University Student Life

e c e n i r e x p E t n d e u t S University student life

Words and pictures by Esther Choo

Transition from living at home to living alone; Life in uni during this trying time. What is it like? – My experience.

“What if I need to live away from home to attend university?” , I asked my dad, exuberantly. “Then we will have no choice but to throw you into the water” , was my dad’s reply. I have always wanted to taste the freedom of living out my own life, doing things the way I wanted without my parents scrutinizing every petty movement I make. I never once got the ticket from my parents to make my own decisions, let alone live by myself. Earlier in the middle of my final A-Levels examinations, having granted the privilege to utilize the internet search engine, I was blessed to have the University of Nottingham website popped up onto my search results. I clicked on the link and it was indeed love at first sight. Counting my lucky stars, I have the utmost gratitude for my dad who was able to pay for the tuition fees and that I was able to pass the interview to pursue Master of Pharmacy here.

Come September 2020, semester one finally kicked in. It was the time which I have been longing for because it would be - well peculiar but true to say, I survived my entire life, right up to college, without a mobile phone - my first time I ever handled a mobile phone, a laptop, so on and so forth. More significantly, however, living away from home meant that I have to train myself to make decisions for myself. For the very first time in my life:

All. By. My. Self.

“Awesome!” , I thought. We were in the middle of the pandemic and I thought how sheer blissfulness it would be that I could finally step out of my house and have the biggest breath of my life after so many months, or years. Jubilant, I confirmed my accommodation booking, packed up whatever I needed, and headed straight to Semenyih. Nonetheless, this pandemic would present me with multiple challenges, one of which is the fact that I will have no choice but to begin university online, which was quite a disappointment for me since I preferred physical over the virtual learning experience. I wasn’t able to meet up with my coursemates physically and found it difficult to participate in class discussions openly at the beginning as a result of me having to complete the entire term at the comfort of my room here in the university. I was camera shy and I got MS Teams fatigue very easily.

J block accomodation where I spend most of my time in front of my laptop attending online classes.

It has been 9 months since I started university and I am happy to say that I am currently excelling and coping, slowly but surely in terms of organizing my schedules, making decisions for myself and learning to juggle between online learning and online fellowships. Asking questions and making friends via virtual platforms did not seem overwhelming anymore as a result of supportive and encouraging coursemates and lecturers having my back every time I struggled to progress. During my stay here in university I am, without a doubt, satisfied with the environment. I am absolutely blessed to be greeted by the caring hall warden, the friendly security team, and the generous yet humble food stall operators almost every day, and with the privilege of technology, loneliness seems manageable. Nonetheless, I must admit that the vicinity and experience would be much greater if everything is done physically, thus I am still waiting for that victorious day when the pandemic will be completely wiped out so that we could finally enjoy the traditional university lifestyle.

Selfie with my foodie parents (chinese stall's uncle and aunty).

Thank you to security abangs who are onguard 24/7. I apologize for their cheeky behavior (OK and me being not careful), I bet they won't do this again since the pandemic is getting worse right now... Those who are reading this article, remember, wear your mask properly and social distancing at all times!!!!

Friends, apart from academics, I urge you to participate in clubs and societies. This is of utmost importance especially during this pandemic where most of us are bound to work remotely. Joining side activities are a great way to make friends, fill up our time usefully, and explore our capabilities and interests. Finally, reading Pharmacy and Science online can be an overwhelming experience, and at times we may feel demotivated. Whenever you feel like giving up, question yourself why you chose to pursue Pharmacy in the first place. I urge you to keep your heads up, to not get sidetracked on your goals, and continue pushing to the brim. Even though you may not see it now, success will finally come looming out at the end of this long tunnel because it will. Seek help from friends, lecturers, and the student support team if things get too difficult for you. This is Esther signing off and I wish you all the best in your studies and future endeavors!