Happy 15th Birthday, UNMC!

I remember arriving at the campus for the first time, standing at the back of the Students’ Association building, and looking at the insane view – jungle as far as the eye could see. Just a few days earlier, I was packing up my room in London, preparing to move to Durham for the next three years, when I received a call to say I had been awarded a full scholarship to the University of Nottingham in Malaysia.

What a beautiful campus!

Suddenly, my car full of oh-so-important belongings had to be condensed into a single 30KG suitcase (plus one item of hand luggage), and next thing I knew I was waving adieu to my hometown.

Hello Steve Aoki! – 2015

It’s now four years since I boarded my flight at Heathrow bound for the University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus (UNMC) – a university I knew a bit about, in a country I knew nothing about.

“My name’s Ben Hunte and I studied Cognitive Neuroscience at uni from 2011-2014”. In the UK, it’s a common ‘awkward icebreaker’ to ask someone where they went to university, and I wish I could compile a video of the reactions I receive EVERY SINGLE TIME I reply: “I studied in Malaysia”.

Usually, the reaction is an exaggerated “MALAYSIA?!” swiftly followed by, “but, WHY?!” As you can tell, one year on from my flight home, I’m still answering questions about Asia on a regular basis, so I thought I would do a “three ways UNMC changed my life” post, which will hopefully answer lots of questions along the way. If not, feel free to contact me for answers!

1: “Hi, my name’s Ben, and I suffer from Christopher Columbus ‘syndrome’…”

I can’t really say “I loved travelling”, because I’d never been anywhere without my parents or friends, but I knew that I wanted to go somewhere far away to find and do something incredible – much like Christopher Columbus.

UNMC Football Field – 2011

It just so happens that the easiest time to do this, which many UK students don’t really appreciate, is in your university years. Following a payment to an educational institution, you can move pretty much anywhere in the world for 3+ years, with visas, accommodation, entertainment, relationships, and even a degree, all guaranteed. Granted, in the UK, we have some of the best educational institutions in the world, so why would we want to run away from that, when the world is trying to run to us? Well, THIS is the exact issue solved by universities having satellite campuses.

I can’t speak for other universities, but at my time of applying, I saw how the University of Nottingham was leading the way with international expansion, and loved how it proudly showed-off its China and Malaysia campuses in every prospectus and degree certificate issued; basically, I was ready to get involved.

I can safely say that the urge to explore is going to stay with me for life, mainly because UNMC showed me how travelling opens your eyes to new possibilities and essentially a new you! From the university campus, you can use the free bus service direct to Kuala Lumpur, jump on a ridiculously cheap bus to Penang / Cherating / Langkawi, etc, and be chilling on a beach within a few hours.

Alternatively, you could wake up in Malaysia, and be in Thailand / Singapore / Indonesia / Japan / China / Australia, etc, long before dinner, thanks to incredibly cheap flights (from airlines with seemingly never-ending sales). If you’re like me and feel a constant need to travel, UNMC may just change your life – but don’t blame me when your graduate job is stationary and you start getting withdrawal symptoms!

2: “Live the life you love; love the life you live!”

President Ben Hunte, UNMC SA – 2013/14

In one of my favourite songs, ‘Jump ’N’ Shout’ by Basement Jaxx, they drop in the classic line “Live the life you love; love the life you live”; from the moment I heard it, it became my mantra.

One thing I wish I had been told about university was “allocated study time”, which basically means how long you’ll spend in lectures, seminars and tutorials. For some reason, I had the idea that university timetables were nine to five every day, but the reality was that in my first year, I had around 10 hours of class time each week. I remember seeing all of the gaps in my timetable and having a little freak-out about what I’d do with all of my free time (NOTE: I have no idea why “self-study” didn’t pop into my head at this point, but you’ll be glad to hear I still graduated with a 2:1 degree).

Jungle Hype Events – 2013

So what did I do with my free time? Well, in my first year, travelling around Asia took up my free time, of course. I also won the Mr Nottingham 2012 competition, which involved a month or so of auditions, rehearsals, and shows, and really gave me a great base to become known by all corners of the student population (there’s more information about this in my previous posts).

In my second year, I settled down a bit and started IGNITE Magazine with one of my best friends, recruiting a team of 10 editors and over 100 contributors to tell their stories and report the news in Malaysia. I remember pulling countless all-nighters with the team, which were all worth it on launch day (especially when the traffic to our site crashed the university server).

UNMC, Let’s Talk! – 2013/14

In my final year, I started an events agency, Jungle Hype Events, with another of my friends, which blended his experience of “Nottingham UK” style events with my desire to breathe new life into the Malaysia campus. At the same time, I was also Students’ Association President; I presented a weekly YouTube show called “UNMC, Let’s Talk!” produced by the incredible Nottingham TV team, as well as rebranding the Students’ Association, and ending my term by running the most engaged election that the University has seen.

I genuinely don’t believe that the same kind of experiences exist elsewhere! Yes, you could join a university and be the President of the Strategy Consulting Society, OR you could join somewhere like UNMC, and be the founder of this society, essentially building your own organisation, as many students do. If you’re creative, entrepreneurial and like being hands-on, there is no better place for you than UNMC, after all, it allowed me to “live the life I love and love the life I live”, so it should for you too.

3: “Money comes, money goes, but experiences last a lifetime!”

An airport, somewhere… – 2014

Having seen my UK-based friends struggle through weeks where money was definitely on their minds, and budget versions of cup-a-soup were the only things on the menu, it would be ignorant of me to say that university is a cheap experience… BUT UNMC is definitely cheaper than most.

I was very fortunate when I was awarded my scholarship; it really was a case of speaking to the right people, at the right place, at the right time, and having the grades and experiences to back up my application.

Saying that – you could do it, too. Many scholarships are widely available from UNMC/Nottingham and other international universities, not only for high grades, but also financial hardships, and sometimes extra-curricular activities. Had I failed to receive a scholarship, I would have done what a lot of my friends did and tried to get financial backing.

Many wealthy individuals and corporations offer financial backing for university, usually in return for interning with them or working with them after graduation – I know of Shell, BP and Petronas doing this, but interestingly I haven’t heard of others from outside of the oil industry… There may not be the same kind of “UK student loan” in Malaysia, but if you want to study there, where there’s a will, there is definitely a way.

Shangri-La, Penang – 2012

Aside from university fees, my living costs in Malaysia were honestly minuscule, especially when you consider how “diva” I apparently was. I didn’t cook a single meal during my degree, preferring to eat out every day; I eventually took taxis everywhere rather than taking the (newly upgraded) university buses; I only stayed in international hotels when travelling; flew Business Class; bought books rather than hitting the library, and the list goes on! Yet, I still managed to spend less than RM10,000 (£1,500) each semester… YES, IT WAS THAT CHEAP!

I lived like Beyoncé, but still spent less than what Student Finance would give a new student as a ‘Maintenance Loan’. At UNMC, if you were to live averagely, or even frugally, money will definitely come – and you may find that it stays around a little longer…

I recently contributed towards a Daily Mirror article about study in Malaysia being cheaper than in the UK, which has a lot more information and advice if you’re interested in taking the plunge.

CBBC Live, Leeds – 2013

From small class sizes; experiences that I could talk about for hours; to the glowing tan I’m still rocking, I knew exactly what UNMC could give me if I embraced the opportunities, and please believe I’m still reaping the benefits to this day…

Since finishing my degree in Malaysia, I’ve presented “Match of the Day Kick-about” on Children’s BBC (CBBC), interviewed some of the biggest DJs in the world, managed projects for the CEO of Sainsbury’s, and I’m about to start a permanent role at Google HQ, a company which receives over three million applications each year. Mine may be only one story from the campus, but I know for a fact that my fellow UNMC alumni are doing some incredible things, both in Malaysia and all over the world!

Happy 15th birthday UNMC! I can’t wait to see what’s still to come.


Ben Hunte

Ben.Hunte@me.com
Malaysia Student Life Blog
Facebook: Ben Henry Hunte
Instagram: @Ben.Hunte

If you have memories to share of working or studying at The University of Nottingham in Malaysia, please email emma.lowry@nottingham.ac.uk. Keep up with the 15th anniversary celebrations of Malaysia campus, using #UNMC15 on Twitter until 27 September 2015.

