I survived my first full week at work!

Day 7

Back to work today, and I’m still feeling very surprised about how much independence they’re giving me. However, it’s really not because there isn’t anything to do – they’ve given me so many projects to work on and I guess it’s up to me what I do with them. Responsible adults and all that! I met my final colleague today and now our office is complete – the boss, four others and me. So it’s a very cosy office, it’s appropriately green coloured and I get my own little booth just like everyone else (I’ve already started decorating it of course). The irony is that the air conditioning inside can sometimes be so extreme that I get cold and have to go outside to warm up!  

In the evening I met with a friend who I study at university with (who turns out to be staying in my crazy accommodation as well!) She introduced me to her friend, and only after I’d told him some things about England and the Cambridge college system did he tell me that he also goes to Cambridge! So I’ve made a ‘home friend’ in Singapore - what a world! J Over a lovely dinner at U-town, they filled me in on the traditions of the various countries in south-east Asia. Many people from Malaysia, Singapore and several other countries in the region eat with a spoon and fork (rather than a fork and knife and rather than chop-sticks) but I opt for my favourite chop sticks every time!  It was so interesting, and opened my eyes to the intricacies of each culture, dish and country of this fascinating region.

Day 8

I decided to talk to my boss today and ask for some work clarification, but she mostly just confirmed what we’d already spoken about. So it’s time to organise and develop a plan of my own I think... Or perhaps in a few days J We had a delicious Korean lunch today - my food education is definitely coming along well! I don’t know what food they don’t have here (a challenge could definitely be to map the world through food without leaving Singapore...)

After an afternoon of work, I was very lucky to be invited to see some of the NUS students graduate (my colleagues were going to congratulate one of their past interns on graduating). It was such a great event, and the buzz of pride and happiness was very special. A graduation tradition here, which I really think should be adopted by everyone, is that students who are graduating (both boys and girls) receive huge teddies and lots of beautiful flowers. Of course we still need teddies as we enter the working world, you can’t go wrong with flowers and the photos were brightened up no end! They even put the mortarboard on me for a bit, which definitely made me forget (temporarily) that my study days are not over just yet!

After the ceremony, I decided to see what lay beyond the university campus and was pleased to find the huge Kent Ridge Park. This area is very hilly (which makes it rather tricky to develop any sort of bike scheme!) but once I’d climbed the hill of the park, the view that opened up was very much worth it. As the night was clear, I could see the whole harbour and beyond, filled with shimmering little lights and delicate waves.

Day 9

I had to venture into the ministry of manpower before work today to get my documents verified, and now I can officially work (yay!). The finger printing took a while because apparently my thumb was too dry, so the guy had to go and fetch some moisturiser! But thankfully all went smoothly apart from that. Then it was back to work, but not for long...

Today I’d been given the exciting task of going to a huge corporate gifts fair to choose some ‘sustainable’ prizes for various competitions along with some other goodies for the university. There were so many stalls, each trying to sell us their pens, note pads, flasks, bags... I went with another girl from the office, but as I was technically using my boss’ ticket, I was given a badge labelled ‘director’. So, I wondered through the fair with people assuming that I was in charge and thinking that I could make the decision to order 1000 of this and 700 of that (I didn’t of course, but it was a very fun role to play!)

As the fair was in Clarke Quay (the place where I made my bunny hopping friends last week), I decided that this was a sign that I had to take them up on the exercise invitation... J Well, be careful what you wish for I guess, because that was the most intense exercise plan I’d done in a veeery long time! It was fun though, and I survived.

Day 10

For me, the best form of office work is when you get to do things outside of the office, and today was one of those days. In the morning we had a meeting with a professor from the Engineering department so that he could show us what eco-projects they’re currently working on. There was a very cool eco-sports car! We also had to present our findings from the corporate gift fair to our boss. Then, the forces of nature meant that we had a slightly extended lunch hour - the heat here is occasionally interrupted by intense storms which appear to come from nowhere, and the only way to stay dry is to wait them out inside. In the afternoon we went to see some presentations and projects about ‘Future Cities’, which were really interesting! I loved the creative vibe of the event and it certainly put me in the mood to design a funky city.    

Then I hopped on the train/underground (I’m still not sure what it is – both I think!) and met some buddies for yet more delicious local food near the harbour front. What shocks me every time here is that so much can be built on what is actually reclaimed land – there is a lighthouse close to the centre of Singapore which used to be on the original coastline! We walked across the footbridge to Sentosa, which is the lively and exciting island to the south of the mainland. There was a very impressive fountain show which also featured flames and music, and I enjoyed being swept along by the evening sea breeze. I am told that there is much more to explore on this island, so I’ll be back...  

Day 11

What would we do without the internet nowadays? My research would be so much harder if I couldn’t just type in ‘successful university campus bike schemes’ or ‘social enterprises in Singapore’ into Google. I also came across the work which past students have produced after this program and realised that I have A LOT of work to do – their reports were incredible, very long, very professional and very detailed. Hmm... I’ve still got plenty of time though J The university has a free campus shuttle bus service, which means that it’s possible to explore a different canteen everyday – today was lunch with the scientists. And then I spent the afternoon designing posters to promote sustainable consumption and cycling. I got so into it that before I knew it, it was already the end of the day!

The great thing about working a full time week is that the weekend becomes something very special. As Friday draws to an end, the restless atmosphere builds up and the sense of freedom approaches... Tonight, a colleague (friend!) and I went for sushi followed by a talk by the Singaporean minister for foreign affairs. He spoke about the future of Singapore in the context of a changing world, which was really interesting and once again reminded me how important, dynamic, competitive and exciting south-east Asia really is. My first full week at work has been a great one, filled with fun and variety, and I was definitely ready for a deep, long sleep...