USIM STUDENTS RELIVING THE CULTURES OF NEGERI SEMBILAN; ‘SANTAI MAHABBAH DE JELEBU 2015’

NILAI, 19 DEC 2015–It was a lively atmosphere in Kampung Tembun, Negeri Sembilan when a total of 23 students from Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia ( USIM ) held a one day camp here and organizing various activities with the villagers .

The students were formed by the Malay Debate Club under USIM Soft Skills Development Centre and were excited to relive and revisit the past in conjunction with the program ‘ Santai Mahabbah De Jelebu 2015 ‘ held on December 19 2015. The students departed early in the morning from USIM Main Campus in Nilai, and the  trip to KampungTembun takes about two hours. The journey felt very short due to the natural greenery and beautiful village setting that can be seen along the way. The village is located in the district of Jelebu, which is synonymous with the folks that are still practicing AdatPepatih. They were greeted by the villagers with warm smiles as they had been waiting at the compound of Masjid Parish BungaTanjung,KampungTembun since the wake of the morning.
“The warmth and bonds between us and the villagers are formed quickly with the arrival of us as ‘anak-anak USIM ‘ to this villageas we are highly anticipated and celebrated. After the briefing about the village and all the activities that will be done throughout the day,we started with the first program which is a sports activity. In accordance with theatmosphere, Malay traditional games become a choice”.
“We form a team of USIM students and another team of the residents to try a variety of games. Selected activities also require more interaction and collaboration among team members, so the relationship is closer”.
“For example, for the men , we play sepaktakraw , while women’s groups started with the musical chairs game and puzzle of spices while the children were having fun with coconut bowling game and a puzzle .The walking shell race under the men, women and children category was the most interesting and entertaining. ” Khairin Hairul Nizam Mohammed said ,a student of the Faculty of Economics and Muamalat as Program Director .
According to Nur AnisSolehahZainal,a student of Faculty Leadership and Management “Coincidentally, on the day of our program here, one of the villagers invited USIM students to join them in an Aqiqah ceremony for their great-grandson. The students gladly helped them during the occasion”.
It was fun to have an experience with the villagers and prepare a variety of dishes such as kambingmasakhitam, ayammasakmerah and ulam-ulaman.  Although most of us cannot speak in Negeri Sembilan’s accent, through the activities done together, we can learn a little of the dialect and it is interesting to experience andto know the traditional culture of Negeri Sembilan. After the ceremony, we also participated in berzanji and washing the dishes.

For Malay Debate Club trainer, Mr. Mohd Zaini Othman, such programs directly develop soft skills of the students through learning beyond the walls of a classroom. It builds a pure direct relationship between students and the community, polishes their leadership skills and appliesthe good values in their daily lives. The University does not only provide intellectual talents, but also prepare students who are holistic and care about their surroundings.

After the sports activities,rewang,Cukurjambulceremony and lunch, the students perform Zohor prayers at the mosque with the villagers. The last program in the afternoon was cleaning the mosque such as cleaning the fans, toilets, prayer rooms,abulation rooms, bathrooms and the surrounding area. The closing ceremony of ‘ Santai Mahabbah De Jelebu 2015 ‘ was held at the hall of the mosque with hamper giving and souvenirs from USIM.