I just felt like yesterday that I stepped foot off the plane from Melbourne. And it is now one month into my industrial training, with another 5 weeks to go. I thought I would not like Penang, being away from family and friends in Kuching, at a time where I’m supposed to be spending with them.

In the one month I’ve been here, I have been to KL on two occasions, getting the feeling of what it is like to ‘balik kampong’, call me jakun or sakai or whatever, because us Kuching people don’t really experience the mass exodus every single holiday season. (Not because we live on stilt houses, but because we’re smarter than the rest of you west msian people!! Hahhhhhhhahahah… ) I’ve also come to know my colleagues and other trainees, and realize that I’ll miss them once I don’t work anymore. I have started to know how to swim a little. I start learning about how to deal with my emotions at work. I learn to see the line between treating colleagues as friends and treating them with respect. I take the public bus, which is so low class compared to the trams in Melbourne, but realize that it is just an adjustment that everyone can make. I see the routine of working life, but realize in the midst of the corporate jungle there is always room for optimism. I look for something that I can complain about, but I think God has a way of showing me so much that I can be thankful for in the one month I’ve been here. I guess Penang is not so bad after all.