Student Life

It started last week. Tuesday. Just returned back to my dorm from my last class for the day. As i was dropping my bag on the ground, my phone rang. Anonymous caller whose number begins with 06. That's the Negeri Sembilan area telephone code. I've received calls like this before. They're from the IIUM office people. Maybe they want to inform me some problems with my admission here, matric no, pin no, etc.

The green button i pressed, and I was right, it was from the IIUM office people, the Leadership and Training Department (LTD) to be exact. They want to inform me that i have to attend a meeting tonight above "Restoran Kam Loi". It was because i registered myself to join the Arabic Debate club the week before. They were recruiting members so i told myself, "why not?" I think that it would be a fun and new experience for me. I also haven't enrolled in any clubs or societies yet.

So that night, I went to the meeting room above Kam Loi. There were not many people there at that time. I was feeling a bit awkward because I realized that i was the only guy there who was interested to join the Arabic debate. Others were either interested to join English or Malay debates (Yes i just realized too that it wasn't just an Arabic debate meeting). Many people keep coming in and i was praying that at least one of those guys are joining Arabic debate. Then, when the room has quite a few people in it, a fine middle-aged guy started talking in front and explaining to us what's the purpose of this meeting. He is the deputy dean of the Student Activities Department (STAD) by the way.

He said that they actually wanted to re-establish the CFS Nilai Debate Clubs because many of the previous debaters were Law students. FYI, starting this year all students who are doing Law program has been moved to the CFS PJ campus. So the purpose of this meeting is to elect the new presidents of the Debate Clubs.

The election begins with the Malay Debate. Three nominees were nominated. All of the nominees have to talk a bit about themselves before they stand behind the whiteboard so that they can't see who is voting. Short to say, Mustaqim, the person who sat beside me and who also happens to be my dorm neighbour, won the election and hence became the president of the Malay Debate Club. Then its the English Debate. Ata, (yes that's his name) the person that sat beside Mustaqim won the election. Both of them also happened to be roommates. Then it was the Arabic Debate's turn.

Mustaqim nominated me to be the president -.- I was like whatever. Its ok. No one is gonna vote for a nobody like me anyway. And then it was quiet. Everyone was looking from left to right to see if there are any other guys there who are into Arabic. There wasn't. I was the only male there who were into Arabic. I started panicking. Then because of this circumstance the deputy dean open the nomination to sisters. Two sisters were nominated. Then i have to talk a bit about myself. I was afraid if i should talk in which language. Then i decided to just talk in arabic.

I told them what's my name, where i'm from, what's my previous school and which program i'm taking. All of them are staring at me. Maybe they never thought a guy like me could speak arabic? Maybe they didn't understand a thing i just said? Then the two sisters also started talking about themselves in arabic. Then i went behind the whiteboard and the two sisters left the room.

I was seriously panicking. President? Arabic? Debate Club? I started asking myself what does this all mean? What does a president of a club do? I have never been nominated to be in such a high position of a club in my life before. And my arabic isn't that great. I'm level 1 for God's Sake. And Debate? I only participated in an arabic debate once in my life. I don't think that experience is enough for me to become a president of the club. My feeling got worse when a guy, who i can see by the side of the whiteboard, was showing two thumbs up to me -.-

Then they called me back in. I was told by the the deputy dean that i have become the president of the Arabic Debate club. Hearing those words is like.. a lightning has strucked right beside my ear. The whole world is coming to an end. I want to jump off the window. This is all just a big misunderstanding. I knew it. Of course all the people there would vote for a guy to be the president. And for SOME REASON I DON'T KNOW WHY I'M THE ONLY GUY THERE!? Where are the other people from program BAR (Bachelor in Arabic) or IRK (Islamic Revealed Knowledge)?? I just feel that i'm really not the guy to be a president of something. I don't really expose myself to all this. I just wanna be a member, not a leader.

After hearing that, I smiled to all the people there and said "Shukran!". They have no idea how i was feeling inside. They thought i was cool with it. Because my outer expression is always cool...

After all the election of presidents has ended, the guy asked us to split and sit in our own debate clubs. So there i was sitting in a circle with 9 sisters...

(To be continued.... Heheh.. This post is too long already)