After my little weekend getaway, my internship started the very next day. I felt a concoction of feelings; from nerves to excitement back to nerves again. I joined a department where they give back to society and do good. I also happened to join in on two of the busiest weeks and though I wasn't there for long, I definitely learnt a lot. I'm so thankfully that I got to be around my dad more.
I'll mention the colleagues I meet along the way in the order I meet them in.
I'll mention the colleagues I meet along the way in the order I meet them in.
Day One, 19th June 2017.
Bright and early, the day started. Oddly enough, I was awaken by a unexpected power outage. I followed my dad to work and we had breakfast at his favourite little cafe where he occasionally packs home my wrap and pasta from! I met some of his friendly colleagues who told me not to worry and that if anyone attempts to bully me, just mention them. That made me smile.
Nerves bubbled out of me from head to toe, as I stood in the lift that brought be to the H.R Department (Level 13A). I was greeted with many smiling faces and was brought to the sitting area where I sat with some other new members of faculty, just waiting. Soon after, I was brought to a little room to settle some paper work.
In all honesty, I was slightly overwhelmed as thoughts fired across my mind rapidly. Struggling to remember everyone's names, I wasn't even aware who was my boss at that moment! The different departments sitting all together certainly didn't help, but after a day or two, everything felt much easier, thankfully. The job started immediately after I was brought to my desk. There were a range of tasks to get done over the week and it started with with a list of things to pack and put in place. Once everything was segregated, with a few exceptions, the first and most friendly colleague and I set out to deliver in the mini electric car!
Visit One - C.H
Bursting with energy, we started the day packing and loading the truck with a wide variety of goods ranging from bulks of rice to adult diapers. As we arrived at the compound, we were greeted by many friendly faces and immediately began unloading the goods from the truck. Many old folks were wheeling out in excitement as we had friendly conversations with them, in hopes to get to know them better. A lovely old lady mentioned that her birthday was around the corner, thus we burst out in a joyous birthday song for her with everyone singing along, leaving an absolutely exuberant atmosphere. Though the total headcount there was only 37, most of them were bubbling in elation upon receiving their goodies.
Once we got back from the visit, they brought me to lunch at the place near by (Papa R.); I had a simple slice of pizza as I wasn't too sure how much to eat. I finally met the entire team and discussions were tossed around the table. A cheeky mention of designing a solar muriel was even brought to my attention by the boss herself and colleague 5. When we went back to the office, I sat around for a bit until I got my next task by another friendly colleague who instructed me to do some simple "weekly write up" posts on ways to remind and "hype" people on their internal competition. Though it wasn't a massive task, I took it quite seriously and read everyone word several times. I was also asked to make a slide show presentation by colleague 3 on all their visits and tasks (there were so many) There was a point before me touching my computer where the password and username didn't work. My anxiety calmed down as I got the sweetest lady who sat next to me to help resolve the problem.
Once we got back from the visit, they brought me to lunch at the place near by (Papa R.); I had a simple slice of pizza as I wasn't too sure how much to eat. I finally met the entire team and discussions were tossed around the table. A cheeky mention of designing a solar muriel was even brought to my attention by the boss herself and colleague 5. When we went back to the office, I sat around for a bit until I got my next task by another friendly colleague who instructed me to do some simple "weekly write up" posts on ways to remind and "hype" people on their internal competition. Though it wasn't a massive task, I took it quite seriously and read everyone word several times. I was also asked to make a slide show presentation by colleague 3 on all their visits and tasks (there were so many) There was a point before me touching my computer where the password and username didn't work. My anxiety calmed down as I got the sweetest lady who sat next to me to help resolve the problem.
Day Two, 21st June 2017.
Traffic was rather heavy and I managed to get to work on the dot, which meant I had to skip breakfast. I convinced my dad that I rather not have breakfast as I didn't want to be late. Ironically enough, I was the earliest one there. My dad popped my the Family Mart nearby and got me a Strawberry Cake where I munched it happily in his room, meeting one of his other colleagues who asked if I was having a late father's day meal with him. The majority of the day was spent working on the slideshow and then a task of picking the most cultivating photos from a massive selection of photos to send to corp com department for marketing purposes was delegated to me. When I showed colleague 4 the photos and slideshow, she then mentioned the photos had to be more "candid" so I had to correct bits and bops of it.
My computer hung twice and thankfully the same kind lady next to me helped out. I honestly couldn't thank her enough. Throughout the day, there was some unloading from the van to perform as well. During lunch break, I had lunch with my dad at a sushi place in the mall next door, followed by a purple juice and a quick stop to the massive bookstore. I also got to meet one of his bosses and secretary. This was one of the most eventful days and I definitely had a good night's sleep.
