Ikatan Israh is a name given to my Penang-side family. My mum is originally from Penang, and so for the sake of preserving our family ties, we created a family association.
The Family Day was organized at the Dusun Eco Resort in Bentong, on Sunday, June 2nd. But we checked-in that Saturday night, despite getting lost looking for the resort in the town of Janda Baik (which we were initially told) for a few hours. Only to found out that the resort was actually in Bentong.
Family day. We were mind set to staying in a resort room with 2 single beds, a tv, air-conditioned, a mini bar, and a bathroom with a shower and a bath tub. The programs will consist of games (sukaneka and telematch) , and present give-aways.
When we actually arrived, it was dark. There was nothing much to see. My uncle guided us further in the resort. Along the way, he pointed out "That's the men's toilet/shower". "Here's the surau". "Here's the men's dorm" "That's the women's dorm". And we were like, "Seriously? So no single beds? No tv? No air-conds? No mini bar? No private bathrooms?" Yes. We stayed in dorms of 12 people, with bunk beds. It was a shock at first. Thanks to our over-luxurious imagination. Well, like Tan Sri Tony Fernandes says, "Expect the Unexpected".
Anyhow, it was a fun experience. It caught my memories back to sleeping in dorms. And it was really cold at night. (Thanks to the woods surrounding the resort). We ate at the canteen. Had a fixed meal time. Washed our own dishes. Make up our own beds. Showered in toilets (with showers). And many other daily activities that make me say, "This reminds me of back to school". And to strengthen the fact, cellphones are useless there. There were no phone lines in the area. And to have us forcing ourselves to live a day without our phones, was another challenge.
The room
The canteen
Sukaneka is a must in Family Days. My family agreed to participate in all games (except for the kids' games of course). Here were all the games:
Cari gula-gula dalam tepung
Cari menantu
Bawa bola ping-pong dalam sudu
Rebut gula-gula
Nafsu gajah
Futsal campuran
Terompah old skool
Sambut sayang
Musical chair
Jambatan gantung & flying fox
Acara bebas & water polo
The price-giving
Overall, it was tremendously fun. Laughter was all around! I knew little of my family tree on the Penang side, but this event enabled me to actually recognize the faces that are actually my relatives. I hope a similar event will be organized with the same objective, with more, next year.
Oh yeah, did I not mention? In regards to my family's initial plan: To get a placing for each game we participate (in our case, ALL), we did! Tasya and I personally won first place for the Sambut Sayang. And won more in the group games. My dad personally won himself first place in the Nafsu Gajah, and was also awarded the 'Peserta Paling Sporting' (Most Sporting Participant). My mum didn't win anything personally, but she managed to contribute a placing in the group games. As of now, we're already looking forward for next year!
