First day of Uni

On the first day of Uni, my friends dumped me in Uni and left me to find my own way. Me being bad at direction i was very quickly lost. I quickly learnt that the best thing to do when left on your own is to ask for help and if lost to ask for direction. So I managed the first day of Uni pretty well. But oh dear, it was time to go home and I couldn't figure out a way to go to the Uni bus stop. I walked around and tried to read the sign boards(which wasn't much of a help) in the hope of finding the bus stop.

Oh yeah, after hours of walking on end, I finally figured out where the bus stop was and managed to get home...

Hooray!! three cheers for me, my first day of Uni was successful.

First Few Weeks.

We had a car, but none of us had a license so tough luck. It was time to learn how to take the bus. I am extremely bad at directions and didn't have a clue of how vast Western Australia was. I kept expecting to see the sea around the corner just like we do in Maldives.

Lucky for me, the bus stops near the apartment I lived so taking the bus wasn't so difficult but on my way back I remember I used to be so scared that if I don't ring the bell for the bus to stop at the right time, I wouldn't be able to get off the bus at the right stop.

It took me a while to get used to the bus routes and the people who gets on and off the bus at every single stop. Sometimes, it gets scary when drunk/stoned people come on the bus. The trick is to get off at the next nearest stop and wait for the next bus and hope that this one is better than the previous one.

I figured that as long as I remember the bus numbers that would take me to Uni and back home I will be alright. I never let my guard down even for a moment and kept on making friends with people and observing and absorbing everything that goes around me.

Touch Down!

My flight landed and my heart was doing doubles. I was very excited. The moment I came out of the airport hours after the plane landed, it "was as if all my fears and loneliness faded away. My first thought was "It's so beautiful". Ofcourse, my friends who were already in Perth were there to pick me up. As we drove along the highways and roads of perth I felt totally at home.

This was my life now. Me and ...just me. whooo hoooo....At first it was kinda difficult to make my own decision for myself without thinking about others. I kept thinking, what would mom think if I do this, or what would my housemates (who happen to be my close friend) would think if I do things my way. I was very worried about stepping on her toes. I was very conscious of what I did and said all the time. Mostly I observed intensly on what's going on around me.

Living away from Home

I always thought being blessed with a family was the best thing that could ever happen to me. I always thought that no matter how the western idealism promoted, living with my family would be a great value and tradition to hold on to. I remember a promise I made to myself "I would keep my family together. I would not let it fall apart like alot of families do, no matter what." So obviously all my life after that self vow, I have always believed it and worked towards achieving that goal. So far so good.

And then one day....

It was time for me to leave home. As i prepared to leave, I gave away some of my things and threw away alot of junk I've collected over the years. It was as if unconsciously preparing for an absense of a lifetime. I don't know why, but that was how it felt. When I left home, I also left behind a partner, parents, sisters, brothers, nephews and friends. There were mixture of emotions floating around me as my departure came near.

And then one night...

It was time for me to leave. Saying goodbye was difficult but in a way easier than I thought. I checked in, breezed through customs and boarded the plane, that would take me to my destination, Perth, Western Australia. It was after I boarded the plane i realised my safety net - my family was not going to be there with me every step of the way. Not even my partner. That realisation was a bittersweet sensation.

It took me a few minutes to get settled and to dismiss the feeling of loneliness. I make friends easily and soon I made a friend who kept me company all the way to Malaysia. That morning we boarded seperate flights. She was off to Tasmania (also part of australia) and me to Perth.