A gentle thud woke the others passengers up as I was already at the edge of my seat, waiting to get off the plane. I have probably gone through this experience for a couple of times now, but the hype of seeing my family and friends again always gets to me.
And then there they were. My mum and dad with anxious faces, looking here and there for me. As usual, we hugged briefly and made our way back home. We were all thankful for my safe trip back home, seeing how many students were stuck in the UK due to the harsh snow weather.
I came back in time for Christmas, being able to celebrate it with my family and friends. Something I see as the perfect Christmas gift.
Not only that, a reunion was conveniently organised among my childhood friends, giving me the opportunity to see how much the people I knew since young, have grown.
Indeed they did not disappoint as they all turned out to be fine young ladies and gentlemen, some still with a slight hint of their childish mischief. I never realised how much I missed them until I saw them in their flesh again. It was a great reunion.
Right after Christmas, my parents and I went on a getaway at Singapore in time to celebrate the new year. The last time I have been to the country was probably 6 years ago and I was impressed by how much they have grown.
Singapore is definitely one of the leading developing countries, showing exemplary progress. Saying so, I have done my part of contributing to their economy: shopping excessively down the endless block of shopping malls at Orchard Road.
Of course, I also savoured their food, though there are much more to savour back in Malaysia. The highlight of the trip was definitely the new year fireworks. It was a splendid display, with stellar sparks of various colours and formations, taking everyone’s breath away. While watching the fireworks, I prayed that my wishes for the new year would come true.
Back from my vacation, I finally had to deal with the assignments that have been hovering at the back of my mind. Yes, I had assignments due in the new year. I spent the last few days writing thousands of words and drawing on multiple sheets of paper, hoping that I am doing them carefully enough to land good grades.
In no time, I had to part ways with the people who meant home to me again. It was never easier every single time I had to bid farewell to them. But all I knew was that each time I faced this moment, I was a different person, constantly growing with more and more experiences gone through.
2010 has been quite a roller coaster ride. It was definitely not as ideal compared to previous years seeing how I actually had to start dealing with many other things like living independently, social networking, rebuilding a reputation from scratch and adapting to new cultures. It was nothing like high school where all you had to worry about were your grades.
A trying year I would say, but one where I have gained the most experiences about life through the new environments and occasional setbacks. It was the year when I started college at Bellerbys Brighton, with seven months of engineering education, then to where I am now: the University of Sheffield. All in all, I still appreciate it and am looking forward to an awesome new year. I just have a gut feeling that it is going to be good.
Bring it on 2011! Thank you for reading!
David studied Engineering Foundation at Bellerbys College, a university preparation college for international students