Brand New

It's the brand new semester of a brand new academic session.

How do I know?

Incident #1:

My dad's car, packed to the brim with all my bring-back-to-UKM stuff, is parked under the tent as I wait to check in to my room.

Before I knew what was happening, I was surrounded by red-and-green clad, baby-faced kids who looked a little worse for wear. (Well, the first-years have been undergoing Orientation for a week already then.)

I told my dad that he should park the car elsewhere because it seems that they are abuzz with the anticipation of an activity which is, judging by their attire, something sports-y.

I continued standing there.

Then a first-year looked up at me, a frown on her face. She approaches me and says (in English):

"Hello. Are you a newcomer?"

I think my face must have shown my shock (maybe a little annoyance too) as I replied, "Of course not ! I'm a third-year already !"

She apologized profusely then turned to her friends and desperately explained "I didn't know ! She's so small ! How could I know she's a senior !"

How dare she?! I'm a senior ! A senior, I tell you !!!

Incident #2:

I was at the bus stop waiting for the bus to get to my next class. It was sweltering hot, and I was trying to get my entire body within the boundaries of the cool shadows from the trees overhead.

A young Malay boy crossed the road from across and sat down next to me.

He asked me what buses had already passed, worried in case he had missed the one he needed to be on.

I told him the ones that I had seen pass, and then we settled into silence.

Maybe because he felt some sense of gratitude, he felt it necessary to prolong the conversation. He asked casually, "So, kamu first-year jugak?"

I was somehow expecting that. >.<

Incident #3:

It was a morning class at 8.00 am in the morning. When the bus arrived it was so packed with people there were some even standing on the steps up the bus !

Being small-sized, I imagined I might be able to squeeze in. So I did.

A tall, lanky guy dressed smartly in a shirt and slacks with the (hideous) UKM tie and a lanyard and matric card (these are obvious tell-tale signs that they are first-years ! :P) squeezed in right behind me.

I don't know what is up with people nowadays, but he began the conversation with, "What year are you in?"

I responded by asking him, "What do you think?"

"First-year?"

=.=|||

"I'm in my third year."

"Wow, you can't really tell ! Were you in matriculation?"

"No, I sat for STPM."

"Wow. Then you really can't tell !"

How do these 3 incidents relate to how I started this post?

Well, you know it's a brand new semester of a brand new academic session when you get mistaken for a first-year 3 times within the first week of classes.

Or maybe it's just me.






p.s: Is it me, or do the new first-years seem more daring than we ever were in our first week?