The November Rain

November just set its foot into the calendar. To some teachers, it means the school holiday is just around the corner. To another some, it means a lot of work to be done; to finish the unfinished business and to plan next year school activities.

For us, November is when the fun of teaching in remote area begins. It is the time when we depart in the morning and arrive in the midnight. It is the time when the road becomes slippery and muddy. It is the time when our motorcycles roar like a tiger when the tyres are trapped in the mud or when moving up the hills, making us singing the nursery rhyme (row-row-row your boat…). Break system? Don’t even bother to use it or one will end up spinning like a top.

But the journey does not end as soon as one hopes for; it’s getting worse after the first 50 kilometres; this is a place where we call the 25 kilometres junction. A place where one can feel the most tortures moment in one’s life. Two hills, the red and grey hills, need to be crossed and these two hills will never allow us to pass them easily; and if the hills are mad at you, they will ensure your tyres do not move at all.

Exhausted? Of course! But along the hardship comes friendship and brotherhood. We learn how to respect our elders. See how a big brother should behave and help the 'youngsters'. Learn some skills which can be used in order to survive in the jungle; skills that can never be learned in any part of the city life. And the most important thing is, we love each other as if we were a big family. Even though the November rain is not a hobson's choice... we will appreciate it.

ps: Sometimes, we must learn to enjoy and appreciate things around us...but not all people can do that... why?