And i'm counting again...
This time, is how long it's been since stepping into US for the very first time. Exactly5 years!
5 years ago, a bunch of us left home for US. Come to think about it, it had been a great journey. While I had some rough idea about what to expect when coming to college in the States, there were so many things that happened exceeded what I asked for and then some.
Through the 5 years, I've learned a lot about myself and have made some good and also some questionable decisions that I wished I can reverse. But how one thing leads to another and all really have me thinking that things do happen for a reason.
I guess one can't help but to learn to be independent and to grow and mature when you are alone. And, I like it.
5 years. That's a long time for someone who's not even 25 yet.
Highlight of every year: (I think it's easier for me to look at this in an academic year basis, as compared to calendar year basis).
Freshman year - Traveling to NYC and Washington, DC. That was an amazing experience, as not only it was an eye-opener to visit all the tourist spots, it was also a great trip with good company.
I was also glad that I made the decision to stay back in the States over the Summer as that was when I actually had the more 'real' US college experience, where I stayed in a house with 5 housemates that I didn't know going in, where I went to several parties and where I started working for real.
Sophomore year - Traveling to Florida (Disneyworld and Miami). That was fun too. Started working over the school year. Also, during Spring Break, I volunteered on a farm in TX. It was fun as a group of 10 of us drove down to TX and back. It was a totally different experience as I don't think I've ever work in a farm (milking goat, weeding and planting, and etc).
Went home over the Summer and interned with Accenture. It was a good experience as well. It was good to be home after 2 years.
Junior year - Went to England and Ireland during Spring break. Interned at Hanover Insurance Company. That was another interesting story as the timing was really tight. After my actuarial exam in late May, I went to Midwest games, and then, the next day coming back from the games, I flew out to Massachusetts for the interview for that internship position. And, at the end of the month, I got the offer. Between then and the starting date (June 12th, 2007), I needed to settle my housing over the Summer in Worcester, MA and also, to purchase a car, so that I can drive out there for the job. It was quite a feeling to be making so many big decisions and boy, my parents were worried. As I didn't have the chance to drive much while I was back home, I wasn't an experienced driver, even for a young driver's standard. So, the whole driver half way across the country alone idea didn't boil well with my parents.
Senior year - Well. I took less classes. Accepted the offer from Hanover. Went to Yosemite National Park, drove through Death Valley, then Grand Canyon, last but not least Las Vegas. Taught an exam preparation class. Graduated in April. Dad came for graduation and stayed for a couple of months.
First year out of college - Started my job on 2nd of June. It's been more than 14 months, and I still like the challenge from my job. That plus studying for exam really keeps me busy. Ran my first marathon last October. Initially planned to run 2 marathons this year, but injured my calf in June, and had to stop running for close to 2 months. Started running again though my calf still not at 100%, hopefully, I can increase my mileage enough to run a half marathon in Hartford come 10th of October. Took 2 weeks off and went home for Chinese New Year, while the journey home was long, it's been 5 years since I was home for CNY, so, it was all worth it. But, I will definitely try not to fly with Northwest Airlines (at least for international flights).
So, I'm like doing a summary of what happened for the last five years. But well, life's getting a little routine lately, not a bad thing, but it is not easy to blog about it. So, that's all for now.
5 years ago, a bunch of us left home for US. Come to think about it, it had been a great journey. While I had some rough idea about what to expect when coming to college in the States, there were so many things that happened exceeded what I asked for and then some.
Through the 5 years, I've learned a lot about myself and have made some good and also some questionable decisions that I wished I can reverse. But how one thing leads to another and all really have me thinking that things do happen for a reason.
I guess one can't help but to learn to be independent and to grow and mature when you are alone. And, I like it.
5 years. That's a long time for someone who's not even 25 yet.
Highlight of every year: (I think it's easier for me to look at this in an academic year basis, as compared to calendar year basis).
Freshman year - Traveling to NYC and Washington, DC. That was an amazing experience, as not only it was an eye-opener to visit all the tourist spots, it was also a great trip with good company.
I was also glad that I made the decision to stay back in the States over the Summer as that was when I actually had the more 'real' US college experience, where I stayed in a house with 5 housemates that I didn't know going in, where I went to several parties and where I started working for real.
Sophomore year - Traveling to Florida (Disneyworld and Miami). That was fun too. Started working over the school year. Also, during Spring Break, I volunteered on a farm in TX. It was fun as a group of 10 of us drove down to TX and back. It was a totally different experience as I don't think I've ever work in a farm (milking goat, weeding and planting, and etc).
Went home over the Summer and interned with Accenture. It was a good experience as well. It was good to be home after 2 years.
Junior year - Went to England and Ireland during Spring break. Interned at Hanover Insurance Company. That was another interesting story as the timing was really tight. After my actuarial exam in late May, I went to Midwest games, and then, the next day coming back from the games, I flew out to Massachusetts for the interview for that internship position. And, at the end of the month, I got the offer. Between then and the starting date (June 12th, 2007), I needed to settle my housing over the Summer in Worcester, MA and also, to purchase a car, so that I can drive out there for the job. It was quite a feeling to be making so many big decisions and boy, my parents were worried. As I didn't have the chance to drive much while I was back home, I wasn't an experienced driver, even for a young driver's standard. So, the whole driver half way across the country alone idea didn't boil well with my parents.
Senior year - Well. I took less classes. Accepted the offer from Hanover. Went to Yosemite National Park, drove through Death Valley, then Grand Canyon, last but not least Las Vegas. Taught an exam preparation class. Graduated in April. Dad came for graduation and stayed for a couple of months.
First year out of college - Started my job on 2nd of June. It's been more than 14 months, and I still like the challenge from my job. That plus studying for exam really keeps me busy. Ran my first marathon last October. Initially planned to run 2 marathons this year, but injured my calf in June, and had to stop running for close to 2 months. Started running again though my calf still not at 100%, hopefully, I can increase my mileage enough to run a half marathon in Hartford come 10th of October. Took 2 weeks off and went home for Chinese New Year, while the journey home was long, it's been 5 years since I was home for CNY, so, it was all worth it. But, I will definitely try not to fly with Northwest Airlines (at least for international flights).
So, I'm like doing a summary of what happened for the last five years. But well, life's getting a little routine lately, not a bad thing, but it is not easy to blog about it. So, that's all for now.
posted by Voon Seng at 12:46 PM
2 comments
