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Yoz...

Maybe some of you are wondering why I chose to come here... so faraway from home and for only one semester? Why did I bother to go through all the hassles of application and preparations?

You're not alone. Sometimes I wonder myself too.

So now I find myself "at home" in Davis, sharing a 2 bedroom apartment with another UC Davis student. And I'm already counting down the remaining weeks of my exchange. Since a study quarter here is only 10 weeks long, time flies really quick.

Considering such a short exchange period, the preparation for it, which began a year earlier, seems like such an exaggeration. It all began in Dec 2005. That's the first round of NUS's SEP (Student Exchange Program) application round that I was eligible for. You must have had a semester of studies in NUS before applying. Wrote some essays, obtained the recommendation letters, filled in the many forms, getting the financial statement letter from the Bank and after much effort, obtained the approved study plan with signatures from the respective course lecturers (this is the most tedious part)... phew!

I still remember at that time, I was staying back in Singapore for Hallplay. And so I did these during my free time. The Science Faculty Office couldn't be of much help either, especially when I needed help to draw up my study plan. I had to prepare study plans for the first three universities that I was applying for. It was all from scratch as there were no senior's study plan to refer to and some lecturers needed specific information about the courses in the host university before giving their approval. It was around Christmas, lecturers were also on holiday or uncontactable. Deadline was drawing near....That was certainly a stressful period haha... I recall staying up nights because of the time differences, just to correspond with the lecturers from the host universities to obtain information.

Anyway, next came the interview that I was waiting for. It went quite bizarre... for me at least. In the end, they decided to give me my third choice - UC Davis. Yay!!! I was excited for once... finally something "concrete".

After that, in Jan 2006, it's the application to the University of California (UC) system. Here, they call us the EAP students (Education Abroad Program students). It's like applying through a central education system, so you list your top 3 choices of UC campuses. So it meant I had to prepare study plans (again!!) for the extra two UCs that I hadn't applied to initially.

Applying to come in Jan 2007 meant I had a year to wait in between. However, the confirmation from the UC only came in October last year, which resulted in some anxiety on the visa part. Having heard of the "horrors" and "terrors" about applying for the USA Visa, I was naturally worried I would not get it in time.

Alas, my fears were unfounded. The entire process was actually really smooth and it took the US Embassy in Singapore only 3 working days to process my application. Luckily, the Embassy is really near NUS (bus 200 to Holland Village, change bus 7 to the Embassy) so it was rather convenient.

First, I received the Very-Important-Document => I-20 form, that is sent by the host university. It states my student visa status and gave me a SEVIS number with which I could proceed to register myself online on the USA international students record. The I-20 cost me USD 50.

With the receipt of the I-20 payment and upon preparing all other necessary documents, I could apply for the F-1 student visa. I chose to do the walk-in application. So I arrived at the Embassy a little before closing of the wait time (10am). There was a long queue! We all had to wait outside the Embassy in a canopy... rain or shine. The security allowed us through the gate 5 at a time. Security was tight... all incoming vehicles had to go through a thorough inspection.

When it was finally my turn to go past the gate, they also inspected my bag. All electronic and satellite-receiving devices had to be left at the gate. I also had to drink the water from my bottle in front of the security personnel... so that I could fake poisoning. Look out, I have a bioweapon!

Drastic security measures aside, once you are inside, it's all pretty comfortable and friendly. Even the customs officer who conducted my interview (it is done over the application counter) greeted me with a joke. Getting the Visa cost me another USD 150.

While I busy myself with the Visa, my mom back in Kuala Lumpur helped me with the airplane tickets and student discount cards. Nope, NUS doesn't arrange any of this.

With a student Visa, I could enter the USA one month ahead of the academic period. Some of the students came here early / mid Dec 2006 - way earlier than me - to do some travelling before school starts. For student airflights, MSL Travel in Malaysia and STA in Singapore provide good packages, including insurance.

I looked up the chinese almanac calendar and picked the most auspicious day - Dec 28 to come to USA... haha, yeah right! It's almost exactly one week before school starts so it's just enough time for me to settle in. And I wanted to skip Christmas in the USA. From movies and tv shows (haha... there's some goodness in them you know), I figured that it's a family reunion time (just like Chinese New Year) so everyone would be celebrating with their loved ones at home. And I didn't want to be a lonely figure in Davis, a town comprising mainly of out-of-town students haha...

So I've come to the part about me being here finally! For more stories, stay tuned...