Of hardships and the long awaited glimmer of hope.

I received a phone call this morning that left me in hysterical laughter with tears rolling down my face at the same time.

The very efficient (*cues hacking cough) board finally approved my desperate appeal to reduce the monthly repayment of my flat until I graduate and receive my pay proper.

Going down to the branch countless times, being asked redundant questions about my family background, being insulted during the many consultations because the flat wasn't in my name and no one believed that I'm the one who's repaying the loan, being rejected because they fear we could not pay them the arrears when the time comes...

There were so many times I wanted to just give up and go beg on the streets instead. literally.

The last straw was when the dumbass staff had the audacity to suggest that I stop making payments and see what they can do when we owe them 'a lot of money'.

That was when the favorite boy came up with the ingenious idea of going to the MP.

Things finally clicked into place after the second letter.

The whole ordeal... it stretched on for 3 years.. 3 long bitter years where I was making repayments of almost 1k per month... living with the guilt of selfishly choosing to quit my job and go back to school... the self pity of living the life of a scrooge... the fear and the nightmares of the 3 of us having nowhere to stay... the hatred of wanting to decapitate the bimbos who define being broke as not being able to buy their branded stuff...

It's difficult to put all the misery and guilt and fear and uncertainty and turmoil into words, but that was the worst 3 years of my life so far. And my childhood wasn't exactly a walk in the park.

Tears from sheer joy. I now know how it feels.

I want to get a Macbook as a gift to myself.

I finally feel that I deserve one. Zero guilt.