Classmates Part 1

Since the lecture is usually 2 and a half hour, the lecturer usually gives 5 minutes break. All the lecturers so far are punctual about adhering to the time given. It's during this very short break that I pray marghrib (class 5.30 to 8pm, marghrib 6 to 7.20pm).

After class, my classmate walked me to the bus stop. He knows about Malaysia and I had to apologize for not known anything at all about his country. I asked him about his country. He told me he's from a post-soviet country.

"We are Turks," he said.
"Turks? What's the main religion?" Though I could already guess what it was.
"We are Muslims. But we generally don't practice anymore. Being under soviet for more than 70 years," he said matter-of-factly.
"Oh," I said simply. "It happens everywhere. Every country," and I mumbled about modernization and liberal.

It doesn't shock me anymore that most Muslims here, from whatever countries, don't really pray. It's really obvious when you're the only one that goes for prayer during the long class hours. I don't condone but I don't condemn either coz it's not about me, it's about their own relationship with God.

Since it's his last semester, he gave me a lot of valuable tips like:

"What's the use of taking hard classes but really useless to you when you finish study?"
"You should not be thinking about which class is hard and which class is easy. It should be about which class is most useful to you."

He was even kind enough to offer me copies of his term papers and assignments. Before he knew I was married. Ahaha.

Most of the people in my class are cool. Some are real jerks.

Last semester, one guy even had the nerve to ask me to be his "special friend" and go on vacation to New York with him. "Let's go and have fun. You're in America now, it's a different culture. You're so pretty and nice...bla...bla...bla" Instead of being flattered, I felt so angry. Tak nampak ke sy pakai tudung? Org bengong mcm ni pun ada. He didn't believe that I was married and I had to ask my husband to standby outside my class.

This semester, I was supposed to do an assignment and presentation ALONE on Indonesia. Everyone signed up for the countries that they wanted to do except for him. Then, he told the lecturer that he wants Indonesia too. Did he expect me to back off? Instead, the lecturer told us to work together. I felt so angry but tried to calm myself and convince myself that he didn't do that just to get on my nerve but because he really wants to do about Indonesia. Donno how this is going to turn up.