Day Three, 22nd June 2017.
I had breakfast with my dad again at Family Mart, followed with a small cup of watermelon juice. The majority of this day was spent on our last visit for the week, apart from working on the powerpoint in my available time. The journey was the furthest one yet. We split in two cars; me and colleague 1 in one car, the boss and colleague 3 in another. We stopped by a Chinese Restaurant located nearby the visit to feed our rumbling stomachs.
My dad and I had breakfast at Family Mart once again where I picked up a banana cake and little milk biscuits to munch on. Due to arriving early, my dad and I had some spare time so we walked to the mall next door to get some juice again. A busy day was planned that day, including two trips to one place. I fell asleep in the first journey with colleague 1 and 4 (it was a relatively distant drive and I have a tendency and dozing off in moving vehicles). My love for music sparkled as I couldn't help notice the taste in music of everyone. The first journey was filled with EDM house music with a darh of Taylor Swift. During the second journey there, I surprisingly did not doze off. Colleague 5 talked to me the entire way; from music to law. The music played was kind of alternative rock/pop with some indie singer songwriter (I loved it, thank you Spotify.)
Lunch was at a hawker store across the busy road, where I had a small bowl of famous pork noodles along with the rest of the team. I think it was safe to say that the day was one of the most eventful ones, and that I had a great night's sleep.
Visit Two - PDK S.C
Excitement glistened in the eyes of the students as we arrived to deliver the goods to them – after a relatively long car journey that began bright and early. The unloading was efficient as we formed a human chain and worked together to unload all the goods one by one. Everyone was incredibly lovely and lent a helping; from us to the teachers to the students. Grins tickled at the corner of student's faces when we passed the goodies to them one by one, ensuring all 53 students had received their wel deserved goods. Brightly coloured posters and pictures rained around us as we stood in the room that was drenched in rainbow coloured works of art against contrasting walls. We didn’t stay for too long but managed to have meaningful conversations (I met a baby girl, Maya, and her mother and big brother who were all incredibly sweet) before needing to scurry on to our next destination.
Visit Three - PDK K.R
The raging afternoon sun didn’t stop us as we began our second journey of the day with determination. After a long drive, we finally arrived. Though the school was empty as it was already mid afternoon, we once again worked together and unloaded the goods one by one. With excellent coordination, we managed to get the job done in a short period of time, regardless of the lack of helping hands. The aroma of delight diffused in the air as the 86 goodies were given.We were greeted by a lovely teacher who enlightened us about what’s going on and recent activities, as we listened attentively. The decorative compound could be admired for ages, though we bid our farewells once we were assured that everything was delivered and taken care of.
Day Four, 22nd June 2017.I had breakfast with my dad again at Family Mart, followed with a small cup of watermelon juice. The majority of this day was spent on our last visit for the week, apart from working on the powerpoint in my available time. The journey was the furthest one yet. We split in two cars; me and colleague 1 in one car, the boss and colleague 3 in another. We stopped by a Chinese Restaurant located nearby the visit to feed our rumbling stomachs.
Visit Four - R.E
After a distant drive with mesmerising views that stretched on for ages, we finally arrived at our destination and were completely amazed by the cleanliness of the compound and how well it has been maintained over the years. Beautiful murals and decorations surrounded us as we unloaded the hefty goods with the help of a team of friendly helpers. A trolley was kindly provided to us as we moved it back and forth, boxes after boxes. Once everything was put in place in the brightly lit hall, we visited some of the old folks and handed out a few sarungs to them, along with the 116 goodies. We felt our hearts plunge into the depths of our stomach as chills ran up and down our spines when we were informed that most of the old folks here were abandoned by their own children. They were absolutely wonderful; some of them had smiles that stretched from cheek to cheek, as they were chatty and were just in need of some good company. When it was time to bid our farewells, we felt a strong tugging of our heartstrings as tears began to fill our eyes. The only thing that brought us the slightest bit of comfort in leaving was the fact that they were in good hands. On our way out, we stopped by the massive kitchen and thanked all the kind hearted people who worked there such as the chef, helpers and nurses. The visit there was truly worthwhile and thought provoking.
Day Five, 23rd June 2017.
Day Five, 23rd June 2017.
