Academic Writing : Becoming a Member of the Community

A wedding ceremony shows new liability for people to shoulder. Wedding doesn’t mean a burden, but it is a necessity for all people to live. Every culture has different ways in celebrating wedding ceremony. For Malay culture, groom and bride wear wedding suit such as ‘Baju Melayu’ and ‘Baju Kebaya’ then both bride’s and groom’s family will gather in mosque. This ritual can be held at night or day. After that, the leader of the ceremony usually ‘Imam’ of the mosque will call upon the groom for the foremost step which calls ‘Akad Nikah’. The ‘Akad Nikah’ means they are ready to build a family and take their responsibility to the family. After the groom passes the step, he will go to the bride to wear the wedding ring. After that, they will change other wedding suit and the groom will come to the bride’s house with presents also known as ‘Hantaran’. They will sit side by side on a small stage. At this moment, relatives and friends will come forward to the stage to do ‘Tepung Tawar’ then they will get souvenir which call ‘Bunga Telur’. There is also a ‘Silat’ show but it depends on the family to do the show or not. After a while, the bride and groom will eat special dishes while all guests eat ‘Nasi Minyak’. Both families will invite groups of relatives and friends to celebrate the wedding ceremony. After all guests went home, the bride and groom will open the presents that they get from the guests. After the ceremony ends they will continue their life as husband and wife.

Academic Writting : Language Learning

In my opinion, I think the total physical response method is a good way to learn Arabic language. According to Jensen, there is a connection between memory and physical actions. In a TPR class, students have to be very active. They need to respond physically after they heard their teacher’s commands. Students learn the language by listening to commands, and then they have to respond physically by simply moving around the class and try to speak by using the language. They don’t have practise in reading, but they can practise to speak the language with their friends. This is the most suitable method especially for USIM students since Arabic is the second language. The goal is only to listen, respond and speak because everybody here is trying to speak Arabic well.

Academic Writting : Identity and Learning

My aunt was an important influence on me as a child. She was excited in trying anything new and adventure. She enjoyed outdoor activities very much like there were no tomorrow. She proffered to share her experiences with her nieces and nephews. There were lots of activities that she had done, for example, she went to Redang Island for diving and took pictures of sharks and other sea animals. In Bali, she enjoyed surfing and wakeboarding at the Bali beaches. In the Pahang National Park, she enjoy water-rafting. She never forgets to invite me to join her trip and I never miss to join her too. Now, we always share our experiences and enjoy the exciting outdoor activities together.

Characteristics of a rite: New born baby (Kekah)

One of the interesting rituals in Malaysia is 'Kekah'. This ritual is celebrated by Malays.I still remember when I was 10 years old (2000); my mother and my father went to a big cage in Hulu Langat, Selangor to buy a cow. A few days later, all my relatives from Pahang went to our house in Kuala Lumpur, I was very happy but I didn’t know why we gathered. The next day, my mother asked me to wear ‘Baju Kurung’, I saw all of my cousins wore traditional malay clothes. A few minutes later, I saw a group of people came to our house; they also wore traditional malay clothes. I went to the kitchen to ask my mother what happened. Why many people came to our house? She didn’t answer me but she told to sit next to her and kept quite. Then, all the men sit on the floor in the living room while the women helped my aunts to prepare the foods. After a few minutes, my father came in with a baby in his arm (that’s my brother), he put my brother on a small bed besides him. After that, the ‘Imam’ said “Let the ceremony begin,” the group started to read ‘tahlil’ and prays. Then, they stood up and continued reading ‘Marhaban’. Their voices were so loud. There were also no special music but there were ‘selawat’ where muslims praised their prophet. My father took my brother in his arm while my uncle held a tray. In the tray there was a half cut coconut which contained its juice and a scissor. My father went to the ‘Imam’, and then the ‘Imam’ cut my brother’s hair. He put the hair in the coconut shell, a man after him did the same things too and the activities continued until the last man. Finally, after they had finished cutting my brother’s hair, my father invited them to the tent to eat. I asked my father what was the menu. My father said it was a curry meat. Now I understand, that was the cow that my father bought a few days ago. My father said this ceremony was held to celebrate new born baby. Muslims would slaughter animals with four feet only in Islamic way as alms to other people, but the best way is to do it by held a feast.