In the spirit of going to Gambang for TaWe, this is my thank you letter to my teachers and lecturers.

Alhamdulillah I am done with my foundation studies (in shaa Allah tak repeat. Aku nak ke Gambang sambut juniors, tak nak la sign myself in) and I have to say, in less than a year, a lot has changed. I remember a conversation I had with my friend on our last few days in Kuantan. She asked “did you come here as a different person from who you are now?” and I said “absolutely.” And I owe a lot of the changes to my friends, my lecturers and everyone else I have met in this one incredible year.

So in this one, I’m just gonna list down some of my favourite things that I have learned from my lecturers and teachers.

Some taught me the power of laughter. I’ve met some people who have gone through things that others would use as an excuse to be bitter at the world, to be angry at everyone but they have proven that they are stronger than that. Despite what happens, they manage to put a smile on their face, crack some jokes and make everyone in the class laugh. They have so much love to give to the world that I sometimes forget how much pain they’re going through. They are some of the strongest people I know.

Some taught me to get out of my comfort zone and challenge myself mentally. Knowledge is supposed to be searched for but we live in a society where we’re lucky enough to have it spelled out for us. And that we shouldn’t be comfortable with just that. How do we know the truth if we never question it? How can we say we know something if we can’t provide evidences for it? How can we belief in something if we can’t even argue for it?

Some taught me passion and compassion. I have had lecturers and teachers who went out of their way to memorize our names and even though it may seem insignificant, it helps make people feel like they matter. It individualizes and humanizes us in its simplest form. And they genuinely want to help us in our studies and sometimes beyond that. I’ve hated a handful of subjects but seeing the passion that they have, it forces me to not give up. If I can’t do it for myself, I can at least do it for them.

Some taught me that it’s okay to be human. In this life, we’re going to have regrets and our what if’s and maybe’s and that’s okay. It’s just a part and parcel of being a flawed human being and all of those experiences and failures will not go to waste if we learn and grow from them. Mistakes are our best teachers. And God is not evil. He puts us where we are for a reason, and it’s our job to find that reason and be thankful for the lesson.

Some taught me how to be real and unapologetically themselves. Hands down, some of the funniest lecturers and teachers that I have are the realest people I know. They don’t give a shit (in a good way). They are okay with expressing their thoughts, they are not afraid of ‘being untraditional’, they’re loud and energetic and my God, they’re amazing.

Some taught me about friendship. I find it funny how some lecturers figure out our cliques, but I guess it’s not that hard to do it. But it makes me wonder how much my friends define who I am. Because I spend my time with them, I learn from them and I have conversations with them. It goes without saying but I really love their advice to appreciate our friends because friendship goes a long way and it makes our days a lot less miserable.

Some taught me to pursue my passion, even though sometimes it means having to face my parents. Because at the end of the day, I’m the one who has to live that life and it will be better if it is a life that I can be proud of, that I am happy with. Honestly, parents are just being parents, they worry about us. But, if we have the knowledge to convince them that there are options, that we are able to work for it, that we are passionate about it, they will eventually cave in (in most cases).

And here are some things my friends shared with me;

“Adab is the key.”

“Always speak the truth.”

“Buat something untuk cari redha Allah.”

“Love yourself, invest in yourself.”

“Manners matter despite having a wide knowledge.”

“Knowledge changes how you see the world.”

“Keadilan bukanlah kesamarataan tapi keadilan adalah meletakkan sesuatu pada tempatnya.”

“Cantik tak cantik, handsome tak handsome, janji attitude jaga, semua akan suka.”

And to add to that;

“Seek knowledge for the sake of knowledge."

“I’m not hoping for you to be good at Literature or even for you to love it. I just hope it changes the way you see Literature, that’s all.”

All those among so many other things. And for each and every one of those lessons and everything else in between, I thank you. You help me be a better person.