ALOR GAJAH: "I'll probably visit my friends at the dorms. That's what I'll do to celebrate Hari Raya Aidilfitri on campus this year."
This was what Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) mass communications and media student Mohd Hafiz Abd Rahman said about his plans for the holidays.
The 22-year-old from Sarawak has decided to stay put on campus despite authorities allowing undergraduates to return home for the festive season.
He said he was adamant in remaining on the UiTM Lendu campus here due to the increased number of infections nationwide. He was also worried as there were many movement controls imposed in many states including his home state.
Hafiz admitted he felt sad seeing his other varsity mates getting on buses and being fetched by their families as they headed home for the holidays.
"I'm sad that I will not see my mother and siblings. My father died when I was a year old. What's important is for me to focus on my studies. I still contact my mother constantly via WhatsApp.
"Of course, I'd probably cry if I think about my mother and the dishes she prepares on Raya morning. However, I need to forget about all that. We need to pray for this pandemic to end and for life to go back to normal."
Hafiz is among students who are also helping out in the 'balik kampung' arrangement for students at the UiTM Lendu campus.
He said he was happy to see his varsity mates' excitement in returning to their hometowns.
Accounting student Luqman Nur Hakim Raimi Hisham, 22, said he was not returning home to Senawang, Negri Sembilan because he wanted to accompany his friends on campus.
He planned to buy some of his favourite food, 'lemang' and 'nasi impit'to enjoy on the morning of Aidilfitri.
A business studies faculty student Aimi Syafiqah Mohd Jamal Ariffin, 20, said she initially wanted to return home to Puncak Alam, Selangor, for Aidilfitri. However, her mother told her it would be safer if she remained on campus.
She said although it would be the first time she would spend the festival on campus she was thankful as she has had experience studying in boarding school, so being away from family was not a problem.
"There are many friends who are staying back too. We will be celebrating a modest Aidilfitri together."