Half the Battle

AS EXAMS SUDAH HABIS!

Wheww, what a month it was! SPM month might have been longer with more exam papers (20+ papers) but it was nothing compared to this AS month. I only had 3 weeks of exams, with gaps in between and at most, 7 papers. But the exhaustion, the stress, the anxiety; nothing like what I'd been through before this. I remember after sitting for my 3-hour History paper, I felt like I just finished running a marathon, literally so. When I put the last full stop after the last sentence and dropped my pen at the end of the 3 hours, I held my head back, closed my eyes and took a really deep breath. And let it go. Just to be sure I was still alive. I was, thank God!

There were days when sleeps did not come easy even after long hours of studying. Perfect example of the body being physically exhausted but the mind was still in overdrive. That's the worst feeling ever, I tell ya. You wanted to drop dead asleep on the bed but you just can't. The mind kept whirring and churning, sometimes with unnecessary thoughts. A friend even said, he couldn't sleep even at 4 in the morning and his mind started making up its own Biology questions. Haha yes, it could be THAT bad.

But then again, the exam month wasn't all that bad, to be honest. It even brought some of us closer together because being away in a residential college like KY, your friends (apart from parents, teachers etc) become one of your strongest support systems. Study groups work best in KY especially for subjects like Economics and History. We had countless History discussions, did plenty of essay plans and sometimes, our own self-taught classes among ourselves.

And no, the discussions weren't all dry and studies-related only. We did stray away from the books from time to time, just to keep ourselves sane. Silly jokes, laughters, gossip reigned the table in between our 'breaks' or when someone had something nonsensical to say.

The trick to surviving in this place is to choose the right circle of friends. Friends who are not only able to make you laugh or those you sit with during lunch or dinner but friends who you could run to in times of need, whatever the problem may be. For example, my friends whom I have classes, tennis and meals with are also the same people who are my study buddies, the ones that could explain to me what does terms of trade mean or whether the reasons behind imperialism was more aggressive than defensive.

And they're amazing people. It is never about competition among us; of who can score higher marks or get more As. No, in fact we got excited for the other if he/she did score higher marks or such. I've friends who I could reach to in the middle of the night just to ask an Economics question, snapped a photo of the question and sent it to him via Whatsapp and got a speedy, precise response in return. KY has a very positive, helpful student body and it's really up to you whether you want to be a part of it, make full use of the advantage or otherwise.

So yes, half the battle has been fought. Another year to go and this one shall not get any easier. A2 year, I think that's when the real deal begins.

Not exactly looking forward to it but it's time to mentally prepare for it. The other half of the battle is just about to get even more ruthless.