Lessons learnt from Covid-19
A GOLDEN opportunity is difficult to come by, but letting go of one when it is in your grasp is even harder.
Studying abroad has always been a dream of Chi Xin Yee, 21.
The INTI International College Penang Accounting and Finance student was over the moon when she was selected to conduct her last semester for Year Two in Great Britain, as part of INTI’s Semester Abroad Programme (SAP) in collaboration with the University of Hertfordshire.
She was supposed to be abroad from Jan to May this year but only enjoyed less than three months there before the Covid-19 pandemic hit.
Reluctantly, she caught an expensive flight home and arrived in Malaysia in the wee hours of April 3, where she experienced the government mandated self-isolation in a hotel-turned-quarantine site in Subang.
Despite her disappointment, Xin Yee accepted it as one of life’s lessons.
“Life will always be full of unexpected challenges. You can never be fully-prepared so it is important to adapt,” said the student who quickly rearranged study plans to complete her programme as planned.
To keep positive, she adopted a healthy lifestyle with meals and necessities fully provided by the hotel while continuing her studies with INTI and Hertfordshire’s online learning tools.
“I managed to access all the lectures and tutorials which were recorded as videos.
“I am no longer worried about completing my modules, as the varsity has assured all students that they will continue to support us through this difficult period.”
Determined to pick up where she left off in the UK, Xin Yee said she will apply for SAP again in the future when the pandemic situation is more stable.
“I am not letting Covid-19 deter me from pursuing knowledge and experiences.”
Sharing Xin Yee’s sentiment, fellow INTI student Michelle Lee May
Ling, 20, believes there is light at the end of a tunnel.
“I realised there are many things I should be grateful for each day. Even with the bad news, there were good experiences gained,” she said.
While she was fortunate enough to complete her three-month internship in Baa Atoll, Maldives,
as part of a luxury resort’s marketing and communications team, Michelle said the nightmare came when global lockdowns started happening in response to the virus outbreak.
The mass communication student’s plan to return to Malaysia on Mar 19 was foiled when flights were cancelled, leaving her stranded at the resort without any way of leaving.
“Thankfully, the Malaysian embassy had sought help from the Maldives’ government to bring stranded Malaysians home. I finally managed to get a ticket on April 7.
“Along with seven fellow Malaysians, we rushed to the airport hastily to make one of the last flights out of the country,” she shared.
Michelle was quarantined at a hotel in Puchong upon arrival on April 8.
Having completed all her modules and internship, she didn’t have any remaining class to complete online so she hones her calligraphy skills while under quarantine, using the tools that she had brought back from the Maldives, to keep herself occupied and upbeat.