Life So Far
I feel like a Grizzly bear waking up to a new season from a long hibernation. Actually I'm not even sure that Grizzy bears really hibernate, just making what seems to be a suitable comparison. Nevertheless, these couple of days will feel very fast because it's the end of my five-month holiday. Wow suddenly I feel young(er) by saying that because that is the feeling that school kids get when they are about to move to the next grade or start a new term.
Ok, let's not be retrospective.
Next week will be the start of my 5-year stay in Singapore. Excited? Yes. Frightened? Also a yes. I'm excited because I will be living on my own, well not really I will be staying with my brother in his apartment but it will be the first time that I will be away from my parents, moving away from my home, taking a step out of my comfort zone. It's exciting that I get to make my own decisions and I will be the one who is fully responsible for it. It's exciting to be in a place where you are the outsider, not as a tourist but as a part of a new culture.
On the contrary, it is frightening to leave a place I have called home for the past 18 years; one day you're in a place where everything is familiar and the next day you're a stranger from a strange land. Most kids my age who have or are currently studying abroad often hear 'What if I don't fit in?' and people always answer 'Don't worry you'll get along just fine'. It's really tedious to hear that but that is the truth. However, the things I said earlier do not scare me as much as having to keep up with Singaporeans in terms of studying. I'm not going to stereotype but Singaporeans take education really seriously and I come from a place where you can fake your high school certificate. You get the idea right? If I want to survive in Singapore, I literally must work my ass off to compete with Singaporeans.
If I want to be candid, what you just read is really not the main point of my post (and by this time many of you will type 'facebook.com' or 'twitter.com' on your web address because you just wasted 10 minutes of your time reading my blog). I will be moving to Singapore next week and yes I will be studying in Singapore Management University (SMU) but not for their undergraduate programs. At the end of my high school years I received six rejection letters from the universities I applied to. By the end of July I didn't have a university to go to. It was really frustrating for me to accept the fact that I had to take a gap year. For those of you who don't know, gap year is the year between high school and college. This also meant that I would finish college in five years, which was longer than most of my friends' college years.
I was preparing myself for a year of being lost once again not knowing where to go. Fortunately my so-called sadness was premature. An email appeared in my junk mail box. It said that I was invited to join the bridging program offered by SMU. The program offered students an extensive SAT course which would help them to gain a place in SMU in the next academic year. I was really relieved. Even though it was a course from a university it was still a gap year to me. Nevertheless, I was happy that after six rejections, I get to see an email that has a 'congratulation' written on it instead of 'I am sorry to inform you'.
I am not pious, religious, nor spiritual but I believe that God has plans for everybody. In the past three years of high school, I have worked like a dog trying to get good grades for college. It pays off in the end but not as I have imagined. For the alumni of my school, you already know the rigorous curriculum we have to complete to get our high school certificates. The more I see it, the gap year I am currently experiencing right now is God's way of saying 'chillax bro, I'm giving you a year to rest'. As of every new change one experiences, one has to cope with it because change is part of life. I am still getting used to the fact that I am taking a gap year. It's frustrating at first but you get to see the silver lining. Now, I am happy and I am embracing this change.
For those who are currently still in high school, don't just focus on studying. For me, focus on what you want to be in the future and how you can help the world to become a better place. If you have to take a gap year, don't be afraid. It's not because you are not good enough, it's because (well in my case) God has ordered nature to let you take a chill pill Who knows, maybe all you need is a good rest to be great.
When life gives you lemons, squeeze them and make yourself a refreshing lemonade.
Ok, let's not be retrospective.
Next week will be the start of my 5-year stay in Singapore. Excited? Yes. Frightened? Also a yes. I'm excited because I will be living on my own, well not really I will be staying with my brother in his apartment but it will be the first time that I will be away from my parents, moving away from my home, taking a step out of my comfort zone. It's exciting that I get to make my own decisions and I will be the one who is fully responsible for it. It's exciting to be in a place where you are the outsider, not as a tourist but as a part of a new culture.
On the contrary, it is frightening to leave a place I have called home for the past 18 years; one day you're in a place where everything is familiar and the next day you're a stranger from a strange land. Most kids my age who have or are currently studying abroad often hear 'What if I don't fit in?' and people always answer 'Don't worry you'll get along just fine'. It's really tedious to hear that but that is the truth. However, the things I said earlier do not scare me as much as having to keep up with Singaporeans in terms of studying. I'm not going to stereotype but Singaporeans take education really seriously and I come from a place where you can fake your high school certificate. You get the idea right? If I want to survive in Singapore, I literally must work my ass off to compete with Singaporeans.
If I want to be candid, what you just read is really not the main point of my post (and by this time many of you will type 'facebook.com' or 'twitter.com' on your web address because you just wasted 10 minutes of your time reading my blog). I will be moving to Singapore next week and yes I will be studying in Singapore Management University (SMU) but not for their undergraduate programs. At the end of my high school years I received six rejection letters from the universities I applied to. By the end of July I didn't have a university to go to. It was really frustrating for me to accept the fact that I had to take a gap year. For those of you who don't know, gap year is the year between high school and college. This also meant that I would finish college in five years, which was longer than most of my friends' college years.
I was preparing myself for a year of being lost once again not knowing where to go. Fortunately my so-called sadness was premature. An email appeared in my junk mail box. It said that I was invited to join the bridging program offered by SMU. The program offered students an extensive SAT course which would help them to gain a place in SMU in the next academic year. I was really relieved. Even though it was a course from a university it was still a gap year to me. Nevertheless, I was happy that after six rejections, I get to see an email that has a 'congratulation' written on it instead of 'I am sorry to inform you'.
I am not pious, religious, nor spiritual but I believe that God has plans for everybody. In the past three years of high school, I have worked like a dog trying to get good grades for college. It pays off in the end but not as I have imagined. For the alumni of my school, you already know the rigorous curriculum we have to complete to get our high school certificates. The more I see it, the gap year I am currently experiencing right now is God's way of saying 'chillax bro, I'm giving you a year to rest'. As of every new change one experiences, one has to cope with it because change is part of life. I am still getting used to the fact that I am taking a gap year. It's frustrating at first but you get to see the silver lining. Now, I am happy and I am embracing this change.
For those who are currently still in high school, don't just focus on studying. For me, focus on what you want to be in the future and how you can help the world to become a better place. If you have to take a gap year, don't be afraid. It's not because you are not good enough, it's because (well in my case) God has ordered nature to let you take a chill pill Who knows, maybe all you need is a good rest to be great.
When life gives you lemons, squeeze them and make yourself a refreshing lemonade.
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