Winter to Spring Transition!

 

Assalamualaikum everyone! I think it has been quite a while since I last wrote a proper blog post. After procrastinating and ruminating for quite a time, I decided that it is going to be more beneficial for me to write here so I could reminisce about my past through my written posts (:

So, how have the past months gone by?

C O N T E N T
1. Finishing the first semester in Romania
2. Winter Blues
3. Spring & Physical Class

1. Finishing the first semester in Romania

It has been a rough journey through the first semester of learning the Romanian language. I arrived in Bucharest on 2nd November 2022 and started the class on 29th of November, 4 weeks after my arrival here. The academic calendar started on the 1st of October, which means I'm left behind with 2 months worth of classes. Because of that, we had to accelerate our learning, having extra classes on public holidays and also on Saturdays. Though it is online, that also means a huge challenge to just stay put in front of the laptop all day long concentrating on the lectures without break from the sunrise till the sunset ( we only had like 2 breaks of 10 minutes for the whole day!). However, thankfully, my professors are the LOVELIEST and the KINDEST ever. I'm sure it is also not easy for them to teach us as (for unknown reasons) most of my classmates are always absent. There were times when I was the only one in the class so it felt like I'm having an oral test with my professor 😳😂

Nevertheless, I managed to finish the first semester with flying colours despite all the hecticness!

My Sem 1 APLR Result

So the grading system in Romania follows a scale of 1-10 (in which 10 is the highest mark). I was really astounded to get a 10 for all subjects! Alhamdulillah 💜

2. Winter Blues

-it's not a joke. Living in a country with no 4 seasons, I've only heard the term 'winter blues' from the media and from reading. Now that I'm here, experiencing my first winter in life, I FINALLY FEEL IT. Not that it is a good thing. It felt really really terrible and dreadful. But first, what is Winter Blues?

What is the meaning of winter blues?

Having the winter blues means feeling sad and generally more down in the dumps, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Winter blues isn't something that is medically diagnosed, but more of an understood feeling we can sometimes have during winter months that is usually short-lived.

- https://www.premierhealth.com/faq/what-does-it-mean-to-have-the-winter-blues- 

The winter blues is a mental state comprised of feelings of sadness and fatigue during the coldest and darkest months of the year. It may be hard to get out of bed some mornings, you may have trouble sleeping and you may feel unmotivated to complete daily tasks or to get outside.

- https://www.verywellmind.com/winter-blues-vs-seasonal-affective-disorder-5101512

*Not to be mistaken with Seasonal Depression (SAD), which is a lot more severe and diagnosed by a doctor.

Imagine you just arrived in a strange land, far faaaar away from your family, coming from a place where everywhere is green, to a place where the nature seems to be dead, the freezing coldness kissing your skin, the gloomy sky, being alone and only stuck in the room in front of the laptop for months... All these conditions added up and made me feel sad and dejected all time for no reason. I started to look at things on the negative side, having no energy to do anything, and being too immersed in the silly thoughts that end up consuming me as a whole. I MISSSS the dazzling sun, the greenies, and the warmth. This is also due to the reason for the pandemic, where we can't really socialize freely, have student activities, and attend physical classes. This phase (December 2021 - February 2022) has been the hardest phase for me trying to cope with the homesickness, adapting, studying, and fighting this winter blues! 

But now thank goodness it is

3. Spring & Physical Classes!

The covid19 cases reported in Romania, especially Bucharest aren't looking very good during the time. But I guess the world is getting tired of the ever-changing and inconsistency of restrictions and regulations. Hence, on the third (or fourth) week of the second semester, we get to go back to school! Finally!

After spending almost 4 months in solitary and having online classes, I finally get to live the university student life! Though I had to spend 2 hours commuting daily to my uni every day because my dormitory is far from the uni (+ the buzzing traffic jam of Bucharest), I still enjoy my time at the uni! It feels a lot LOT better than being stuck in the room and having headaches after every zoom class. 

Also the timing, it's the start of SPRING! What a beautiful time to go to the uni. Though in the past few days it feels like we are coming back to winter because of the weird cold weather again (it even snowed in some of Romania's cities!??). Anyway, it just feels very nice and fulfilling to live the life as a normal university student (:

And now that's the end of my life update! It feels surreal that it has been almost 6 months since I am here? Half of a year!?? It is true when people say as you grow up, time passes lot faster, and in just a whim, the youth is gone and all is left are memories and regrets (':

I will be ending my language learning in July, I have about 2 months to prepare before my exams (a LOT lot of exams) start at the end of May!! @.@  Will be veryyyyy busy. (But that's life anyway!)

So,

I guess that's all? 

Thank you for reading till the end,

Have a beautiful day ahead! 

Te doresc o zi frumoasă </3 

Pre-Uni Sem 1; its people

The sem break is ending. Auch

We gonna need to move back to the college dorm, quite excited but considering the messy situation we are having now, well, a bit heavy hearted.

But, let’s recap back the first semester. I might separate this into two post: People, and Studies

Wasn’t excited to start pre-Uni and moving out of Uni. But by time goes, it wasn’t that bad. I find the learning environment is good, and the people are also good. What I like the most are my housemates. I am very grateful to be placed in the same house with them. I had a very fun time, and learnt a lot from them.

I think the biggest blessing for half of the last year is the opportunity to meet and befriend these precious souls. I can’t imagine being placed in another house with other strangers :’)

As you probably know (or not know), despite my friendliness, I am a very distant and conservative person. And that worries me the most, my inability to blend with the society, with the thick wall i set myself from the outer world. But they helped me in bringing it down, though not totally. I feel safe and jubilant whenever they are around, not feeling annoyed or something. They’re the only reason I can cope living there :’)

Now, shall we talk about my classmates?

They’re very outgoing, respectful and helpful! I was scared at first to meet a GROUP of new people. I remember sweating and getting nervousness all over my veins on the first day. But a few souls being kind to myself and help to introduce myself to others, very grateful <3 

They are also very helpful in term of studies. I don’t feel reluctant to seek help from them. And there are a few names who had been a great help for me throughout the semester.I believe in the ‘barter system’, which in this case is, if you want someone to help you, then you need to offer your hand first. And if you are unable to do so, then try your best for giving the alternatives, manner matters! That’s what living in the community is, complementing each other and respecting the boundaries <3

I think this semester taught me how to be ‘a people of the society’. To reach out to people and start opening up myself for new encounters. It was myself who set the biggest barrier of myself from the world. But being in a group of people for a few months, help me to open up bit and bit. That’s why, I am exhilarated for the new sem, to have more human interaction. And i hope i’ll get to learn new things from others too, for the betterment of myself in the present, and the future :’)