Now that I'm back from Glasgow and once again battling the heat and crampedness of Sunny Singapore, I'm hoping I'd be more active in publishing the heaps of drafts on my time during exchange. (And actually keep to my word, and not just say it for the sake of it. Please.)

For this post I wanna talk about how exchange has, amidst many things, surprised me. Being abroad for a period of merely six months has taught me a lot of surprising things about myself, as every other experience that's extremely different from the everyday norm would. Hopefully by writing about it, I'll somehow immortalise the change, and flex to myself how I may (or may not, which is more likely) have improved as a person, and all that good stuff.

1. I realised how fine I could be without my family

I would say I'm very attached to my parents. I talk to them every day, I ask for their advice almost all the time, I go to them for a lot of problems, I share with them about a lot of things, and I just generally spend a lot of time with them. I don't think I'm as independent as what most people my age would see themselves. I would then also say I get homesick easily, even in Singapore, because of this attachment.

But well, exchange happened. And I didn't get homesick. At all. I missed home, I missed my parents, but did I really long and yearn to go back just to see them again? Honestly, not really. I didn't go through any painful episodes of extremely missing home, nor did I carry any emotional woes that would've been solved if I had returned to Singapore. I felt... Fine. In fact, more than fine. I felt really, truly content. I was content by myself, thousands of kilometres away from home, and 7 to 8 hours behind Singapore time.

And honestly, I had to start with this because, without going into too much detail, this is one of the things I'm just so very proud of.

2. I realised how fine I could be without my friends

Anyone who has hung out with me would know that I have a severe and serious case of FOMO. Fear Of Missing Out. Apparently, it just means that I'd feel really sucky if my group of friends were gathering and having fun without me. I felt that a LOT. And while I was in Glasgow, that happened a LOT.

But again, like the first point, I was... Fine. I didn't feel the sinking sensation that I wasn't with my friends who were enjoying their gatherings, and I actually felt okay with the fact that I was missing out on a lot of the fun my friends experienced. To be honest, there were even very surprising moments where I felt like I wasn't even that bothered (UK translation for "I didn't really care" because the UK version sounds nicer).

So, whaddyou know, I thought I'd miss home very terribly because my family and friends were there, but I ended up much fine than I thought I'd be. Of course, I think one of the main reasons why I was okay is because even though I was far from home, I was never really alone. I had my friends with me (shoutout to Nad and other Glaswegians), and I made so many more amazing new friends, too. Alhamdulillah for that, really. It probably would've been a different case if I actually was alone.

3. I'm actually a good navigator 
4. I actually could be more meticulous than I thought (huge shocker)

During exchange, I had a little problem with shopping (which will be explained in the next point). This prompted me to track my expenditure and... made me end up with a neat and regularly updated excel sheet that I kept referring to and checking throughout the whole time I was overseas. It's really surprising because, well, I'm allergic to even the idea of studying how to use excel sheets. And I did it. Without getting any rash. (Until I reached home, that is. Right now I'm like what's a column?)

Being consistent with my expenditure tracking led me to believe how meticulous I can actually be, if I really properly tried. Things like planning and budgeting aren't so daunting anymore, and that's awesome.

5. I have a shopping problem (not really that huge a shocker, but I had to include this)

Okay, after the first 4 points, you're probably thinking, man this girl is really full of herself. Well, I am But hey, I'm also self-aware. Spending six months in the UK meant spending six months in an area where you can spend so much money on so many unique, novelty items that really brand themselves well as unique, novelty items. In Singapore, I stick to the same set of things pretty much every 3 or 4 years (the terrible tatters on my New Balance sneakers and my Quiksilver wallet will attest for me). But in the UK? Suddenly, for the very strangest reasons, I was into candles and perfumes and all kinds of snacks. Being in the UK was just me going through the usual routine of visiting so many pretty quaint shops and going, "Is that a fancy Shakespearean brand of tea? That's definitely not found in Singapore! Take my pounds, all of it."

