Our First Day in the IIUM Kuantan

     Our first day in IIUM Kuantan can be described as a long and tough day. Why? Because after having long journey from Gombak we got to settle all the administration in this campus and register to our mahallah, the place where we will stay for the next 12 months.

     Preparing to walk and get ourselves ready at the bathroom mosque, we were relieved to find out that the water in our hostels were running again. They were fixing the pipes, forcing all the residences in Mahallah Maimunah deprived of clean water for a 24 hours. After a long 4-hour journey bus ride from Gombak to Kuantan, our smelly bodies were ecstatic coming into contact with the cold yet murky water.

     Having no map and no transportation, we agreed to meet up and walk reluctantly in the heat to our kulliyyah. Sharing an umbrella, we huddled together under the limited shade. After about 15 minutes, we reached our destination, the Kulliyyah of Science. It is the furthest department in IIUM Kuantan Campus. It is located nearly at the end of the road, far apart from the rest of the departments. Breathing heavily, we asked for directions and went around in endless circles before we finally found the department office. We didn't mind waiting for our course outlines, because during the wait, we could sit and relax on their comfortable chairs while enjoying the air-condition. Below is our study plan for our first semester as freshmen:

STUDY PLAN FOR SEMESTER 1, 2013/2014

Course code	Subject	Credit hours
SMS 1101	Analytic Geometry	3
SMS 1102	Calculus I	3
SMS 1103	Number Theory	3
KOS 1110K	Computer in Science	3
MGT 2010K	Principle & Practice of Management	3
UNGS 2030K	Islamic Worldview	3

    Registering for library access was next on our list. Still with no map in hand, we were forced to use our gut-feeling to go around the campus. There were many times when we got lost and arrived at dead-ends, but we were determined to find the place before the end of day. When we arrived at the library, we found out that there are no back doors, therefore we had to go around the building and use the front entrance. Many of us were anxious when we need to register for a certain thing, but that anxiety melted away once we have submitted our forms. After 15 minutes, we could already use the computers in the computer lab to register for our classes. We missed our classes that day, but we were excited to catch the ones on the next day.

    The One Stop Student Centre, or OSC, was next. Thank goodness it was right next to the library. We didn't think that our poor aching feet could take another long journey. We finished all our errands for the day and were planning to walk back to our hostels. But then two nice colleagues stopped their car next to us and offered us a ride. We didn't hesitate for even a second to accept that offer.

    After all, it was a long, tiring day and we were a bit anxious and unsettled. But, we do have faith and trust in Allah SWT that things are going to work fine for us, insya Allah. Just like this song by Maher Zain:

Note: If you are wondering what fractals are, one example is the Sierpinski's Triangle.

If you would like to know more, you should click on this link.