How an Aunty with Shopping Bags can Survive in the Wilds?

Hana sat on the dirt floor in a crossed leg position while waiting for Arash to reply. She could see that the signal was unstable without any patterns to it. So she typed as much as possible and sent the message repeatedly until she can see a small tick appeared.

A small tick signified that the message has been send through. With 'read' appearing by the side, it showed the sender that the recipient already read the message.

Mama:

Ayang, after saving the kids, convert my number to line number. Can't watch youtube for survival tutorials nihhh(1), so later you must help to write for me and place it in Notes k(2).

1. what to do to survive in the jungle

2. how to start a fire

3. how to defend in the jungle.

Don't call the police, I don't think I'm abducted. Nobody and nothing around. Let me check first and see how. Only 1 spot got internet lahh(3). So can't move around. I'll come back to you after 2 hours k. Don't worry.

Hana really needed the tutorials, period. She's like any other city dwellers who used a gas stove and sometimes an induction cooker the whole 30 plus year of her life. Where can she ever test her prowess in kindling primitive fire, without a lighter to boot?

The loud sounds of animals meant that she might be in the wilderness for her first time! Not knowing where she was, and who or what else that might crept up suddenly from the darkness, she was terrified. Hana could even hear her own heart loudly thumping in her ears.

Thump thump! Thump thump!

A soft alert from her smartphone jolted her like a startle bird but immediately soothed her anxiety when she realized what it signifies. Her hubby's reply was finally here after five agonizing minutes.

Papa:

Are you okay ayang? I'm on my way back. I took a taxi from the train station directly to 99. It'll take about 50 minutes. I've called the owner of the 99 branch in our town. They will let the kids know and wait inside the car. I'll send the tutorials as soon as possible when I'm done. Be safe no matter what.

Hana was feeling terribly worried for her daughters. However, once she knew her hubby was on the way back, she felt better. At least her daughters were in good hands. Her head felt a bit lighter. She knew a big part of her stress was not from being in this unknown place, but rather on her unattended children. Subconsciously, all moms were like this. Family over oneself. Hana did not realized that this mindset has been ingrained in her since she carried her first child in her womb.

Right now, her stress greatly allayed, she begun to prepare herself for the inevitable. She must survive to return home! As straight forward as she was, she knew, to survive, it will be to secure a shelter, food and water. She walked to her four grocery bags and checked all the items she just bought.

2 bottles of 1.5L drinking water (its actually for hubby)

1 pack of fine grain sea salt

1 pack of curry powder

10 nos A grade eggs

1 pack 1 kg siamese fragrant white rice (to make porridge for her baby)

1 pack of instant noodles (pack of 5, curry flavor)

1 pack of her favorite fragrant rice bihun(4)

1 pack of 1 kg wheat flour

1 pack of her favourite tausa biscuits (pack of 8)

1 pack of twiggies(5) (pack of 2)

1 pack of 3 in 1 instant teh tarik(6) (12 sachets inside)

1 comb of bananas (got 8 bananas)

1 bag of potatoes (4 tubers in a bag)

1 pack of chicken stock cubes (got 12 inside)

1 pack of chicken sausage (10 sticks)

1 pack of twisties(7)

1 disc of belacan(8)

1 Adabi herb pouch(9)

1 roll of clingwrap

2 extra empty grocery bags

She then checked her handbag;

1 cute purse with the fortune cat design containing:

1 large capacity powerbank and wire

1 booklet of cards containing IC, driving license, 3 medical cards, a credit card and ATM card

small amout of cash and shillings

lots of receipts

a small notebook the size of a palm

a pen

1 diaper

1 mini wetwipes

1 baby napkin

A terrible headache ensued. Her second daughter was just shy from two years and still hadn't weaned off. Her papa will surely get a headache tonight. She went to buy groceries earlier in the hopes that this weekend they can just phytoned themselves(10) at home without going out, enjoying a purchased movie while munching junk food when the kids are asleep.

The amount of food was ample for one to two weeks for her family of four. Since she was alone, she can stretch it to more than a month's time, provided she found a proper water source.

She was thankful for buying so much stuff this time. Normally she just bought a pack of eggs with a loaf of bread. If she was stuck with only eggs and bread, she can only survive for less than a week before needing to find other food herself.

Following her habit that likes organizing and to do list, she sorted out the food based on perishable dates to know which to eat first and which to eat later and wrote in her small notepad. She wrote her long term and short term goals. Then listed down all the characteristics of the surrounding.

Perishable time

Within one week

Twiggies (2 pcs)

Bananas (8 pcs)

Chicken sausage (10 pcs)

Within one month

Eggs (10 nos)

Tausa biscuits (8 pcs)

Potatoes (4 tubers)

Within 3 months

None

Within a year

Rice (1kg)

Instant noodles (5 packs)

Wheat flour (1kg)

Bihun (500g)

Teh tarik (12 sachets)

Chicken stock (12 cubes)

Curry powder (400g)

Salt (300g)

Twisties (1 packet)

Never expires

Belacan (100 g)

Adabi herb pouch (1 pouch)

Short term goals (Day 1)

1. Scout surroundings for information and geographic location

2. Find water source

3. Find tinder, twigs and logs for fire making

4. Find things for defense

Long term goal

Return home!

Hana rearranged all the food items she purchased using Arash's credit card into different bags according to their expiration time according to the list in satisfaction. Proper food management was needed in order to segregate the food source to its maximum without sacrificing on the nutritional value and taste, and this was what she's good at (and this includes all the competent housewives out there).

As long as there's no dangerous animals around, this aunty will be able to survive in the wilderness. She adjusted her spectacle with determination.

Who says an aunty cannot survive in the wild with just shopping bags?

Author's Note:

(1) nihh = same meaning with [ini] which means 'this'. Got many variations such as ni..niii..nihhhh..nih..an addition for the sake out sound making

(2) k = okay

(3) lahh = Malaysians love to add 'lah' in all their English sentences. Similarly its for the sound.

(4) bihun = vermicelli made from rice flour. The one this aunty likes is the one made from high quality Siamese fragrant rice flour. A bit expensive and very chewy and delicious as compared to the conventional ones. A level lower compared to the ones made from sweet potato flour for making japchae, a Korean noodle dish

(5) twiggies = a kind of mini cakes that kids love.

(6) teh tarik = pulled milk tea; very popular in Malaysia. Usually you get from the mamak stall with roti canai or nasi lemak. Now already got 3 in 1 version haha. I liked from Lipton

(7) twisties = a irregular shaped snack make from corn flour.

(8) belacan = fermented shrimp block used by everyone in Malaysia. Usually to make sambal belacan, a kind of spicy sauce eaten with rice and grilled chicken/fish.

(9) Adabi herb pouch = also known as 'sup bunjut adabi'. A small pouch containing a variety of Asian herbs for making soup

(10) pythoned themselves (mengular in Malaysian language) = means to be lazy and just laze around all day on the bed doing nothing. Similar to the pythons after a big meal.