London 2005

These days I’m thinking a lot about the past. Today I shall write about the very first time I went to the UK. It happened 6 years ago on Sept 18th. My flight was during the day. My family, my uncle’s family, khalis and sister in law sent me to the airport. Khalis departed later in October. JPA grouped the first years together according to our unis. We Cardiff students were divided into 2 groups and my group (the first group) flew together with those accepted into UCL. JPA officers greeted us in KLIA, helped us with checked in, did a short briefing and off we went down the escalator to Immigration.

Khalis gave me a few anak tudungs in a plastic bag, told me to look at them once I was inside the plane. Why anak tudung you might ask. I was sick before the departure date and couldn’t get a lot of things done. And I only started wearing anak tudung so I didn’t have so many. While I was recovering at home, Khalis said he’d get those anak tudung for me. It made perfect sense to me, coz I couldn’t be bothered with all the small things – I was in my departure week, my visa was still pending, and I haven’t bought the major items (luggage bag, baju sejuk etc) So ok, I put those anak tudungs inside my laptop bag and remembered them a few hours into the flight so I opened the plastic bag because I promised Khalis I would. I wasn’t suspicious at all. I was genuinely surprised when I saw a small box with a ring inside and a love letter. The ring was too big for me and very often it just slipped off my finger. Khalis didn’t check what my size was and bought one that fitted his small finger. I no longer have the ring, I lost it long, long time ago but I still have the letter and the ring box.

I considered myself lucky coz I got a window seat. I think it couldn’t be any more perfect that I got a window seat for my first ever flight overseas. I didn’t sleep the whole 12 hours, I watched lotsa movies, played games and listened to Kelly Clarkson over and over again. We arrived in Heathrow in the morning. When we were getting off the plane, the flight attendants gave us lotsa big juice boxes. There were JPA officers in Heathrow waiting for us. They arranged for airport transfer for us, 3 students assigned to one MPV and we were housed in Malaysia Hall until our departure to Cardiff. In Malaysia Hall, JPA did a small welcoming party for us, ade speeches and makan2. Later we were brought upstairs and each of us was given a minute to call our parents informing them that we had safely arrived. I called Khalis later at night and he informed me that I was in Top In Malaysia List for A Level Accounting and I was the only one from my college. A lot of good things happened in one day. It was one of the happiest days in my life. I stayed in London for 3 nights - we had to wait for the second Cardiff group, but no one was complaining. The UCL students brought us around. I don’t remember well what we did in London. I was introduced to the Tube and double decker bus and we went to the Parks, ate kebab and went to UCL among other things.The only not so good memory was that certain parts of body got rashes. It was super itchy! But nothing serious, its gone when I got used to the weather. Its something that I always got, every year, when I came back in September.

We made our journey to Cardiff the next day after the second Cardiff group arrived. JPA chartered a coach for us, (for free) and they even sent their officers with us. In Cardiff, our Malaysian seniors were waiting for us and they sent us to our respective accommodation receptions. Mine was Student House. I was the only who got a House, the rest would be staying in the many, many Halls of Residence. There were 12 rooms inside my house, 5 of us were international students. We had 6 females and 6 males in the House. I got Room no 1. My room was small, on the ground floor but the furnishing was good. The House was just 5 minutes away from Business School and I usually woke up 10 mints before the first morning lecture. The Seniors were kind to us, they brought us Shopping (recommended what we should buy) and showed Cardiff to us. My House was really near to the City and was on one of the major roads in Cardiff. Cardiff’s a city university, so the uni buildings were all scattered in the City. I had more than a week to get to know Cardiff as classes would only start first week of October.

We were very lucky. We were the last batch that received such VIP treatment from JPA. Our juniors had to figure things out themselves. They were alone the moment they boarded the flights. Khalis too. He had to carik teksi to London and to Coventry and sorted out accommodation in London himself.

I only went to London 4 times the while I was studying. 1) First year - Arrival 2) First year – Summer break – departed from Heathrow 3) Third year - Careers Fair – spent a week in London, had 4 interviews and jalan2 4) Third year – departed from Heathrow, balik Malaysia for good