Originally from Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur, I am a true city girl at heart! Most people have hometowns to return to during Deepavali, Hari Raya & Chinese New Year but my life has always revolved around the hustle and bustle of city life. Imagine my surprise then when I first visited the Friary Centre in Guildford town with my parents and was slightly taken aback by how tiny the shopping centre was! Mind you, Malaysia is home to some of the largest shopping centres in the world. My dad’s advice to this astonishing discovery was to take tiny steps around the Friary Centre; it’ll last longer!
I’ve had my share of questions by fellow course mates and housemates as to what made me pack 4 suitcases and move across the globe to a university that I’d only seen through the screen on my computer. Well, as cliché as this sounds, it was meant to me. I must say, coming to England for education wasn’t always on my mind; I was and secretly still am hoping to become Mrs Daniel Radcliffe/Mrs Harry Potter. But as I begun A Levels at Help University, I started toying with the idea of studying abroad for my tertiary education. Realising that I had a flair for Economics after achieving outstanding results for my AS Economics, I decided I was going to apply and no doubt be accepted into the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).
Long story short though, I was rejected by LSE and for a moment there, was content with working in McDonalds for the rest of my life. That’s when Surrey happened. Having been obsessed with LSE, I’d all but forgotten my other 4 applications on UCAS. Suddenly everything seemed to be pointing towards Surrey, from having a brilliant virtual tour led by the Surrey International Office to my mother suddenly meeting lots of people who either studied or residing at Surrey which I took as a sign. Fast forward about 2 months and I found myself standing in front of the Stag by the entrance of the University and resisting a sudden urge to climb the stag! It’s been over a year now and I still have not done that though but there’s still time; no fear!
University life is by far the most amazingly rewarding experiences. Of course there have been are ups and downs along the way. I won’t lie; there have been times where I called my parents on Skype with tears in my eyes saying I’m not sure why I’m here or studying Economics but that’s part of growing up really. The good parts are far beyond what my expectations were and my only advice here would be, always be open; to new things, new experiences; new people. Don’t be afraid to show who you really are and to let other people get to know the real you.
One way of making the most of my time here has been actively getting involved with lots of societies, and University of Surrey has an impressive 80+ societies to choose from! Not forgetting the sports societies who usually go out on Wednesdays after sports during most of the afternoon & evening beforehand. I myself have tried my hand at Ultimate Frisbee, which was surprisingly fun; I never knew how big a sport this was here!
University is such a colourful part of our lives & I’m still looking for more colours out there yet to be discovered.
Till next time; Selamat tinggal!
