About 2 weeks back to school! I have met some friends...Aldian, Evina, Jon, SARAH, Don...bumped into some... Xin Hui, Weining, etc.

I don't know how I have been settling in. SMU welcome home exchange package says that it will take quite some time for the 2 parts of you (exchange part and at home part) to reconcile. And after reconciliation, you'll become one person.

What have I learnt during my exchange? Tak tau. I was reading through my older entries written during my exchange to China, and I realised that a lot of things have slipped my mind. Thank God that I had the entries to remind me of what I thought and did. The thoughts that I had there are different from thoughts that I had prior to exchange. My thoughts that I had prior to exchange is different from the one I have post exchange. How many thoughts man, that needs reconciliation.

Sarah, I hope your exchange would be a great one for you! I know you'll miss home, losing your comfort zone for awhile. You'll miss the familiarity, and would want to find some sort of familiarity when you're there. Take some time to explore your place, and in due time, find a routine to follow, so that life would be more settled. Keep your mind open, and you'll see many new things. Mix with the locals, and get a glimpse to their world and their thoughts. Have some exchange students as your friends, so that you can emphatise with each other. I pray that you'll have good housemates (I think you're sharing a unit with someone), and find great friends there. Keep yourself within the reins and checked at times, and don't do something you know you'll regret. That's very important. Please have some sober friends around you. Find nice people to hang out with. Visit new places, but do keep your finances in check. I hope that you'll learn a lot there!

Love,
PQ