M'sian City Life #13: Meeting My Uni Lecturer Helped Me Overcome My 'Kampung' Mentality
"See how kampung my mentality was! I resisted my way of thinking after I met one of my lecturers — and fell in love with her."
By Tang Ruxyn — 11 Apr 2016, 06:00 PM
After completing her SPM, Aizatul moved to Kuala Lumpur to further her studies at Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) in Shah Alam
Aizatul first found it hard to adjust to a new environment. It all changed when she broke out of her comfort zone and started to mingle with people from other ethnicities and cultures.
"I come from a kampung (small village) surrounded with only Malay people. I only had one Chinese teacher at my school. That's why I find it easier to click with my own people and found it hard to attach to the different races in Malaysia," Aizatul said.
"When I came to KL, it was difficult for me to adjust to the diversity in my new environment. But all that changed when I went to university as I learnt to be more open to diversity."
"I’m not a racist or a 'colour picking’ person. It's just that I’m not familiar with this kind of situation."
Aizatul (first from right, second row) with her friends in front of the UiTM library.
Image via Aizatul AnisWhen she came to UiTM in Shah Alam, Aizatul had the privilege of getting to know two Indian lecturers who taught her classes.
She admitted it made her felt uneasy at first, due to her limited exposure and the fact that she never really had the chance to get to know people from other races due to the composition and demographics back in her hometown.
"It's just that in my hometown, most of the residents are Malay. My teachers at school taught me a lot about the other races and unity. I know all of that but I just didn't have the chance to practice it in real life," Aizatul said.
"Before this, I had a bad feeling because I thought that we are from different religion and we will have different thinking but actually, I realised that we are all the same at the core."
Putting aside her preconceptions, Aizatul formed a bond with an Indian lecturer who taught her literature. The lecturer become her pillar of strength, inspired her and eventually changed Aizatul's life.
"At first, I’m kind of shaky as it feels like riding a car with a stranger. But then as time passed, I realised that I shouldn’t be feeling that way."
"See how kampung my mentality was! I resisted my way of thinking after I met one of my lecturers — and fell in love with her."
"She is so passionate and full of magic in her words. I love to attend her classes as she always inspires me with her philosophy and the way she handles everything."
"Somehow, she just inspires me and I would love to be an educator like her. She has painted some hope in me and boosted my motivation to become a better person. If anyone asks me today who I want to become someday, I would say, “Just like her”."
When it came to the final week of her semester, Aizatul expressed her gratitude and love for her favourite lecturer by giving her a big hug
"When I hugged her in our last class for the semester, she said "thank you" to me and I also thanked her in return.
“I really adore the warmth of her hug that makes me feel safe, and I was about to shed some tears because it feels so sad because I won’t be able to see her as I often as I used to.”
Aizatul said she will always cherish her lecturer's parting words to the class.
"She told us, "You’ll never know your ability until you go to edges and jump! Go explore, and the world is yours"."
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