A memoir

CHAPTER I

Who am I?

"Students, I will tell you again, remember one thing but rebels did not woke up a day to take up arms and terrorise people. If something, rebels are the fault of us, the society and the humans as a whole. We conditioned them to be like that...." as I listen to another boring day of lecture in the Philosophy class, I look through the window, it is autumn of 23rd September, the autumn equinox as I remember from my science textbooks.

The class keeps getting empty as every increasing bored student decides to exit the class while a hopeless professor Nguyen watches them leave through the door to the right.

 However, I have no choice but to stay, after all I am her favourite hehe. Not to lie to myself but she is a nice woman, in her forties, who takes her subject to her heart. 

She has been a great professor, however never got a promotion to a bigger university, and was stuck in our !@#$ university, the University of Raozan, which was close to lose its accreditation if not prof. Nguyen and prof. Shaikh, a professor in economics, stood to protect this institute.

The bell rings, and a sighing professor bows down to the remaining students, as if we did her a favour, and rushes away to the teacher's lounge.

I pick up my notebook, put it in my bag and start moving when I notice a boy, probably from some other class approaching me:

"You're May Soe, right?"

"Yes? How may I help you?"

"Your mother wanted to call you actually, and he dailed the college telephone after not receiving you, while I was speaking to my parents, so she told me to inform you.." he swiftly responds when I interrupt him:

"Thank you", I think he's another creep who's behind me because I'm an out-of-Bengal student, I don't know when he tells me:
"Ehh actually I also wanted you to come to a party in the boy's.." "I'm not interested, sorry." I interrupted;

"It's my birthday actually." He replies me in a serious voice. "I am not from East Bengal either actually, just so I clear about myself. Chittagongian dialect is just gibberish to us Bengalis on the other side of Ganges, and I would love if you come and give me some company in the small party. It seemed like you're a freshie to this !@#$, just like me so..."

"Uh fine I'll visit you. Who are you tho? I never spoke to you if I am not wrong..." I replied in a confused voice,

"I am Aman Dey. I am a transfer-student from Calcutta. Frankly, I found you interesting, because not only you seemed uninterested in student unions and also seem to get ragged by the other students so yea. Don't worry, you don't need to bring me any gift too, your mother also told me to speak to you, after asking about my whereabouts.." he tells me frantically as I interrupt him:

"Gifts are my choice. I don't need your opinions on it. Now get away from me before I decide to not visit you." I tell him in an authoritative way.

Aman seemed to have got scared of me, and ran away, when prof. Nguyen noticed me still in the class after a twenty minute the class ended, and Aman running away. "Did he say anything wron-" she tries to ask me when I interrupt:
  "No miss no there's nothing going on he just invited me to the-" I quickly try to explain my side when she interrupts:

"May, I know you're not happy in this college. If you want I can give a referral from my side to transfer you to the Chittagong university. Probably could cause me a hassle and get my job taken from this varsity, but I could give a try if you wish to. I have spent a fifteen years here and I know things are bad. It smells cannabis everywhere, there is this really bad system of bullying which is in fact harming you, and I know it is affecting you, especially since you are good in studies." She asks me in a concerned manner.

"Ma'am I would be ashamed to ask such. I can manage. I once again would like to thank you for letting me stay in your home for somedays, when I was beaten, but you have a life too and I can't cause problems in it." I respond.

"Ah then, take care of yourself. I'll admit I heard you both discussing and don't worry, that Aman boy seems decent. He studies Veterinary, so just be aware that his hostel stinks a lot. But overall, he's a decent student, who got transferred because of his really good grades in Class 12. Too bad he got into this !@#$ too." Miss sighs.

Prof. Nguyen leaves. She is a really nice person par say. I was once beaten for not participating in an initiation ceremony, that involved smoking and doing explicit things, and on that time, professor took really good care of me, by letting me stay at her home sometime and also dressing up my wounds. She also took special care in order to assign me a separate room in the dormitory, and I am really grateful to her.

 However, her family if one hell of a !@#$ household. Both of her parents, her in-laws, her two children, her husband, her husband's brother, his wife, their three children and then Ms. Nguyen's sister and her one daughter lives in a single household. Now, most of them are nice actually, but their really frequent fights, and their Bengali-Vietnamese family is just really weird and confusing in my opinion, which sometimes caused me to have difficulties fitting there, and me declining her request to move there.

    Raozan university became one of the lowest-ranked universities in all of East India due to its really nice breed of students. Ever since East India reorganised in the 80s, this university decided that it should start a cycle of ruining new students, showing apathy and just causing a mess. There is a constant smell of !@#$ and cannabis everywhere, there is vulgar graffiti everywhere, party fights are everywhere and this university is doomed.

   I consider myself so unfortunate to not get any chance whatsoever in the Rangoon University, the Pathein University or even the Akyap-Sittwe university, which would have been much better options in my opinion, instead of having to reside with these filthy Bengalis, who think spitting betel juice everywhere is somehow hygenic and being obnoxiously loud in the streets is fine. While even Chittagong university would have been a better option, mainly because it is located in the capital, my mid-score and my late application left only the worst university in the list as the option.

   Ironically, this Varsity still manages to have a 'B' ranking, which means that mid students will get this university as a choice. Raozan's good environment makes it a good place to study humanities and sciences related to plants and animals, which is why I am here, stuck in this !@#$. Oh and did I forget? Raozan Uni treats its students like High Schoolers! Probably among the only good things of this varsity is that even if you do weed in the room or be the don of your dormitory, you will have to dress up properly and be clean, or else you will called and really treated badly.

      Oh my, now I have also been invited by a filthy Bengali to his birthday?! I don't get why my mother loves Bengalis so much. She visited Calcutta once for doing missionary work in the Mahabodhi society, since then, after returning to Bago, she keeps insisting that they are nice people and trustworthy. Now I cannot deny a boy so badly, especially when it's his birthday, but professor's words already has given me a sense that what I did was a wrong thing, and I shall brace up now for the unexpected.

Next chapter to come out soon. I am tired and its midnight so I'll have to leave now