If there's any trait I like in a guy, its broad shoulders. In proportionla of course.

Anyway, last time, I talked about the romantic relationship I had in America just to get it out of the way. So I can go back to going through things chronologically.

When I went for the orientation, I pictured it to be something like the Australian orientation. I was obviously mistaken.

Australian orientation = tons of games and activities to help you get to know people.

American orientation = taking your passport and I-20 to photocopy and then giving you a bohliao speech on American sensitivities. Like, dont ask a woman when she's gona have kids. Dont make jokes like, "At least 9/11 helped with New York's overcrowding problem." Arrive on time. Because only Americans know how to arrive punctually right? Whats the correct response to "Whats up"

And then after telling you all these inane bullshit then kthnxbye. Wtf? 

The thing about studying in Australia is that they have such a high international student population. So they've had practice in dealing with them. And they need international student money so they try to do things to cater to their special needs. But in American public schools, they either dont need our money or it never occured to them that our money is useful. So they dont care about you. Sink or swim is your own problem.

Then I went for advising at the CE office and the advising was again, not really advising. The guy is just like so what you want to take? Ah ok, here's the 4 year outline, go figure it out. So I went to figure it out. Later, I found out that for mechanical engineering, the advisors really hold your hand and walk you through it. I'm just going to comfort myself and say that the mechanical engineers need the help coz they're dumber. Haha. Aiyah just let me lie to myself ok.

During the whole advising thing, I discovered that there seemed to be some problem with our transfer units. And since nobody knew what to do with international transfer students. And since the only person who did know it was on like, year long sabbatical to take care of her newly born baby.  My batch was screwed.

The rest of the semester was filled with meeting a million and one people at all different levels of university management. We went all the way up to the level of Provost and Ombudsman trying to figure out this stupid problem. Met all kinds of stupid bitches.

Some woman thought that because Taylor's wasnt on a list of Malaysian government universities, it means that Taylor's is not accredited. Then they were like, oh this book doesnt have Taylor's in it when the book was published in 1984. And then when I pointed that out then they said why didnt your education ministry send us the new book. Like Malaysian education board damn efficient and free like that.

My roomate was like, wtf is wrong with them. If they ask some Indian fella about their Board of Education the what? You cant even find it in India.

They dont accept LAN as accreditation board. They only want Ministiry of Education letter. But its dumb since Ministry of Education doesnt give out accreditation. And they're having double standards since America doesnt have a board of educaton. How will they feel if like, UM says YOUR SCHOOL IS NOT ACCREDITED. GIVE ME LETTER FROM AMERICAN MINISTRY OF EDUCATION. And then refuses to believe that it doesnt exist.

I could seriously write a book on the multilevels of stupidity I encountered. But I really dont want to recap the whole experience since it was not a good one.

Basically, there was this BIG hoohah within the administrative levels. One of the employees quit on account of this matter. I think my name became quite infamous for awhile in the offices. There were tons of meetings and showdowns held. And again, really I was the main person among my batch kicking up a fuss and insisting on emailing like every single head in the university to tell them how fucked up they were.

In the end, the maternity leave woman came back. I dont know why you need ONE YEAR LEAVE. Like what the fuck you giving birth to your baby sideways so you need time for your vagina to grow back or something? Anyway, when she came back, all my units went through. And it was quite quick. When push came to shove and I needed it through ...NOW...I got it in a week. And managed to file for graduation.

Anyway, the whole experience taught me a lesson about "American efficiency".

They are not efficient.

They are inefficient not in the same way Malaysia is inefficient. Malaysians are inefficient because government employees insist on having 23432423987492387 tea breaks in one day. And their tea breaks are long enough for them to eat a curry puff and have it pass through their digestive system. Americans are inefficient because they surround everything in huge piles of red tape.

Example. Only some people can access  records because of some privacy act. So you have to go and get someone who can access records or get written permission from the person. Then because there are so many rules, some get forgotten. Then there are deviations. And sometimes the rule is too sweeping and shouldnt apply to some special cases like international transfer students. But then they cant do anythign because the rule says so. And to get an overide you have to talk to 123829372987498 people.

Also coz they're damn dumb about anything that happens or goes on outside America/North American soil.

In a way I prefer Malaysian inefficiency. Because you can always bang table and threaten someone into performing for you. But for American inefficiency, you cant really do anything. Because you're asking them to break a rule for you. So you must cajole and smile and act nice while fantasizing about drowning them in a tub of Clorox. Also coz in Malaysia I can always just slip 50 bucks under the table.

But every country has its problems. And obviously the devil you know is better than the devil you dont.

I also realised that America, famous for its meritocracy, is not that meritocratic after all.

There are complaints about affirmative action keeping out Asians from top schools to admit more blacks and hispanics. A lot of opportunities are only open to Americans. If you're not American and dont have a SSN, you cant really do anything. I cant rent a house easily because I have no credit history and no SSN. I cant apply for credit card. I cant do something as simple as get a phone plan. I cant use online banking for Washington Mutual. I cant get a loan. Get university job also difficult because you have to take some class for it. And residents dont have to pay extra but I do. So obviously I wont take it right. And then which employer wants to hire someone who's references are difficult to check. Difficult to document. Qualifications and claims of activities arent verifiable or even vaguely familiar.

Everyone knows that if you're an international student, you not only have to be good. You have to be ten times better than the best local applicant because you're ten times more troublesome to hire. So its not meritocratic. It's unofficial NEP for the majority nationality.

But despite this unofficial NEP, I still get more opportunities as a 13434324 class person in America than as a 2nd class citizen in malaysia.

When I first realised all these things, I felt very bitter.

I come all the way to America because of the promises of the American dream, equality, meritocracy, the promise of reward in exchange for talent. They keep talking about how America opens her arms to welcome the tired immigrant. But actually they're just as scared as everyone else of the competition. They are also trying desperately to shut down their borders. They may not come out and openly ask you to go home and stop stealing their jobs. They will deny that they dont want you here. They themselves believe that they can accept talented immigrants and can handle the competition.

Their rules, legislature and societal structure says different. And they blissfully refuse to see that. Why? Because they wana feel good about being politically correct. It's ingrained in their civil religion to take the moral high ground while doing the opposite behind Senate's closed doors. Then they can say, oh I didnt vote for that. I'm pro free trade in every sense.

Really, I think every international student knows the truth.