That Once In A Lifetime Chance

While doing blogwalking and scrolling down Zety's blog archive, I stumbled upon her post about what she missed out for not taking the chance she had for once in her lifetime. So I thought to write about mine. 

This would take me back when I was 18, a high schooler graduate. As long as I remembered, my ambitions I wrote in the three sections in my report card had never change in this sequences : 1. Architect, 2. Teacher/Lecturer, 3. Policewoman. 

I wanted to be an architect because I love drawing so much and I knew I have talent in that area but my parents wanted me to be a language teacher/lecturer. I mean, I'd love to be a teacher/lecturer but instead of majoring in language, I preferred mathematics or art. So my parents agreed to let me apply for a mathematics teacher in Institut Pendidikan Guru (IPG). For UPU application, I applied for architecture-related course for the first 5 rows and language-related course for the last rows (upon my mom's request).

I was called in for an interview for both in IPG and UiTM (architecture). Unfortunately I failed IPG's interview (till this day I'm so disappointed that I failed) so I waited the result for UiTM's. I was more than ecstatic when I was offered a place in UiTM for architecture course that I applied so I accepted it without hesitation.

I can't remember when was the result but I had to wait for nine months until the semester started. So one day, I stayed at my uncle's house in Ipoh, accompanied my brother who had a squash tournament. I went out to see my brother and left my phone at home that day and when I returned, I found three miscalls from an unknown number. I'm not someone who's eager to know who the hell called me so I ignored it. 

Exactly at 4pm, that unknown number called me again and turned out it was from IPG! They're offering me a full sponsorship program to be studying in Beijing, China and will be offered a job as a teacher when I return back home in Malaysia. I was so happy I got the offer to study abroad but the major I got offered was Chinese language (I swear if it was Korean, I wouldn't hesitate to accept the offer, hiks). Also, I had to give them the answer by 5pm and my parents were nowhere near me to give their opinion at that time so I made the decision to decline the offer. Besides, I already had accepted UiTM's so I think it's not much of a regret to decline it.

I think the offer was made to me because nobody wanted it. I mean, it made no sense that they offered me the place since I applied for mathematics, not Chinese language but I'm glad I was offered anyway since it'll forever be an unforgettable offer I got.

Now that I've gone through the hardship in architecture course and how bad our economy is currently in (I even lost my job due to lacking of projects) I sometimes regretted that I declined the offer. I even have a wishlist to learn Chinese and if I accepted the offer, I'll be fluent in Chinese by now already.

But every choice happened for a reason and mine turned out not that bad after all. I'm doing what I love and I've met really good people, Anarchive, my batchmate whom I know will always be there for me if I ever need them. I also got to brush up my sketching skills and I believe, having knowledge in building-politic-related things is a gift from studying architecture itself. 

The good turn out actually could overshadow the regret I feel so I still am happy with my life. Who knows what the future hold for me, I might have the chance to study abroad again, hope so.

Do you have any once-in-a-lifetime chance that you missed?

Till then,

Lya.