#GlasgowMalaysianStudentsCentre

[nostalgiauk]

NOSTALGIA UK

The last dinner (1994)

After much deliberation, I finally made up my mind: Surrey would be the next stop in my academic journey. It felt like the right choice, though part of me couldn’t help but wonder how different life might be if I stay put. Alongside me, Fudin set his sights on Nottingham, Ela headed to Warwick, and Shah chose UMIST in Manchester. Meanwhile, the rest of the group—Amir, Azizi, Nazrul, and Nasrul—opted to stay in Glasgow, all enrolling at the University of Strathclyde. Interestingly, none of us chose the University of Glasgow.

The details of those final days are hazy now. I can’t quite recall when we officially moved out of our shared flat or whether we all left at the same time. Still, a vivid fragment lingers in my mind: I spent my last couple of days at the Malaysian Students Centre, near Pollokshields. Maybe Shaikh or Fudin would remember it differently, but that’s how I recall it.

One thing I do remember clearly is wanting to mark the occasion—a little farewell dinner to close this memorable chapter of our lives. I visited a nearby Pakistani shop, picking up meat, curry powder, onions, and all the essentials to make one last curry in Glasgow. It was a bittersweet moment, cooking that meal, knowing it would be our final one together as a group.

The next day, the departures began. Either Ela left first, or I did—time has blurred the exact sequence. What I do know is that with each goodbye, it felt like the end of an era. We were all setting off in different directions, chasing dreams, carrying memories, and starting anew.