The church camp to Melaka marked my return home somewhat, where I would finally integrate with the church friends again after six months of being away. I was apprehensive, but perhaps Dad knew better when he signed me up without telling me, the minute registration opened sometime in March.
Rooming with Julienne and our sacrificial dads who watched us snatch the seaview room away on from them on the first day, and when we sent them off to change money for us while we lounged around on the beds laughing at how grateful they should be - we popularised our fathers by the end of camp by making them heroes in our eyes, and in our friends' as well. It was an apt end to the week which ended with Fathers' Day, and we decided that our dads were strong influences in our lives, from the fact that both of them chose to skip sermons to sleep and watch Heroes and that led to us running back to our rooms halfway during a sermon to sleep as well. If our dads didn't do it, we wouldn't have dared. And they understand, they even brought back food to the room for us because we slept right through lunch.
And the sermons, it was funny how a packet of sweets or dried guavas would immediately be sent down the youth row the minute Shirley saw a head nod off. Blue Van even had a guava sticking out of his mouth while he was sleeping.
I loved Jonker Walk, that long street selling old toys from our childhoods - the pop pop's, cool lighters, clogs, rubber-band guns, puzzle boxes and rubber insects. The street food reminded me of Shanghai, the cabbage dumpling discovery was amazing. The delight on our faces with the first taste of Melakan cendol, that lime and sour plum drink, pineapple tarts, fruit candy, muah chee and nasi lemak. Mark coming up with that stupid chicken rice ball song and telltale story that got longer and longer, which irritated everyone by the end of camp - he wouldn't stop about how terrible the balls were. Lastly, the nights of Bridge, Murderer and endless talk sprawled out on a queen sized bed.
It was a good camp, and I am integrated back, in His perfect timing.