The post Ben Hunte: 3 Ways UNMC Has Changed My Life (So Far!) appeared first on Malaysia Student Life.

“How would you maintain your professionalism if you were selected as a Perdana Fellow?”

“And by professionalism, I am referring to the fact that you may not necessarily be a supporter of the current government.”

That was a flavour of the sort of questions you would encounter in the interview for Malaysia’s most prestigious internship placement – the Perdana Fellows Programme.

Hosted by the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Fellows programme is designed to groom future leaders and allowing the nation’s youth to bring fresh perspective to the workings of government.

A candidate must first submit a 500-word essay on a public policy issue which he or she considers as most pressing and providing suggestions on how it can be addressed. The essays will then be assessed by the Ministry before they proceed to another two rounds of interview.

I had the honour to serve the Minister of Youth and Sports – Khairy Jamaluddin who is the youngest member of the cabinet and, to my dismay as a Gunners fans, a diehard supporter of the Manchester United Football Club.

A total of 70 young Malaysians including myself served directly under a cabinet Minister and we had exposure to substantial policy work at the highest levels of government – therefore the world Perdana (or Premier), including the Prime Minister’s Office.

In fact, Prime Minister Najib Razak has called on the Perdana Fellows to become the unofficial government spokesmen, helping the government to reach out to young people so that the youth could benefit from the various public programmes and initiatives.

Online blogs, forums, and news portals have become the most preferred marketplace to trade juicy political gossips and grouses for many young people. They need to be empowered to contribute towards nation-building.

“We want to educate the youth to not just sit on the sidelines and criticise but to stand up and do something,” said Khairy.

I had known that the Minister meant business when he gave that statement judging by the work that he assigned to me: writing policy papers and project proposals. In other words, I was given the opportunity to put into practice my ideas of making a better Malaysia!

The Youth Parliament review paper was my favourite piece of work. How often would you get the chance to contribute towards establishing a new public institution? With my background in political science, I had provided recommendations to the design of voting in the youth parliament. For instance, I argued that a Senatorial assembly will be most suited to encourage discussion of issues at national level and the elections must be moved from constituency-based to national.

While the Ministry did not accept my views wholesale, I was satisfied enough to know that my views were considered by the Minister and were reflected in subsequent changes made.

Throughout my 3-month posting, I had also the opportunity to work alongside the Minister at grass-roots level including the by-election campaign in Kuala Besut – a fishing village located more than 400km away from Kuala Lumpur. Since I do not ride a motorcycle, I had to take the back seat of the Minister’s bike and travelled up and down the village canvassing for votes. It became something that Ministers laughed about the next time they met at cabinet meetings.

Politics in Malaysia (or indeed anywhere else) can appear nonsensical at times. It is easy to get frustrated and disillusioned. But if you choose to see yourself working towards a larger goal of nation-building, you give yourself a reason to grow and become inspirational to those around you.

This post was written by Lau Zheng Zhou, a former Perdana Fellow and UNMC student, BA (Hons) Business Economics and Management, 1st Class, September 2007 – July 2010. Lau is now a Research Analyst at the Centre for Public Policy Studies (CPPS) and Vice-President of the Perdana Fellows Alumni Association (PFAA).

The post Perdana Fellows: the unofficial government spokesmen appeared first on Malaysia Student Life.

I’m writing this post to tell you about a rather peculiar day I had last month.  It all started when one of my local Hindu friends told me that there was a big thing going on at one of the temples in KL on Saturday night and told me that there will be lots of music, dancing and vegetarian food.  As a vegetarian this was not something I wanted to miss out on and so I took her up on the offer.

At the time there was a nine day festival going on, known as Navrathri (Sanskrit for nine nights).  The first three days are for Kali amman (the Goddess of strength), followed by three days for Goddess Lakshmi (the Goddess of wealth) and ending with three days for Saraswathi (the Goddess of knowledge).  These are the three forms of Goddess Parvati, the wife of Lord Shiva.  The final day of the festival is known as Dussehra by the North Indians and Vijayadhasami by the South Indians.  On this day a statue of Raavan (the symbol of evil) is burnt to symbolise the idea that evil can be conquered.

The day started by getting brunch in Brickfields, KL with my good friend Chandhann.  One of our favourite dishes which we often have when we are in this area of KL is an assortment traditional South-Indian dishes on a banana leaf.  Essentially it’s a serving of rice, an assortment of vegetables, rasam, dhal, papadam, a sweet and a curry of your choice.  If eaten properly with your fingers, it will leave them smelling of curry which you’ll find yourself sniffing for the rest of the day.

As we waddled out of the restaurant with our bloated tummies, we attended on the next item on the itinerary for the day.  We needed to look decent for the temple that night.  Being in a Hindu temple dressed in a shirt and tie is just going to look out of place so what better than to purchase a kurta.  With Brickfields being one the predominantly Indian districts of the city I was looking good in my new kurta in no time (You’ll see me wearing this if you scroll further down).

After some shopping for various things at a couple of the city’s many vast shopping malls, the two of us began to make our way over to temple.  From the station we were given a series of directions from a helpful gentleman who was surprised to hear we were eager to walk the distance instead of taking a taxi.  He told us it was only two kilometres but trust me, we walked way more than two kilometres.  Eventually we reached the road Jalan Kasipillay but the search was not over yet. We came across a large Hindu temple with music coming from inside, people selling flowers outside and an unusual amount of bustle and activity.  We assumed it was the correct temple only to be disappointed: the search was not over yet.  We continued on after being told that the temple we needed to be at was down a dead end, only to fall for the same trap again.  Again this temple was buzzing with activity and was even down a dead end but no… The search was still on!  An hour later after walking the apparent two kilometres we eventually made it to the correct temple.  Hooray!

After visiting and praying at the temple it was time for the food, and there was lots of it.  Thosai, naan, vegetable biryani, nasi goreng, mee goreng, nasi lemak, parathas, pavbhaji, jalebi, pakora, many curries, rice dishes, a whole host of other things and even pani puri were all served.  Much of it was VERY spicy and all was vegetarian.

After eating we were joined by a couple more friends and then were lead back inside the temple by the music and the thumping of drums.  Inside there was an enclosed section in which girls all entered and danced around a statue to a progressive rhythm followed by the guys and so on and so forth.  Every other guy’s dance, called the Dandiya, featured two rings of people, one inside the other, each person equipped with a pair of sticks. As the music started the two rings rotated in opposite directions whilst everyone clashed their own sticks together followed by the opposite person’s in an alternating manner moving from one person to the next.  This looked like fun so Chandhann and I joined the next round.

People who know me well enough in person know a certain something about me. I don’t dance.  No matter how special the occasion, I just won’t dance.  It’s not that I have anything against dancing or people who do dance.  It’s just not for me.  So when I was shuffling around the ring rhythmically hitting my sticks together and with other peoples’, something very strange happened.  I was in a trance.  I completely lost the concept of time but what seemed to be like 10 to 15 minutes after the music started, I noticed my body was up to something rather bizarre. In reality I had no idea of how long this had been going on for but before I knew it, I was swaying in and out of the circle in par with the others, jumping around on my feet, jerking my entire body to the rhythm of the drums.  I was dancing!  That evening I gave my limbs full permission to do whatever so they desired.  As the tempo and intensity of the music increased during the session, so did I.  The same thing happened the following round, this time without the sticks, we danced round at the centre in an anticlockwise motion going, letting go as we entered “the zone”…

Exhausted after all the dancing, we rushed back to the station as fast as we could to catch the last train back home.  Once we reached the station the counters were all closed for the night leaving us no option but to use the ticket machines.  Those of you who’ve used these have probably noticed that for some reason they don’t accept every coin that they’re given.  With the time until our train arrives ticking away, we started putting in the coins for the two tickets we need.  Fortunately we only needed two since the other two of us had Touch & Go Cards (cards used for tickets for trains and buses which can also be used on the highway toll. It is equivalent to the Oyster card in London).  Just when we needed it least, after accepting the first few coins, the machine then decided to reject all the others! We all grabbed our wallets and purses to see if it would take our change.  As the coins were being rejected we put them in again, and again and again.  We tried everything.  We tried putting them in quickly, we tried putting them in slowly. We tried different angles, pinching hold of them in the slot and lowering them as far down as we could before dropping.  We even tried kissing them before inserting them in the machine.  It sounds odd I know, but strangely that was actually one of the more successful of methods.  Every now and then a coin would be accepted and we would all cheer.  Progress was slow and time was running out.  Just as the train arrived and rumbled throughout the silent midnight station, the final coin was accepted and the last card was dispensed!  We grabbed our rejected coins, ran for the platform, down the escalator (which, unsurprisingly considering our luck that day, wasn’t working) and onto the train.

