Kuala Lampur, March 22 -- Scrolling through my social media, seeing my friends sending their kids to boarding schools, I had two thoughts: One, when did we get old enough for this? And two, should I brace myself for an endless stream of dad jokes about hostel food and lights-out mischief?

Jokes aside, I can't help but reflect on my own experience.

Whenever I bump into old schoolmates, our conversations inevitably drift towards shared memories. "Remember those late-night study sessions? The freezing showers? The letters to overseas pen pals that never got replies?"

We laugh, but there's an unspoken weight in our voices - a recognition of how those years shaped us.

For many who attended boarding schools, the experience is worn as a badg...