If you're the youngest kid with a maid/housemom/retired mom or any sort of help you have had for the entire duration of your life (like me) and as adaptable you are to changes, you'll most probably find it slightly difficult to change immediately from pampered or co-dependent to independent. I'm not saying it's impossible living on your own especially at our(or my) age but rather, it was definitely cumbersome trying to figure out daily life without much help.
Top things I've had to deal with and wish I didn't have to:
5 MessyThis is not an exaggeration. My room is tiny and yet no matter how many times I vacuum, dust or re-arrange everything I have, it never feels like it's truly clean. I'm not being a perfectionist here but I absolutely cannot stand how quick my lamp catches dust or how my notes go flying EVERYWHERE the moment I need to sit down and actually study for once. I end up compiling it together which takes 30 minutes or so (maybe I'm just procrastinating) and by the time I actually do get my highlighters out, I've lost all my motivation to actually mug.
4. TimezoneIt's hell having people you know in 3 time different time zones. Literally the moment I wake up to check the time, I immediately mentally convert the time figuring out if it's convenient to chat up my loved ones either in Malaysia or Australia. When you're awake in UK, it's fine! In fact, it's great! Everyone's perfectly awake at that hour and usually free to catch up with you but hell, if you've got problem sleeping like me and no one's available, you usually just stone in your room staring at the wall till finally you doze off... then you repeat the whole thing again the next day.
3 AdaptingI'm generally quite flexible and able to be put on the spot in almost any other situation even under immense pressure. Yes, I love the UK, I love everything about it from the people's mannerism to the scenery and even their accent. Culture-wise was pretty much easy to accept as well as they just basically study, drink and party. Not very difficult I would say unless you don't drink or party but the worst is not being able to celebrate your cultural festivities back home from Lantern Festival to Winter Solstice Festival and of course, the recent Chinese New Year was devastating to me. Although, I have to admit it could be far worse! Having my IMU family here makes me feel so much better and less homesick which generally occurs when I'm fairly stressed out(which is almost every day atm) or during the special occasions.
2. Falling illLet me just tell you this has to be THE shittiest feeling ever. I've been down with a chesty cough, blocked nose and a running nose(your normal flu basically) for the past month while travelling up and down Spain & UK on top of the bloody winter. Can you spell unlucky or what? Never have I had to bother taking any kind of medication for such a period of time and still cook, clean, study & basically just fend for myself. Having a worried mom doesn't help me at all knowing she'll freak out thinking I'm lying in some ditch if I told her I was sick so yes, I conveniently forgot to tell her.
1. Daily routineStudying may be a priority as a student but hell, it's difficult to concentrate when you have to figure out your ECA/other activities/hobbies to fit in on top of your assignments and upcoming tests. Not forgetting wondering what to eat, when to buy your groceries, when to do your laundry, if you left the water running, are the bills settled and trust me, this list is un-exhaustive. I've already got tons of due dates in my head and sorting them out is killing me which is probably why you should never procrastinate, kids!
This is probably why every chance I get, I go running to my mummy telling her how much I miss her and am wanting to go home. Living independently has definitely helped me appreciate what my mom has been doing for the past 2 decades of my life.
I'm getting fairly impatient going home to her fried bawal hitam for dinner.
And yet, despite all this I realise it's just the fact I have to accept this is the choice that I have made and the best part is not once did I have to walk down the road on my own alone. Being so far away made me realise what and who is most important to me at the end of the day, also reminds me of the people who will truly be by my side no matter how much I've f-ed up (excuse my language).
No matter how much I've nagged, complained, fake cried; I have never been more thankful to be here in the UK with the people that I love(whether physically, mentally or emotionally).
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