The moral of the story is to invest in a Touch & Go Card people!  RM10 is a more than worthwhile investment.  You can skip the queues for the ticket booths and you never know when a few minutes would be so precious to you.

Just when my day couldn’t get any weirder, on the train home, I managed to superglue my lips together. Accidentally of course, but c’mon?  How can anyone manage to do this to themself?

The post Luxmy Narayan appeared first on Malaysia Student Life.

Studying at UNMC has provided me with many great and exotic travel opportunities to places which I could only dream of visiting before.  During my time here I intend to make the most of it.  In my first year not only did I have the opportunity to travel around Malaysia but I have also been able to visit some other nearby countries.

Just after the May exams, I spent my last few days in Malaysia on the tropical island of Pangkor chilling on the beach, playing in the waves and eating delicious home cooked Malay food with my close friends before we all headed home for the summer holidays.  It truly was the ultimate way to wind down after exam stress.

Pangkor from mainland

During my time at UNMC I have made friends from all over the world who have gladly offered to be my tour guide in their home countries.  This time it was the turn of my good friend Furqan. Located in the Middle East, he is conveniently between my home in the UK and Malaysia; perfect for a week’s stopover to have a holiday before returning to university, a taste of Arabia and most importantly meeting camels for the very first time.

Dubai.  A city built by oil.  Shouting its wealth to the world through its record breaking engineering masterpieces.  Many major cities around the world have a few records to their name.  Dubai however, has more than its fair share.  Here are some of the most impressive.

The Burj Kalifa

Dubai’s Record list:

Burj Kalifa – The World’s Tallest Building

Burj Al Arab – The World’s Only Seven Star Hotel

Dubai Metro – The World’s Longest Fully Automated Metro Network

Princess Tower – The World’s Tallest Residential Building

JW Marriott Marquis – The World’s Tallest Hotel

Ski Dubai – The World’s Largest Indoor Ski Resort

The Dubai Fountain – The World’s Largest Choreographed Fountain

Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo – The World’s Largest Single Acrylic Panel

Ok, an acrylic panel doesn’t really sound that exciting however large so I wanted to show you this one. It’s one of the viewing screens of the aquarium housing sharks, rays and many other fish. Sound a bit cooler now?

Snow!  After having missed last winter entirely with having spent it in Malaysia, it had been quite some time since I’d seen snow.  Yes, I’m still in Dubai, in fact I spent the afternoon at Ski Dubai, a winter wonderland located in one of the city’s many shopping malls.  Riding toboggans, inflatable rings, and zorb balls down icy slopes at -3⁰C truly was a contrast to the previous afternoon’s desert safari in the outdoor heat.  We rode over the sand dunes in a 4×4 out to a camp in the desert to spend the evening dining to Arabian music and dances.  I even got to meet a friendly camel.

My time spent in Dubai had many highlights and it was a lovely feeling to be abroad again. If I had to choose a favorite moment it would be the dune bashing on the desert safari.  It’s something I would recommend to anyone visiting Dubai.  I was lucky enough to be in the front seat so I could get some footage.  Just in case you’re wondering, the feminine screams in the background are that of a group of Russian girls, not mine.  The shaky camera work however, I take full responsibility for.

Next stop Malaysia. I can’t wait!

The post On Road Back East appeared first on Malaysia Student Life.

“The World is a book, and those who do not travel only read a page”  Saint Augustine

Hi there, I’m Jon and I’ve just returned to the UK from my first year at Nottingham’s Malaysia Campus (UNMC).  I’m studying Mechanical Engineering and I’ll clear this up now.  Yes you did read the first sentence correctly.  No I’m not an exchange student, on a mobility scheme or whatever you like to call it.  The whole duration of my degree is based out in Malaysia.

Whilst living amongst a different community and culture I have experienced many new things.  I couldn’t possibly recall them all but here are just a few.

New Tastes:

Malaysia is made up of three main cultures, the Malays, the Chinese and the Indians.  With each representing themselves in terms of language, religion and cuisine even after spending so long in the country there is often something new to try in terms of food.  My two favourites are roti chanai (an Indian influenced flat bread) and kuey teow (flat rice noodles served fried or in a soup).  Food is such a huge part of life here I really shouldn’t talk too much about it as this is just meant to be brief and I’ll find it hard to stop.  If I’m going to about talk food in Malaysia at any length I’ll go all out, do it properly and give it its own post.  In case you haven’t visited the country – yes, it’s true, the food really is that good!

New Smells:

The durian.  You can’t walk the streets of South East Asia and miss it.  Not only is it an unmissable giant spikey fruit with such a peculiar taste and texture, it’s the smell which will ultimately hit you first.  While some will cringe as they’re hit by its potent stench, others will draw in deep breaths of its rich sweet fragrance.

Personally?  I would have durian stented air fresheners if I could however unpopular that would make me.

Fortunately for the durian haters out there the fruit is often banned on public transport and hotels.

The mighty durian in its native habitat

I realise they do look like fuzzy tennis balls from this photo but seriously now, DO NOT stand under one of these trees.  They are pretty big and if one falls on someone it could kill them.

New Friends:

One of my favourite things about UNMC is the people.  At the campus there is a rich variety of backgrounds, nationalities and cultures.  Hosting a community of 40% international students, studying at the Malaysia Campus is a great way to meet people from across the globe, learn about their cultures and teach people about your own.

New Horizons:

For those in Britain there was once a time when attaining a degree would be enough to comfort the idea of seeking employment after graduating.  Nowadays however, with more and more people going to university having a degree is seen more as a minimum requirement for many jobs due to the number of graduates.  In order to fight off the competition something extra is required.  Something different.  Something special.

For me that something is having the international experience I’ve gained whilst at UNMC, the independence this has given me and the confidence I’ve grown in the meantime.

The post Selamat Datang ke (Welcome to) Malaysia! appeared first on Malaysia Student Life.

Ben Hunte
UNMC SA President
University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus

Sorry for the disappearing act!

I’m currently back in London and I finally have FREE TIME to update my blog. Love it!

I’ve been ridiculously busy with a number of crazy things, all of which will be revealed to you ASAP….. Well, as soon as I find out whether or not I’m allowed to talk about them..

Stay tuned!

Believe.

Ben Henry Hunte.

The post Ben, Where Are You?! appeared first on Malaysia Student Life.

Where Am I Now?

Right now, I’m on a rather loud bus, on the way back from my favourite place in Malaysia – PENANG! There’s quite a bit of drama on this bus, because a whole group of old Chinese ladies were miss-sold their tickets and told we were heading to another destination, but we’re not, and now they want the bus driver to turn around and take them back to Penang so that they can get another bus, when we’re only an hour away from KL.. Things are getting quite heated, and as I don’t speak Malay or any Chinese dialect, I’m just sat here catching the odd English word, trying to piece the madness together.

[UPDATE: Just after I typed that, please believe the bus driver pulled over to the side of the motorway, and kicked every single person off the bus.. What kind of madness! A few minutes later another bus heading to KL took pity on us and picked us up though, so it’s fine.]

Anyway, Penang has been amazing, as always. This has been a really packed week, and I was out of my house from morning until midnight every single day, helping out all sorts of societies with their events, covering stories for Ignite, bringing myself pain at the gym, sitting in the library for hours doing uni work (see me lie), so I needed a little sun, sea, and sand in my weekend to reboot my body.

It really is insane how just jumping into the sea changed my outlook on life, and lying on a beach for a few hours gave me a clear mind to sort out all of my problems. To be fair, staying in a 5* hotel and utilising all of the luxury amenities that came with it probably helped too..

Either way, I’ll be telling you all about this beautiful weekend next week, and there have been some truly hilarious moments, so I can’t wait to write it up.

