My Polytechnic Life Story

I'm certain that most of you have read the blog posts from cheowster about the truth of being a polytechnic student (if you haven't click here, then here). I've always loved how some bloggers are able to get their point across without sounding too arrogant or opinionated. 

Anyways, I stand by the points stated in those blog posts. Okay maybe majority of them but it's probably because of our different course of study. 

I shan't really dwell about what the differences are because at the end of the day, we're all polytechnic students working hard for a diploma so I shall get on talking about my journey. 

*****

Freshmen Year

Polytechnic life started like a breeze for me because I was with six other friends who were my schoolmates from secondary school. The sports hall where all of us gathered was filled with enthusiastic greetings from our seniors trying to make us feel less anxious. I had no problem trying to fit in - in fact I didn't try fitting in at all. I loved my classmates and everything started off pretty well. 

Of course, there were instances when I missed my old life. I miss going to a school which is just situated across where I live, I miss studying for those subjects which seemed hard back then and most importantly, I missed my secondary school friends. It came to an extent where me and Syazana would sometimes facetime with them in school.

Facetiming with some old friends from Republic Poly.

Eventually, my new life caught up to me. 

I got so busy with projects and assignments. I had attachments during all my holidays and I got four weeks of semester break instead of seven like everyone else. My social life was affected and I used whatever little free time I have with my family or on my own. Nonetheless, adjusting to a new environment became easier over time. 

It was not long when I decided to take up a sponsorship from JurongHealth (JHS) and they accepted me three weeks after the interview. I was overwhelmed!

OIP Shanxi, China.

In early 2013, I was one of the few freshmen to be selected for this Overseas Immersion Programme in China along with a big group of Sophomores. It was the winter season and I remembered vividly how extremely cold it was. 

But despite being homesick practically 90% of the time, I saw so much beauty in that place no matter how rural it is. 

Not to mention that I almost developed a severe allergic reaction. Nonetheless I had many people around me to make sure that I don't feel home sick :) 

But most importantly, I discovered myself during the trip. I was more aware of the person I was and the person I am now. I learned that beneath all the loud laughs and wide smiles, I was actually a quiet person. I discovered my different kinds of personalities when I'm around different people. 

That's how I developed a wanderlust. 

Sophomore Year

Sophomore year started with a bang as Ngee Ann celebrated it's 50th Anniversary. There were both Retro Day and the actual celebration which lasted almost an entire week! 

Studies wise, I developed an interest in Obstetrics and Gynecology through one of my special postings in NUH. I even did an interview for the school paper and got featured in one of the articles :) 

Sophomore year was pretty much a roller coaster ride. There were instances when I would doubt myself as a student nurse when I don't do well in my studies. There were days when I stayed in school till 9pm and I had weekly tests (sometimes more than one paper in a week). I was on the verge of giving up and the only reason that kept me going was my bond which I would have to pay back if at anytime I decided to quit nursing. I don't know if that was a good motivator to begin with but nonetheless, I'm still here. I'm surprised that I managed to get back up despite all the challenges I had to face. 

My favourite attachment was at IMH which I thought would be very unlikely as it was sooooo far. I witnessed what depression and being suicidal was like and how I wished they can become like the rest of us.

To be honest, my second year was all about getting to know those around me. Having new friends has its perks because you get to know more people from outside your social circle. 

The Gang 

Hi-5 was more than a bunch of unlikely friends. From the countless of project groups together till parting our ways in senior year. There wasn't much ups and downs for us. We were a simple clique who loves food and music of all sorts and although we don't hang out as often as we used to and no matter where life takes us,  there will always be a bit of that Hi-5 spark in all of us. <3

The "Boyfriend"

I did not want to add in this part at first because technically, Rid and I did not go to the same school but nonetheless, we met shortly before I left for China and we started going out months later. The reason why I ended up including this part is because he has made such a big impact in my life since poly started. My closest friends would know our frequent on and off stories (read here if you really wanna know) and that's the main reason why we've been pretty discreet. Not that we're official now but we're both just taking our time to make our way up there. 

Dating seems to be a stupid term to some people because hey, you're either friends, more than friends or not friends at all and I totally get it. It's pretty hard to explain but I do address him as my boyfriend to my friends to save me the hassle of explaining to them why we're not officially together. 

Senior Year

And this is me, the exact moment I attempted to do this post (which was last night) but did not manage to finish it because I was too exhausted.

Senior Year went downhill in an instant when I found out that I wouldn't be in the same class. I tried to make do whatever little friends I have on that day and I must say that it's a good thing Ashraf was there to make me laugh during every single tutorial and lecture. Things escalated quickly during my practical lessons when I was grouped with the most awesome people you can ever meet.

Me, Le Sean, Aidah & Zaimah

I know that it'll seem like I'm lying when I say this but they are the reason why I look forward to practical lessons. As for my old friends, I continued to see them during lectures and we would usually try to spend as much time as we can.

There had been instances when I loathed going to school. For starters, my school life no longer became drama-free when I got accused of some things. It was a rather avoidable and childish incident now that I think about it but that event has taught me that some friends are clearly not like what they seem. Things got better fast when the news of what happened spread (not to everyone but some) and my friends were pretty supportive and constantly telling me to just ignore it.

So here's a lesson for everyone:
When someone tells you that another person has been talking bad about you, a smart move is to remain calm and be rational about it (like ask that person if it's true) instead of making quick assumptions out of anger and making a big deal out of a small misunderstanding.

Gosh I can't believe that I have been keeping this in for so long. Feel much more relieved now ^^

Despite the downhills, one thing good that happened to me this year was making an improvement in some of my modules which I am very proud of. I have always been an average student and I know that despite the improvement, it would still take so much more effort to actually be outstanding which I'm not really aiming for. I'm happy with the grades I got and actually being noticed by some of my lecturers about my improvement and I have to say that it has been a pretty long time since I felt accomplished.

FYP

Doing the gwiyomi according to our age and yes, I'm the third youngest :p 

FYP period was probably the best and worst time of my Polytechnic life so far. It's undeniable that the best part was having such great group mates (we were in the same clique in Freshmen Year) but the worst was the outcome of our presentation. Not that it matters now because it's all over and what matters most is that we worked hard no matter how much we think we screwed up. I love these girls to the moon and back and despite how we did, I wouldn't trade you guys with anyone else. And I have a feeling that one day, probably five or ten years down the road, we would reminisce about how incredibly stressed up we were and also how much fun we had working with one another :)

*****

So that is it for my Polytechnic life and it has been quite an amazing experience. I guess the next time I would be blogging about a similar topic would be around my graduation day which I am both excited and nervous about.

If you're currently in year one or two in polytechnic, I would suggest that you seize every moment and create memories. Spend your long breaks at Studio 27 playing kinect or take away some food and eat them at the Sports Hall while enjoying the cool breeze. Try every food in all the canteens and attend every camp there is. Lastly, graduate with no regrets.

That being said, I wish all my batch mates the best of luck for your clinical attachments. Don't forget to set your alarms and be punctual for your shifts! May the odds be ever in your favour and I'll see all of you in eight weeks!

Goodnight lovelies!