An Unforgettable Memory

An Unforgettable Memory

It was the month of July, a month that we, the Perak contingent for KAKOM have been anticipating since the start of term. KAKOM stands for ‘Karnival Kokurikulum Kolej-kolej Matrikulasi’. This event is a national level event held yearly involving participation from nine Matriculation colleges and two MARA Boarding colleges. The events held are sports events such as basketball, badminton, bowling, netball and others. Public speaking, dance competition and marching competition are also held. This time, KAKOM will be held in Kolej Matrikulasi Kedah.
Selection of contingent members started immediately after registration of new students. Once selected, the participants trained hard. We really knocked ourselves out with all the practises. Then, the day for us to leave for Kedah arrived…
We arrived in Changlun, Kedah after a five hours journey. We had an exciting opening ceremony where all the contingents marched in full spirits. Then, the matches began. We had a good start when we won our first gold and bronze medal through bowling. Our badminton, basketball and netball teams also made it to the next round. The sports events were indeed exciting. Although we did not know our team members, we cheered and gave them full moral support when the events were going on. When our team won we sang our victory song. My event was due on the last day of KAKOM, so I spent my time practising and giving my other friends moral support.
Then, the day for the English Public Speaking arrived. It was the last day of KAKOM and Perak was rather left behind in the running for overall champion. Thus, the pressure on me and my partner was really great. The night before, the Director of my college had a face to face talk with me and my partner. This really boosted my spirits as very few people get this opportunity. The other lecturers were also giving us their last words of support. I woke up extra early to prepare myself. The moment I stepped into the cafeteria to have my breakfast, the whole contingent of Perak cheered. I was totally overwhelmed by the support I was getting. Despite my nervousness, the support showed by my friends returned the smile on my face.
In the quarantine room, I made friends with my competitors, all whom turned out to be very friendly and pleasant. To get over our nerves, we did the ‘Poco-poco’ dance together.
“Ladies and gentlemen, now I would like to invite Miss Safiya Yahaya, from Perak Matriculation College to present her speech”.
Upon hearing that, I stepped up onto the stage and presented my speech confidently. I did not hold any notes and maintained eye contact with the audience. Once done, I walked down and waited for the other contestants. Then, the moment everyone was waiting for…the results of the competition. A man in his late forties went up the stage to deliver the results. My achievement? Well, I’ll leave that a mystery but it’s enough for me to state that I made it to the top five.
KAKOM only lasted for a week but my memories there will last a lifetime. It is amazing how we put aside our differences just to bring victory to our college. Although the event has been over long ago, we still keep in touch and have a wonderful time retelling all our experience in Changlun. Truly an unforgettable memory.