The second semester is one of the toughest for me at the university. It is a semester that was dawn on me that I am on my own and no one will help me except I helped myself and ask God for His unfailing help and love. Don't forget I told you in my first experience at the university that I was a self-sponsor student. Life as a self-sponsor student without work or job is a terrible thing you can ever imagine. Many students that fall into this category, find it difficult to cope and many from experienced have abandoned the programme because they could not cope with the challenges thereof.
This semester is when I had to enrol for the research methodology course, Bahasa compulsory local language course, and a semester that I did my first research proposal (December 17, 2016) and other free upskills programmes in the university.
It is a semester that it dawned on me that there is no work for me as a student, even the promised to 20 hours in a week job was not even available for foreign students. It is a semester that I learned that foreign students cannot have research assistant jobs anymore. It is a semester that I need to think out of the box as to what I will do to pay my bills and school fees as a self-sponsor student in a foreign land. It is a semester that God laid in my heart that I can use my wisdom of data analysis skills and freelance knowledge to pay my bills and it worked when I put them into action starting from my third semester.
It is a semester that I had to first beg the university authorities through letter writings/emails and promised to pay all my debts in order to be allowed to do my research proposal defence and for them to register me when my studentship lapsed after my first semester registrations. I was told I cannot do my proposal defence due to non-registering for the second semester yet as of December 2016. I was owing close to (RM 15,000) (N1.5 million naira equivalent). It is a semester that I realized I had to be paying close to this amount every semester for the period of my studentship until a certain level (5th semester) when it will start coming down gradually.
It is a semester I was thinking of a way out as nobody is ready to help me or look at my side. It is a semester that life was boring to me as a human being. It is a semester that I realized that not all that glitter is gold. It is a semester that I know that not everyone living abroad is making it big, people had to suffer as against what people think back home in Nigeria.
It is a semester I was thinking of abandoning the PhD programme and move to another country (UBC Canada) for another programme. Even though I made attempt but because of my experience in Malaysia, I forfeited the opportunity when they asked me if they didn't give me a grant or sponsorship will I still come for the programme, I said NO and I missed out from the opportunity.
It is a semester that I wrote another international examination (GRE) February 2017, in order to get an opportunity elsewhere when Malaysia is not given any as promised before coming to my programme in 2016.
It is a semester I had to fail for the first time what I and everybody knows that I passed but got rejected by someone that hates blacks or Nigerians. It is a semester that I knew I have to brace up and face my challenges and keep on the faith.
It is a semester that I identified myself and that I can do it irrespective of a hostile environment that I faced. It is a semester that I knew all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose. It is a semester that the word of God in Romans 8:28-30 have more meaning to my entire life.
It is a semester that the word of God (Bible) comes to live in my entire life that He sent me here and He will do it for me irrespective of any help from Adam!
It is a semester that defines all that I am today when I am through with my programme in 2019/2020. It is a semester that I will always remember and the steps I took to date. May God be praised forevermore amen!
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