The Cameron Highlands

In my opening last week, I mentioned the journey through the mountains which Em and I have refused to ever do again, because we genuinely stared death in the face.

If you think I’m being a drama queen, I encourage you to take this journey, in the same storm we did, in a big coach, through those tiny mountains roads – which have no barriers, and then try to tell me you don’t get the urge to send an “I love you” text to your nearest and dearest. It was horrible, and dare I say I didn’t think visiting the Cameron Highlands was even worth going through that journey.. If you’re in Malaysia already, go and visit it for experience sake, but don’t take a bus.

The madness began when we stepped off of the bus in the Cameron Highlands, and I got hit in the face by a breeze sponsored by winter in Nottingham, UK. That’s obviously an exaggeration, but I swear 17 degrees has never felt so disgusting. I don’t know why nobody told us to wrap up warm for the Highland fun and games, but it’s fine; Em and I literally couldn’t stop laughing as we walked down the high street in our vests and shorts, passing people wrapped in jumpers, coats, trousers and even earmuffs. We looked like the ultimate unprepared tourists.

The next ridiculous thing was our hotel. There’s a certain level of luxury that we like to hit on our weekend breaks, because we save up our money throughout the week to be able to afford a nice getaway, so when a hotel that claims to be 5* luxury actually turns out to be a 5* liar, things can get emotional. In short, we arrived in the Cameron Highlands in the early afternoon, checked into this run down hotel with none of the facilities that we were promised, and went directly to bed; do not pass go, do not collect anything. The level of depression was that bad. BUT once we woke up in the late evening, we started laughing again, and promised each other to make the most of this bad situation.

In order to do this, we booked a 5 hour tour for the next morning, to take us around all the best places in CH, and as it only cost RM25 (£5) we felt quite good about life. Shout-out to the guy who sold us the tour, he’s hilarious! He has an over-friendly cat which he keeps in his little shop, who keeps him company whilst his boyfriend’s away in Australia. So cute.

So, the tour. I can’t lie, we absolutely loved it! It was so ghetto-fabulous, that you really couldn’t hate it. We went strawberry picking, visited a butterfly farm and a bee farm (yes, a bee farm), and had a tour of the Boh tea plantation and factory – which involved having ‘afternoon tea’ complete with homemade scones.

Now let me tell you about the bee farm. It was literally a broken building, housing 3 floors, and on the ground floor there was an ENCLOSED BEE FARM.. Those are three words I never expected to see together. As I walked down the stairs to the ground floor, alone – Em refused to join me, the buzzing got increasingly loud and violent. With a few more steps there were a load of bees suddenly circling my body.. and then they were joined by a few more.. and then a few more.. and then way too many. It was at that point that I sprinted back up the stairs, screaming as I passed the local tourists who I could’ve sworn were recording me on their phones. I may soon be a Youtube star.

I know this all sounds really negative, especially the fact that I don’t ever want to go back to the Cameron Highlands, but being in Asia is all about experiencing new things, and at least I can now say that I’ve lived through all of the above madness. Oh, one more highlight of the weekend was being ‘customer of the day’ at Starbucks! Apparently my loud laugh and teethy grin are infectious enough for me to be given free food and drinks, how awesome.

Emceeing Events

Being established as one of the most ‘out there’ people on campus does have its advantages, and one of them is being in high demand for emceeing events and helping to organise events. As much as I love being an emcee, because it brings me closer to my not-so-secret dream of being an actor/presenter, it can be quite a stressful experience having to keep audiences entertained (especially when the events are badly organised, and the audience is made up of students who just can’t be bothered to participate).

However, this time of the year is unlike any other at UNMC, because now is when all of the huge annual shows come back to campus, and there’s literally a different event to go to every single day. I’ve already said ‘yes’ to emceeing 6 events this month, including the 2 biggest annual events “Music Talent Quest 2013” which is essentially UNMC X Factor, and Mr & Miss Nottingham 2013, so everyone will be really sick of my face by the time April rolls around..

This week saw me host the quarter-finals of the solo round of MTQ13, which was held in the main food area of UNMC, and drew a huge crowd of supporters for the 19 acts. When I first came to this university, I was really worried that I wouldn’t have an opportunity to perform over the duration of my degree; okay no, there aren’t as many opportunities to be on stage here as there are at the UK campus (which hosts a student theatre), but when you get an opportunity to shine here – you really can shine!

It’d be so cheesy of me to say that the different events over the next few weeks will see many new ‘campus stars’ coming into the spotlight, but I’m going to say it anyway, and I can’t wait to see more students jumping out of their shells, and releasing their inner divas.

My First LGBT Event in Msia

I’m not one of those people who feels a need to celebrate my sexuality, and constantly flaunt it in people’s faces.. It just is what it is! I have a boyfriend, I love him, he loves me, and our families are supportive – in my eyes that’s all that matters. HOWEVER, this week a ‘drag show’ came to KL, and you know I grabbed my LGBT flag and postponed my weekend break to Singapore in order to be there.

In a country where homosexuality is supposedly illegal, it was so nice to be completely surrounded by like-minded individuals for the first time since arriving here. Being able to openly talk to people about how similar we are yet completely different, because of where they were raised, and the attitudes of their families, and the crazy struggles they’ve faced, was inspiring to say the least.

As for the show, it was absolutely hilarious, and I’ll definitely be going back to future events put on by that organisation.

What’s The Food @ UNMC Like?

No word of a lie, this question is asked by every single person who contacts me asking about student life at UNMC, and so it should be, because food is a big deal!

In all honesty, it doesn’t really matter what I say right now, because in just a few months a new building will be opening on campus, which is basically a huge extension of our current Food & Beverage building.. I’ve heard rumours of Starbucks and KFC trying to obtain spaces in the new building, but as yet nothing is certain (when it is, I’ve been told that a story will be released via Ignite to spread the good news! Watch this space for that).

At present, food on campus is fine, and anybody that complains has probably been around here too long to appreciate it anymore. There’s a huge variety of different foods to choose from, from Asian to Western to vegetarian to 7/11’s finest; though I have to admit, I find myself eating pretty much the same thing every day because trying new things has been a bit ‘hit or miss’ for me.. The only advice I’ll give is to never blindly trust other people’s food recommendations unless you’re sure you share the same taste buds. I’m not sure what else I can say about the on campus food really, because aside from it being very cheap (averaging RM5-RM10 / £1-£2 a meal), available from morning until night, and soon to be revamped, I’m sure it’s just like any other university canteen..

If you really don’t want to eat on campus, then there are a crazy number of alternative solutions to ease your hunger pains. We have a Tesco Extra just a few minutes away from campus, which you can take a taxi to, or just jump on the UNMC shuttle bus; but if you’re like me and can’t cook to save your life, then Semenyih, Kajang and KL are close enough to bounce to for lunch/dinner.

What’s available to eat in these places? What isn’t! In Semenyih there’s a load of cafe style restaurants, a KFC, a McDonald’s, a Pizza Hut and a Secret Recipe; in Kajang there’s all of that plus a Starbucks, Burger King, and lots of satay places; and in KL, well, anything your heart desires to munch will be available somewhere within those streets. If you’re really interested in knowing what’s available, check out the mall directories online (Mid Valley, Pavilion, KLCC) for restaurant listings.

Aaaaand that’s all for this week! Join me next week to hear about this weekend’s trip to Penang, Mr & Miss Nottingham 2013’s first full rehearsals, and any other jungle moments I may come across.

Believe.

Ben Henry Hunte.

The post Cameron Highlands, Emceeing Events, LGBT Awareness, & Food at UNMC! appeared first on Malaysia Student Life.

Where am I now?

This weekend, Eiman and I decided to visit a place which, in all honesty, neither of us ever really wanted to visit, but felt compelled to by our student visas.

After what can only be described as the bus ride FROM HELL, which saw our bus driver hit some serious Formula 1 speeds, whilst carelessly darting our coach around tiny unfenced roads – taking us high into the mountains, we arrived in Cameron Highlands, Malaysia.

