All entries for August 2019

Graduation

On 24 July 2019, I graduated from the University of Warwick with first-class honours in Politics and Sociology! To think 3 years has flown by is surreal. – I felt so honoured and grateful to be celebrating my graduation with fellow friends and family. Without their support, I would not have come this far and the day was as much about celebrating their support as it was celebrating my success. I wore a traditional dress called ‘baju kurung’ as a homage to my roots and wider community back home, who have been pivotal to my success.

My family, including my immediate family, 2 aunts and 2 cousins, came down to the UK to witness my graduation. For most of them, it was their first time coming to the UK and I enjoyed showing them around my home for the past few years. While they enjoyed the sights of London, there was an unfortunate heatwave occurring during that week with temperatures soaring up to 38 degrees Celsius on some days! I brought them to local iconic sites like Portobello Market, Hyde Park and Bicester village.

It was a proud moment to celebrate with my friends as well. While it was a joyous occasion, it was also bittersweet knowing that we would be in different places in a few months. I definitely will miss having the luxury of showing up at friends’ houses in a moment’s notice. I also got to exchange some graduation gifts with friends. My aunt had kindly ordered some custom-made cookies to celebrate my graduation. I received some goodies like chocolate from Ecuador and Indonesian treats, which I enjoyed thoroughly! I even went to my favourite Asian restaurant afterwards to bid a proper farewell. I'm friends with the owner and it was bittersweet saying goodbye to the restaurant, which has been a major source of comfort over these few years.

In all honesty, graduating with a first-class degree was no easy feat. I experienced a myriad of challenges this year, which tested my patience and endurance. Over the Spring break (March & April), I was juggling 6 essays while experiencing some health issues. Mid-way through the break, I decided to seek medical help as I was at my wit's end. While I was thankful there was an explanation behind my condition, all the medical appointments were quite disruptive to my routine. I also had to be mindful of making sure I was taking care of myself. I’m thankful that I had a great support network to tap on to get me through a tough time and remind me to take care of myself.

Upon my arrival in Singapore, my mum greeted me with flowers! I also got to see the new Changi Jewel after seeing countless people post pictures of it on social media. Since I’ve been back, I’ve taken time to catch up with beloved friends and family. Moreover, I’ve had the opportunity to reconnect with my supervisor from my internship last year and meet some alumni for career advice. I’ve taken time to reflect on my university experience this past few weeks. – I’m immensely grateful for the opportunities the scholarship has given me and the trust the trustees have given us. As one of the pioneer recipients of the scholarship, I’m honoured to have been picked as it means the trustees saw potential in me. I hope to be able to be in a position to give back in the future too, not merely financially but knowledge-wise or giving other people access to opportunities.

Iffah Azman : 27 Aug 2019 17:25 |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Post–exam Trips: Venice & Scotland

After my exams, I took a 5-day trip to Venice and explored the surrounding islands as well. I’ve always heard of how picturesque the city is and experiencing it in person is truly breath-taking. – I still find it hard to wrap my head around the fact that Venice is a city built around canals instead of roads and the city is built on a lagoon. I enjoyed exploring the city by foot and taking the vaporetto (water bus) around.

I went sightseeing at some of the city’s famous buildings such as Saint Mark’s Basilica, which is famous for its architecture. As the church lies at the Piazza San Marco, I took the chance to explore the surrounding sights like the Doge Palace. I also went to the Rialto bridge, which is the oldest of the 4 bridges spanning the Grand Canal in Venice. The bridge consists of 3 walkways and the wider central walkway has rows of small shops selling goods like jewelry.

I also took the chance to explore the surrounding islands of Venice. One of the highlights of the trip was definitely going to the Lido beach to enjoy the sunshine and heat. I’ve always found the sea calming so after a hectic year, I relished just being in the sun and not worrying about deadlines or work. I also took the chance to try out my new film camera that I got as a birthday present.

One of the perks of taking public transport everywhere on this trip meant I could splurge more on delicious food! One of my favourite dishes I had here was seafood pasta. Over the course of the trip, I had so much mussels, squid and prawns. Of course, I couldn’t leave Italy without trying their pizza and tiramisu, which were the best I’ve tried.

While I wished I had more time to explore other cities in Italy, I had to head back to the UK as I had an interview in London the following week. A recruiter had reached out to me during the exam period regarding an operations role with an asset management firm. After 2 rounds of interviews, I had a longer interview and tests at the firm’s head office in London. While I did not get the role, it was a good learning experience as it taught me how to sell my skills and practice my interview skills.

A day after my interview, I headed to Scotland to celebrate the birthday of a dear friend from Singapore, who’s now studying there. A group of us rented an AirBnB near Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park. Being in nature was such a refreshing break. – We enjoyed doing typical summer activities like having BBQs. It was lovely to experience a more communal living situation as 10 of us shared a house over a few days and we took turns doing errands like cleaning and buying groceries.

Over June, I made so many exciting memories with both new and old friends. One of the things I truly cherish about my time in university is having the ability to plan small trips with friends and having the freedom to explore new places together. While the prospect of my friends being in disparate places globally is exciting and sad at the same time, I will miss how international the Warwick community is.- This appreciation for diversity is something I hope to experience wherever I am in the future.

Iffah Azman : 26 Aug 2019 11:02 |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem