everything, it must belong somewhere

Hi, folks! It has been a year since I last wrote anything on Blogger and a lot has changed since then. Alhamdulillah, I have passed my SPM with good results and manage to secure myself a place in a prep college not too far from home (about 45 minutes away from Subang Jaya). I am currently doing the International Baccalaureate which is supposedly challenging both mentally and physically. As for me, I am not known to shy away from challenges. In fact, I look forward to face this great barrier between me and my dream to study architecture in a prestigious university abroad. Insya- Allah, I will succeed in furthering my studies abroad. Hopefully, Bath University or Architectural Association School of Architecture.

It has been a week since I first registered here on a quite hazy day and so far, Kolej Mara Banting (KMB) has been kind to me. Unlike the horror stories I've heard from my friends about their own orientation programmes and seniors at their respective colleges, KMB has been amazing. Orientation was amazingly exciting eventhough my orientation group had quite a rough, losing streak, we managed to have a lot of fun (for me, at least) and managed to come out both alive and came second in one of the challenges. The seniors have been very helpful and extremely, extremely nice. Some of the traditions here are something rather new to me like, reading the prayer before every class and salam with the teachers after the subject finishes. Being from a daily school, I am quite an exotic creature here (like, Seafield what? SMK Sifir, what what?) as most of them come from boarding schools.

Honestly, I am glad I am here. Eventhough I am in a college that is prepping students to go to western countries, the culture here is very homebound as if their goal is so that the students who leave here are deeply rooted in the Malaysian and Islamic ways meanwhile other prep programmes try to integrate the foreign lifestyle within the students. Surprisingly, I barely feel homesick. Maybe it is due to the fact that despite it's a lot different than home, I have a lot of friends who are so great to be around with that I forgot about home. It's true what they say, home is where your heart is. Sometimes I do feel a small pang in my heart like just now when we had our tarawikh prayers because I have never celebrated Ramadhan elsewhere than with my family. What is great here though, the spirit (I prefer the Malay word, semangat) here is amazing. the amiin and the reciting of the prayer from the masses are loud and high- spirited. Everyone also seems very cheery and happy- go- lucky. I have two more years and insya- Allah, the environment will remain the same and when the next year rolls in, I too will be as great to the next batch as my seniors were to me. 

Anyways, I am dead tired after a week of four hour sleeps and non- stop activities and so, I shall retreat to the comfort of my bed (not in my home though). Happy Ramadhan, guys and hopefully, we'll put this month to good use and fill it with ibadah.

Current Location: surrounded by palm trees (no, not California, guys!)
Current Mood: blessed
Current Music: Another Volunteer- Oh Minnows