You Are Still Here

Chapter 11

Anyone would feel alienated in a new environment and Yun Jin was no exception. This big Southern city of China had a distinctive atmosphere which Yun Jin was completely unfamiliar with. But she quickly adapted to the city, or more accurately, the city accepted her magnanimously. She slowly grew to love this city located near the equator where it often rained; this city with its buildings of olden charm; this city bustling with prosperity...

The tan, lithe locals were straightforward and intelligent. People from other parts of the country would adopt the local accent to converse fluently. No one cared about where you came from – if you were local or otherwise.

Her university was the result of a recent union of several schools. Although it wasn't a top institution, at least it was relatively famous in this city. As the school had a significant slant towards the Humanities, the females outnumbered the males. Moreover, it had a reputation of being populated with beauties so the boys in the neighbouring university would always look over with interest.

Yun Jin was a minority in her degree who had studied the Sciences in senior high. The moment she entered her first undergraduate year, she knew that even as others took it easy and enjoyed their university years, she had to work doubly hard to catch up to their humanities basics.

Fortunately, after school had commenced for a first months, the school finally approved of her bursary application. Her form tutor even recommended her a part-time errand job in the departmental office. Although it didn't actually pay well, in fact it was barely enough to purchase a pretty outfit, Yun Jin was content.

There weren't many modules in Year One as compared to Senior Year Three where she only had half a day off weekly. Spare time was aplenty. After she ascertained that she could juggle the rigours of her studies and the demands of part-time job satisfactorily, in the fourth month of university, Yun Jin found herself a tutoring position. Her student was a primary three girl. The pay 15 yuan an hour. The original tutor, who was a foreign language major in the same university, had found the pay too meagre and had advertised the position on the school bulletin. Yun Jin paid a middleman fee of 35 yuan and finally settled into a new routine.

Tutoring was a choice part-time job that most working undergraduates preferred. Yun Jin's first tutoring experience was easier than she had expected. The student was the only child of a simple, honest family. Although the girl was a little spoilt, she was on the whole obedient. She was easily distracted and had to be supervised as she tackled her assignments. However, her parents were white-collared workers who simply had no time to monitor their child and thus had decided to get a tutor from the nearby university.

Yun Jin was quiet and meticulous and extremely patient. Sometimes the girl would throw tantrums such that even her parents were frustrated but Yun Jin would merely smile. Her tolerant nature earned their favour and appreciation. Thankfully, the parents were reasonable people with decorum so Yun Jin experienced none of the abuse or frustrations trumpeted in headlines that other home tutors suffered. She was able to continue happily with her tutoring, and combining her pay with that of her part-time job at the university, she scrimped just enough living expenses to get by.

Yun Jin's first undergraduate year passed like this without incident. She was basically only present in class for lessons and was hardly in her hostel too. The clubs and societies that her batch mates took part in actively was something she had no time for.

Her results were average, not outstanding that the professor would take note, but not terrible that she required remediation. She didn't have close friends in class or in the hostel but maintained good relations with most. She didn't think she was very much different from the quiet girl back in senior high but now, she was at least happy. All the low self-esteem and dark days of senior high school had ended with the goodbye that fateful night. She hadn't realised that with her self-doubt gone, she no longer cast her eyes groundwards and this version of Yun Jin shone.