Yes please?

I am starting to enjoy my time off from work that it is starting to worry me a bit. LOL. Dear future husband, can I just be a housewife please? I promise I'll be a good one hahaha.

To be honest, I have no objections of being a housewife. Every time I tell people that, they will ask me, "What's the point of having a Master's degree then? If you're not going to use it?".

Well.

Firstly, when I decided to continue my studies it was not because I wanted a better job/pay (but I won't complain/refuse it if I do). It was really because I just love studying and I love being a student. Being a student is one of the best things ever. 

I mean, come on, what's not to like about being a student? If you're lucky, you get a scholarship so you don't have to worry about tuition fees/rent/food etc. Then there is the flexible timetable, I can wake up later than usual, complete other tasks and house chores before and after classes (I don't need to ask for leave from work), I get to travel, I get to meet new people/friends every time I sign up for a new course/unit/class, I only have to worry about myself (getting my assignments done and passing exams). 

Besides, there is nothing wrong with being a housewife with a Master's degree anyway. And there is nothing wrong if you choose to work too. It's your life and it's your choice. There is no such thing as "rugi belajar tinggi-tinggi tapi tak kerja". For me, nothing is wasted when it comes to ilmu. 

I have to say, I have been really lucky Alhamdulillah. When I was doing my degree, I had the best house and housemates ever. I lived in a 3-bedroom townhouse with two other housemates (one of them was my best friend Jo who was also my housemate in Sydney). We never had problems with rent or anything like that. During summer holidays, our garage would be transformed into a storage area for friends to store their belongings. Sometimes we would host a potluck for friends and almost every weekend our good friends would come and sleepover at our place. 

(Our house on The Terrace. See that window on the roof? That was my room for 2 1/2 years. It's an attic-like room, the coolest room ever)

During one of our many many random outings. I miss Wellington...

I had a part-time job as a Library Student Assistant that I really love and the pay was really good. I work roughly 12 hours per week (longer hours during summer) and because it was just at the University, I could work in between classes. I didn't need a car because everything was/is within walking distance. 

I was the "Mending girl". I fixed books and make them look brand new again.

(This is Alistair, my supervisor when I was working at the Library. One of the coolest people I've met in my life.)

And then I graduated and came home. 

And I had to work. Day and night including some weekends. 

I was often tired and stressed. I gained a lot of weight. Don't get me wrong, I love teaching. I love my students. The problem is, when you're a teacher in Malaysia, teaching is only like 10% of what you do. 90% of the time is clerical work, going to courses and missing classes, handling events and activities held by the school etc. You won't have enough time to really plan good lessons and you would feel frustrated after each and every class because you know you did not give your best. My experience teaching at my previous work place makes me dread having to go back to work soon.

With some of my girl students

With some of my homeroom kids.

After almost a year of working I decided that I could not stay at the school. I talked to one of the officers and she suggested that I apply for Masters. She told me that she would try to help and 3 months later, I was in Sydney. 

I have to admit, I was nervous and scared when I first arrived in Sydney. My best friend and I arrived on a Sunday. We were supposed to arrive on Saturday but our flight got cancelled and they changed it to the next day. When we first arrived, we were homeless for two weeks, only had about AUD500 each, and we had not enrolled in our courses yet and classes were already starting the next day. Thank goodness for Farah and Kak Hir who helped us throughout the process of settling down. They also let us stay with them until we got a place of our own. 

Two weeks later, we found a lovely two-bedroom apartment near the University. For the first time, Jo and I became roommates. We were worried at first because we did not want to ruin our friendship if things go wrong but Alhamdulillah, we got along really well. Halfway throughout our studies, our other housemate moved out and we had an extra bedroom but neither of us bothered to move into the empty bedroom. We did quite a lot during the short time we were in Sydney. The heli-ride, comedy night, Vivid Sydney, just to name a few.

Jo checking our mailbox :P

One of the best things about being a postgraduate student was not having that many classes to attend. We had to do a lot of independent study/research and I mostly did them from my room. I only had to go to classes once or twice a week for two hours and that was it. Due to the nature of my course, I also had no exams. All I had to do was make sure I complete my assignments on time and do it well. 

So yes. If someone offered me a scholarship to be a student forever, I would gladly accept it. And if my future husband says I can be a housewife and take care of the family, I would say YES PLEASE THANK YOU I LOVE YOU. 

Lol.