That time has finally arrived. Feeling a lot of mixed emotions right now. I suppose all the inertia in leaving has got something to do with the last 3 years. NS and almost 8 months of slacking has made this transition to my studies overseas a massive change of pace. You hit the ground running.
I honestly can't believe my last post was 7 months ago. Goes to show how much idling I have been doing. I've thought about why leaving is so hard compared to others and I think it has something to do with the friends I have with the SAPeeps people. We've been together as a clique for at least 7 years. 7 years!! And for some people we've been hanging out for more than that. I suppose it's something to be proud of. That the difficulty leaving just goes to show how much I treasure my friendships with these people. Sure I'll be back in Dec but to only see them 4 months from now is a big change from seeing them almost once a week during NS and sometimes 2-3 times in a week the past couple of years. It's crazy.
When Nin, Neh and I met up with our teacher Cheeks for dinner a couple of weeks ago, something Nin said kind of reinforced what I thought about the group of us. If my memory serves me right, Mr Ng was kind of shocked that we were all still very close. And he mentioned something like we should all move on with life. He's probably right. But then Nin said that us being close was something he had manufactured and it isn't so easy for us to move on. Maybe you don't have to move on. Or maybe you sort of do, but "moving on" isn't exactly what it should be called. It's a natural process. I think it's amazing what we have done as a group. Sure you have awkward moments between friends at times but heck, that's pretty normal.
I sometimes think back and wonder if I made the right decision, choosing UW over UIUC or even over NUS Law or NTU Rep. But ever since Sec 3 I've been wanting to go overseas for Uni so you can say it has been a 6 year effort. The thing about UW is that they don't admit students direct into the major unlike UIUC (which i was admitted into CS already). In UW students have to apply to the major after clearing the pre-reqs. Typically students take a year or 2 to complete them. A Level credits have allowed me to clear them by my 3rd quarter. But admission to CS (UW's CS Dept is 5th ranked in the US) is extremely competitive. A really high GPA is required. Maybe I lack the confidence. Thing is i don't know what to expect. I guess its normal. And i've been thinking, maybe it's a good thing. If I somehow don't make it into CS, that it's a sign I shouldn't go into that field. Cuz I wont be good enough. And I suppose it makes sense picking UW over UIUC. To be able to freely choose another major or a double degree like Engineering and Biz. The latter of course would be ideal for me to work for my Dad and take over at some point. Maybe that is the plan. It would be very sad to see him sell the business, and I feel a sense of obligation to do something. While my 2 brothers have already decided what they want to do.
I'm starting to think i'm quite fickle minded. I suppose some of you would agree. I should just stop thinking about the what ifs and just make the best of what I've decided.
Some happy thoughts.
Can't wait to immerse myself in Seattle culture. What I think is the next big city in the US. Amazon, Boeing, Expedia, Valve, Starbucks, Microsoft... all these big companies HQed in Seattle. Inspiring indeed. Life is gonna be really different, I'm sure I'm going to learn alot from this experience. I kind of wanted to throw myself out of my comfort zone. I think you learn the most by doing that.
I'm gonna miss my parents alot! More importantly I hope they don't miss me too much! The house is going to be really quiet. Hopefully my younger brother keeps them company. Gonna miss my bed! My room! and my trusty yellow Mitsubishi Colt! I'm gonna miss all the SAPeeps, my s18 clique, Delta mates and the gang. But life goes on and everyone is going to be fully immersed in their university lives. Go out there and do your best, I'll be doing mine. Just don't forget me, we'll keep in touch.
If you want to contact me via video or voice, go get Skype: zzchua or Google Hangouts(preferred): czongzhen@gmail.com or WeChat: zzchua.
P.S. How could I forget, Poptart nights!
In the words of Bombay Bicycle Club - So long, see you tomorrow!
Stay tuned.