Yay! We've made it to the Friday of the week. All the hectic visits were out of the way and the more "office based work" began. I was delegated a task to write up on all the visits and events, thus I opened Microsoft Word and started drafting immediately (the final submitted write ups are shown in the paragraphs I've underlined). Apart from that, colleague 4 instructed me to translate an 80 page German document to English. There was a special lunch planned to celebrate all the hard work done for the week and though I was hesitant to go as the translating would take ages, the team managed to convince me to go. It was a rather long brunch; we drove to the mall which was 10 minutes away (Bangsr.) and had Chinese food (Peaking Duck), followed by (Inside Scoop) ice cream down the road.
Ironically enough, I was still craving ice cream at the end of the day so my dad, grandma and I went to our favourite artsy mall to have the same ice cream again, along with a Japanese pasta dinner. That was the start to a long four day weekend where I've written a blogpost about: here.
Here's an alcoholic cupcake one of my colleagues made, it was super tasty and satisfied my hungry stomach.
Here's an alcoholic cupcake one of my colleagues made, it was super tasty and satisfied my hungry stomach.
Day Six, 28th June 2017.
The short week began with tasks packed on top of each other. I proceeded with my write up and translation immediately (though thankfully I gotten the overall plan organised in the previous week, which made things much easier). I also began working on the Solar Muriel painting by drafting some sketches. Once I finished the first draft on the write up, I sent it to colleague 1 and she was so lovely and supportive of it. She told me to send it to the team, and my boss seemed happy with it as well, making me rather glad.
I went out for lunch with colleague 1 to a famous Indian place hidden in one of the streets. We managed to beat the crowd by a couple of minutes! I had chapati for the first time, I didn't want to be choosy with my food at all so I let my team suggest all the meals saying I'll tag along to whatever, and it was delicious! We then stopped by Family Mart where I got a macha flavour soft serve! Because there was still a long time left of the lunch break, my colleague decided to go for a little shop at the mall nearby, which was quite interesting and fun. I found a familiar top!
Day Seven, 29th June 2017
My dad and I started the day with breakfast at the same cafe as Day One where I shared some French Toast with my him. I then went to the office myself and finished up the translation, finally sending it off to colleague 4. You honestly cannot believe how relieved I felt when that particular task was done and dusted! I also finished up my Mural sketches, where I transferred the ideas from my given company notebook to my personal sketch book, with the help of my trusty watercolour pencils. I emailed the ideas of colleague 5 and him and other members of the team came up to me and said they were pleased with them. I also worked on touching up the write up by adding pictures and such.
I lunched with my dad at the mall next door as the other team members had an appointment, and I absolutely loved my lunch! I had fishballs with soup and vegetables, along with some Pan Mee. We also stopped by the sports shop where I managed to pick up a lovely pair of Trainers as my old pair were so damaged (but hey, they stuck by me through High School and PE lessons ranging from Basketball, Football, Rugby and even Track events! The sole of the shoe literally fell off though oops...) The trainer was a similar colour to my old pair, which I love.
Towards the end of the day, my boss gave me a few little gifts which I was very grateful for.
Day Eight, 30th June 2017.
My last day! My dad took me to an Indian place at the mall next door (which also had a train station) and we had Roti Canai! I loved it. On the way to the office I bumped into colleague 5 and and said "hey, last day" and my dad answered back while I remained silent. It was strange and I brought it up to my dad saying how sometimes I feel that life moves too quick for my mind to comprehend sometimes. I actually wanted to give a response to Colleague 5 but I guess the event kinda moved faster than words being able to string together in my head. I don't know, I'm weird sometimes. My dad says that's completely normal though!
We went for a "farewell lunch" for me, which I was a little shy about as I didn't feel worthy enough for a lunch haha. We went to the building (it was a petrol building) and had a meal at a place named "Copper". The aesthetics were both minimalistic and delightful. I had a simple ham and cheese sandwich with an ice honey lemon as I didn't want to splurge too much. We then popped my the coffee place next door where I got an ice chocolate frap thingy. Mmm.
When we got back to the office, I wrapped up all my tasks. My final one was the compile a list of NGOs in a specific area, attaching their contact details. The team also watched slide show and then the day came to an end by taking hilarious photos that I will always remember.
When we got back to the office, I wrapped up all my tasks. My final one was the compile a list of NGOs in a specific area, attaching their contact details. The team also watched slide show and then the day came to an end by taking hilarious photos that I will always remember.
My dad was the cutest and popped by my desk to drop some little treats like coconut candy delights to royce chocolates. I love him so much.
My last snack from Family Mart at the usual cafe!
With love,
Cheryl
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