Chambering or Pupillage

There are so many things that happened to me the last few months. Just too many to count and too many to list down anyway, but the significant one is probably the fact that I have changed from being a law student to a pupil/chambie (trainee lawyer) and hopefully a lawyer after these 9 months of chambering. 

So as much as my 'status' changed, I have to adapt my so called new life as well. I have to think like an adult and act like an adult. Honestly during my early days, I found the adaptation as pretty harsh . I mean I'm still young, I still want to stay up all night and watch movies like I used to do when I was a student. I still want to skip classes whenever I feel sleepy and can't get up from my bed. I still want to have MC even though my fever or illness are pretty tolerable. I still want to do things without a serious responsibility because "I'm just a student anyway". When I was a student I always think like "Oh let's just do this, if it's wrong then it's okay, we learn from mistakes anyway". I still want to stay up all weekends and have fun with my friends. I still want to do stupid and random things like go to karaoke place in the middle of the night and release our 'self-created stress'. I miss midnight movies as well. I mean when I was a student, I always went to the nearest mall and watch midnight movies with couple of friends in pajama and regardless of when the movies end, we just won't care much since our schedule was pretty flexible. And if you're a student, you'll get like discounts at mostly every freaking place in this world, restaurants, cinemas, karaoke place and even clothing stores. I miss student discounts hahaha. I miss random roadtrips and random hiking/jogging sessions with my friends. 

I know that it seems like all I did was to have fun and laughter, I swear that it wasn't the case. I study jugak okay, I did study. My main concern when I was a student was not to fail my papers and thank god, I never did. That's probably the only struggle back then, to pass my papers. I always told myself like 'its okay you did your best. It's okay if you fail, its part of life. Everyone fails anyway" (well not everyone but huge number la) but I did all I can to pass. I told myself like grades are not important but I stayed up all night to study, read books, read cases, make notes, colour my notes, hafal my cases, nazar puasa or sedekah if I feel like I messed up my exams yet I shouted "grades are not important" hahahaha. You must be kidding yourself kid. You did everything for your grades and your papers remember?!!

Again, those good old days.

Then I realized that everything has changed.

I no longer go to classes, I go to work now. I no longer has lecturers to scold me if I make any mistakes, I have senior colleagues and my master to do that for me hahahaha. My client is no longer Encik Ali as what is stated in the examination paper but a real 'Encik Ali' who will call you every now and then to ask the status of his case. Everything I do counts, I can no longer act like I don't know my law. If I don't know something, it's my duties to figure it out, to do my research. Every steps I take, I have to think about the consequences and responsibilities. "If I didn't do this within time,  then my client will get the court order" or things like "Oh if I don't do this, my client will not get a divorce and she has to suffer and live with her shitty husband for the rest of her life". Even when I hate the case or the clients so so much I still have to be professional and do it anyway because 'they pay you'. Then should I talk about punctuality, shitty clients, waking up early for court casea and answering to repetitive phone calss? Urgh, I better not.

When I was a student, all I want to do was to finish my studies and work but hmmm shit, this is not what I expected hahahahaha. Adulting is hard, you have to brace yourself.

However, now I'm in my 3rd month of chambering, I started to adapt myself and started to have fun and enjoy my working life. I mean I might not get to do things I did when I was a student, but I discovered other ways of having fun and making myself happy. I started to embrace my 'alone time'. I know that I might look like a real no life kinda person but these days whenever my clients praised my work, that really made my day.

Honestly during the first few weeks of my chambering life, I really really feel like quitting (nowadays I still have those thoughts sometimes). Everything was pretty challenging and hard. My families are far away back home and my friends are not here anymore. The only thing I can connect with them are through whatsapp or phone calls. The thing is everyone has their own life and I cannot like 'kacau' them everyday. When I was a student, there were days where my friends cannot entertain my emotional side and my parents are busy to catch up with me, then I thought I was lonely enough. Now I'm really alone and has no families and friends around, I realize that this shit is real lonely. Dulu tu macam takde apa pun. I felt like I was losing my bond with everybody.

On my first day of chambering, I came home and cried for two freaking hours because I was 'scolded' for a tiny mistake I did. It was my first day of course, my parents and my friends will call and ask about my day. I avoided them, I really feel like not talking to anyone. I questioned myself whether I can survive or not. Now, I'm like 3 months here I realized that it wasn't a scolding. It was just a mere 'correction' made by my senior partner, but it was done in a harsh way and me being a baby just hmmmm.

Chambering is tough but it's fun too. I'm not sure whether I'll complete my chamber or not ( I hope I do) but this a new experience altogether for me. All I did when I was in law school was to learn and study about the theories, now it's time to apply those theories in real world. Sometimes, when I have too much things to juggle within limited time, I do question my life and I really feel like quitting. Then I reflect back and realize that I spent my freaking 5 years in law school and now I'm out of it, I wanted to give up? That easy? I realize that I have no other talent, I'm not good at anything in life. All I wanted to do since I was a child was to become a lawyer, so I have to suck it off. I was a girl with big dreams, and I promised myself that I'll make it real one day. I cannot disappoint myself. Not to mention all the restless nights I spent studying for exams just to make sure I'll graduate and the money and efforts my parents have to put in to ensure their daughter become a lawyer. Looking back at all these things I realize that I just have too much to lose.

I am busy but then everyone is busy too. You make time for your loved ones. I realize that I have to make time to contact and keep updates with my families. I have to take the initiative to call and whatsapp my friends. That's the way to survive this world. 

These days, every time I feel like quitting and pressured, I'll take a step back and remind myself why I'm here at the first place. Take a deep breathe, and start again. Just remain positive and patient and most importantly, just pray to God. Hopefully this is the right path for me, hopefully every steps take I take are blessed. Hopefully everything will make sense.


Hopefully everything will be fine.

"Do not claim you want to grow and then run away the minute you feel that growing pains".