I've been writing some things for a while now... so this will be a big bunch of unrelated thoughts sometimes...
Arrival
Met up Isaac n Ps Dom at airport, had to find the cab driver who went off for tea. A bumpy ride but was too tired to notice. Slept most of the journey and arrived at Aunt Nel's house. They were wonderful, gave me place upstairs, a whole room with a bathroom all for myself. Too tired to unpack, just washed and slept.
Day 1
Woke up feeling like I'm back at my grandma's old house at the biscuit factory. The furniture, even the switches were alike. They have taps with water drawn from the well and I bathed the cool waters. Breakfast was dosai fixed by Aunt Nel. Better than the ones we had in Malaysia. Met up with the cab driver Sam ad picked up Pua from Chad, one of the hospitals of CMC, and off we go to Chennai.
Dusty roads, colorful trucks are the icons of Indian traffic. I notice that every truck has the sign "sound horn" at the back. And sounded they had, I think its a rule or something that if you are overtaking or arriving at busy crossroads you need to sound the horn, and the other vehicles will return the favor, so it'll be a big orchestra. Found out on the way that I left my passport behind. Pua called up Ps Dom who would join us later by train.
Arrived at the Embassy of Malaysia, went in, met some guy who told us that the consul is not around and asks us to return at 3. Went round searching for a SONY service centre for Jiwan's laptop. FInally got it, left it there, they needed a week and headed for lunch.
Went back to the embassy, finally got my NOC, (the consul is a nice guy btw) and then headed for the MGR Uni for my EC. Too late, the bank is closed so we had to come back the next day. On the expense of Pua's time and money.
Day 2
Took a bus with Pua to the station and caught an express to chennai.
Bought the chalan and waited for them to call for my EC.
The guy checked my documents and asked for an equivalency cert from delhi. No one understood what he meant (i mean Pua and me) and tried to explain that we never had such a thing. He asked us to go upstairs to talk to the Admission officer. Talked for a long while and almost argued but they insisted that I apply for the cert at delhi. A bit taken aback and didn't know what to do.
Decided finally to first return and think things over. I was a little upset and cried a little on the bus, my first for a long time. Felt better after that. Many people called up to inquire and help think of ways. Was comforted to know that so many cared. And God is with me all the time too. I never once doubted His presence. But I thank Pua for spending the two days bringing me around. She is so like a big sister to me now.
Arrived in Vellore and got the other things done, like my chest x-ray, which I didn't know was supposed to be done.
That evening Isaac came over and encouraged me, we discussed about the possibilities. Dr G was downstairs with his relatives. We chatted and also presented the problems to him. Was suggested to meet the registrar the next day.
Had dinner with Jiwan and some of his classmates. Really nice meeting them. I was shown around CMC hospital later at night and we bought mangoes to eat. Isaac had a knife with him.
I guess I'm giving up writing this journal everyday...
Henceforth, I will only write when I have the opportunity...
Just finished interviews. It was an awesome experience. Except for the part when we wait our turns to be interviewed by the GO's, it has been a pretty exciting time for me.
We had medical check up on the first day, where I really get to meet all the different candidates from different places, except for the girls, coz... I dunno how or weather I should approach them... we had a lot of time to talk and know each other while waiting for for our turns to be checked.
oh, I forgot, before that we had a bible test, and lunch. Lunch was the fun part. All of them cooking and serving are actually our seniors-to-be... but they acted as attendants and all. If anyone was rude or complaining or anything like that, you'll really get it when you are accepted into the college.
The second day we were split into groups of 6 and we had 2 GO's monitoring us throughout the interview. I was glad to have really good mates like David, Aneesh, Ashish, Pendroid and George (sorry if I get the spellings wrong and all)... and my GO's were Dr John and Dr Vickram (sorry again if there are errors).
We were brought to Dr J's place and made ourselves comfortable and all as were were called to a room one by one to be asked about ourselves. The rest of us would be lazing around and chat about our lives.
