appreciate life with the deepest of appreciation.