an attitude of gratitude
After what has proven to be an eventful, sometimes stressful but definitely successful term, I’ve decided to take some time to reflect on all the things I’m grateful for from this term.
I’m grateful for Phuket. Never have I been to a place that promises a gorgeous sunset every evening and clear skies to see stars almost every night on top of that. I was graced with the opportunity to watch shooting stars on the last week of term for not just one but two nights, a phenomenon I have never seen in my life. The first night with Huma at 2am while eating roti and cheese. The second was my last night in Phuket for 2017, we lay on bean bags outside Shaka right after Open Mic, singing and screaming every time we saw a shooting star.
The sunset at the Chillva Night Market
I’m grateful for the opportunity to explore different cultures. On Thursday, the second last day of school, the Theatre gang celebrated Chanukkah at Phoebe’s house. I got to learn about Jewish culture from Phoebe and Aviv. We made latkes, a traditional chanukkah dish, while singing musical songs making Wendy proud. We also lit the menorah and sang prayers in Hebrew. It was enlightening to learn about the Jewish culture as I’m not exposed to it in Malaysia. The same night we had Open Mic at Shaka, and it was once again beautiful to listen to songs sung in different languages that reflected people’s cultures. It was also interesting seeing certain songs that everyone knew and brought all cultures together to bond over.
Notice Jasper playing with Phoebe's hair
I’m grateful for supportive parents and a loving family. For parents who find time out of their busy schedule to call and check up on me. For a mum who remembers the smallest detail that I mentioned a week ago and still asks me about it a week later. For a dad who, no matter where he is in the world on work, makes time to call me and make sure I’m eating and sleeping well. For a brother who calls me at the end of a bad day to rant to me or to tell me how excited he is about the part he got in the play. I’m grateful for all the sacrifices my family makes to allow me to go to UWC and the experiences they allow me to have.
I'm grateful for loving friends back home, who never fail to check up on me and keep me updated on all the stories back home, never allowing distance to act as a barrier. Thank you for creating that safe space outside of school for me to go that I know I can always rely on.
I’m grateful for houseparents like Andrew who wake up on sunday mornings to make us pancakes, give inspirational talks at monday meetings to remind us about why we’re here when UWC spirit is low, show up to events like the open mic and the panel discussion and take an active role in them as well as being more than a guardian, but a friend too who reaches out when they know you’re not feeling the best.
I’m grateful for having gotten closer to the people here, particularly the Grade 12s. For Anna, Elisabeth and Huma who got enough attention in the other blog post (they know I love them so it’s ok). I’m grateful for Sarah, who while leaving early was always there to talk or lend a listening ear and tag each other in pointless Grey’s Anatomy posts.
Winter Gala. T'was a fun night.
I'm grateful for like-minded people like Aggie who spend hours working tirelessly, never asking for recognition and always getting the work done. I distinctly remember the night before the Winter Gala she stayed over in the villa so we could prepare decorations for the Winter Gala. We ended up talking until 5am about literally everything. The memory feels so rich in content, and I attribute that to the profound discussions we had assessing our cultural similarities, effects of colonisation and influence of social media and the West on both our countries specifically. I discovered similarities I never knew before about Filipino culture, and personally feel more connected culturally to them than any other country (except maybe Singapore lah, but even that’s debatable).
I’m grateful for friends like Phoebe, who handle me being sarcastic one day and breaking down the next, also reminding me of all the work I haven’t done but nevertheless keeping me calm (but also judging me with her ‘haiya Pree’). For friends like Zane who always have my back in good times and bad, for always looking out for me and being there to both chill and rant but also in general just giving the best hugs ever. For friends like Mariam, for always being there for me to sleep in her bed or talk at any point even if she’s doing an assignment that could possibly affect her future. For people like Caroline and Tala, who never failed to spark a conversation that holds not only value and depth but also brings about the desire to effect change. For people like Pari, who always looks out for me and checks up on me daily even when she doesn’t need to. For Abi with her daily dose of hugs that fuel the soul.
I’m grateful for so many people here that I haven’t listed, but I want to thank you for being in my lives. The laughs, conversations and experiences we’ve had are priceless. From fooling around in ToK with Mert to the trio Shaka shift with Laura and Jhanati to accidentally falling asleep in Maud’s bed and missing half a day of school to watching Maram dance her heart out to New Rules.
I’m grateful for the visible growth I’ve seen, not just in myself but in my peers. The experiences we’ve endured together, both good and bad, have shaped us into more compassionate, mature individuals (I hope) and I can’t wait to work with you guys over the next year. Russell probably hates me right now for saying this a billion times but it blows me away at how much he’s grown as an individual from when I first met him. I’ve truly enjoyed the meaningful conversations we had especially in the last two weeks of school, I couldn’t be a prouder fellow Malaysian <3
I’m grateful for the chance to perform in Grease as Rizzo. I’ve never played a serious character and people who know me from before know I’ve always taken the stupid, comical characters. I’m grateful for people like Isaac who helped me grow as an actress, helped me step out of my comfort zone and try something completely new to me.
I’m grateful for getting the opportunity to learn to dive. Not only has it opened me up to a whole new world I never thought I’d explore before, but it’s also given me a set of skills I can use to try and save our corals in this small way I can.
I’m grateful for being able to come home. Living only an hour flight away I have the privilege of coming home more often than others, and I'm thankful for that. I’m grateful for breaks that allow me to chill, recollect out of the school setting and get myself into the right frame of mind after a stressful few weeks.
I sit in the comfort of my bed in Malaysia writing this, enjoying the company of family and friends here especially during this festive period, but honestly, I can’t wait to go back.