A Courageous Journey

Okie... it has been ages since I last updated my blog. I'm back!

I was in the midst of clearing/packing my stuff, getting ready to move into a new apartment (first move in four years, amazing eh?) and found this interesting essay that was written a while ago. Here is how it sounds:

Nestled in the heart of South-East Asia is a piece of land endowed with natural beauty and tropical bounty. The abundance of sunshine and rainfall accounts for the lushness of vegetation. It provides habitation to a variety of exotic, rare and protected flora and natural wildlife. It was a breathtaking bird’s eye view at 15,000 feet above sea-level, when I bade farewell to my homeland Malaysia two years ago.

It was on an ordinary sunny day that I began a long journey half-way across the world. The intense heat at 33 degrees Celsius literally attempted to thaw my intention to leave, but to no avail. My mind was engaged in weaving together threads of thought ceaselessly. The eagerness to broaden my existing paradigms defeated my reluctance to leave. I was once told “fulfill your dreams when you are young. Life is short and bears no waiting!”

I was overwhelmed with anxiety and anticipation as minutes passed by. I could imagine myself leaving a comfort zone and immersing into a whole new world. Finally, it was time for me to advance towards the boarding gate. I took steps of great courage after bidding my loved ones goodbye, ready to experience a new phase in my life. The moment I turned away, my vision was blurred as tears streamed down my cheeks uncontrollably. There was no turning back and I just had to keep moving.

As the plane took off, my confidence soared. It was the flight that gave me a new perspective on my dreams. Flights have their own destinations and know their directions well enough that they will go all the way without hesitation. “Why can’t humans be the same?” I thought to myself. We need to visualize our goals and be able to reach out with all our might. It is never an easy task and demands enormous effort. A mountain climber came into picture. He went on a daunting path with no knowledge of what to expect down the road, and it was the self-assurance that drove him all the way up to the peak. He might have been exhausted by the end of the day but the achievement was rewarding by his gaining invaluable experience and improving fitness levels, to be better armored for his upcoming challenges.

Everything seemed to come into place for me. Leaving home and family was part of my growing process. It taught me a good lesson in being independent. It provided me with the courage for fulfilling my dreams and boosted my confidence in striving for a better future.

Thirty-six hours later, I landed in Fredericton, a distant place from home where I chose to pursue my studies. I assimilated into a new lifestyle with a cultural background that I am now familiar with. It was that major step of courage that marked a new milestone in my life, and is responsible for my transformation into the person I am today, as I live on the land of the maple leaf which I have acknowledged as my home away from home.

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An interesting and exciting experience of what I shall call "when East meets West".