Admittedly, studying in a university in Malaysia is not cheap especially with the rising cost of living. Tuition fee, rentals and food can really empty one’s pocket in no time. And this Utar student has took it to Utar Confessions regarding his financial situation and how he can’t splurge on things like his friends do.
Here’s what he wrote.
“My family is not rich, but my parents love me very much!”
“My father is the sole breadwinner in my home while my mother is a full-time house wife, but sometimes she would work by bringing some garlic back to peel to supplement our house income. When we eat out, she never order teh ais and always order air suam.”
He shares how he scored straight A’s for his SPM and his father bought him a Samsung Galaxy J7 as a reward. Instead of being happy for him, his friends had the audacity to ask ‘why he didn’t buy an Oppo or Iphone’ instead.
“They didn’t know that my father is still using his RM100 plus smartphone from Asus with its screen cracked. My mother is using an imitation of S3 worth RM100.
“My cost of living is RM500 per month excluding rental. And I pay with my parent’s hard-earned money.
“I can’t afford to enjoy Shellicious, Sushi Mentai, Han’s Brother, McDonald’s and Domino Pizza like you do. Some of you would even go to Cameron Highlands or Genting Highlands just for fun.”
He reveals how people would label him as ‘stingy’ because he cycles to class just to save 80 cents.
“Do you know why I do that?
“It’s because my mother fetches my brothers after school in a Kancil with malfunctioned air-conditioners. Do you know how hot that is? And she’s not willing to spend RM300 to fix it.
And when his father signed him up for a 3GB data plan, he expressed his immense guilt.
“My father signed up a 3GB data plan for me because he thought it would be beneficial for my education. I felt really guilty. Who am I and what did I do to deserve this privilege?”
“My parents even apologised to me for not being able to send me overseas despite me being a smart student. As such, making my life in UTAR more comfortable is the least they can do.”
“So to my dearest friends, what my parents have given me is the best in my opinion. Please don’t ruin my happiness with your words. If being your friend means that I have to spend money to package myself so that I can fit into your group, then I’m sorry to say that I can’t afford this friendship. And I don’t want it either.”
“At the end of the day, I’m still me. I still struggle over whether to get the RM1 Sundae Cone. I don’t have a pair of Birkenstock, and I will wear my Power sport shoes and cycle to class everyday.”
The inspiring post went viral and many netizens showed their support for this student.
“Just hang in there, tough times will past soon,” a Facebook user said.
“You are right, if a friendship needs to be nurtured using money, then it’s better to let the friendship go,” another user said.
So guys, be grateful if you have more than enough to spend because someone out there is struggling just to make ends meet.
Also read: UTAR Student Shares How He Was ‘Exploited’ by His Friends for Having a Car
