Farewell, Staircase 20 Room 2

Yesterday night was the last night I spent in my room in Bear Lane. My entire room was in chaos, and I was struggling to keep everything that was precious to me. The three suitcases that resulted from my toil must weigh at least 100kg in total! Now, I can only hope that my family’s combined effort (and baggage allowances) will suffice to see my luggage through the check-in counters.

   

Everything was strewn all over the floor and I hesitated so long before I could decide to throw anything. I’ve also built a mini library during my time here, and I’m endeavouring to transport it back to Singapore.

 

I have no idea I’ve got so many ring-bound notebooks! And every single one of them is a must-keep because they are either my diaries/notebooks or they simply look too pretty to be left behind. The thick and heavy chunk of book entitled “Examination Regulations 2010” is now in the recycling bin. The school gave one of these to each of us at the start of the year, but I have never even touched the book the entire year. It is such a waste of paper! So far I have not heard of anyone who actually made good use of it except a friend who used it to squash an insect in her room.

Packing up and moving out of places always puts me in a pensive state of mind, though I am sure sleep deprivation raises the emo-meter as well.

I have grown so attached to this place in such a short period of time. There are still so many places in Oxford that I have yet to visit, so many restaurants I want to go to, so many moo moo’s milkshake flavours I haven’t tried. Oxford really isn’t as small as it seems. And I’ve not even begun to talk about the wonderful people I’ve met in this city; I’ve made such good friends over here that I can’t even imagine bidding goodbye without tearing. We have shared a lifetime of memories in this beautiful city of dreaming spires.

    

 
This was on the 3rd of October 2010, the day I moved into my room.

 

    

And here is what my room looks like after I stored all of my belongings away. It is almost as it was before – except it is dirtier and dustier, of course. But there are no traces of me left inside there at all. It’s as if I’ve never been here before. The emptiness of the room startles me, as I am reminded of how this is just a temporary home for me.

中秋节快乐！It is such a pretty full moon night, and there are so many stars in the sky. Good night, Bear Lane. I will really miss you very very much.

Because we all love immunology

And so.. This is it.

My Masters course in Oxford has just officially ended – with our final vivas over, a wonderful three-course dinner at Brasenose College, and lots of laughter and hugs shared among course mates and our most respected course directors. I just feel so incredibly sad that I may not see many of these smiling faces for years to come. When our course directors gave their ending speeches at the end of the dinner, I really felt tears in my eyes.

Thinking back to the day of my interview at the John Radcliffe Hospital on the 9th of February last year just makes everything now seem even more surreal. I remember missing my first train from London to Oxford, and almost being late for my entrance interview. It was serendipitous, but the moment I stepped into the hospital, I knew that Oxford was exactly where I wanted to be for the next year of my life. There, I met my course directors for the first time, and was stumped by so many of the interview questions that they had asked me. The entire experience was utterly demoralizing. Never would I have expected myself to be seated next to these same two people today, laughing and talking about experiences in a girls’ school, medicine, London, and family – thoughts and feelings of mine that I hold so close to my heart.

Someone once said that I am very resistant to changes, and I cannot agree more. The worst change is when people have to leave each other. I just dislike farewells so much. And it is even sadder now, as everyone is scattered all over the world. But it is so comforting to know that everyone has got plans for the future sorted, and everyone is working hard to realize their dreams. At some point, many of us were lost and wondering what to do with our lives after the course ends, but everyone offered help and support to one another, and it is extremely encouraging to know that things are going great for everyone now. All’s well that ends well.

We tried to use napkins as mock mortar boards and threw them up into the air, but our camera man was always too slow at capturing the perfect moment. This was after the napkins had fallen down. I love this photo. Everyone just looks so happy. We came together for the love of immunology, and we stuck through all of it together.

What an amazing year, really.