Sofie called me yesterday to inform me that Azlan, her eldest son, was offered a place at a Sekolah Menengah Teknik in Perak, not too far from her place. As mentioned in my posting here, Azlan’s teacher and headmaster had recommended that he applied for a place at Sekolah Menengah Teknik, noticing his interest and capability in that line. His PMR result for Kemahiran Teknikal proved so too.
Azlan is supposed to register this coming Wednesday. Sofie called to ask me if he should accept the offer. Of course, she wants what’s best for the boy but at the same time she’s worried because she fears she can’t afford to pay for all the expenses, especially if he is to stay at the school hostel.
I told Sofie to just accept the offer and worry about the payments later. As long as Azlan is eager then just go for it. He is after all under our Sponsorship Program and his schooling expenses should be covered by this fund. So yes, this Wednesday, Sofie will be going with Azlan to register him at the school and to listen to the briefing. I told her to get back to me immediately once she gets the list of whatever requirements including payments.
I don’t mind going along with them but I am on clinic duty this Wednesday. I will try to visit them after that to see to their needs.
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Mrs K has not given up trying to borrow money from me. Apparently when she didn’t get any response from me earlier, she borrowed money from somebody else, promising to pay this person back soon, within a week. Then this person started harassing her for repayment, and so Mrs K tried me yet again, hoping that I’d give in when she uses her “saya dah terdesak” line.
Before this, I’ve resorted to saying no outright. I’ve also resorted to telling her I wouldn’t entertain any requests from her to borrow my money. I’ve resorted to not responding at all to her requests to borrow my money. Didn’t seem to work, did they? Well, this time, I replied telling her that we Buddies are not allowed to lend money to our clients. She was quiet about it after that, only SMS-ing me about other matters.
I’m not sure how long it will last until her next try. I do pity the kids though… wonder if they’re getting enough to eat. Now that they’ve moved further it will be even more difficult for me to find the time to visit them.
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Sharifah (Cek Mek’s mom) sent me a text message last week saying she’d be going for her hospital appointment this coming Wednesday. She plans to go to Kak Ana’s shelter home today and spend 2 days with Cek Mek before coming over to Ipoh for her appointment and then back to her hometown.
Sharifah did mention she’s beginning to get rashes and was wondering if it had anything to do with her HIV. Coincidentally I will be on clinic duty this Wednesday so I told her to look for me at our usual room. InsyaAllah I will be getting more updates about her when we meet.
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I was outside doing my routine kampong exercise yesterday morning when a child who was cycling by, upon seeing me pruning the trees, stopped to ask, “Makcik, makcik tengah buat kerja ke?”
I was tempted to say “Tak, tengah main pondok-pondok” but oh well, she’s just a child…
6 comments:
So is it common for PLHIV to get rashes on their body kak Pi? and while we're at it, do they look pale, as typically portrayed?
Aunty Pi,
Living in a hostel - the expenses would be more than just fees. You should know, you've been there before. So, he'll need a living allowance as well, you know, pocket money, fees for this and that, etc. Will that be covered by the Education Fund?
Makcik Makcik..lain kali main pondok2 jangan lupa ajak kita yer..melampau lah awak..
btw..pruning trees firm up the bust or the bud..I mean butt!
Kerp,
Taklah semua, tapi ramailah juga PLHIVs I know yang senang dapat rashes. As for looking pale, no lah, most of my clients biasa aje.
C-i-S,
We have 2 types of funds - one is CEF... this one mainly to cover for basic back-to-school expenses. Azlan is however covered under our Sponsorship program, whereby he is sponsored by an individual sponsor. Monthly pocket money and whatever fees that need to be paid to the school all covered. You don't worry, ok?
Mamasita,
If the one asking me was an adult, memang I dah jawab macam tu. Tapi sebab ni budak, kalau cakap macam tu nanti I balik pening kepala kena menjawab lepas satu, satu soalan...
Firm up the bust or the butt? Hmmm... nanti I check, dah cukup firm belum... ;)
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