A lot has happened since my last blog post. For one, I spent Christmas and New Years with my family in Melbourne -- I also happened to be the wedding photographer for my uncle's wedding on the first day of 2014. Secondly, I came to the United States of America for my exchange program at University of California, Irvine (UCI). This post will focus on the latter.
I admit that I was anxious before coming to the States. On one hand, I was afraid because I did not know what to expect. I knew nobody in Irvine. I wonder how my parents handled it when they had to move from Malaysia to Australia all by themselves for university 30 years ago. In those days, there was no internet or any form of free instant communication. Worse yet, they had second-grade English skills going to a foreign country further than anywhere they had travelled. In that way, I guess I am a little spoiled because at least I can speak English well and own a phone with Whatsapp, email, and other forms of social media. On the other hand, I was anxious because I did not want to leave behind my holiday lifestyle. In a way, it felt like I had to start all over again. I'm sure most people would know that feeling when you have to go back to productivity after a short layover of desire gratifications. It's sort of like Monday Blues but amplified.
I got to Irvine and for the first few days, I was jet-legged and felt terribly homesick. I would constantly look at my watch that displayed the time back in Sydney and wonder what my family and friends were doing. All I wanted was to go home. Even though my roommate Leland treated me real nice and all, I just needed someone familiar! I remember going on Facebook and trying to find old friends to talk to. Anybody would do. Even people who I didn't usually talk to would do. Slowly, however, I overcame Mr. Homesickness by trying to make new friends. He's still here with me, but I have now learnt to make peace with him.
Having been here for almost 2 weeks now, I have been thinking about what I want to achieve while I'm on exchange. Chances are, this could be my lifetime's only opportunity to live in the US. I have to appreciate it to the fullest, don't I? And how best to do that than to meet new friends and make a lasting impression on them? A lot of people go on exchange to tour places and see stuff. Sure, I want to do that too but I want to do that with meaningful people whose company I enjoy. I am here to experience the campus life. And that includes making new connections. If I really wanted to tour every single terrain of this vast country, I can always come back to the States if I become rich one day.
When I return to Sydney and look back at the 6 months I spent here, the thing that will make me smile and perhaps drop a tear would be the people I would have met and not the places I visit. Because no matter how beautiful some landmarks are, the impressions they leave in me will never be as strong as the connections I make. So while I am here, I want to really live my life. Meet different people. Learn from them. Appreciate them. I have nothing to lose. Perhaps my pride, but that'd be it. And my pride will be non-existent anyways when I leave this country. But my impression on others won't necessarily end. At the end of the day, perhaps I would learn how beautiful the people of America are.
Before I end the post, I just want to remind all my fellow Losers (if you guys even read my blog) that the primary reason that I came to choose the US for my exchange is because of you guys. I can't wait for that day in March when we take a photo of (most of) us reunited again. I miss you all. I miss high school. And it's so great that we are currently standing on the same piece of connected land. Peace.
