Small Steps, Big Dreams: My First Chapter at IIUM

Hi assalamualaikum semuaaa. How are you guys doing? Are u good? Alhamdulillah. Selamat memburu Lailatul Qadr utk 10 malam terakhir ni. Semoga Allah makbulkan setiap doa kita yang pernah disulam dalam sujud panjang, yang ditaburkan bersama harapan, dan yang disandarkan sepenuhnya kepada-Nya.     Btw baru lepas Asar, tengah tunggu class EDIE 2000, so kita tulis-tulis la sikit hehe.  

Perhaps, I should’ve written this blog when I first started my journey at IIUM. But the mood never quite came to me. Sebab mcm belum dapat rentak lagi kat sini masa semester 1, skrg dah sem 2 so kita dh ada experiencela, walaupun masih sekejap, and sikit, tapi nak tulis jugak on the spot, since dah ada mood ni. So, hmm life here has been something like a roller coaster which unpredictable, challenging, yet somehow beautiful in the way it slowly shapes who I am becoming (ustajah) 🤭

      Actually, before masuk UIA, I asked opinions from my friends and seniors yang memang dah tersedia ada di UIA, they helped me a lot. Started from registration yang menguji kesabaran serta keimanan seorang aleeya. Actually pendaftaran before entrance was my second test (ujian/challenge) before masuk UIA, the first time was during the interview day ☺️. Ingat lagi time tengah serabut tu, wafaa cakap “memang mcmni, belum prereg lagi” and I was SHIK SHAK SHOCK. Prereg tu apa benda pulokkk😌🙏🏻. Management UIA agak tak friendly for me, but I still love UIA ehem ehem because of the circle i got since the first semester.

     Then, bila dah register to accept the offer letter and mohon mahallah halimah, 26/9/2025 was my first day here. I met my roommate first, and alhamdulillah everything went well, I met Syahadah (IT KICT), Syuhadah (CHEM ENGINEERING KOE) and Fatin (GUID&COUNSELLING KOED) and me I took TASL KOED. Alhamdulillah I’m also thankful for my roommates. Kind people who somehow share the same wavelength with me. It makes this new chapter feel lighter and a little more like home. 

     Okay move on laa TAWEEE (Taaruf Week), that was hectic. Truly hectic. Jalan jauh, berbaris, prog Ihsan Madani, ICC dah bergelimpangan dengan manusia bertudung putih macam umrah. But it was a great moment to remember since time tu je kita dapat kenal ii dengan intake kita, lain course lain kulliyyah, sekarang bila dah dekat kulliyyah masing ii susah dah nak jumpa, melainkan kalau solat kat masjid SHAS boleh la terserempak.

     In the beginning, IIUM requires students to take placement tests such as APT (arabic) and EPT (english). Alhamdulillah, I was exempted from the EPT because of my MUET result. For the APT, I only managed to get Band 5, even though the requirement for Arabic-medium courses like mine is Band 6. At first, it felt a bit disappointing, but I believe it’s part of the journey of improving and growing. So aleeya kena masuk CELPAD  Centre for Languages and Pre-University Academic Development. Being in CELPAD is quite exhausting at times which  having to face those classes every day while juggling my kulliyyah subjects and my own course. But I guess it’s all part of the journey, and one day it will become a memory that can never truly be replaced. Now, I find myself missing CELPAD, especially our LQAD 1014 class with ustazah Hana. It was more than just an Arabic class. It was a place where we learned, struggled, and grew together.   

     Somehow, a strong bond was formed among us. But now, as each of us moves on to our own kulliyyah, that class will remain as a memory we may never experience in the same way again. Sedih pulok. Sebab dah tak jumpa kepala-kepala tingtong, suara sorang Br yg suka gelak tetibe time org tengah senyap🙏🏻😭 ytjt. RINDU RINDU. 

    Next barulah boleh cerita macam mana kenal Zakiah Auni Akma pulakk. Hmm, I first met Zakiah in our EDFS 1001 class with Prof Dr Johdi, when we happened to sit next to each other. From that simple moment, we slowly started talking and getting to know each other. Zakiah, we met through before the class started which is infront of LR 36, sebab waktu itu, kami masih mencari-cari kelas bertemankan maps of KOED…..tersesat sana sini….we sit next to each other without even knowing that rupanya next class pun samaa sectionn EDEP 1103. Zakiah pun ckp “ha sekali lah eah” (dengan nada forcing) takdelah gurau je 🤣 tak forcing pun, syukur sangat time tu. The next day, during EDLA 1101 (nahu) we met again, but after dah masuk dalam group assignment, and mula kenal seorang insan yg cheeky pulak, which is the one and only Auni Wadhihah yg tak berhenti mulutnya but in a good way. Her presence makes studying together much more enjoyable and less stressful. Kami beza umur setahun je, but I enjoyed every little moment with them. Started from class Nahu, and now counting days till graduation insyaAllah dean list together aamiin. Akmaa, I first met Akma during one of the early KOED briefings when everything was still new and unfamiliar. At first, we didn’t really talk much since we were both a little shy, still trying to find our place in this new environment. Tapi rupanya Zakiah Auni Akma and most of my KOEDIANS friends are from Mahallah Aminah, and kita sorang tercampak kat limah. But, they sacrifice their energy untuk datang ke halimah to eat and chitchat with me.

     With them, I shared joys, struggles, random laughs, and silly moments. Our circle was never toxic aamiin insyaAllah, just supportive, motivating, and, in the end, helping each other to reach the Dean’s List together. For the first semester Alhamdulillah we did it, we made it together to dean’s list. Now comes Semester 2, and with it, a new set of struggles. The workload is heavier, the challenges tougher, and the responsibilities greater  but InsyaAllah we determined to navigate it all and keep growing together. Macam saya pernah tulis dalam blog sebelum ii ni, kalau boleh biarlah kita berjaya tu sama-sama, bukan diri sendir shj. Kalau kita seorang je berjaya and kawan yang kita rapat jatuh, bermakna kita masih belum berjaya. Sebab, kejayaan sebenar bila kita dapat tarik sama-sama untuk cemerlang.     Semester 1 ni hectic tapii masih belum teruk sampai tak sanggup lagi, sebab, bagi saya, as long as I have a supportive friend insyaAllah hidup di UIA ni akan baik-baik sahaja aamiin.    After that, next challenge adalah prereg. Benda ni musuh semua student UIA. Bila dah berebut subjek, tak semestinya akan dapat sebab jadual belum fix. It was exhausting to battle, knowing that you won’t be able to get that subject pun, at the end of the day, manual reg di hati🙂‍↕️ I think, thats all from me. Quite long, baca bila free la ya. Sebab mood boost sikit tu yg panjangg.    Thanks for those yg baca walaupun mcm benda x penting pun tapi I love to write in order to express my feelings. Byebye kawan-kawan 🤍 selamat hari rayaa🤍