I woke up before dawn for the Fajr prayer. Since it wasn't my group's turn to cook and we didn't have our usual morning Qur'an recitation, I decided to go back to sleep while I still had the chance. By the time I woke up again, my friends were already busy preparing breakfast. Today there were no classes. Instead, we were going to Vườn hoa Mai Xuân Thưởng, a park where we would meet members of PPI (Perhimpunan Pelajar Indonesia)—Indonesian students who were currently studying abroad in Vietnam.
After breakfast and a shower, we walked to the nearest Mixue before ordering a Green SM taxi to the park. My group happened to be the first to arrive, and by coincidence, we met the Indonesian university students almost immediately. Their names were Bang Adit and Bang Rio. After some casual conversation while waiting for the others to arrive, we began the sharing session. We talked about preparing to study abroad, what to expect when arriving in a new country, scholarship opportunities, and many other things related to university life overseas. Listening to their experiences made studying abroad feel a little less distant and a little more real.
When the discussion ended, we took a walk around Hồ Tây (West Lake), the largest lake in Hanoi. The scenery was peaceful, and after spending some time there, we continued to Al-Noor Mosque, the only mosque in Hanoi and one of the main gathering places for Muslims in the city, to perform the Friday prayer.
After Jumu'ah, we headed to one of Hanoi's most famous areas: the Old Quarter. Maybe because I grew up in Bandung, the place reminded me a little of Braga Street. The streets were lined with shops selling almost everything imaginable—food, souvenirs, clothes, and even massage services. It was lively, colorful, and filled with people from everywhere.
While exploring, I bought a Vietnamese steamed bun. Before long, my friends and I realized we were all hungry, so we started looking for a place to have lunch. After wandering around for quite some time, we finally settled on a restaurant called Little Charm. The interior was surprisingly nice, and since I wanted to try something authentically Vietnamese, I ordered Phở Gà. Phở is a noodle soup, while gà means chicken.
The food arrived quickly. My first spoonful left a good impression. The broth was savory, rich, and full of flavor without being overwhelming. It suited my taste perfectly, and if I had to rate it, I'd give it a 9 out of 10.
After lunch, we decided to visit the Uniqlo store in Hanoi. We took another taxi, and when we arrived, I was genuinely surprised. It wasn't just a regular store inside a shopping mall—it was an entire three-story Uniqlo building standing on its own. We spent about half an hour walking around before returning to Al-Noor Mosque to perform the Asr prayer.
By the time we arrived, the rest of our friends had already gathered there. After praying, our teachers made a few announcements, and then we headed back to the accommodation.
I was exhausted.
As soon as I got back, I decided to take an afternoon nap.
When I woke up, I went to the bathroom.
The toilet in our room was a Western-style toilet. At home, though, I had always been used to using a squat toilet. The toilet in our room was also quite old. The adhesive securing it to the floor had already loosened, so it could move slightly if pushed.
Without thinking much about it, I squatted on top of it.
The moment I did, the toilet lifted off the floor.
Out of reflex, I immediately stood up.
The toilet lost its balance, slammed onto the floor, and shattered into pieces.
For a few seconds, I just stood there.
Frozen.
I couldn't say a single word.
My friends outside the bathroom started calling my name, worried that something had happened to me. We called our teacher and explained everything from the beginning. After that, I asked if I could call my parents.
I wanted them to hear what had happened directly from me, not from someone else.
I called my mother.
She was shocked.
Of course, she was grateful that I wasn't hurt, but she also reminded me that this wasn't the first time my carelessness had caused trouble for someone else. Every word she spoke sank deeply into my heart.
She wasn't wrong.
I had always been a careless person.
By the end of the phone call, I was struggling to hold back my tears. They had already started falling.
How could I be this careless?
Why am I always like this?
Can't I just live normally without causing problems for other people?
Now someone would have to pay for the damaged toilet.
More money would have to be spent.
At that time, my family's financial situation was already falling apart.
The guilt kept growing heavier with every passing second.
When the call ended, I couldn't hold my tears back anymore.
I cried quietly by myself.
No one saw me because I was standing outside the room.
It was the first time I had cried in a very long time.
After crying, I felt a little better.
I cleaned the bathroom, picked up every broken piece of the toilet, and made sure nothing was left behind. Even after everything was clean, my heart still felt unbearably heavy.
In the end, I lay down and went to sleep, hoping that resting for a while would help calm my mind.