I’m laughing as I type this, because I really have never experienced anything so ridiculous in my life! The driver felt the need to accelerate at every single opportunity, then slam on the breaks just before we plummeted into the jungle thousands of metres below. Em was fear-gripping my right leg with such tremendous force throughout the journey, that I don’t think it’ll ever feel the same again. Thankfully, I managed to pass out, probably through fear, but woke up just as the bus jolted forward and we were staring over the edge of a cliff. There are simply no words.

More on that fun next week though! It’ll be an interesting one, because we’ve been strawberry picking, visited a tea plantation, taken photos of pretty flowers, and I was even given freebies from Starbucks for being “customer of the day,” so it’s been a very enjoyable weekend break!

Em’s 21st Birthday, in Melaka

After the amazing 21st birthday celebration which Eiman gave me, it was finally time for me to return the favour. In all honesty, I hadn’t even planned to fly back to Malaysia until probably today, so once I’d got a job and got a cold and bounced out of London, I found myself with 3 days to plan her birthday before the big day arrived.

All I can say is that women are too hard to buy gifts for. I devoted a day to going and buying her an amazing present, but found myself giving up after only an hour of being in the mall; there’s just too much choice! At least with men, if you want to buy us something, our clothes are simply in S/M/L – and it’s easy to guess which would fit, and you’ll have a rough idea of what we’d like, because we’re usually open about it. With women, well, you know the story; it was just an impossible task.

So rather than embarrass myself and ruin our friendship, I decided to book a fancy spa-break in Melaka (a place we’ve been to so many times that it wouldn’t be shameless to just go there and not leave the hotel), reserve us a table in a nice restaurant, and in the process reach my daily bank limit, twice.

It was so worth it though! Em is like the rock of my international student life (we all need one); we’re pretty much inseparable, and rely on each other 24/7, so to not go above and beyond the call of duty on her big day would’ve put me straight into the doghouse.

I have to say though, if any Melaka hotel managers are reading this, can you ALL please do something about the temperature of your outdoor pools. I don’t know what’s going on, but in all of the hotels we’ve stayed in within the city, the pool temperatures have all been close to frozen conditions, and literally impossible to enjoy. In a country where the coldest it gets is 30degrees, and cold breezes do not exist, the shock one can get from jumping into said pools is enough to require resuscitation. Not impressed; everything else has always been fabulous though!

Mr & Miss Nottingham 2013 – Auditions

The divas have been nominated, the claws have already come out in auditions, and the journey towards finding Mr & Miss Nottingham 2013 has begun!

After winning the title last year, I’ve been asked to MC the event this year, and lend the SA a hand in selecting and training the participants. The competition, also being referred to as “The Face of Nottingham” is one of the most attended events on campus, if not THE most attended event, and after last year it’s clear that if you stand out on the night (for good or bad), your performance will be remembered for a long time to come…

For me, this competition meant a lot; it proved to me that I’d been accepted. As a rather loud and let’s say ‘unusual’ individual, I was really worried about how I’d be accepted in Malaysia before I arrived, and people were constantly telling me how I needed to act here to prevent deportation, but clearly I had nothing to stress about.

As I said last week, in a time when graduates are finding it hard to differentiate themselves from other eager students, a title like “Mr/Miss Nottingham” reads volumes about your confidence, personality and ability to get along with people, and really would give you that edge. In all of my interviews over the past few weeks, every single one of my individual interviewers tried to create some sort of banter around me being “Mr Nottingham 2012” (actually, one of them later caught me completely off-guard by proclaiming “roll out the red carpet, it’s Mr Nottingham!” as I walked into a networking lunch.. I instinctively gave the assessors a royal-wave, everybody cracked up, and yes, they offered me a job).

What I’m saying is, yes it’s a pageant, yes it’s a bit of fun, but the title is still an insanely amazing credit to its holder.

All UNMC students were able to nominate either themselves or somebody else, and by the time the deadline was reached, 27 guys and 32 girls had been nominated. Each of them was then invited to a three minute audition on Thursday, which was filled with quick-fire questions from a panel, to test their confidence and their ability to make things up on the spot (there’s nothing worse than awkward silence on a stage..).

The students that got put through to the final 12 are a mix of those who are known by the vast majority of UNMC students (READ: popular), and those who have an amazing talent which needs to be shared with the student-community, because the event still needs to be entertaining.

It’s going to be an exciting race, and I’ll be keeping you all updated via here and Ignite (www.unmcignite.com).

The Arrival of Adulthood

There was once a time when I’d go to a job interview knowing that after a few months, I’d probably be interviewing for somewhere else. I had this master plan where I wanted to work for the best retailer in London, and thought that bouncing around companies, climbing up the employment ladder was the best way to do it..

Well it was, because, for those interested, Harrods really is without doubt the best retailer in London, and easily the best job I could’ve had at 18. Anyway I digress, once given a job, I’d be sent my contract and employment documents, and the booklet talking about ‘pensions’ used to be completely ignored, because I knew that as a teenager, it was basically irrelevant to me..

NOT ANYMORE! I spent a good few hours this week studying the pension plans that my grad employer is offering to me, and having met the majority of the department I’m joining during interviews and networking events, I know that most of my coworkers themselves were given a place on the Graduate Scheme, and are still with the company 20 years later, so decisions like this are pretty important.

I’ve also been requested by the company to create a “LinkedIn” profile, and use it to start networking with my coworkers. It’s such an exciting prospect, but disgustingly daunting, to know that adult life really is starting soon. The other scary thing is that getting this job is essentially what all of those years of education, exams, and crazy stress were for…… I KNOW. Bring on the mortgage and baby bottles.

Top 5 Things UNMC/Malaysia Has Taught Me

Over the Christmas break, whilst I should’ve been revising – but wasn’t, my Facebook inbox was filled with questions by prospective students about UNMC student life. One question which came up a few times was “What has studying in Malaysia/UNMC taught you?” In short, a ridiculous amount.

1. How sociable I am…
I always felt sociable at school, but after many years of being with the same people, it’s hard to judge whether or not you’re actually a sociable person, because everyone speaks to everyone.. Well, UNMC proved to me that not only am I an incredibly sociable person, but I have a huge need to speak to people almost 24/7, and absolutely hate being on my own.
It’s not that I can’t survive on my own, I can, but UNMC has such a small community that after being on campus for a few hours, and talking to a ridiculous amount of people, having my phone constantly buzz with personal/uni/Ignite stuff, attending meetings, running events etc etc etc, I find it hard to go back to my room and turn off that social-side. I guess it’s the same feeling you get after you’ve been to a concert, and you’re still buzzing when it’s over. I think this really annoys my friends at home, because most of them don’t have much to do at uni apart from go to lectures and practice a sport or two, so my daily updates can see me talking for a long long time, whilst for them, nothing’s really happened..

2. If you want something done, do it yourself…

Please believe me when I say, I don’t mean this in a negative way at all. Whenever I’ve run events or created organisations at home, I’ve always been careful to not delegate too many tasks to other people, because if they don’t pull through – drama occurs. At UNMC, I think a lot of people learn this, but too late.
It’s very nice to have a team of 40 people doing things, but through my time being here I’ve seen that at the beginning of the year people take on all of these responsibilities, then over time, lose interest and disappear.. What this means is that by the end of Semester 1, or at the start of Semester 2, events that were promised don’t happen, because the teams essentially no longer exist. So, I have literally learnt that if I want something done here, I need to do it myself, but I’m guessing that’s a very important lesson in the adult world (especially in the business sector), so I’m glad I’ve experienced it.

3. The importance of lectures…

I’m quite ashamed to admit this, but this past week was actually the first week that I’ve attended all of my lectures, since the beginning of first year. In the UK campus you can probably get away with this, but here, it’s almost impossible because, at least in Psychology, our lecturers know us on an individual basis and our lectures are seminar-sized, so if you’re not in attendance – everybody knows you’re not in attendance.
I probably attended about 0.1% of my lectures last semester, so when it came to revising/learning my course content for Jan exams, I found myself with about 300 powerpoint presentations to go over! Obviously there was no way I had the mental capacity to do that, and especially not over Christmas after I’d been away from home for 3 months. I’m now learning that through going to lectures, and just listening, when I look back over the presentation, I can actually remember some quite detailed information! Okay, it took me a year and a half to learn this, but at least I know now. My aim is to hit 100% attendance in lectures this semester, and I’m on course so far, so bring on the 1:1 in summer exams!

