Pursuing dreams: Embracing challenges abroad

11 months ago 50

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By Amyly Yong Kai Hui

Education is essential for all young generations nowadays to pursue a great ocean ahead. It is a path with many and possible directions. Still, only the excellent pirate will use their current ability and sense of responsibility to navigate the ship toward where the treasure full of gold and diamonds will be.

The same goes for Tasha Teo Pei Ying, a young woman who seizes an opportunity to pursue her dreams in order to brighten her future and make her parents proud of her as the eldest child responsible for supporting her parents.

Tasha comes from a small town called “Pineapple City”, known as Sarikei in Sarawak. She is 23 years old and is pursuing her nursing education at Nanyang Polytechnic, Singapore. This city is well known for its cleanliness, stunning skyline and iconic landmarks such as Garden by the Bay and the well-known Marina Bay Sands. Although the scenery is full of glitter for society to visit, there is sweat that people in Singapore contribute and sacrifice to be stable in that city.

As Lao Tzu stated, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” She completed her STPM examination in 2019 and returned to her hometown to help with her grandfather’s small retail store while waiting for her SPA and an offer letter to enter any college or university.

However, due to COVID-19, she decided to work in a food and beverage establishment for a year. Despite all of the SOPs and movement restrictions, she tried her best to find a way to further her education, as she has a passion for studying. She inquired about the course from her friend, who is currently a Nanyang Polytechnic student, and applied right away.

No situation is so dark that there is not a ray of light. After patiently waiting, in mid-January, her interview results came out, and she was accepted.

“Only God knows what I felt at that time; full of excitement but also nervous about my parent’s approval.”

Despite having a piece of wonderful news for a golden opportunity, she is afraid of the differences in culture and environment and her parent’s reaction upon hearing the news. Her parents had mixed feelings of happiness and worry as she had never been far away from home, and it took them some time to let Tasha leave to Singapore. The most exciting and overwhelming key to a child’s success is the positive involvement of parents.

When her parents said “If you are keen to pursue nursing, we will let you go,” it feels as though a giant stone has been raised from her shoulders. Tasha assured her parents that she is serious about wanting to pursue nursing and promises to keep in touch and take good care of herself.

Tasha was initially worried about the physical, mental, and environmental changes she would experience, but she was successful in adapting to the new surroundings. She was assigned to the obstetrics and gynaecology ward from November 6 to 19.

There, students tried out any skills they want with the supervision of a clinical instructor. This exposed Tasha to a variety of medical situations, such as antenatal, prenatal, endometriosis, women’s problems, and so on. It also made her realise how difficult it is for a mother to bring her child into the world.

On November 25, she participated in a polytechnic competition-Institute of Technical Education (POL-ITE) for her Tae Guk Sam Jang (Green Belt) pattern for their taekwondo team. She also took part in other polytechnic activities such as the BBSG (Boys Brigade Share a Gift) Food Donation Drive, which is a community event that helps the less fortunate, particularly the elderly who live alone in Singapore, by distributing food hampers to them.

The initiative was organised by Nanyang Polytechnic, which assures that the food pack can feed a family of four and ease their burden for a month.

Being in a new environment might be taxing due to culture shock. Tasha said that adapting to a new cultural environment and academic setting posed challenges and opportunities for personal growth.

The distance of over 2,000 kilometres from home can trigger a range of emotions, including homesickness and nostalgia, and pursuing medical courses can be difficult at times and drain mental health due to limited sleep and time. Tasha, on the other hand, did not stop there.

Tasha has risen from the pit of gloominess as a result of her parents’ blessings. All of the new challenges, along with the valuable experiences, had shaped her as an individual.

The exposure to diverse perspectives and the need to overcome everything independently enhanced her resilience. Despite being discouraged by all the challenges, she takes a step in building her new social circle and forming connections with people of all ages with different backgrounds to help her understand and appreciate the diversity in the new place.

She would also find some space and time to heal her inner self before having another stressful day the next day. Sometimes, she will go to Vivocity to do some window shopping or go hiking to enjoy the greenery and nature with her friends. She also gets to celebrate Deepavali with her friends in their houses! Things went well for Tasha, and she began to feel more confident and comfortable with her studies as everything was balanced and fun for her during her challenging course.

Studying abroad can be very challenging, especially when one cannot quickly go back and forth from home. Tasha has a message for the youngsters who have just graduated from secondary school and are accepted to study far away from home:

“Embark on the adventure with enthusiasm, resilience, and an open heart. Your experiences will unveil unknown strengths and shape the person you’re destined to be. I wish you a transformative academic journey! Believe in yourself; there’s a power within you greater than any obstacle. Remember, as my coach wisely said, ‘Nervousness brings nothing, so control your breath and give it your all. Go confidently!’”