Our kampung is located near the Terengganu River (Sungai Terengganu). Although my family house was not actually on the river bank, the river was part of my growing up life. In my last posting, I described our connection to the grandfather's well which never went dry even during droughts. But that didn't prevent me and my siblings and cousins from enjoying ourselves in the River.
Schools ended at 12.30 pm back then and tuition classes were unheard of at that time. We had to attend quranic classes after school. By 2.30 pm, we were really free to do whatever we please, so to speak. Usually we went looking for nyior muda (young coconuts) or jambu butir banyak (guava) in the belukar (bushes) or padangs (open fields). One of the cousins was a good tree-climber ( I can't climb, you know) and he was duly given the "honour" of plucking the coconuts. Everyone including me can get up the guava trees anyway. After savouring the young coconut flesh or the guavas, we usually proceeded to the River.
We spent usually the whole afternoon in the River. Some played Tarzan, swinging from the tree on the back and got into the water after a few swings. We swam and play to (read: toll with silent l's) a kind of hide-and-seek equivalent. Those who can swim play this. In my case, I usually get pinched or ear-twisting treatment from my mother whenever I got home late in the evening.
Initially I couldn't swim. Neither did my siblings and cousins. We learned swimming by using nyior komeng (fleshless coconuts which float when in the water). We held the to our chest and splashed our legs in the water. If there was no nyior komeng around, we wear our sarong and tied the bottom into knot between our legs. Then we beat the water until the tied sarong became like a ballon around our waists. If we decided to act lazy we just paddled with ur hands and we looked like swans in the lake. Or we could be horizontal - looked like ants - and use our hands to swim. That was how we learned how to swim. After sometime we could do away with the nyior komeng or the sarong. That's when our freedom in the water began!
Life was fun back then. Nowadays I dare not dip into the River for the fear of crocodiles and uneven river bed due to sand-mining. My swims are limited to occasional splash in hotels' kolam renang!
Note: My wife and I can swim but none of our children can!
nicely written
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