Group activity was fun, we were given some 30 minutes to prepare and act out and explain ourselves on the scene of encouraging village people to donate blood. Four of them set up a tent while George and I volunteered to draw some charts and posters. We acted out a skit about donating blood saves lives and I was the patient because I looked pale!.. all the while Ashish was the Dr explaining stuff and David translated or pretend to translate it into tamil (for the 'villagers').
We all had lots of fun and it really gelled the 6 of us together.
Then we had individual tasks... there were 10 tasks laid out and we had to complete them in 10 minutes. It was a crazy rush, I didn't even have time to panic! I found myself laughing at the end of 10 minutes. Results: attempted 9, completed 2, 1 correct. haha... If I'm somehow selected for into CMC, it will only be by the grace of God.
Third day was also fun, the morning worship was ok, and the chaplain shared something better, about giving our best. Group discussion was nice, mainly because the hall was a/c. I realise how long ago it was since I had a/c. Discussed about free media.
Individual task was another big laugh. We were given 22 minutes to complete a task. Because of yesterday's experience, I thought that the time is going to fly past quickly. The task was like art class, we had to cut and paste colored pieces of paper to make something identical to the diagram. Well, for one, I never liked art class in school, and I never learned to cut in a straight line with scissors, and thirdly, I thought time will be over very very soon. All was set for disaster. I decided not to cut the paper and folded them instead, and glued them together. I did a lot of folding and tearing. Then I didn't measure anything with the ruler... because I thought there wasn't time, and I never liked measuring stuff. So I estimated everything. As it came out, the pattern looked somewhat like the diagram, just critically out of proportion... And as it is, I finished before the final 5 minute bell rang... I looked up at the invigilator, she looked at me and we both laughed!.. so I spent the last 5 minutes arranging the place nicely and picking up the bits and pieces of paper flying around. So maybe it didn't turn out well... but boy, it was just exciting!
Still have not obtained my EC, but many people are helping me work it out... I am just so touched by the warmth of the people here...
God is truly good to me...
I made many new friends, and many old friends contacted me today... I miss you guys!
Met a very special girl today. I mean, I've met her at church and all, but never got to know her story until tonight. Lydia was practicing on the keyboard at aunt Nil's house and I sort of sabotaged her. She asked me about my EC and that started on my telling her the whole story, and after that my life story...
Upon finishing, I said, "so how about you? what is your story?" And I was not prepared to hear what I heard.
She was born into a staunch Hindu family. When she was 4, her father ran into debts and one fine day just disappeared into thin air. No one knew where or why or what happened to him. It spelled disaster to her family. Her mother, being uneducated and unskilled, certainly had a gloomy prospect of the future with two daughters, and one of them just newborn. Some Christian neighbors came to know about it and asked if she was willing to send her elder daughter to an orphanage and school set up by a missionary minded couple. Her mother wasn't fond of the christian part, but it spelled food and education for her daughter which she was uncertain of providing for.
So Lydia arrived and was taken in by these people who taught them according to the counsels of the Bible and SOP. She learned to pray and read and all. The first thing she prayed to God for was to find and hear from her father. And this was something she kept praying for 6 years without fail. She related that she would be crying everytime she prayed that prayer, which shows how much she cared for her father. Well, naturally, her changes became apparent when she goes home to visit her mum once a year. Her mother was against it and said that it would cause her uncles and relatives who were helping the family to be angry. But she persisted. So her mother slowly tolerated it but advised her not to pray and read the bible and all when the relatives are around.
It was at the end of 6 years when she finally got a call from home that said her father has returned. Apparently, her father had amnesia, or what the locals believed to be a spell cast on him so that he lost consciousness of having a family and all. He was actually working the whole time not far from his home. He came to remember his family only when the owner of the hotel asked him what he was doing working away from home for so long and weather he had a family. It was only then that he remembered his two beloved daughters and wife. Her father wasn't happy about Lydia's conversion, but he didn't try to stop her or anything like that.
