The Long Way Home

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As we were in sitting in the boat, we enjoyed the strong sea breeze which was blowing on our faces. The air was chilly but truly refreshing to our tired minds. We saw the beautiful scenery along the Malaysian coast. How beautiful and wonderous mother nature was! We were relieved that very soon we would reach the Customs at Pasir Gudang. The fishermen asked us whether we had our passports. Fortunately, the three of us had our passports tucked safely at the bottom of our haversacks. Shortly, we approached the Pasir Gudang Terminal. The fishermen helped us out of the boat and guided us through the ferry terminal and explained to the customs officers in Malay about our situation.I felt that it was very nice of them to ensure that we were properly taken care of at the Immigration. The fishermen even gave us whatever money they had with them which were their earnings for the day. We refused to take more than what we needed to make our way back to Singapore. However, we thanked them profusely for their generosity. We politely asked them for their contact address so that we could remit the money to them as soon as we got back home.

Once we had cleared the customs checkpoint, we caught a taxi which brought us to the Johor checkpoint at the causeway. We then proceeded to the Woodlands Checkpoint in Singapore. As soon as we cleared the customs at woodlands, all of us called our parents from the nearest phone booth.

My parents sounded so emotional on the phone! I was on the verge of tears and my voice was cracking as I spoke to them. They asked me about my whereabouts. I told them that I would explain everything to them when I reached home. I just asked them to come to the Woodlands checkpoint as soon as possible and send my other two friends to their homes first as their parents did not have a car. They said they would be there in half an hour.

My friends were indeed thankful that I had somehow got every one safely back home. They looked very exhausted and pale after such a long and difficult journey. It was then that all of us realised how lucky we were to have survived this experience. It made us feel closer to each other as we had gone through thick and thin together. Later, when I reached home and reflected upon everything I had gone through over the past two days, it seemed like I had a nightmare and had just woken up. That night I prayed to GOD for saving me and my friends. I was convinced that he was the beacon of light that guided me all the way. Till today, I cannot forget the fishermen’s help. If not for them we probably could not have made. To me they were the “shepherds” who guided us, the “lost sheep” to safety on ‘’THE LONG WAY HOME!’’.

Done by: Manisha Subramaniam (26)

Sec 4 Benevolence 1.