My stay in SG [part 1-background]

Ok, I've been thinking to write this on my blog since ages. Just a gentle reminder, this story may be rather long, long, very long, or too long for some people. So please bear with it, even if it should end up being a trilogy.


Back to the year 2004 when I was still in what we call "kelas 3 SMA" (IPA, of course), I was busy thinking of which degree to pursue for my undergraduate study. Some good friends of mine would definitely recall that I had always changed my mind. From medicine to pharmacy to chemical engineering, mathematics, biology, English language -well, you name it-, I still couldn't make up my mind on which one to choose. Indeed, I wasn't even sure which university I should send an application to. There were like 4 of us who joined this intensive program called BTA at SMUN8 Jkt, thinking that it might be useful if we finally decided to give the SPMB a shot. Apart from this give-SPMB-a-shot thingy, I was also so much into the then much anticipated Singapore scholarship program offered by either NTU or NUS.


To keep this introduction short, my application to both of the aforementioned universities turned out successful. The first offer I got was actually from UPH aka Univ. Pelita Harapan for pursuing a Bachelor degree in Food Science (gosh...me? a food scientist? I must've been crazy even to think about it). Anyway, not long after that I got another offer from NTU for a course in Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, with a full scholarship offer which would pay all the tuition fees and a yearly stipend of 4,300 SGD. Once I got this offer, the offer from UPH was history. But this wasn't actually my goal. Thanks to all my high school physics teachers, none of whom taught Physics sensibly, I was way more willing to pursue a Science course in NUS than an Engineering one. So I was still there waiting (and hoping) that I'd get an offer from NUS. I finally did, and here comes my biggest mistake ever which I'd regret for the following 4 years.


During the NUS scholarship interview, I was asked if I'd prefer getting the ASEAN scholarship (like the one offered by NTU) or the Sembawang-ST scholarship. The latter would pay all tuition fees just like the former, but with a slightly higher stipend of 6,000 SGD p.a. Gosh I was naive, totally. My mom had actually repeatedly asked me if I'd really prefer the latter as it comes with a longer bond period of 6 years while the former would only require me to serve a 3-year bond in sg. Everytime she asked me this question, I kept telling her that a 6-year bond wouldn't be a problem. Why would it anyway? I didn't know if there was like an evil on my mind or what, but I was such a moron. Never had I thought that the 6-year bond, altogether with the 4-year undergrad would mean 10 years of my life, after which I'd already be 28. Damn long, huh?!? Again, I was naive when making my decision, as any other high school students would probably do I guess. Firmly, I told the interviewers that I'd prefer the Sembawang-ST scholarship, which they agreed. Happy? Sure I was, not knowing that the god damn scholarship would be a huge nightmare in 4 years time.


July 19, 2004 was the first day I came to sg on this supposedly-at-least-10-years pilgrim. First impression: BAD! Gosh, this city looked like a LEGO-built town, if you know what I mean. On the way from Changi airport to Kent Ridge Hall, all I could see were buildings that looked exactly like each other, no fancy structure whatsoever. My impression wouldn't get worse if I didn't have to go to ICA (sg's immigration) few days after my arrival. So I was there queuing for the Student Pass, standing right after my friend Adrian. Then came this lovely scene: he was asking this lady bitch a question (God knows what) prior to receiving a very unfriendly reply in a completely whore-like manner. Me, being next on the line, was completely disgusted. "Gosh, is this how Singaporeans treat foreigners? What an uncivilized society", so I thought. Wait a sec guys, don't start telling me that this might only be a cultural shock. I know it was, but this is exactly the problem. I'm so not going to enjoy my stay in a country with such a culture.


Things after things, events after events, I started to dislike sg, which finally turned to a hatred due to this irreverent behavior of some of its people, which I would explain in detail in the coming 2nd part.