People call it resilience. He calls it necessity. When you’ve got no money and your stomach’s been empty for three days, your only option is to stop caring where the food comes from, and just eat.
That was the reality for one Malaysian university student who recently shared his experience of surviving campus life while being completely broke.
His story isn’t just jaw-dropping. It’s painfully real for many students who live quietly below the poverty line.
“What’s the poorest experience you’ve had?” he asked online.
“Mine was during uni, when I had zero cash and zero money in the bank. I waited near trash bins around campus for people to throw away unfinished food. If it touched other rubbish, I’d rinse it and eat it.”
“Until today, I can still eat spoiled food, as long as it still looks like food, and I won’t get a stomach ache .”
This wasn’t just one bad week. It was his whole student life
While some may think this was a one-off situation, the student clarified that it wasn’t just a bad week. It was his entire university life. Hunger wasn’t something he occasionally faced. It became a part of his daily routine.
Almost my whole degree life was like that. It started when I had no money and my friend introduced me to the concept of ‘all edible food is food’. From that day on, my roommate and I would wait around the bins for people to throw away food.”
What’s even more eye-opening is how normalised this lifestyle became. One day, there were enough “rescued” leftovers to host a full meal. And they did just that.
They ate gratefully without asking anything. Only the next day did we tell them the food came from the trash.”
‘I stretched one pack of crackers for days’
His story sparked an emotional response online, with many Malaysians sharing how they too had once fought silent battles during their student years.
For some, it was running out of money. For others, it was being left behind, mocked, bullied, or simply ignored.
“You made me realise how lucky I’ve been since birth. I’m sorry you had to go through that. May your rezeki overflow in the future.”
“I remember crying by a wall because I didn’t even have RM1 for bus fare. A stranger gave me money. I still remember their face.”
“I used to eat plain rice with lime I picked off a tree. Sometimes, I stretched one pack of crackers for days. I didn’t even have a pendrive or laptop. My friends mocked me. Eventually, I dropped out due to bullying… but I returned and finished my studies.”
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