And...My Next Adventure Awaits

2 months, 8 weeks, 60 days, and 1440 hours later, I found myself once again at the departure hall of Changi Airport. My heart sank as I know it’s time to leave this city that I called home for 2 months. The anticipation and excitement for new adventures may be over in Singapore, but I surely know that I will bring this fire of passion and curiosity wherever I go. 

Before this internship, I’ve always known that Singapore encapsulates a myriad of cultures - a melting pot of races, religions, cultures, and more. I very much looked forward to this new experience of emerging myself in the country’s diverse culture, while taking several classes to learn more about Singapore’s history and globalization. Little did I know that these two months of internship experience have rewarded me with a completely fresh understanding of myself. 

I’ve learned to be open minded to new experiences and interactions. By doing so, I am opening the doors to knowledge. For instance, one of my coworkers is a Muslim from Pakistan. Listening to stories of her upbringing as a Muslim and seeing her devotion to Muslim as she observed fasting in Ramadan or praying outside the office after work every day allowed me to gain insight to a new religion that I am unfamiliar with. My other coworker who is born and raised in Singapore also told me about his experience serving in the Singapore’s compulsory military. Without talking to him, I would not have felt compassion towards the moments of joy and tears he felt when serving in the army or understood the roots of patriotism among Singaporeans. I have tremendously enhanced my knowledge on topics that cannot be found elsewhere other than interacting with people who are different from me. I am grateful for the many opportunities to exchange knowledge and stories, learn, and embrace each and every unique background. Furthermore, I hope to always be proactively engaging in conversations to seek for untapped knowledge. 

Of course, I have also learnt that I am an adventurous person; from spontaneously deciding to travel to Malaysia on the weekend, to standing on the edge of a 300m tall building in Penang, and to ziplining across the beautiful beach in a small island of Singapore. There are simply too many tender moments and amazing people that I’ve met in these two months that I will never forget. Thankfully, with such advaned technology today, I am only a FaceTime away from keeping in touch with the friends I’ve made at my internship. We also jokingly agreed to meet up in Singapore 10 years from today haha! I have also become really close with several people from my school and I can’t wait to see them in just a week when school begins! 

As cliche as this sounds, this is not a goodbye, but a see you again. 

Thank you for allowing me to share a part of this special journey with you.