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My two cents about the internship life

by Andrea Tay

You might think this story is nothing special just by looking at the title. But it does when it comes to the writer especially when it’s basically them telling a story about that one part of their lives.

A suburban girl with a rural heart 

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As someone who grew up in Malacca her whole life, I never thought that I would move to the big city of Kuala Lumpur for my internship. Even if it was for a short period of time, I will always choose the countryside as I love the breeze, the greeneries, the farm animals and whatever else that belongs to Mother Nature.

I like how the countryside is somehow isolated and far away from all the hustle and bustle of the city. Hence why I chose Kampar, Perak to complete my Degree. Although the place isn’t as rural as I want it to be, it still is a small city with minimal entertainment sites and only three hypermarkets where locals and students could do their basic grocery shopping at.

Comparison of Kampar and the KL City life

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Over at Kampar, the common mode of transportation would be a regular bicycle, E-bikes or “walkwagon” (walking). Believe it or not, I used to cycle to my campus every day and to look back at things, the weather does seem a little like Autumn. Although we don’t really have that season in Malaysia.

In my opinion, being a student is way easier than working life because you get to skip your classes without worry. When it comes to food wise, over at Kampar, we do struggle with the limited choices we have. The nearest restaurant where we can reach by foot or bicycle is located in this part of town known as New Town. With that said, as students, we surely do spend quite a lot on food especially when it comes to the stressful days of finals.

Plus, being at Kampar, finding someone isn’t that difficult because you might bump into almost everyone you know.

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Whereas in the city, everything also seemed to be going at a fast pace. It is as if everyone here has somewhere to be, every minute. Not to mention, the cost of living in the city isn’t cheap as you would like it, especially when you’re someone who comes from a small city. It might be a little intimidating ut you would need to earn quite a lot to actually afford the living costs in Kuala Lumpur.

Also, the people in the city seems to be more distant as most of them are seen using their phones with earphones plugged in. Although their attention is not on the people around them, they are still quite aware of their surroundings. They just seem to ignore and avoid situations that don’t concern them. As the city’s crime rates are much higher than smaller towns, the community here are taught to be more vigilant but cautious. Even when one can be in trouble, they would actually hesitate before making a move to help a random stranger. That is because over here, not everyone is a good person.

I once tripped when I was in the LRT and instead of helping me up, everyone around me just stared or either minded their own business. My first thought was, KL people were a little snobbish but then again as time goes by, I understood why they reacted that way. It’s just how city life is.

Being an intern

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As an English major, there is no doubt that everyone expects you to have the best knowledge in the language. Hence why I was reluctant at first to submit my application to media companies. The reason why I chose to pursue my internship at a media company is so that I could get my work out there and also have a chance of being a writer in the real world.

Being part of an up and growing media company has given me so much to learn. From attending events to brainstorming article ideas, I now know a little about the latest gadgets and trendy café spots in town. With the safety net of being an intern, I was given the chance to be guided and to amend the mistakes I did. That said, I will forever be grateful for the patience and advice that were given by the seniors that I worked with. What I learned was that, if you are unsure of a certain task, you shouldn’t assume and should seek guidance. Also, even if I know I lack certain capabilities, I shouldn’t show that I am incapable of accomplishing a task. Instead, I should learn how to try and put my best effort in completing the job.

For now, it may seem like my thoughts have come a long way and with that, I have to say that’s a wrap from me.

Pictures by Tan Danh, That So Farah, Alex Block & John Lee

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