Leaving On A Jet Plane

Yes, ‘tis true.

I have resurrected my blog after more than a year of stagnation, and the reason is to make an announcement about a life-changing decision I have made…and the leap of faith I’m about to take.

*pause for effect*

OK, so I’m being overly dramatic, but to be honest this really is the most important and significant thing to happen in my otherwise boring life to date.

As most of you know, I’m studying in the University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus (UNMC). I’ve always wanted to write about life in UNMC, but never got around to it. There’s just so much to tell that the post would probably look more like a dissertation. Maybe, someday, I’ll blog about it. In the meantime, for those of you who want an idea of what goes on in my uni, take a look at the blogs listed on the left. About a third of them are by Notti guys and girls ;)

Anyway, one of the main reasons why I enrolled in Nottingham was the mobility programme, which offered the opportunity for students here to go to the UK campus for a year while paying local fees. This brings me to the point of this post. Shortly after the first year results were released, I was given an unconditional offer to go on this programme for one semester. I had mixed emotions about the offer; on one hand I was glad to get it, but at the same time one semester was significantly shorter than the full academic year I was hoping for.

And so the past few months have been spent agonising over the decision of whether to go or not. Up till a few weeks ago I was still yo-yoing back and forth, which is why I didn’t make my decision public until now. I have decided to accept the offer, and will be in Nottingham UK from January 20^th to late June/early July 2008. I will take-off from KLIA at 0210 hours on January 20^th, transit in Dubai and touchdown at Heathrow at 1135 hours London time on the same day.

As some friends of mine know, I faced such difficulty in making the choice because I was heavily influenced by the opinions of friends and family. Many people felt it wasn’t worth the expenditure going to the UK for a mere 5 months. I also worried about culture shock, homesickness, and everything else that comes with living independently in a foreign country. However, I ultimately decided that in the future I didn’t want to look back and regret not seizing this opportunity. No doubt it will be a challenging experience, with obstacles I’ve never faced before…but what doesn’t break you makes you a stronger person.

Now here comes the hard part: the goodbyes. I wish to say, with utmost sincerity, that I love my friends =) Over the years, I have built many great friendships which I hope will last a lifetime. Friends are what make life fun, and at the same time they provide a powerful support system that keeps me sane when all else seems to be going to hell. So to all my pals here in Malaysia, I’ll really miss you guys, even though 5 months isn’t a long time. The physical distance and 8-hour time difference will make it understandably difficult for us to communicate as much as before…but then again that’s what Facebook is for ;) I just hope it won’t be a case of 'out of sight, out of mind' but rather 'absence makes the heart grow fonder' =) For those of you asking to meet up before I go, I want to, but no promises since exams are coming and I still have lots to prepare before I leave. Worse still, I won’t be able to go out after exams because my last paper ends 31 hours before I fly T_T

To my buddies currently studying in the UK, I know I have not kept in close contact with many of you…for this I apologise. A big ‘thank you’ to those I’ve been interrogating the past few weeks for being so patient and helpful; the info you volunteered has been invaluable. Now, I will need your support and help more than ever before. You guys have been there long enough to know plenty about life in the UK, and will therefore be my primary points of reference on everything from studies to travelling and, of course, cooking. More importantly, you all will be the only familiar faces in the same time zone as me, and I’d really appreciate having your company and moral support while I’m juggling assignments, battling freezing cold and consuming my own bad cooking ;) I also hope to visit you guys at your respective unis, so do keep some time free to show me around.

Alright, that’s all for my big announcement. I think it’s long enough =P

I wish you all a very merry and blessed Christmas and a New Year filled with joy, love, hope, success and all that is good. To those who have exams coming up (especially my fellow Nottinghamers), all the best in your papers and may your results exceed your expectations =)

P/s: I can’t promise this blog will stay active, but I do hope to find some free time to chronicle my adventures in the UK here =)