End of Year 2: Sun & Smiles

While the last term was hectic with finishing deadlines and preparing for exams, I was glad that I got to travel to Amsterdam afterwards. Being in Amsterdam during summer was amazing- The city was still lively at night and walking around to soak up the atmosphere was a fun (and free) activity!

I visited a few museums such as the Stedilijk museum and the Rijksmuseum but my favourite was the Van Gogh museum. The museum was curated in a manner that allowed visitors to learn more about his life in an autobiographical and intimate manner while appreciating his artworks. To learn that he only started painting at 26 (which by today’s standards may seem late) without knowing if he was any good at it was awe-inspiring. Learning about his life and dedication to his artistry challenged notions of talent as being ingrained and more important than effort. He was relentless in improving his artistry for the sake of his own self-mastery despite the lack of external validation nor monetary reward.

In the final week before I returned to Singapore, I had a BBQ with a few other friends to celebrate the end of Year 2. In typical British fashion, summer is not complete without having a BBQ. We were lucky the sun was shining and the skies were blue that day. By the end of the day, everyone was all smiles. It was a great end to the academic year and I’m grateful to have such a great network of support while overseas in university.

This year was eventful and enriching in various ways. I was grateful I managed to continue honing my theatre practice through my involvement in 2 productions. One of which was the 2018 Singsoc Production ‘Those who Can’t Teach’ written by Haresh Sharma. Although I was not acting this time, I mentored the cast by carrying out actor training sessions. Theatre is always a team effort hence, working with the production team and cast was an enjoyable way to get to know them better. Seeing the end product during the last week of term 2 made me proud as I knew how hard they worked to put everything together!

During this summer break, I will be doing an internship at the Ministry of Social and Family Development in Singapore. While I have only just began, being immersed in a different working culture and learning about the rigors that come with this job has been insightful. As I was working in a start-up last year, the shift to a more corporate environment has allowed me to learn about the differences of working styles and approaches. While part of me wishes I had more experience working in a variety of settings before I graduate, I am still grateful to have this opportunity to get an insight into public service.

In my first week of internship, an exhibition on ‘Transformations within the Public Service’ was held and I got to help run a booth representing the department’s work. It was an interesting experience as I got to interact with people from various other agencies and ministries. I enjoyed learning more about other developments across the board, whether it was changes in approaches to age-old problems or technological advances.

I anticipate this summer to be a whirlwind- Juggling my internship, spending time with family and re-connecting with old friends but I hope being back in Singapore will allow to rest in time for my final year. It’s only at the end of my second year that I understand why everyone says these 3 years will past by in a hurry!

Iffah Azman : 18 Jul 2018 09:27 |  Comments (0) |  Report a problem