4. Home sickness affects us all (and it creeps up on you at the most random times)…

I remember back in the day when we used to go on school trips, and some people would be crying their eyes out, screaming and wailing, about leaving their parents for a week or two.. and then there I was, one hug, one “BYE!” and I was ready to go. I have literally never been affected by home sickness, because I love travelling that much, but let me tell you something nobody knows…
Only occasionally, and I really do mean every once in almost never – when I’m ridiculously tired and rundown, I will get hit by this tidal wave of sadness, and it literally comes from absolutely nowhere! For a few minutes, I can’t stop crying (my Raybans suddenly act as shame-savers, if I’m in public), and I’ll drop to my knees, and create all of that drama.. but then, I’ll start cracking up about being such a diva and I’m fine! My last one of these was on Thursday; I was walking past the fountain on campus, watching the mist diffuse through the air, whilst “Ready or Not – Fugees” blared into my ears, and BOOM the tears began. So yes, UNMC has taught me that even if you think homesickness won’t ever affect you, once every few months, be prepared with those Kleenex.

5. My love for travelling, hotels, networking, and the general global travel experience…

Now I’ve tasted the global experience, I will never let it go –  that is, until my partner tells me to sit down and we have the “let’s start a family” conversation.
I just can’t imagine not being able to travel to different countries; staying locked down in one place really does scare me.. I’m fortunate in that the graduate offer I’ve accepted involves global placements, in all corners of the world, so I don’t have to give up the travelling fun just yet. Pass me the airport lounge networking, the business class flights, the Skype calls home, the resulting home sickness, and above all, the opportunity to see more of the world! I can’t wait.

Aaaand that’s all for this week! I’ll see you next week for my Cameron Highlands review, and any hilarity that throws itself at me before next Sunday.

Believe

Ben Henry Hunte

The post Melaka Moments, Mr & Miss Notts, Adulthood Arrives, & What UNMC Has Taught Me! appeared first on Malaysia Student Life.

Where Am I Now?

Well, I’m actually sat in an executive suite, in Melaka, Malaysia, treating my best friend to a luxurious 21st birthday weekend.. No word of a lie. I got back to Malaysia earlier this week, and jumped straight into a 5* vacation. More on this weekend next week though.

Some people like to book their international flights months in advance, but I prefer to book mine the night before I want to travel. Not only does this mean that I won’t have any date-change fees to pay for sudden itinerary changes, but contrary to popular belief, I also usually get my seats for much cheaper too. I can’t lie though, this time I acted on a complete impulse, because I woke up on Monday morning, saw snow falling from the London sky, and booked the first flight back to the jungle. For those who have yet to experience snow, and as a result are now cursing at me for being so ungrateful, allow me to educate you..

SNOW IS NOT YOUR FRIEND. Admittedly, when the first few snowflakes fall from the sky, the prospect of snow is very exciting for us Brits; however, by the time it turns to ice, and cars start sliding through roads, or it builds up so heavily that schools close, and public transport comes to a stand still, and flights get cancelled, and people start getting sick, it’s more of a nuisance than anything, and really should be avoided at all costs; hence why I’m back in Malaysia. Whereas at the start of this week you would’ve seen me enter Heathrow Airport in a bobble hat, ski goggles, and scarf, I am now sporting my finest baseball cap, Raybans and a gym vest. I love this place.

Being Back in Malaysia

When I was working at the Marriott Hotel last summer, and found myself constantly networking with business guests who worked for huge global corporations, they always told me that their ‘glamourous’ lifestyle spent in airports and hotels eventually becomes quite tiring and dull. Not to say my time in Malaysia is becoming like that, because it really isn’t, but the travelling from the UK to Asia and back has definitely become a routine rather than an amazing adventure.

Looking back now, I don’t think I cracked a single smile from when I checked into my flight, to when I was preparing to land 16 hours later (I say ‘preparing to land’ because the minute the captain announced Malaysia’s 42 degree heat waiting for me on the ground, I couldn’t stop grinning – I genuinely hadn’t seen the sun since leaving in December). Whereas my parents would once drive me to the airport before I left for a few months, I now take the train there; whereas my friends used to throw me parties before I left, I now get excuses for why they can’t see me and text messages wishing me the best; whereas I would once strike up conversations with passengers around me in the Emirates Business Lounge, I now find myself trying to look inconspicuous so that others don’t approach me, and wishing for the time to pass so that I can jump on my next flight and be in Malaysia ASAP. What’s going on!

Even my journey back to uni was very routine. The minute I landed I made the necessary calls to my UK and Malaysia based friends/family, just like always, and then I proceeded to take the same route as always to get back to campus, with the same playlist blasting on my iPhone. No nerves, no random moments, no chances to get lost and experience a bit of drama, no interesting new faces along the way, same old – same old!

SO my aim for this semester is to find the excitement I first had when I was on my way to this crazy land, because when I’m trapped in a full time job next year, I know I’ll be wishing to be in the airport coming back.

How does it feel to be back though? ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. I was away for exactly 2 packed-out months, so now I have lots of things to update people about – and everyone else has stories of their holidays to report back to me. It’s also nice to walk around campus and not only be recognised, but personally welcomed back; the warmth of our UNMC student-community (read: FAMILY) really is something that I doubt any other university in the world can match. You can quote me on that.

Why Study Outside of the UK for University?

Just before I left the UK, I went out to dinner with my partner’s family, and one of the topics of conversation was why anyone would want to study outside of the UK, and specifically in Malaysia, for any part of their degree. Usually, the fact that I study in Malaysia is celebrated, and I feel like an old wise man, recounting my amazing tales of international student-hood to eager ears.. but on this occasion, and literally for the first time ever, I was actually being challenged on why it was beneficial.

Their main concerns involved the cost (which in all honesty doesn’t apply to me because I’m on a full scholarship, with an allowance, thank you Nottingham), the complete difference to ‘standard’ British university life, the fact that studying abroad ‘disturbs’ one’s education (in terms of completing an overseas exchange, and returning to the home campus without housing for the next year sorted, and friendships having moved on etc etc), and how completing a full degree outside of the country you’re looking to work in for the rest of your life can’t possibly be of benefit..

I’ll be speaking in detail about my graduate interviews in a few moments, but I believe that through being given the opportunities to attend them, I’ve definitely learned why international study should be a priority for every single student.

In every interview and networking event I’ve been to since starting university at UNMC, I’ve been asked questions along the lines of “You study in Malaysia? Wow! What’s it like?” If the person asking the question has been travelling themselves, or has an interest in travel, this in turn opens up a huge conversation; one which my friends hate because they’ve had to hear it so many times. I’m in a situation which is unlike any other British student, and when a company receives 15,000 applications for a handful of graduate positions, you need some kind of an edge over every other applicant, or you’ll be overlooked as if you don’t exist. I have that edge, and the proof is in my employment-pudding.

In one of my graduate assessment days last month, a girl came out from one of the personal interviews in tears.. She was a student from Oxford University, fresh from Germany, literally red eyed and sobbing in our holding room, and why? Because one of the interviewers ripped apart her CV and told her she had absolutely no chance when she admitted that she’d never held a position of leadership.. I then walked into that same interview with my head high thinking I’d be fine, but he STILL ripped me apart for being ‘a coward’ and wanting to work for someone else when I should really be starting my own business. The company still made me an offer though.

Regardless, my point is that if you don’t step up to the plate and start showing off your skills and taking on different responsibilities, other students will (and probably already have) so you best get used to getting beaten in interviews.. and THIS is why studying in Malaysia is amazing. I can almost guarantee that if I was studying at the UK campus, I would be a casual member of a few societies, but because of the size of the place and the competition for leadership positions, I would probably just sink into the background and disappear along with everyone else. UNMC is a relatively new university, and with a little bit of effort invested in a new project, you can make a big impact and leave a legacy – as I believe I have.

