living in hall....

for those of you who dont know it yet, I am currently living in hostel, it's not exactly a dorm i think. the hostel itself is located in campus area, my current room is like 10 minutes away walking time to campus. so you can imagine how big ntu is. school complex + 16 hall of residence + staff lodging. it's huge.

as an international student here, i choose to stay in hall for some reasons:
1. i dont have a home here, and bought a home is very expensive, you must be PR or singaporean to buy those government apartment or you must buy a condo which can be up to more than 1million singapore dollar.
2. two years ago, it was the first time i stayed away from my family, living by myself. so stay in hall is a better option since it is near your friends' place, and all things are provided
3. convenient, you can go to school on foot, in less than 15 minutes. you can even go to school on holiday. and of course, no expense on transport
4. it's damn cheap. you can get a double room for 160 per month to 200/ month. when outside's rent fee is about 500.

despite all the good things there, you need points to stay in hall. how to get point? of course by joining those CCAs, and as a foreigner by default you get 9 distance points. but still, up to this 3rd year of school, i must wait for 5 or 6th round of room placement to get a room. why? because my point is not enough, need 1 more point for the first round.

at first i always thought that i MUST stay in hall until i finish my study here. If i stayed outside, it would be tiring, and more expensive. but i changed my mind just recently.

there were rumours that NTU will apply new system for HALL APPLICATION SCHEME. the point for international student won't be 9 anymore. instead it will be reduced by 1 every time you finish your year of study. why? because current hall system is not fair for singaporeans, said some of them. and this year i am a year 3, which will make me get only 7 points, if the system is applied. and though i get 7 points from my CCA, the total would only be 14, which is my point last year. and i didnt get the first round with THAT point.

beside, NTU will host the YOG, as the place for athletes to stay. so we must get out of hall after exam finish. and it does mean MOVING again. i hate moving. you must pack and unpack your stuffs. and you will bother your friends when they help you moving. and after YOG finish, and the new acad year starts? i must MOVE again. see how tiring it is?

and yah, we, international students, are too spoiled :( . in other countries, you must find accomodation by yourself, mostly.

so i plan to move out next year. not too far from ntu. though maybe i will be alittle bit antisocial, but is it worth more?

life is tough, really.