What does it feel like to be a student again?

When I announced to everyone that I will be going back to grad school I always got the confounded look. They all shook their heads and told me that once you're in the real world, it's hard to become a student again. 


Ugh........really?  


Sure, financially I might be a bit tight but in exchange I don't have 50-60 work weeks, to wake up at 5:45am every day, to take a packed train in Tokyo, to deal  with coworkers and boss bureacracy, to go to mandatory after work drinking and client dinners until midnight, to spend money on clothes and beauty products (it's very necessary to look a certain style at the work place in Tokyo), and most of all to have an intense job that requires to look at 5 screens to settle thousands of trades each day. Compared to that this is HEAVEN. My classes are only from Mon-Thurs with staggering schedules which I could efficiently use towards exercising, studying or reading. I cannot be any more happier. Of course there is the pressure of school work and getting good grades but the stress is miniscule considering that I won't be yelled at by 3 bosses, and put my company at compliance risk if I make a mistake at my job at the bank. 

Compared to my hellish working days, never have I been so motivated to study. During undergrad, I never had a clear idea of what I wanted to do or learn so I spent most of my days partying and watching movies. Now, I have a clearcut view of where I see myself in five years and ten years and I know that each class, each semester will get me closer to that goal. 

I am extremely grateful. Not only do I get to pursue an advanced degree beyond college but in one of the most highly renowned institutions globally in one of the most desired cities to live in the world. Everyday I am surrounded by professors and colleagues that inspire me and motivate me to learn even more. And because of that, I see myself enjoying studying more than I have ever done before. I do not want to take this for granted because now I know and personally seen many many, and many people who do not the same opportunities as I do.

 In Cambodia, I've seen hundreds of children in dire conditions at home and school. Many barely have the money to buy notebooks for school (if they even have the privilege to go to school). I have taught some of the most brightest students in which they have a limited future withe the opportunities they have in Cambodia even if they were extremely lucky to go to a university. The overall level of education of the country is very low that students are unable to apply them to work or to start a business. This often made me very depressed as I love Cambodia but there was little I can do to change the nation's education system or my students' future. 

 In the last 8 years since I graduated from UC Davis, educational institutions have changed dramatically; namely technology. I rarely use notebooks and binders because I use my laptop to organize everything for my classes. Google doc, Facebook groups, Messenger, and Dropbox are the lifelines of communicating and collaborating work with my colleagues. 

I did not have to buy a single text book this semester because all my professors have posted their reading material online; in which I download them and upload them to my iPad. I no longer need a dictionary to carry around to my French class because I use translators on my iPhone app. The evolution has been amazing and makes me realize how inefficient I was when I was in undergrad. Students have much bigger capabilities to learn these days  which is why I am also grateful to be a student again!

Miss my students :(