A tribute to Siti Salwa Hj Arshad

Salwa or Che Wah would always be there for me and vice versa. We would lend our ears to listen to each others' problems, share our happiness and sorrows. We were not close before but we respect each other very much as colleagues who teach in the same school. I was her boss for English panel and years later, she became my boss for the committee of the school library.

We became close when she suggested my name to our ex-principal for the TSIE Students exchange programme of Tokoname, Japan. We spent 21 days accompanying 8 students for the programme. Mr Abdul Hakim Samuri and Mr Roslan Mohd Noor joined us too for the programme. That was in 2000.

Then, in 2005, Che Wah offered me to join her to visit Beijing. I was thrilled and again, I was able to travel abroad because of her. We visited many interesting places in Beijing, especially the Great Wall of China and the Forbidden City. We visited two schools, one primary and the other secondary. Salwa brought her husband, Azman and daughter, Marsha along for the trip. We enjoyed ourselves, especially during shopping spree at Russian market.

I left our school in 2008 until now when my application for MoE scholarship was approved. I am pursuing my masters in instructional technology in UM. Two weeks ago, I was invited to Che Wah's farewell gathering organized by the English panel of SMKS9. The news came as a pleasant surprise to me when I learned that Che Wah is going to stay in Rome, Italy for 2 - 4 years. Deep in my heart I know that she deserves the break. She has been very devoted to her profession and she has given her life to the school library. She puts her heart and soul in making the library lively and functioning. I trust that she could carry herself well in being an excellent diplomat's wife. I pray that Che Wah will be happy and able to quickly adapt to the new environment in Rome.