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Of Visas and Valium

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It’s been a long 6 months. Every day dedicated to a singular purpose – to make sure I could get the scholarship to New Zealand, and to make sure that I can actually get to go.

In the past 3 months I have had to make countless trips to KL to find a guarantor, to get his signature, to come down again to Johor only to find out that I missed one line which required me to get the signatures of both my guarantors, which inevitably meant going back up to KL to get them again…

And also to Putrajaya to get a letter of good conduct, by which I had to prepare a statutory declaration in court of my good behaviour…

Not to mention going to countless trips down to the panel clinic for immigration to New Zealand and Australia (which can only be found in one place in the whole Johor state), getting referred to the specialists for some anomalies in my bloodwork (of which is attributed to fatty liver)…

And finally the trip to Orchard Road in Singapore to apply for my visa… Where I was told that because of the anomalies of my bloodwork, the report would have to be sent to a vetting body in NZ, where they would take 4-6 weeks to determine if I was fit to be a student in New Zealand, and not to become a ‘burden to the New Zealand healthcare system’… Come on! I’m not bedridden am I?

And all the while, I am in limbo. My starting date is looming closer, and yet I am unable to confirm when I’ll be arriving, where I’ll be staying, when I can take out my health insurance policy, or when I can even get my place ticket.

It’s a shame that I’ll be spending the rest of the next month in agonizing wait, when I should be relishing the last moments with my family and friends, with my wife, my son, and my soon-to-be newborn son.

It’s all a bit too much isn’t it?…

Anyone got a valium?

Comments

Cat-from-Sydney said…
Valium? You need Prozac with all that trouble you have to go through... purrr....meow!

psst...we can arrange some tranquilizer. You want?
Psssst... Sounds great...
Anonymous said…
Endure my dear friend. It's there. Coming soon.
Anonymous said…
sabaar ..sabarr..
if fate would have it that in 2007 we had gone for the post grad in Uni of Canterbury instead, i know we would still have been there and you could have stayed with us while getting your own place. heh
but then again, it is fated that i landed myself here :)
it will all fall into pieces...trust me!
Hilmi - Thanks for your optimism bro.. :)

CC - Long time no see!!! And thanks for the falling to pieces bit! hahaha!!! yeah.. It would have been cool if you had gone to UC.. but fate hadn't intended for us to meet there eh? Mesti ada hikmah.. :)
Anonymous said…
Ya. We had the acceptance letter and everything. Just need to book the flight and go.

The within a week, we decided... Nahh not NZ. The International Student official called several times.. Are you arriving???? We told them, nahh we detoured. Heh
Amoiglam said…
an amazing phase in yr life. savor the moment. good luck. Semoga Allah SWT permudahkan semuanya.
Thanks Amoi.. God Bless!
紫勳 said…
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