The worst thing is, I knew that it was gonna happen. Once, Nadhira and I were in Buchanan Street and we passed by the Isle of Skye candles shop, knowing pretty damn well that I have absolutely no more need for any candles. I told myself, I got my candles. I got the gift. I don't need anymore. Damn, the packaging is so pretty. Bohemian Rose? Wow, that doesn't sound like something I'd see back at home. Oh my, buy 2 get 1 free? Okay, just– Okay you know what? Let me have it.

So... Yeah. Being abroad exposed me to the shopping problem I never knew I even had.

6. The cold isn't that uncomfortable after all

Let me bring you back to 2012. I'm in Secondary 4. It's also the year when my batchmates and I were granted the level in the Irsyad building where there's aircon. To many, that's just awesome. To me, that's... a little less than alright. You see, I sit at the farthest back of the class, aka the place where the aircon blasts its ultimate power into the faces of anyone sitting in that area. Basically, it was really, really cold. I couldn't take it and I asked, very annoyingly as always, the classmate nearest to the aircon remote to increase the temperature, or at least switch off the fan function. This incident, as well as many others, has led me to somewhat conclude that I can't take the cold. Which then became a source of worry before I head to Scotland, where it's... pretty damn cold.

But well, as nature (or something) would've had it, I didn't end up suffering as I thought I would. I actually (get this) enjoyed the cold. I liked that I had to wear a coat, it made me dress better. I liked that I could go for very long walks without the discomfort of sweat or thirst. I liked that when the wind blew, it was like a refreshing burst of coolness into my face (I promise it's much better than the way I structured this sentence). I actually liked the cold. A lot. Too much, in fact. 'Cause now that I'm back, I can't stop thinking about how warm Singapore is. Sigh.

7. It's really true what people say, you never know until you try

What a vague duh statement, right? But I can't stress on this last point enough. I learned so much about my own limits (or lack thereof) and capabilities after exchange. I honestly wouldn't know how calm I could be, how well I could cook, how tolerant I was, if I weren't put into situations that tested all these qualities and more.

Though I mostly publicly share about the good sides of exchange, I went through quite a number of bad ones, too. And I wouldn't have known how much I could (and could not) handle certain difficulties, if I hadn't been put through them in the first place.

Realising this definitely contributed a degree of my own maturity, because it made me aware of how... unaware I was of my own self. Think about it, there's so much potential for you to be so much. That's really scary. And yet extremely fascinating at the same time.

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And there you go, 7 general lessons (out of the very many) from exchange. Maybe, in time to come, I'll write on other lessons with specific themes, like cooking or driving in blizzards lol. But right now, what I really want is to write on the places I had the privilege of visiting, so please donate a prayer that I'll actually write something (and not just say it), and look forward to that!

Photos of the elephant I managed to get close to. Animals are so beautiful. :')

After that short detour, we immediately went off to the river rafting venue.


Pretty clouds with the decorating telephone lines.


Ayah and I at the starting point of the rafting adventure. The breathtaking views fueled my excitement to start the rafting adventure.


The boats!!! :D

Juuuust before the river rafting started, Ayah managed to buy a waterproof bag to put my phone in so I can take photos during the adventure. Because the bag was quite thick, despite its transparency, the photos ended up a little blur. Nonetheless! I had an amazing time. :)

Our session of river rafting had around twenty other boats as well, so the river was quite crowded, but that didn't deter us from enjoying the experience. Each boat had two captains who were in charge of the fun and safety of the people in their boat. And the captains who were responsible for my family were very friendly and amusing! Hahaha it was really fun, alhamdulillah. It was also impossible to not get drenched because all the captains of every boat used their paddle to splash water onto other unsuspecting people. Such fun. :')








A shot of the slightly dirty lake from the restaurant. I just loved the view; the stillness of the lake paved way for reflections of the objects above it to materialize. Else it would just be puddles and ripples of water.









Ayah at the entrance of the forest. You can see a stream (?) there, too. When I first saw it, recollections of Geography lessons just streamed (ha ha ha) into my mind.