It was sometime then that Lydia's mother fell ill. She had some sort of terminal stomach cancer or something which the doctors were unable to do anything about it. Many church members at that point flocked to her place to pray for her and helped the family. Her mother prayed a special prayer to God. She said, if God would spare her life for the sake of the children and gave her health again, then she will come to accept Him. She started getting better and was soon well. It was an obvious intervention of supernatural origin. She was convinced of the God who healed her and she became converted.
When the father saw that is whole family is turning Christian, he too started to have bible studies and was willing to accept baptism.
Coming back to Lydia's story. She was at the orphanage-school for some 13 years. She learned basically something like homeschoolers. And then it was very like the training in Aenon, or Hartland. She learned her english, her sciences, and maths. I addition to that, they had lots of work to do, like farming, cooking, cleaning and everything in between. She had classes in the morning and all of them worked in the afternoon. Then they did a lot of witnessing. They were sent to vilages where the girls weren't given schooling opportunities and they taught them whatever they have learnt; english, local languages, math, science, bible... and they would go on buses and give out Christian literature and tracts. They often were brought to different places to give testimonies in the small way they could. I can see that she enjoyed all her years there.
Nevertheless, the studies there were not recognised by the government system. It's not like the homeschoolers in the States where they can just take an exam and get into college. So sooner or later they needed to leave the place and get their 9th 10th and 11th 12th standard. Though she is reluctant and there was much grief and tears, most of the orphans there went off and separated to different walks of life.
Lydia went off and got studied through her 12th standard and is now doing occupational therapy in CMC. Yet I can see God planting a vision in her heart and a burden of taking up the work of her childhood orphanage, wherein the caretakers are getting old and unable to continue.
Lydia's story has brought so much of resonance in my heart. May God guide her each step of her way in life.
Its the beginning of my third week in India. I can't believe that I really am here... India used to be something I read in encyclopedias and articles. Its really an amazing place.
Weather is still hot and dry tho...
Nothing is really stable yet... I still dunno if I can stay for my studies...
It feels a little frustrating. But then again, there's nothing I can do about it... Its all up to God now, weather He wants me to stay or not...
So I'm not going to worry.. and I'm not going stay here typing out things that I know I should not be worrying about.
So i'm going downstairs now and enjoy my time in India!
Its amazing almost a dream, or maybe a nightmare... depends on how you look at it.
I'm in CMC for a week now... officially. No classes yet, we are having 2 weeks of orientation which is a good thing, coz there is so much to learn yet in the men's hostel.
Men's hostel is both an amazing and sort of scary place.. which explains my opening. Its got a really cool name "Mansion of the gods" and it runs on a really cool traditional system too, a system I read about so much in books like the schooldays of Tom Brown and naughtiest girl in school.. It is governed solely by the students and there is none or very little interference from the faculty. The hierarchy is based on seniority and we gain respect as we learn to respect others.
There are many rules, of which some are logical, some noble and some really nonsense. The very finest rule which I find extremely appealing is that everyone knows everyone else. Which means everyone is like family and support each othe, which also spells trouble for us 1st years who will need to struggle to get 150 names and places into our heads in two weeks. And let me tell you that this is no mean task for a Chinese boy who knows less Indian names in his life that there are fingers on his hand. Fortunately, ragging has gone down a lot amd most seniors are readily compassionate to a foreign...
This was my greatest struggle for my time in hostel.. but as the week passes, and I get to know most of the names here, things are beginning to become more enjoyable for me.
Many of us are initially so afraid to get caught by a senior to be questioned about the numerous names that we dread meal times, which is when most of the residents of the hostel would congregate.
Its very late now, so i think i'll talk more about my life in CMC later...
P.s. I do miss home.
