End of year symptom

Bismillah,

Looking at the Daisypath counter on the top left side, I realised that it's been almost two years since my first arrival at Australia. Soon, I'll be completing my study insyAllah. Nearly there!

Yesterday was the last day of exam week at UQ. And now it's time for packing for some of us. Some are going to go back to Malaysia for good, some are for the duration of 3 months summer break, and some are packing for only a short-10-days visit. Which ever you are, I believe packing is the most thrill part.

You started to do the countdown of reaching Malaysia, you started to do list of souvenirs to be given away to the relatives, you started to think of a way to cram all those stuffs you have shopped in a luggage that can only fit up to 20kg. That's packing, packing with excitement. 

Itu kisah orang yang balik Malaysia, insan-insan yang tak pulang pulak?

Looking at friends who are packing for Malaysia, there is definitely one thing that we feel.

Home sick.

Well, I can say that I'm not severely affected by this home sickness albeit I'm not going home this summer. Thanks to Skype and my father's iPad 2 I bought as a birthday gift. The distance between Australia and Malaysia seems closer. Even my mother said,

"Tak rasa macam jauh la Yun. Hari-hari duk video call je"

Hopefully my family are not bored with me video calling frequently. Heheh..

What do we up to?

Thus to fight or diminish the home sickness feeling, there are several things that we do over the 3 months summer break. 

1. Summer research - Scholarship, volunteering, or counted as a credit hour. Last year I did summer research as both scholarship and credit hour. You got the money, as well as invaluable experience working side by side with well-known scientist.
2. Travelling - It is my mission to finish travelling around big cities in Australia and New Zealand by the time I'm graduating. My last year summer trip was playing with sandboarding at Newcastle. This year we will be enjoying a breath taking road trip scenery at New Zealand. Will update the story later. ;)
3. Working part time - I have friends did fruit picking and packing as their part time. And they managed to earn almost AUD3k! Balik Brisbane pun muka burn dan tangan calar balar sebab kerja dekat ladang. And others did baby sitting or house cleaning. Nampak kerja macam hina je kan? But those who worked hard really were making money by the end of the summer break. The salary's quite good. 

Regardless you are going back for Malaysia or not this summer break, use your time wisely. 3 months of summer break is a great time to finish up some non-academical reading such as personal development or general knowledge books. Or perhaps do some volunteering works and engage in beneficial programs. Making an extra income and go travelling are sure good things too!

Life as a student is not about facing the books and try to digest the contents. It's about you collecting the life experiences along the way and apply the soft skills you've learned. :)