We went forest trekking for a while before reaching the waterfall site. Ibu loves to go on walks in the jungles and forests, so it was nice to see her extra excited. I was just in awe at the trees and shrubs, and, of course, took lots of photos of it.


The waterfall site!!! I was so excited when we reached it. I just couldn't wait to get into the clear, cold, clean water.

I loved the experience of being in the waterfall today because I haven't done it in a very long time. Plus, this time, I was given more leeway to where I could swim by myself in comparison to years ago when Ibu and Ayah would hold on to me wherever I was in the waterfall. Hahaha. This time, I was also more appreciative of the nature and it just felt great to be able to utilize all my senses into the waterfall. Alhamdulillah. :D


Shots of me in the waterfall. Heheheh.

The waterfall experience lasted for about an hour or less, (I was the last member to leave the waterfall haha). After that, we all headed back.



Frames from the forest taken while on the way back to the entrance.


The family at the entrance of the forest! Ayah took it, so he's sort of in it.

After the forest, is our final stop: the Monkey Cave. It's as the name suggests, a large mountain cave with lots and lots of monkeys swinging on trees and on the grounds. The monkeys were entertaining and entertained. Tourists who neared them came with the intention to give bananas, but they were in for a shock because these monkeys were apparently also skilled pickpockets. Hahaha


The monkey cave. I didn't near the monkeys because I guess they're not exactly my most favourite animal, but that didn't discount the fact that it was a beautiful mountain. It's amazing how these animals just find home in it. I find it great that while the tourism industry gains a lot of money from preserving the site for tourists to visit, the industry is also protecting the homes of the animals. Good job, guys. ^_^


This generation of tourists. Me included, of course. Hahaha




Fisheye photo of Abang and Haziq in the van. It's cool because it's candid and you can see Abang's frustrated "Why you taking my photo???" face. Hahaha

A candid photo of me taken by Ibu while we were on the drive towards the starting point of the 4 Islands tour. I love vehicles like that, where your face can feel the caress of the wind against it and the views are not blurred by glass or plastic panels. I just love it. And again, upon insistence heheh, I got the seat nearest to the exit/entrance of the vehicle. ^_^

A shot of the Krabi road and street I took while on the ride.

Within a few minutes, we arrived the starting point of our tour. It was wet landing, so I had to totally abandon my shoes as I wore sports shoes instead of slippers. Teeeeet. Talk about big mistake. Haha! But it wasn't a big deal.

The pretty shells scattered around the shore.

On the boat, there were other parties of tourists as well. Our tour guide was the friendly and charming Muhammad, who cracked jokes to add warmth into the atmosphere and fascinated us tourists with the knowledge he shared about Krabi.

On the boat ride ― Free ice-cold drinks were served!

Shots taken while on the boat ride to Island Number One: Tup Island.
Photo of an anchor in the sand! Upon reaching the shore of Tup Island, I saw the locals placing the anchor deep in the sand. I don't know why, but it amused me so much hahaha. Seeing the action of the anchor and all, it gave off the feeling that I'm really travelling the sea, and I felt really fascinated and grateful for that.

Photo of the family that was awesomely taken by Muhammad! What's with the tour guides and their awesome photography skills? Two thumbs up!


What did I tell you about awesome photography skills? Good job, Muhammad!!!

At Tup Island, I walked by the shores of the beach as I took in the entire setting with my senses. The sky above was extremely vast, exposing the clear blue canvas with pretty white puffs of clouds. The salty scent of ocean overwhelmed my nose, but I mean that in every good sense. My bare feet were in constant contact with sand so soft, I really felt like I was stepping on a special kind of rubbery matters. And the seawater, masyaAllah. The seawater was very very clear. Light from the Sun glistened on the water like pretty crystals, and it was just beautiful. I've never been to a beach where the water was so clean and clear, so it was a great first experience.

Candid photo of me taken by Ibu. Do you see how clear the water is? *.*

Ibu and me in the clear water!

