The shy girl who wants to be a fire fighter

When the camera is turned off, she becomes very voluble and starts talking animatedly. But as soon as the camera comes on again, she would somehow switch off immediately.

“She’s shy because kakak (sister) is here. Maybe kakak can turn around and Najwa can build up her courage for the camera,” said Faezah, her mother.

And so I turned around.

“Mama is Aaron Aziz going to watch me on Astro AWANI?” Najwa’s eyes lit up, hoping her dreams might actually come true.

Hey, a girl can dream right?

I had the pleasure of meeting this young girl who was about to set off for her first day at school. The first time I met her, I had to wait for almost 20 minutes to finally hear her speak.

“So Najwa, are you excited for your first day at school?” I asked.

Silence. Najwa just stared at the camera while her mother, Faezah Yunus tried giving her hints behind the camera on what to say.

“Mender? (What?)” Najwa finally spoke one word and it turn out to be in Terengganu accent.

“She can really talk in Terengganu accent you know. She got it from her father’s side,” Faezah said while laughing.

On January 2nd, the first day of school Najwa got up early, excited for her first day. As she said, she can’t wait to finally begin her first day at school and to meet up with her best friend, Syuhada.

In the morning Najwa went to a religious class to practice reciting the Quran, her mother told me.

At 12.30 in the afternoon I went to her house and asked Najwa, “Are you ready for the camera?”

“Yes!” she said, full of energy.

“Najwa had been practicing all night yesterday for the camera, right Najwa?” Najwa nodded to Faezah’s question.

With her clean school uniform, hair tied up into a ponytail and a Barbie backpack on her back, Najwa walked towards her father’s motorcycle.

At 1pm, all Standard One students gathered at the Sekolah Kebangsaan Seksyen 24 Shah Alam for a briefing before meeting their class teachers.

Sitting on the floor, Najwa started fiddling her fingers and sometimes would look up to the camera once in a while.

For the rest of the briefing session, Najwa looked calm but tired, maybe due to the hot weather.

“I’m not worried about Najwa because she is a strong and independent young girl. I know she would not cry on her first day because she is a tough girl,” Faezah said.

If you are thinking this girl would be sleepy in the afternoon, you would be right. No doubt about that.

When it seemed like she was concentrating on the briefing, she actually nodded off!

“Okay students, stand up and let’s go to your classes to meet your new teachers,” a voice rang out, most probably the principal.

Najwa got on her feet and suddenly, started waving at the camera with a broad smile on her face. She’s no longer shy in front of the camera now!

She started to climb up the stairs to get to her class on the second floor. Though normally kids would choose the back row, Najwa and Syuhada went for the front seats.

“I want to do well in my studies, that is why I want to sit in front,” she said, suddenly became shy in front of the camera again.

At 2.30pm, it was time to say goodbye to Najwa for a while until recess time at 3.15pm.

“Parents should wait at the canteen so that the students could concentrate in class and to avoid them feeling sad seeing their parents from afar,” said a teacher of SK Seksyen 24, while a young girl in her hijab cried loudly when her mother had to leave the classroom.

Najwa waved at her mother, smiling.

Faezah went to the canteen and all she could do was wait for her little girl buying her first meal at school.

“I will just wait until recess time and I’ll see her at 6pm to hear about her first day at school. I’m sure she has a lot of things to tell because, away from the camera, she’s a very talkative person actually,” Faezah said, still smiling despite the hot weather.

Her ambition is to become a fire fighter and to provide luxuries for her mother, when she grows up.

“I want to be a bomba! (fire fighter). I want to help people. I want to buy a car for mama, then a motorcycle and a computer when I have enough money one day,” Najwa said to the camera.

After school, Najwa could not wait to tell her mother about her day.

She told her that her class teacher was very nice to everyone.

She told her they did colouring in Arabic language class.

She told her she was glad her best friend is in the same class.

She told her the girl who cried earlier in the classroom stopped crying and started participating in class.

She told her she shared about her ambitions with her classmates.

She told her she is looking forward for the second day.

“Why were you so shy in front of the camera earlier?” Faezah asked Najwa.

“I’m shy in front of other people. With mama it’s okay,” she shouted enthusiastically.

She will have a lot more stories in the next six years, and five years later in secondary school.

By then she would not be the cute, shy little girl in front of camera anymore.

She will no longer play with her fingers when nervous.

She will stop staring at the floor and hold her head high with confidence.