3rd month living as an international student. If you ask if I had settled down well in this foreign country, not to mention the temperature dropping every single day, the answer is Yes :) Surprisingly, I had adapted quite well to the Gua Lou lifestyle pretty well.
Being here actually changed me quite a lot. I had learnt to cook and even try to experiment some new recipe alongside my good friend. If I was still in my home country, I doubt I can have simple meals 3 times a day which only consist of sandwiches for lunch and defrost and steamed dish with vegetable for dinner. I was brought up that way that I had traditional Chinese cooking which consists of AT LEAST 3 dishes, 2 meat and 1 vegetable, so back when I was still doing my first 2 years in Malaysia, I find it so hard to cook by myself and I am not satisfy with just one dish. Coming here, suddenly I learnt to appreciate every single meal and just one dish can brighten up my day :) Simple desserts such as fruits and occasionally tiramisu/ice cream/ cheesecakes. My mum called this place Dessert Heaven, which is so true :D
I appreciated sunlight a lot since coming here. All of you back in Malaysia, try not to complain about how hot the weather is and I know it is very hard but you'll definitely miss it here as sunlight is so sacred! Another thing I appreciate is TIME. It might sound weird but time seems to fly by so fast here. In a blink of an eye, it's the end of October already and I'm still trying my best to keep up with everything. Days are getting shorter day by day, it gets dark at about 5pm now and soon, 4pm. So, the days are really getting shorter, however the workload seems to have an inverse relationship with the amount of daylight.
Simple pleasures like a walk to grocery shopping, looking at food and playing piano had become motivation for me to stay positive and smile. Things that I used to take for granted had became such important pleasures here that I looked forward to every weekend or free day!
Anyway, I am proud to say that I am adapting very well here and appreciating this once in a lifetime chance very much =)
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Monday, October 1, 2012
7 hour difference
The time that I had always feared finally came. It was time for me to pack up my belongings and leave the comfort zone to an entirely new place.
Prior to entering 3rd year, I have to switched from the Malaysia Campus to the UK campus. During my summer holidays right after my trip to NZ, I have to rush to get my visa done and start to pack up. Believe me, I did not feel anything at that moment in time. Neither did I feel like I am about to leave when my lovely family planned a catered farewell dinner for me a week before I fly off. I thought to myself, hey, am I in denial? Then the day came. It wasn't until I have to bid my daddy and 2 younger siblings farewell that I feel like I am about to leave. When I hugged my dad, tears started to gush out from the corner of my eyes. I can feel my daddy is feeling heavy hearted as well and that activates my tear glands even more!
Luckily, I have my mum with me for 2 weeks. She did a really good job in helping me to settle in to a new place, set a routine for me as well and most importantly COOKS for me! Then came the one week placement with Boots pharmacy. That week went off in the speed of light and before I know it, my mum is starting to pack her things to go back. And ta-da! I felt my anxiety coming back to me the day before she left. I promised myself that I would not cry when she gets on the taxi, and miraculously I didn't! My good friend FY came over after she left and I am really glad that she came, because she kept me company and I did not have time to miss home.
Orientation started the following week and I started to feel abit stressed out by the groupings and labs AND LECTURES that we are going to have, that is when I started to feel homesick. My best friend helps me a lot by giving me really good advice on how to cope with the situation and make this short 2 years an experience of a lifetime. The first week of lectures did not went so well as I have yet to jump-start my momentum and there were an issue with the house I was currently renting. The only comfort was that we planned a trip to London that week and I was really glad I went there. A very nice friend of mine showed us around and I was able to take my mind off certain things and had a listening ear for me to vent out my problems. A big thank you to you :)
And thus, I have almost been here for 1 month now and I surprise myself for being able to settle in so fast as compared to when I am still in KY and Malaysia Campus. I guess I did grow up after all. Let just hope everything would get better from now on. For those who are starting their term soon as well, Happy Studying then :)
Prior to entering 3rd year, I have to switched from the Malaysia Campus to the UK campus. During my summer holidays right after my trip to NZ, I have to rush to get my visa done and start to pack up. Believe me, I did not feel anything at that moment in time. Neither did I feel like I am about to leave when my lovely family planned a catered farewell dinner for me a week before I fly off. I thought to myself, hey, am I in denial? Then the day came. It wasn't until I have to bid my daddy and 2 younger siblings farewell that I feel like I am about to leave. When I hugged my dad, tears started to gush out from the corner of my eyes. I can feel my daddy is feeling heavy hearted as well and that activates my tear glands even more!
Luckily, I have my mum with me for 2 weeks. She did a really good job in helping me to settle in to a new place, set a routine for me as well and most importantly COOKS for me! Then came the one week placement with Boots pharmacy. That week went off in the speed of light and before I know it, my mum is starting to pack her things to go back. And ta-da! I felt my anxiety coming back to me the day before she left. I promised myself that I would not cry when she gets on the taxi, and miraculously I didn't! My good friend FY came over after she left and I am really glad that she came, because she kept me company and I did not have time to miss home.
Orientation started the following week and I started to feel abit stressed out by the groupings and labs AND LECTURES that we are going to have, that is when I started to feel homesick. My best friend helps me a lot by giving me really good advice on how to cope with the situation and make this short 2 years an experience of a lifetime. The first week of lectures did not went so well as I have yet to jump-start my momentum and there were an issue with the house I was currently renting. The only comfort was that we planned a trip to London that week and I was really glad I went there. A very nice friend of mine showed us around and I was able to take my mind off certain things and had a listening ear for me to vent out my problems. A big thank you to you :)
And thus, I have almost been here for 1 month now and I surprise myself for being able to settle in so fast as compared to when I am still in KY and Malaysia Campus. I guess I did grow up after all. Let just hope everything would get better from now on. For those who are starting their term soon as well, Happy Studying then :)
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