I was wandering about the island and then came across this tree with its branches sticking out just above the water. I couldn't not take a photo. Hahaha
I found a tiny cave-like structure!

I wandered further until I could not, because I reached what I think to be one of the edges of the island, determined by this rock. As I inspected the structure and textures of the rock closely, I thought about how marvelous it is. Its process and formations, all of it was really amazing.

The beautiful clear water against the rocks of the shore.

A marvelous sight, indeed.

Selfie of my silhouette in the tiny cave-like structure.

After my wandering around, I went back to where my family was. I saw Abang and Haziq at the edge of a tiny cliff created by sharp-looking rocks, and decided to join them. Gosh, sharp was an understatement. They were jagged, and absolutely painful to climb. But alhamdulillah, I made it anyway!

Us at the sharp cliff. Those rocks, they may not be sharp enough to cut and draw blood, but they definitely leave their mark.

Next stop: Chicken Island! Chicken Island, also known as Koh Kai, is a popular destination as the waters nearby is a hot spot for tourists with the desire to snorkel. It got its name from its structure, because from a certain angle, it really does look like the head of a chicken. Personally, it was my first time snorkeling and being wholly submerged into the ocean, so it was super exhilarating for me. But since I was quite inexperienced, I kept swallowing the salty seawater. Teeeeet. Alhamdulillah, anyway. I got to witness schools of fish swimming all around me as Muhammad and the other tour guides threw in fish food to lure them nearer to the boat. On the ocean floor, I saw many species of corals and even anemones scattered around. Ah, masyaAllah. :')

Ayah's shot of the unglam elated me, along with my equally elated mother. Hahaha.
On the ride towards Chicken Island.

Chicken Island! Do you see the chicken head?

Ayah, Haziq, Ibu and I with the chicken head behind us. Taken by the talented Muhammad.

Ayah and I with the diminished chicken head. Taken by the also quite talented me. Hehehehe.

During the ride, as the cool sea breeze blew against our faces, we were also served fruits and refreshments, so none of us felt the least bit uncomfortable despite having swam body deep in the ocean, alhamdulillah. After Chicken Island, would be the sunny Poda Island. Here, we spent the longest time which was around an hour. Muhammad mentioned that Poda Island is the third most attractive destination in the whole of Ao Nang, and it definitely lived up to that title. The views and sights of the island and around it was absolutely beautiful. There, Haziq and I spent around more than thirty minutes swimming and playing around the ocean.

Abang showing his appreciation of the shores on Poda Island.
One of the many shots I took of Haziq having fun on the rope swing. Hahaha.


Haziq and I acting cool in front of the camera, while partially submerged in the ocean.

As it's the monsoon season, the shorelines of Krabi were experiencing a high tide. Therefore, quite unfortunately, we were unable to experience walking on the sandy pathway that lead to the two islands in the photo above! But well, even without going through such an experience, I still think it's a pretty amazing thing. If the tide was low, it was actually possible for you to bring your feet towards those two seemingly disconnected islands. At this realization, I was at a loss for words, I just kept repeating to Haziq and Ibu, "Cool eh?!" Hahaha. The true number of the wonders of this world indeed go beyond seven.
The signature island formation of Poda Island! And also, a shot of the beautiful clear ocean of Krabi.

This is me trying to be funny. Hahaha.

Poda Island definitely earns my approval!

Finally, the fourth island. Phra Nang Cave Beach! It's as what its name suggests, it was an island where there was a spectacular large cave at the edge of its beach. Phra Nang, if I'm not wrong, is the name of a young Thai princess who may have been involved in the ownership of the island. Please correct me if that's a mistake. Heh. Whatever it is, it was really breathtaking. The marvelous cave formations, also known as speleothems, were large and many. It really captivated me thinking about the many millions of years it took to reach that state. MasyaAllah.

The beautiful Phra Nang Cave from afar.
A glimpse to what's inside of the cave and also its giant stalactites sticking out! Sooo beautiful.