Classes have not started yet, which is a good thing, coz its giving us extra time to learn the seniors names. Which I am in desperate need of. Freshers welcome is this weekend, where we will all perform something for the faculty and fagmasters. We are given one guest each (the girls) and we need to introduce her to all the dfferent people in men's hostel, and she needs to introduce all her seniors to us... so basically we need to know everyone by then.... and that actually comes tomorrow.. swt,,
But the orientation we had was awesome... we get to shadow doctors and interns that means we get to see the clinical side of things and exposure even in the OT. And we learn many concepts of being a good doctor, ethics, some first aid workshops, etcetera...
Had class representative elections today. Was elected for class Editor... (they wanted to put me in music sec at first)
I actually thought of getting into social services or religious activity,,, but since i'm really fresh and new to the culture and surroundings.. I guess I'll just observe things for now and not rush into organizing class prayers and social outreach and all...
And I do like to have a go at being editor...was interested when we did our class mag in sec 4. (I miss u 4Sc1!)
Anyway, its Sabbath now, and I really need to get my mind off this... somehow, chapel and church becomes something that I really look forward to these days... Its the time when I am able to ust put aside all kinds of stress factors and just focus solely on God...
Chapel actually helped me rethink and reposition all my beliefs.. especially when I'm stepping into a whole new phase in life...
I pray God will help me through...
Fresher's Welcome...
turned out to not be the kind of nightmare I imagined...
I was in church and came late, after most of the oath taking and all the fun along with it was over. :(
but the rest of it was really nice... all the performances and all...
It gave me the definition India = music+dancing
It was a crazy time... didn't know the 07 and 05 guys dance so well.. even better than the tamil movies.
didn't know my class had so much talent either... they've literlly formed a band in the space of two days!!
i was impressed today by:
Tiki with his drums
Shobinth on the lead guitar
Deva and the 07 gang dancing
Dona with his acting
Banprangboer with his guitar
Shahniah with his singing
a senior girl i forgot what her name was with her voice
I think out of this fresher's welcome we get a real taste of what college will be like... definately not all the scoldings and cold looks we get from not remembering names, but a warm reception of friends and mates who would have a fun time together.
The fresher's actualy made me miss home a lot...the whole mood was swung to missing my friends and my family.. especially at a few more sentimental songs..
I did screw p some names.... but the screwing up of myself would not be till tomorrow.. and there is work from the classes i miss today, but the catching up will be done tomorrow too...
So tonight I would just dedicate the time to thank God for placing me here in such an institution.
Nitez...
Felt a deep sense of longing for home....
I sort of broke down today... noone saw me, but i broke into tears...
I dunno why but i think its a complex of sleeping too late, homesickness, and stress...
I seem not to be able to consolidate the fact that some of the seniors are nice and warm and friendly one instance and then shout and swear and put s down on the other... its like, multiple personality or something..
Im still struggling with the names of the seniors.. doing my best to remember, writing lists and going to mess early and all, but my best doesn't seem good enough...
a friend told me that he is stopping contact with his gf for a period of time to test and see weather the relationship will last... both wanted to be sure that this relationship is based on true love and not just emotions...
I felt as if God is giving me a sign that what i did was right...
but i still miss all of you.... very late now.. nitez.
First day of class. A new chapter of life has just begun.
I sort of have a premonition that this is the beginning of sorrows...
Its not really that bad, but...
There'll be lots to study in the days t come...
but histology was quite nice actually, drawing microscope diagrams with the haematoxin and eosin pencils which is actualy lilac and violet.. but anyway...
The seniors are much kinder now.. basically because they dun have much time to waste on us... now we are the ones looking for the seniors asking help... to get pointers, hardware and other class stuff like bones and books...(no seriously, bones are essential for classes. Dun ask me where they got them in the first place)
It feels more like a family now...really...
But i'm still homesick... Pray tomorrow will be a better day..
Second day
Actually quite happy coz i get to go online now... and also a new cell service to call home to for 3rp a minute!
classes are terrible today... didn't get much from the lecture room... luckily the demonstration was good and really helped me grasp what was being taught...
i guess its study time now...
