By Yap Shen Jie
When Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) officially implemented face-to-face classes during the semester 2022/2023, Unimas students returned, and the majority of them chose to rent off-campus. Unijaya is one of the most popular places for Unimas students to rent rooms.
Unijaya is the nearest rental to UNIMAS, barely 15 minutes away. Students can enter the campus through the pavement next to the road without worrying about being too close to traffic. The first thing faculty students notice upon entering campus is the Faculty of Economic and Business (FEB), which is a recognised landmark that assist students living in Unijaya to quickly discover their faculties and other places they want to visit.
UNIMAS students occupied 98 per cent of the available accommodations as of December 6. Unijaya, which had been vacant for two years, is now home to a new group of students. Is everything here good or bad for the students? Is it advisable to stay in Unijaya?
“I chose to rent rooms in Unijaya since the rent is lower. It is close to UNIMAS, and I could save money on transportation,” said Teh Choo Hui, 21, who has been in Unijaya since October 4.
“I opted to buy the ingredients for cooking in order to hone my cooking skills. But on weekends when I had two or more classes and was feeling lazy, I would go to the MF store and buy fast food.”
Teh was happy that she could practise her cooking skills, but the process of preparing the ingredients is so time-consuming that it is already two hours after eating, so she occasionally buys food from the MF store at Unijaya.
“It is difficult at times because I share a flat with four other housemates, so every time I want to cook, I have to make a few trips back and forth from my room with pots, pans, and other things. I am tired before I begin cooking,” she said, adding that the kitchen was quite small and can only fit one person.
Teh said that living away from campus is freeing since it allows you to have privacy while not bothering people. She reasoned that having her own room would be ideal since she wouldn’t have to adhere to her roommate’s routine.
“I’m not saying I enjoy living in Unijaya, but it’s not a bad place for me. However, there are a few things that could be better. The first consideration is road hygiene. I hope the property owners do a better job of cleaning; else, you must walk with caution. The second point is that restaurant hours should be extended or more restaurants should be opened; closing at 8pm is too early.”
Teh said that many things were uncomfortable at first, but now that it is the third month, many of the things she worried about before no longer mattered, leaving only a few things for improvement.
Unijaya is home to both local and international students. They chose Unijaya after being recommended by local students since the rent was less expensive.
“The food at MF store is quite good; my favourites are scrambled eggs with tomatoes and braised chicken with potatoes; it caters to Cantonese tastes,” said Zou Pei Zhi, a 26-year-old UNIMAS student from China, who has been staying in Unijaya since November 29.
She said that she didn’t want to cook since she was unsure of her cooking skills, and that the MF store was open every day, so she didn’t have to worry about what she wanted to eat.
She also voiced her frustration with not having supper at Unijaya, as there was often nothing to eat after finishing her assignments and classes.
“There is no Wi-Fi, the internet connection is poor, and I am unable to use my data on the higher floors.”
For Zou, the most important thing is still Wi-Fi. Without it, it is inconvenient to complete assignments and obtain materials. Also, she is not able to watch television drama series or play video games in her spare time.
The MF store is the only small shop in Unijaya. It is run by a Chinese family. It sells ingredients, snacks, drinks, ice cream, stationery, medicine, daily essentials, fast foods, and a service to assist students with package collection.
“I’ve worked in Unijaya for six years, first working for others and later opening my own shop. I also manage the majority of the rented accommodation, and students can contact me if they have any issues,” said Choo Siong Hoon, 63, who manages the rented rooms and the boss of the MF store.
He said that because the majority of the students at Unijaya are Malays, the fast food is Halal and can be served to individuals of all races. He also kept the shop open throughout the UNIMAS midterm break, as students who did not return home needed to buy food and other needs.
“As the issue of hidden dangers is important, we have prepared fire extinguishers just in case.”
He also takes student safety seriously, which is why many owners want him to help monitor their rented apartments.
During the day, Unijaya is only a student’s back view on their way to UNIMAS, but in the evening, you can see people gathering to chat, play badminton, and go for a walk.
The days at Unijaya have been bittersweet, with some transition difficulties, but there is no doubting that it can be a haven for UNIMAS students.
• This article was written by a student from the Strategic Communication Programme at the Faculty of Language and Communication, UNIMAS.
