Nak jawab apa ek?

Source: PhD Comic

Hey folks...

How was your weekend? We had a pleasant weekend last week. The weather was good and since I am on a break we were not rushed. On Friday, we dropped by Pittsburgh to settle some stuff and to visit the Ikea there. Same je rupenya! (sorry no pictures he he he he).  But we did manage to by some microwave friendly plastic containers (17 of 'em!) for only USD3.99!! We also managed to find good char kuey teow in Pittsburgh but it was so expensive! Definitely though, Pittsburgh is much more interesting than Kent. We did however run headlong into a particularly tedious traffic jam at 4.00pm, which strangely reminded me so much of Malaysia. Sigh.

Yesterday, we had a gathering with some Malaysians here. I managed to see a few faces that I haven't seen in quite a bit so that was nice and the food was as usual, very good. The most popular question for me was the inevitable 'so when are you guys expecting?' which was rather awkward for me to answer (strangely hubby was not as vigorously attacked by these questions he he he he). I am as usual left flabbergasted, and the only thing I can manage is just a polite smile... coz I really don't know what to say! I don't mind these questions as it's to be expected but I wished I knew how to phrase my answer tactfully.

It is normal for other people even while doing PhD to have kids but perhaps they are at the later stage of writing so it's not so hectic. And yes, if you don't have coursework maybe getting pregnant is not as much of a stretch. Plus, they maybe better at multi-tasking than I am? I am finding that my thoughts are consumed 100% with my studies. It's not so much the classes and the amount of homework I have (!) but I am also paralyzed with fear that I will not be able to complete this on time. You see, when both of us managed to secure the scholarship, it was very last minute and it was met with a lot of resentment by some of the upper management. It's been ingrained in my  mind that I am here on scholarship so I have a lot of people that count on me to finish on time. So I am trying my best to complete within the four years given to me, and to do a good job. It's hard though to explain... An American classmate once asked me if I was planning to be pregnant and I said hopefully after my coursework & comprehensive exam. Her response was a smile, and "at least you are realistic eh?". Cheh.

Plus, our insurance only cover normal birth, for C-section it's not covered. A friend yesterday told us that it cost him 32k for 5 day stay C-section! OMG manalah nak korek tu. Kat US ni without proper insurance memang payah sikit. Yes, Allah will provide the rezeki when the time comes but for me, this is a big thing that needs planning. And more information. And resources.

To be honest, siapalah tak nak kan... Having a child will complete your family and I'm sure it's a precious experience most women would go through again and again. For us though, the time has not come yet... and I pray it will come soon in the near future... At the moment I am very happy with life and am grateful for how it's going!

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