By NATHELIE YONG & LYDIA LEE
brats@thestar.com.my

Reading this, you might find it odd that there are two names listed as writers of this blog post. Well, our names are Lydia and Nathelie, and we”re the two JB Kia who found ourselves far, far away from home in Raub, in a place we never even knew existed before the camp.

Two girls from down south, found friends in each other in Raub, a solid 6 hour drive from home. Go figure. Fate is indeed humorous.

Blurry-eyed (just me) yet still eager, we arrived to a wonderful crowd of crazy people (all brats, if we”re allowed to say so) and just like that, our lives took a turn into Awesome Land.

In all honesty, none of us were truly prepared for the rush of adrenaline Ian warned us about. The four days rushed past like a whirlwind, filled with

laughter,

as we made friends and became buddies;

tears,

when the deadlines came a-chasing;

and screams (not ours),

as bugs, colorful and big as bottle caps came flying.

So, to sum up our Brats Raub experience:

32 people put to real faces,

somehow boy names were actually girls”

and gangster-looking became sweet as honey

An appreciation of reality over virtual conversation.

For then did Apollo 18

and the kismet best online casino of nature and man

–a connection of beauty,

profound meaning to which no one has truly an answer.

“Aiyo!” “Ping!” “Pong!” “… …”

the silence of anticipation and the splash of cold ice after.

Twenty thumping bottoms on a truck and leaves getting in the way,

the mouth, the hair merry laughter all around,

“Into the jungle, here we go!”

Up and over, round and about…

Journeys the way they were meant to be.

Bro-fist the elly-awesome elephants,

Take selfies galore,

Ignore the Ian-looks,

Do the silly things teenagers are s”posed to.

Find love in four days and let it go at the end;

Carry every guy present;

Be the independent woman.

Have the saddest goodbyes

one might so imagine.

A family found in the heart of nature,

a family to Whatsapp in times become bad

a family to keep,

dysfunctional perhaps

but a family true, and family sweet.

A family of crazy teens

and adults so-still-young,

they themselves say.

Brats in Raub

Make noise, don”t cry;

The people who remember

will so still meet one other day.

With love,

Lydia & Nathelie

For more info on BRATs, Malaysia’s awesomest, most successful young journalist programme since 1993 and to read the stories by the BRATs Raub participants, click here.