Aside from the whole job perspective, I would still advise you to embrace every single opportunity given to you that will allow you to further your personal development. The biggest life-challenge I’ve faced so far, was packing my life into 30kg and moving it to the other side of the world for 3 years, knowing nearly nothing about what to expect. That alone made me realise how strong I am, and how much I need travel in my life. Also, I’ve made friends from around the world, who are doing all kinds of degrees, and aiming for all different futures – I always joke that I’ve now got holiday homes in every country, but I kind of do.. It did suddenly hit me at Christmas that once I graduate next year, I probably won’t see the vast majority of my friends more than a few times a year, at most, which is going to seriously suck, but as I’m learning with my friends in the UK now – if relationships are lasting, they can survive via Skype, Facebook, and the occasional face-to-face visit. Trust me.

In the end, with more students choosing to study abroad, those of us that have had our eyes opened up to the world look so much less unique, and I’m guessing it’ll then be harder for us to stand out.. so maybe I should be telling you to NOT take my advice! Why WOULD you want to come and study in Malaysia? A hot country, where the sun is always shining, food is cheap, travelling to different paradises is easy, our campus is small enough to stand out and create amazing life-long relationships with both fellow students and lecturing staff, and above all you get the same degree as studying in the UK campus which has none of the aforementioned advantages?

UNMC really doesn’t need defending; some of the smartest and most amazing people I’ve ever met study and teach here, and I love our jungle exclusivity! Obviously this experience is not for everyone, but then again, not everyone’s exclusive

The Fun & Games of Finding Graduate Employment

Ask me a month ago what position I saw myself working in as a graduate and I would have said ‘human resources within an investment bank.’ Ask me now, I’m not so sure. Whereas when I started applying to places I was saying ‘I want to work anywhere that will take me, because graduate employment is so hard to find and all about luck,’ the last few months have shown me that if you work hard enough – good things will happen, and amazingly, little old me actually had a CHOICE of fabulous companies to pick from.

So far, I’ve got through to 7 final interviews (2 investment banks based in Canary Wharf, London, 2 accountancy firms based in Central London, and 3 global organisations headquartered around the UK), and these interviews have each taken a maths test, a verbal reasoning test, a logical reasoning test, a personality test, one or more phone/Skype interviews, and a lot of waiting, to get through to the final stage. I went to 3 of the interviews, and received 3 offers. Technically I still have 7 applications ‘under review,’ but as I’ve already got my top choice, they don’t matter now. If I do get invited to any more interviews when I’m back in April, I will probably go to them for experience and networking sake, you never know what the future holds.

The company that I chose to go with for this summer, and for their graduate scheme, is a globally renown company which I know will benefit me in the future as much as I can benefit them, and they’ve been my top choice since the initial application stage. This company’s scheme not only involves travelling internationally, learning their HR functions in several of the 50 countries they operate in, but it will also finally let me see what it’s like to work outside of the capital, as their HQ is outside of London. It will be so nice to drive into work every day rather than give ridiculous amounts of money to Transport for London.

The 2 day interview for this company was absolutely horrible. It cut me to shreds, challenged me in ways I didn’t think possible, and literally took me to the most stressful point of my undergraduate career, making me justify why this company – why this career choice – why this location etc etc etc. It also made me realise how much I wanted the opportunity that they were hanging in front of my face, which made me stress even more! Either way, from 15,000+ applications, for all of 150 graduate positions, of which only 4 are for the HR function, they called me the next day to say they want me (believe I screamed down the phone like an X Factor contestant *how embarrassing*). The future is bright!

My Completely Unnecessary Trip to Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Every time somebody tells me about how I need to go to ‘this’ country in Asia, and ‘this’ beach in particular because it’s the best in the world, I turn to them and say “beach is beach is beach.” I’ve been fortunate enough to travel so much that I really can’t differentiate between beaches anymore! As long as there’s sun, sea and sand, one beach feels almost exactly the same as another to me.. Similarly, now I’ve started to travel around Europe, everywhere’s beginning to seem the same.

I was in Brussels for New Years, and spent last weekend in Amsterdam.. If it wasn’t for the waffles everywhere in Brussels, and the marijuana everywhere in Amsterdam, I genuinely wouldn’t have noticed if my transport had taken me to the wrong city.

Amsterdam was amazing, but mainly because of the company that I was with. I’m strictly against smoking, and for obvious reasons I couldn’t really enjoy some of the other ‘laddish’ things on offer there, but I wanted to experience the city and form my own opinion of it. I appreciated the cultural aspects, the museums, the history, and the art, but it lacked a unique identity, which I genuinely thought it would have.. It just felt a lot like many other European cities. I’m sure if I’d have embraced my Caribbean roots a bit more, I wouldn’t have wanted to leave though.

If you’re looking to visit Amsterdam (shout out to those of you currently at the UK campus), I would recommend jumping on a coach and staying at a cheap hotel, because you’ll literally just be using it to sleep in at early hours anyway. I stayed at the Easy Hotel Amsterdam and it was perfect for a weekend break, so definitely check them out if you don’t mind the hostel experience.

Finding a New Room in the Jungle

As I said last week, one of my main worries about coming back to Malaysia was my living situation, but I really didn’t need to stress, because the minute I got back to UNMC there were plenty of potential rooms to rent. I don’t know why so many cheap houses and hostels are empty, especially now the semester’s started, but I’m not complaining.

My original aim was to find a condo in a nice part of KL, and experience living as an expat (for the same price as some of the rooms next to campus), but in all honesty, I actually need to focus on my degree now, so this is not the time to be experimenting with travelling cross-country to make it to my lectures.

My bestie, Eiman, had wasted no time in getting back to Malaysia, moving everything out of our old house, and jumping straight into a new empty house right next to the bridge to campus; so after a long phone call to her Chinese landlady – who speaks NO ENGLISH AT ALL, I found myself living in the room next to hers once more. Good times! Even better is that after another English VS Chinese shouting match, we managed to agree that I could sign a 4 month contract as opposed to a 12 month contract, so I can go home in April without needing to pay for the whole of summer.. What a nice lady.

Aaaaand that’s it for this week! Next week I’ll tell you all about the madness of Eiman’s 21st birthday and our student-budget defying trip to Melaka, the Mr/Miss Nottingham 2012/13 auditions we’re organising, and anything else that creeps up over the next few days.

Believe.

Ben Henry Hunte

The post Back to Msia, Why Study Abroad, Graduate Employment, & Amsterdam! appeared first on Malaysia Student Life.

It’s February 2013, and I’m back.. but not back in the jungle, yet.

Where have I been and where am I now? Well the first question will be explained over the course of this ridiculously long update, but I promised to continue my weekly updates from February 2013, so it’s fine. As for the second question, I’m actually on my way back to London, currently waiting in a first class lounge in Amsterdam, Netherlands, which I have no reason to be in apart from being nice to the check-in staff this morning.

In the interest of protecting my good name, let it be known that I didn’t just give up my love of writing, end my blog in October, move on to fulfilling another passion, and desert you all… Oh no, I started a student news website, as you will soon find out, and my life was forever transformed into that of Vogue’s Anna Wintour’s. I’m now overseeing a media empire, with editors, writers, photographers, sponsors, and 5,000 visitors a week, which over the past few months seemed to be taking way too much effort, but now I can see that it was all completely worth it. As I said, I’ll explain everything in detail.

So, it’s time for the weekly fun to begin again, and believe me, it’s going to be an amazing semester.

Turning 21 in Malaysia

When I first took my scholarship in Malaysia, one of the biggest fears for me was “what if I make no friends and end up celebrating my birthday, alone, crying over a cake and singing to myself?” It just so happens that in my year of being here, I’ve made around 5,000 friends (and now have potential holiday homes in nearly every country in the world), so when it came to celebrating the big one, my 21st birthday, I had no worries that it would be good. In short, it was amazing.

Thanks to my best friend, Ignite’s Managing Editor, and my university wife, Eiman, I had the best birthday ever, and I doubt her bank balance will ever be the same again. When she asked me a few weeks before my birthday what gifts I’d like, I jokingly dropped a comment about how a 5* weekend get away, a bottle of vintage Dom Perignon champagne, a Waitrose gift basket fresh from the UK, and a trip to Harrods for afternoon tea may just scratch the surface of an acceptable birthday gift. Okay, so I didn’t get a return ticket to Harrods – London for the afternoon tea, and instead had to make do with the Harrods in KLCC – Malaysia, but I’ll let her off, because she got me EVERYTHING ELSE.

