“There is no real ending. It’s just the place where you stop the story.” – Frank Herbert
There is so much out there. You can’t even imagine half of the people and sights waiting for you beyond your island home. It’s absolutely astounding, and my six months at GoBeyond.SG opened my eyes.
I’ll be honest, before interning here, I didn’t know where Morocco was, or that Kazakhstan even existed. After doing research for articles like Food Special: What Can I Buy With 1 Singapore Dollar in Morocco? (one of my favourite articles that I wrote, go read it!), I became so overwhelmed with information, pictures and wanderlust. I now really, really want to go to Morocco, Mexico and many other places.
And I think you would too. If you hear what us writers hear when interviewing people for our features, or read what we read when doing research, I can assure you that you would be dying to pack up and take off to a foreign land.
I suppose what I’m saying is that interning here has made me much more aware of how much I’m missing out on by staying where I am. Don’t get me wrong – I don’t want to leave for good! There’s a quote where we work that reads:
“Why do you go away?
So that you can come back.
So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colours.
Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.”
So yes, I wish to leave Singapore, but I also wish to return and see it anew. I wish to soak in all life has to offer and to better understand the different cultures, including my own. Especially my own.
While interning here, I’ve been living vicariously through the stories of others (that’s okay for now, but I do have bigger plans!). I feel fortunate to have met the people that I did, and heard what they have to say. Who says us Singaporeans are mindless robots? We have an incredible amount of passion in us, you just have to bring up the right things!
Anyway, my experience here has definitely been amazing. If you told me last year that I would be creating my first music video here, I would never have believed you.
“Project: Sweet Escape” was unbelievable, and in a way, still is. It was merely a suggestion thrown out during a group discussion, but when I was told to turn it into reality, I was… Stunned, to say the least. I knew nothing about making a music video!
Here’s what I’ve learnt – You don’t always have to know. You don’t always have to be certain. You just have to be open. Open to trying, to making mistakes, to learning, to growing. When the project is over, you take what you learn and move forward.
GoBeyond.SG has opened my heart, and if you allow it, it will open yours too.
Contact catchus@gobeyond.sg if you’re interested to join! We would love to welcome you into our family.