As I walked closer and closer to the cave, I realized that its entrance was filled with cylindrical wooden carvings. And when I was close enough, I realized that those cylindrical structures were actually penises ha ha ha. There was an altar to glorify the Phra Nang princess in the centre of the entrance, and surrounding it were dozens and dozens of wooden... wood.

A blur photo of the inside of the cave, with the altar and its wood at the bottom of it, symbolizing and glorifying fertility. Honestly, I wanted to go closer and take a nicer shot of the whole thing. But, well, I felt shy. The innocent strings of convention held me back from inching nearer the altar, and actually taking a clear photo of it. Or maybe I'm a typical prude who's easily off by these kind of things. Whichever way, if you were to put those man-made structures aside and focus on the natural structures of the cave, you would still be taken aback by the beauty of the cave.

A laaaarge beautiful stalactite!
Beautiful shots of the cave. :')

The total amount of footprints it took for me to take multiple shots of one part of the cave. Ha ha ha...

Silhouettes. Of me, of my parents taking a selfie, and of the stalactites of the magnificent Phra Nang Cave. :)

Oh, did I mention how extremely soft the sand of the shores at Phra Nang Cave Beach was? THE SAND WAS SOOO SOFT. Haziq and I wouldn't stop playing with it. Hahaha!

More photos of my little brother being himself. He reaaaally liked the soft sand (I couldn't blame him, it was super soft and super fun to play with!) so he decided to bury himself in it. Hahaha.

Another shot of the superbly crystal clear seawater of Phra Nang Cave Beach, Krabi.

And that was it for the 4 Islands tour! Alhamdulillah, it was really a great experience having exposed to all those breathtaking sights live. But the day wasn't over just yet. After going back to the hotel, washing up and changing into new, dry comfortable clothes, my parents and I went out to continue our walk from yesterday! We walked further and further, passing by all those similar shops, until we reached a point where there were lines and lines of small stalls selling food and snacks by the road. I was really fascinated. I suppose it's a common sight in Southeast Asia, but seeing the market, hearing the Thai conversations, observing the interactions between tourist buyer and local seller, it was really a fascinating sight for me.
Some photos of the street of Ao Nang.
Some of the stalls of the sidewalk market!

The good food of Thailand! Again, when noticing me, the local sellers give their polite greetings and then declare the halal status of their food. Every time they did that, I felt amazing. It just felt amazing being associated with my own religion, and it also filled me with a sense of responsibility bearing the name of a Muslimah.

THAI PANCAAAAAKES! Today was my first time trying it, and I really really liked it. It is vaguely like us Singaporeans' beloved prata, or Malaysians' favourite roti canai, but much softer thicker. I ordered one with banana and nutella, and it tasted really great. After buying our snacks, my parents and I ate at this elevated ground at the back of the stalls of the sidewalk market. It was really interesting.

After the walk, from across the street where the line of sidewalk stalls were, there was a line of tuk tuk vehicles! I've only ever read of tuk tuks in my Geography textbook, so seeing it there made me feel really excited. With my excitement and Ibu and Ayah's tiredness, we decided to take a ride on the tuk tuk back to the hotel. :)


Shots during and after the tuk tuk ride. :)

At night, the three of us again went out for another walk. Heheh we love to take walks. This time, it's only within the shores of the beach facing our hotel. Even in the dark, the ocean was still really beautiful. Due to the lack of light, the iPad Mini was unable to capture the true essence of the scenery. Alhamdulillah nonetheless.




So those were the main events of today. Going around those islands really made me wish I actually took Geography as one of my 'A' levels subject, because I was absolutely fascinated by the formations and structures. They piqued my interest and invoked my senses, making me intrigued to know more. If I had studied them academically, surely I'd be more equipped with the knowledge of the processes that led to those beautiful formations, and thus leading towards a deeper appreciation for it. Nonetheless! I still truly appreciated the beauty of those structures, subhaanAllah. Nature is so beautiful. :') Till Day Three, everyone!