I spent the weekend before my birthday at a David Guetta concert, which was such a let down that I won’t say any more about it (just know that I learnt the full “Commander” dance routine, just for Guetta to not even play any of his old songs) and I also visited a Malaysian Psychology conference, which was an eye-opening experience.. As for the weekend of my birthday, Em and I jumped to the Renaissance Hotel, Melaka, and lived it up like celebrities. Oh yes. Spa treatments, lobster dinners, a luxury river cruise, and above all the best birthday of my life, welcoming me into adulthood. With all of my jealousy-inducing updates, I’m sure you’re all looking for a bit of schadenfreude, so I’m happy to report that the hotel swimming pool was blessed by the Arctic itself, and my love for a quick dip couldn’t be satisfied at all… But I still had an awesome time in my executive suite!

Housing Dilemmas 

And now we move onto the saddest news I have to report from the past few months. What initially began as the house from heaven, quickly became the house from hell, as drama upon drama hit our beautiful jungle mansion. In all honesty though, I learnt so much about myself and other people as a result of the past few months turning so sour, and I appreciate all of the life experiences I can get my hands on, so it’s fine; everything really does happen for a reason.

Where did it all go wrong? Well, our first ex-housemate suddenly decided over last summer that studying in Malaysia was not what he wanted, and he actually craved USA college life… I do get it, I went through a good few years of only wanting to attend New York University, but the minute they stopped offering their full scholarships I knew that the dream had to end. Anyway, I wish him all the best.

As for ex-housemate number 2, I love her for her wildness and stubbornness and general insanity, but to live with, it just couldn’t be done. By the end of October, we had all had enough of the house mess and the non-stop parties, which only a few months ago, I would have been looking forward to! But you can all learn from this too; when choosing housemates, don’t necessarily choose your best friends, choose those who you think you can actually live with, because trust me, they are sometimes completely different people.

As for ex-housemate number 3, due to a lot of madness happening in his home country right now, their currency has completely crashed, and it looks as though he’s going to have to go back home ASAP. I don’t know enough about his situation or his country’s situation to comment on it, but again, I wish him the best, because his life is one that I will probably never be able to empathise with without seeming disrespectful.

So, now Em too has moved into a room in another house, I’m actively looking for a fancy apartment in Bangsar (pretty much an expat paradise, just outside of Kuala Lumpur, where most of our lecturers live). As I said, I’ve learnt a lot from these past few months, and what I’m taking away from the experience is that I really do appreciate my own company and independence after a whole day of socialising on campus – so now it’s time to trial living on my own!

10 Trips Before 2013 Update

A lot of people have been Facebooking me, asking how I got on with my 10 trips before 2013 challenge.. Well, I did it!

In the interest of not repeating myself and boring you this semester, I won’t tell you where I ended up visiting at the end of last year, because no doubt I’ll be going back to everywhere over the next 10 weeks, BUT the place I’m most looking forward to hitting this year is Australia. I cannot wait; I can’t believe I’ve gone through 21 years of life without ever seeing a kuala bear, attempting to surf, or visiting the Great Barrier Reef – this must be rectified ASAP.

Say hello to IGNITE! www.unmcignite.com

I am so excited to tell you all about my baby. May I introduce you to “IGNITE”, the online hub of UNMC. What initially started as me wanting to start a little student magazine for UNMC and make it ‘fabulous’, became a challenge so great that I probably spent more time on it than I will on the final year project for my degree.

After endless meetings, sleepless nights, team interviews, and the editing of 100 articles to launch the website, Ignite was born on 12th November 2012, and has since had more than 50,000 visits. This venture was so great that skills I didn’t even know that I had got put to use, just so I didn’t have to wait and rely on other people… I was creating posters on Photoshop, which I hadn’t used since I worked for Apple back in 2010; I was editing articles and throwing them together as if I actually had any journalism experience at all; and above all, I was putting on this brave face in interviews, and talking with confidence in team meetings, when all I actually had was a crazy idea for a news website and lots of time and energy to invest into it.

I’m one of those people who has to perfect things before they can move on, but this challenge pushed me to my absolute limits of sanity because there were some things which I just had no control over – like whether people would actually access the website! It was a scary time, but it all worked out for the best! I’d actually like to say thank you to Eiman, again, because without her as my Managing Editor, I would have given up and jumped on a flight to the UK denouncing any duties I’d taken up to do with Student Media. Also, my team of editors from all corners of the world are so committed and amazing, that I know things can only get better! The aim of Ignite is to ‘lighten up UNMC’ and we have definitely already achieved that; the website is a default page on the university computers, so no matter how hard people try to get away from us, they can’t! Love it.

We actually launched a UNMC MasterChef challenge in December 2012, which involved students sending in a photo of the best meal they could make, and voting is about to begin to find the Top 5 who will move through to our live rounds.. I’ll put the link up in my next entry later this week, so you can all get involved!
[EDIT]: HERE IT IS! https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.408176325943332.93786.173205832773717&type=1

January Exams at the UK Campus

After two years of studying at Nottingham (albeit it outside of the home campus), I finally made it to the UK Campus, and I’m happy to announce that we’ve got it better in the jungle; sorry guys. I was actually there to sit my January exams, because I had quite a few graduate scheme interviews scattered throughout January (and indeed February – more on that in a minute), so the UK campus was kind enough to let me take my exams in my home country, rather than make me fly to Malaysia for exam week, then fly back to the UK for interviews, and jump back to Malaysia soon after for Semester 2.

Highlights of my UK Campus experience would be the amazing snow we had (which became a curse once I discovered that the students I’m staying with refuse to utilise their heating, and hence my body hasn’t felt warmth since the day I left Malaysia), seeing so many of my friends there – those on semester exchanges from UNMC and also those who went to my secondary school & sixth form, and SEEING THE SIZE OF THE CAMPUS! Goodness me, the campus is ridiculously huge. Infact, after studying at the Malaysia Campus, being in such a huge place with its vast number of students is quite scary. Walking through campus and nobody saying hello to me, or running up to me to give me a hug, or telling me about “breaking uni news that needs to be Ignited” was both weird and unsettling.. I really do prefer studying in the sun, with our 5,000 students, and ridiculously close student community! It’s just a beautiful experience that I can now appreciate, knowing that I wouldn’t have fitted in elsewhere.

As for the exams, well, my tutor will be pleased to hear that my degree in Beach Studies has now ended, and I’m ready to commit to Psychology, so hopefully I will do better in Summer than I did this semester! It has been hard to find the balance between extra curricular activities and attending lectures, but my eyes have truly been opened to hard exams, and I’ve been given the jump-start I needed.

AND FINALLY!

Graduate Scheme Interviews.. & Life Realisations

Let me tell you about all of the fun I’m having trying to secure a graduate job in the corporate world. It is so hard. I know people say that the job market for UK graduates is saturated, but SERIOUSLY, nobody warned me that it would be this hard!

I’m very fortunate in that I’ve had a lot of extracurricular experiences, and held quite a few leadership positions, as well as obviously holding my scholarship in Asia, so I have a lot of unique reasons as to why I should be chosen over a fellow undergraduate.. However, it’s still tough. At present I’ve had an interview with the world’s largest credit card company, I have an interview tomorrow with the largest global supplier of civil aerospace parts, then over the next week I have three interviews with investment banks in London.

I don’t usually get nervous for job interviews because I see them as an exciting challenge, but for these, I’m feeling some serious butterflies. I’ve had to grow up so much over the past few months, whilst I’ve been having telephone interviews and doing verbal/non-verbal/logical reasoning tests, and I’ve really evaluated what I want from life, and where I want to work, and put some graduate plans into place, because I refuse to graduate from uni and not start working immediately. From always thinking I’d be aiming for a job within psychology and be fighting for a place to do my masters and PhD in order to change the mental health world, I’m now in assessment centres with other undergraduate candidates, pleading for opportunities to work a small role within these global organisations… How time has changed me.

Serious congratulations are due if you read all of that to get to this end point! This entry was long, but so worth it, because now you’re all on the same page as me.

I’ll see you next week, to tell you about my graduate interviews, my Amsterdam visit, and any other fun and games I come across.

Believe. 

Ben Henry Hunte

The post A New Year Begins, Say Hello To IGNITE, & Other Overdue Updates! appeared first on Malaysia Student Life.