Life in Jitra, Kedah

Well.. how has life been? I've not blogged since orientation week.. not because I've been too busy(quite the opposite, in fact).. but because I just didn't have the mood.

How has life been in Jitra? For a PJ girl to get thrown to Jitra.. well, culture shock would be the appropriate reaction. Lol! When I was first there, I kept thinking of home, how life would be if I had gone form 6.. no, I decided that even if I didn't take TESL up I wouldn't want JPA because I don't want to do law. I seriously considered packing up everything and going home. Go for form 6, get back into my comfort zone. Enjoy life in PJ. But that would be merely delaying the inevitable.. if I do that I know I'll end up applying for TESL in local unis again.. perhaps even KPLSPM. I am guaranteed of a job if I graduate from a teaching institute, but definitely not guaranteed of a job if I graduate from a local university. Plus the training in a teaching institute is way better, more comprehensive as compared to a teaching degree in a local university. Hence.. yeah, for the sake of becoming a teacher..

In the library I happened to read a saying by Plato that talked about 'the closer we are to our dreams, the more the suffering' or something along that line. I translated that from Malay, hence the suckiness of the saying. But that was a reminder to me.. just 6 years of this for a lifetime of teaching.

But yesterday I found myself yearning again to be involved in social work.. not teaching.. *sigh* I mean, I don't mind teaching, but I sometimes just long to help kids in orphanages, shelter homes.. not monkey kids who think they have powerful enough English and don't need English teachers(I must admit I was one of them). Anyway, my future is totally open, I'm considering doing a Masters in Special Education after my degree.. I mean, definitely I'll be doing it lah. Just that I'm not narrowing down my options to teaching and teaching alone. I'll pray about it and see where God leads me.

My course is TESL(Teaching English as a Second Language).. I just didn't expect MY coursemates to SPEAK English as a second language too! I mean, if you gave ME the choice, I'll rather teach a language that I'm totally at ease with. Ask me to teach Malay and I'll think four, five times about it, and still reject it.

When my classes first started, I found myself frustrated with the people around me. Why? I daresay 90% of them do NOT want to become teachers. They are either other-scholarship rejects, parents forced them, or they want to go Portsmouth. I do not understand why they choose to become teachers if they don't want to be teachers. There are so many out there who really want to become teachers but didn't manage to get in. And here we have a bunch of people who are just dreaming of the 3 years in Portsmouth, forgetting that this path leads them to a career of teaching(which is far longer than 3 years in Portsmouth). If they want to become teachers, and just see Portsmouth as a bonus, so be it. But most of them just talked about PORTSMOUTH and PORTSMOUTH alone! I'm dying to finish my 6 years, and Portsmouth is just one of the stations to get my teaching degree. Anyway, I spent 8 days in UK and found myself impatiently wanting to return to Malaysia by the 6th/7th day. I'm trying to imagine how I'll stand 3 years there..

And then there is the 'survival of the fittest(Spencer's phrase)' attitude around here. I find it highly uncalled for, we are already civilized enough! Why do we need to fight for survival in this kind of age?? The survival of the fittest attitude only benefits those who are fighting for life and death. In IPDA? ... I find this attitude totally selfish, but it still happens.. yeah, we aren't that civilized. Yet. Hopefully we someday mature enough to realise that helping one other, being a real friend, is beneficial.

But anyway, after spending a month with my coursemates, I find them to be really a great bunch of people.. most of them, anyway. So it's safe to say that I'm pretty happy with my coursemates. Hehe. Put our aims and beliefs aside, and I can be pretty happy. Pretty happy..

Anyway, classes are conducted pretty differently from my schooling days.. now we're encouraged to speak up a lot. Which is precisely what I do.. most of the times lah. Haha. It's quite enjoyable actually, to be able to voice out questions and opinions in class. I mean, I used to do that once in a while in secondary school, but usually got stares/glares from teachers if I asked what they considered 'stupid' questions. haha. In other words, questions they didn't know answers to. We have presentations to do nearly every single day, and I find myself often in front of the class crapping my way through presentations. I don't usually prepare what I'm going to speak beforehand you see, can't really be bothered to do that if it isn't counted. Yeah, bad attitude but hey, I'm trying to change that. So yeah, as compared to sitting down and just doing work, presentations are pretty interesting. I believe it's good training for me to learn to project my voice in a classroom environment. =)

I'm living in a room that is meant for a single person, but they squeezed me in.. so I've got to share a cupboard, I'm having a pathetically small table as my desk, and precious little space for anything else. All my things are either in my half of the cupboard, under my table, or under my bed. That's how small it is.. I've learnt to squeeze everything in all these places.

Oh, and Kedah has a 'green-bug' season that is really really annoying. These green bugs come from the paddy fields, and when they bite you it stings. Not that painful, but the welts they leave on you are itchy and lasts for a few weeks if you scratch them.

Plus my roommate saw a snake outside my house.

Oh, and there is a biawak that's about 1 metre long in my campus(according to a lecturer anyway).

And the lizards in Kedah are really really nasty. They aren't your standard house lizards, they are really fat and the body is dark brown, with stripes/dots/rough texture. DISGUSTING. Bugs I can tolerate, no prob. But lizards..

What else?

Hmm.

Oh yes.

I got National Service/Program Latihan Khidmat Negara! Wonderful, ain't it? No no no, I'm not being sarcastic. I'm excited and pleased I got it. But sadly, I can't go for it.. I doubt IPDA will let me off for so long.. *sigh* I want to go for the physical activities part! =(

2008 has been a pretty amazing year for me, no? SPM results, JPA scholarship, MOE scholarship, now NS! Hahaha. No one to thank but God for all of them. =)

Anyway, will see about NS.. I really want to go. I don't even mind just going for 2 weeks.. but I doubt I'll be allowed to lah.

Now on break for a week.. with 3 assignments to complete. Haven't started on any. My course doesn't have an exam until the end of 2 years.. surprising, eh? We have assignments all the way though.. which is kinda bad for me, as I prefer just studying last minute and letting it all go in exams.. with so many assignments I've got to work all the time. Am unused to that.

This break I've been going out with friends.. friends I can speak proper English to! =P Where I don't have to 'rojaksise' my English to be understood. What a relief, I tell you.

However.. people change. Someone I care about started smoking the cancer stick.. if you're reading this, do me and yourself a HUGE favour and STOP. I harass people I care about to quit smoking(if they do) and I'll do the same to you.. pleaseee stop.. hear my plea... it's not worth it. If you're feeling stressed up just give me/anyone else you're comfy with a call.. no need to resort to smoking!

Anyway, that's all for now.. I suppose there is more but save that for another day. =) Okay, take care.. have a great day. Enjoy life wherever you are!

God bless,
Jo

On a side note, I'm wondering if I have the 'naughty look'. My mentor seems to think I'm a 'naughty' fellow. She once said, "I think Joanne is the naughtiest one in this class," and when she talks about how we should behave and dress etc she once ended her sentence with my name. I find this really odd as I think I'm a pretty good person. Lol! Just something I thought I'll mention to give you all something to smile about. Joanne, NAUGHTY??? Unbelievable, ain't it? ;-)