Volunteering for MYCAT at Zoo Negara

Well so yesterday I managed to drive all by myself alone to KUALA LUMPUR oh yeahhhh! Alhamdulillah...

First, mum trusted me.
Second, I got the wrong Cheras junction but I made sure mum didn't know.
Third, I didn't turn on the radio at all. Pergi balik zikir all the way. Sebab takut sesat dan eksiden. Berguna. Ya, betul berguna. Zikir.

Truth is, I really wanted to take public transport so I have time to write my 2015 resolutions while in the train.

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I was happy. Very happy to be at the zoo.

A lot of things has changed. The Education Department Office is no longer at the very end, it is now in the same building with the Customer Service Department.

Went to the guard house, parked at the staff parking lot. Heh. Heh. I am afterall a volunteer... I assured myself. I was all ready to walk to the ol' Edu office but then I was stopped by En. Amin. Then I noticed the signage. Ohh... The dusty ol' library is now the office.

Told him I did my internship here few years ago. And he said he know.

And...

Kak Nira was inside, he told me and opened the door. Couldn't stop myself from shrieking the girly girl shriek like Aaaa! Aaaa! Then hug hug.

Oh En. Eddy! He waved from his desk. He looked excited and happy and well, just like how I remembered him. Senyum and waved hi just like he used to do only this time a bit excited. 4 years tak jumpa... I know.

Felt a bit shy, though.

Suddenly I saw something on the desk. There was a document, and at the bottom of it was the Kancil logo I designed 4 years ago during internship! I feel so proud! And touched.. Aih... I miss this. I miss this.

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It rained all the way until the time I have to leave the zoo. Since I arrived at 8.30am until about 3.30pm... So I didn't get to do anything much, really.

Basically most of the time was spent catching up with Kak Nira and Abang Mang (which looked a bit more matured with glasses on and a tougher body). I'm glad he still remembered me, though he forgot my name. I actually forgot his name too... Hahah!

Well... I managed to explain about MYCAT to a couple (mat saleh dua orang. Man went; Go Bash! Go! And I was like; Eh dah habis masa lah 1.30! Belum lagi! Go go!). And also paint two faces. One half face (butterfly) and one whole face (tiger) in which I managed to influence the Arab boy to choose the design I think looked cool on him.

Too bad I forgot to snap a picture of the Arab boy. Kak Nira commented I still have the fling. The flick of the brush for the tiger stripes is still there. Hahah!

The rain made me feel lazy to walk around. The other three volunteers were good enough to go out into the rain with an umbrella in one hand and the information folder in another. They were the ones attracting people to our booth, where I waited. Hahah! Felt a bit guilty but I painted two faces and stayed extra time until 3.30pm so I guess it was quite fair. Heh...

The zoo edu staffs (including the interns) were too cool to talk with and the rain too just got me staying longer at the booth than I intended. But I kind of hoped so much the rain would stop so I could take a walk. I only get to see the tigers and leopard; Bulat and Panjang. And on the way to the surau, I dropped by to see my long lost friends... The deers. Even Kak Nira knows how much I love them. 

During internship I used to take a walk and dropped by to see them. There was even one time I was so lucky to be able to feed them bread. One of the keepers was feeding them, and there will always be one naughty one outside the closure. Hahah.. There was this one time, not only one but I think three or four. And they were just so cute!

A lot of memories. Me and my friends. The deers, the monkeys, Jack the black bird... 

Taking a stroll along the way to the floating surau, I only get to take selfies. Not very good selfies as I couldn't stabilize this Note 3 with one hand. Borrowed Man's huge umbrella. Haha.

One thing that made me touched were lifebuoys hanging on almost every corner around the lake... On my 22nd birthday, I received a call from Kak Nira saying our dear friend drowned in the lake. Zul. I'm already a lifeguard back then. An instructor, some more. In fact, I was a part time lifeguard at a company near the zoo when I did my internship there. I never thought my dear friend, Abang Zul would drown in the lake. I used to help the bird house team almost every morning...

But, Alhamdulillah... His absence made people more aware on water safety. Every corner of the lake I could see lifebuoys...

Dropping Man's umbrella at the Edu Office, I managed to say goodbye to En. Eddy. 

I have to come again. Have to. Especially since I know the road already. And especially since I can DRIVE here already. Hehe.

Kak Nira. Hope to visit her at the zoo again :)