Give me another one and a half weeks, and I would have ended yet another round of working with NTUC. It's a bittersweet sensation really. On one hand, sometimes, I long for school to begin, especially during those days when I feel that my job is extremely far away from the subject I'm actually studying. But most days, I don't mind the job, because after a while I learnt to appreciate my colleagues. And its this friendship that I am going to miss, actually. The fact that I could be myself and not be judged for it, the fact that my mood was very often light because I neveer had to worry about too much (I'm a temp, afterall), and the fact that despite the usual office politics, that they were careful not to involve me too much and that in a way, this kept me safe from the pain of having to navigate the dangerous world of relationships within the workplace.
As my weeks draw to a close, in a way, I can also say that I'm happy. I'm happy because this time round, I managed to realise the importance of treating this work as a catharsis, a purging of the pain of school, and I realised this early on. As such, I was able to make the best use of these 3 months by being the happiest I ever was (or will be? ) for the rest of my uni life. Here's probably a good time to mention my colleagues, because I owe it all to them for making my 3 months a happy one. I don't want to make them sound simple, because they are, after all, not 2D dolls whom I can merely compress into a few words. Rather, I see them being uncomplicated, unrestricted individuals whom genuinely desire to care for each other. In each person I see a different characteristic, but what really surprises me is the fact that these different characteristics seem to complement each other. Above all, I'm impressed by the team mentality they have, the constant hope for a unity within the department, and despite the disputes, that one can force aside any animosity when a greater objective needs to achieved. Watching these, I have a growing sense of respect for every individual within my department. In some, strength, in others, perseverance, and even sensitivity. I now understand what one means by a cohesive force.
On my side though, there isn't much of a takeaway from the job- after all, my job scope was fairly simple- but yet what i realised I picked up most were the skills. The skills of human communication, of interaction between colleagues especially, are things that are beyond the price of any physical skill. It is a development. I remember how, last year, the very first time I stepped into the office, this lady approached me and said that I was "fresh out of school". I'm not sure if I was extremely pleased by her comment (but seeing as she was my reporting office, I had to keep my mouth shut ) but perhaps on hindsight, her remark now acts as a form of benchmark for me to gauge how much of a "school graduate freshie" I am. Perhaps now, and only now, can I say that I'm no longer the freshie that she described, and that I could have only come this far because of the skills that I have picked up at the workplace. It's not exhaustive, and definitely not sufficient for me as an adult, but it's a step, and any step is better than remaining still.
In any case, this has been an extremely long and perhaps convoluted post, reflecting upon my work experiences and all. On a lighter, perhaps more physical note, I OT-ed for the first time yesterday and I can say that yeah, OT really drains a person. Heh. There was a fair lot of packing to be done but it was finally completed today. That means I can wear dresses again for the rest of the week, since I've been reusing my jeans and my only pair of work pants for 4 days straight :( My team leader would probably tease me if he knew about this, knowing him. That's another thing that cheers me up through the day, strangely. Despite my TL's constant teasing, its a reminder to me each time that I must lighten up. I respect him a lot for this actually, his ability to have that much responsibility, yet be able to joke with us. If anything, he's probably gonna be the one person I miss the most from the department. But I'd miss everyone too.
I shall end this post here. I'm not sure if I'm rambling or not, because I'm typing this half asleep (but I really needed to get it out lol ). Goodnight all. Another day of work again tomorrow.
As my weeks draw to a close, in a way, I can also say that I'm happy. I'm happy because this time round, I managed to realise the importance of treating this work as a catharsis, a purging of the pain of school, and I realised this early on. As such, I was able to make the best use of these 3 months by being the happiest I ever was (or will be? ) for the rest of my uni life. Here's probably a good time to mention my colleagues, because I owe it all to them for making my 3 months a happy one. I don't want to make them sound simple, because they are, after all, not 2D dolls whom I can merely compress into a few words. Rather, I see them being uncomplicated, unrestricted individuals whom genuinely desire to care for each other. In each person I see a different characteristic, but what really surprises me is the fact that these different characteristics seem to complement each other. Above all, I'm impressed by the team mentality they have, the constant hope for a unity within the department, and despite the disputes, that one can force aside any animosity when a greater objective needs to achieved. Watching these, I have a growing sense of respect for every individual within my department. In some, strength, in others, perseverance, and even sensitivity. I now understand what one means by a cohesive force.
On my side though, there isn't much of a takeaway from the job- after all, my job scope was fairly simple- but yet what i realised I picked up most were the skills. The skills of human communication, of interaction between colleagues especially, are things that are beyond the price of any physical skill. It is a development. I remember how, last year, the very first time I stepped into the office, this lady approached me and said that I was "fresh out of school". I'm not sure if I was extremely pleased by her comment (but seeing as she was my reporting office, I had to keep my mouth shut ) but perhaps on hindsight, her remark now acts as a form of benchmark for me to gauge how much of a "school graduate freshie" I am. Perhaps now, and only now, can I say that I'm no longer the freshie that she described, and that I could have only come this far because of the skills that I have picked up at the workplace. It's not exhaustive, and definitely not sufficient for me as an adult, but it's a step, and any step is better than remaining still.
In any case, this has been an extremely long and perhaps convoluted post, reflecting upon my work experiences and all. On a lighter, perhaps more physical note, I OT-ed for the first time yesterday and I can say that yeah, OT really drains a person. Heh. There was a fair lot of packing to be done but it was finally completed today. That means I can wear dresses again for the rest of the week, since I've been reusing my jeans and my only pair of work pants for 4 days straight :( My team leader would probably tease me if he knew about this, knowing him. That's another thing that cheers me up through the day, strangely. Despite my TL's constant teasing, its a reminder to me each time that I must lighten up. I respect him a lot for this actually, his ability to have that much responsibility, yet be able to joke with us. If anything, he's probably gonna be the one person I miss the most from the department. But I'd miss everyone too.
I shall end this post here. I'm not sure if I'm rambling or not, because I'm typing this half asleep (but I really needed to get it out lol ). Goodnight all. Another day of work again tomorrow.
