Friday turned out to be one of the busiest and most enjoyable days of the week. We had a full schedule, including meeting members of the Indonesian Student Association (PPI), attending Friday prayer at Al Noor Mosque, and exploring the area around Hanoi's Old Quarter.
Before all of that, I was on cooking duty. I woke up at 5:00 a.m. and spent the next two and a half hours preparing breakfast with my friends. We made fried potatoes, eggs, and cheese. Not everything turned out perfectly, but it was still a fun experience, and everyone enjoyed working together in the kitchen.
After breakfast, I took a shower, cleaned my room, and got ready to leave. At around 9:00 a.m., we headed to a nearby park, where we were given some free time to explore. I walked around, took photos, and bought a few snacks while enjoying the atmosphere.
At around 11:30 a.m., we left for Al Noor Mosque to perform Friday prayer. The Friday sermon started just before 1:00 p.m. and consisted of two parts. The first sermon was delivered in Vietnamese, while the second was in Arabic.
The mosque was very crowded, with worshippers from many different countries. I noticed that a large number of them were from India, making the atmosphere feel very international.
After the prayer, we were given free time to explore the area around the mosque. Together with Ibra and Kei, I walked through Hanoi's famous Old Quarter, where we looked around several shops selling football jerseys and souvenirs.
When it was time for lunch, we ate at Little Charm's Restaurant. I ordered fried rice, but to be honest, it wasn't my favorite meal. It simply didn't suit my taste, although it was still a good experience trying different local restaurants.
After lunch, we headed to Uniqlo Hanoi because Kei wanted to buy a pair of jorts. We were supposed to return to the mosque before the Asr prayer, but finding transportation took longer than expected. One of our rides was canceled, so we arrived a little late.
After praying Asr together, we spent a few quiet moments making du'a, as many people consider Friday afternoon a special time for supplication.
In the evening, we returned to our accommodation. Before going home, we stopped by a convenience store to buy a few snacks.
Back at the accommodation, I took a shower and cooked rice for dinner. Earlier that day, one of the students' parents had generously donated 750,000 VND so that everyone could enjoy a better dinner instead of cooking as usual.
We decided to buy fried chicken for all thirty participants. However, each piece cost 30,000 VND, which meant the total came to 900,000 VNDโwell above our budget. We politely asked the seller if they could give us a discount, and thankfully they reduced the price by 100,000 VND, bringing the total down to 800,000 VND.
We were still a little short, but Nuzul kindly contributed the remaining 50,000 VND, making it possible for everyone to enjoy the meal together.
When we returned with the chicken, everyone was genuinely happy to have something different for dinner. Seeing everyone's excitement made the effort feel completely worthwhile.
After dinner, I cleaned the kitchen, helped tidy up our room, and spent the rest of the evening relaxing before going to bed. It had been a long but memorable day.