After attending the funeral of a classmate’s mother, I continued with an unplanned visit to my cousin’s house. He is a police officer serving at IPD Sepang, and since his place was nearby, it felt right to stop by. It was also the first time I brought my nephew to visit his father’s cousin.
While we were there, I casually mentioned something I had long wanted to do—to visit FRIM, the Forest Research Institute Malaysia. A place known for its trees, protected forest, and greenery. My excitement doubled when he said there was a 150-meter Canopy Walk inside.
Without much delay, we headed there.
He brought his children. I brought my two teenage sons, along with two teenage nephews. All of them are Gen Z. As expected, I was the only one truly excited when we arrived.
Walking through Kepong Botanical Garden, I admired the wide jogging and brisk-walking tracks, the lake, and the many rare tree species. Unfortunately, we arrived a little late—the Canopy Walk had already closed after 2:30 PM. Still, the scenery was calm, beautiful, and grounding.
I turned to my cousin and asked, “Do you remember, when we were their age, sleeping in the forest? Crossing rivers at night in the rain? Wading through mangroves to collect nipah, clams, and shells? Climbing coconut trees?”
He smiled and said he never experienced any of that.
I smiled too—and shared those stories with the kids.
Before leaving, I noticed his son deeply immersed in a Roblox game at home. Half-jokingly, I said, “What if we go camping here next week? Imagine sleeping in the forest.”
His daughter looked at me strangely… slowly shaking her head.
That moment said it all.
The generational gap between us is real. We grew up in villages, where school holidays meant adventure, freedom, and learning life from nature. For us, holidays were not planned—they happened.
School holidays have begun. And with them, reflections of how different—and yet meaningful—each generation’s journey is.
Happy holidays to everyone. The final week before school begins.
#SchoolHolidays #GenerationalGap #FRIM #NatureAndLife #FamilyMoments #Reflections #GrowingUp #FromVillageToGenZ #LifeStories #Malaysia
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