Summer Internship with Kimaya Architects — Amasikha from Jadavpur University
Daily winner for: – 1st September 2012
Name of the intern: – Amasikha
Institute: – Jadavpur University
Organization interned with: – Kimaya Architects
Crossing a thousand miles from my home, when I reached Pune for my internship, the first thing that was on my mind was, “Is it actually worth coming here leaving my family and friends for an internship which may or may not turn out to be a disaster for my career?” That was the first time I was stepping into the professional world, unknown till then, and a simple mistake or decision could ruin my first experience and portfolio.
Gathering hope and some food my mother had packed for me before leaving, I left for my office on the first day. As I entered, a girl about my age welcomed me with a glass of water and a friendly smile. Suddenly, I felt at home. I fell in love with the office that very moment. After a while, I introduced myself to my boss (Kiran Sir!) and instead of a strict boss as I had expected, I found a new teacher in him. Explaining to me all the work I had to do, he imbibed in me a lot of confidence that I could handle a project alone, even being a trainee. Until before my internship, I was extremely scared and doubtful what would I be able to do in an office which actually makes buildings instead of the studio designs in paper we had done in college till then. Now I came to know what it really feels like to be an architect — it’s neither all glamour nor just plain work without scope for creativity. My senior colleagues treated me as a student architect and not just a trainee who was not even out of college. The confidence grew in me gradually, and within six months, I learnt Marathi, conversed with people on the site in their language, attended government meetings with biggies of the state, made 3 meals a day for myself, did my laundry and to top it all, visited innumerable places by myself or with my roommate to just explore. It felt great! Now I do not fear being by myself in an unknown place with different people or tasteless food.
The months passed by quickly, and sometime during the middle of my internship, one morning I heard that my father had passed away. I still remember how my boss and his wife consoled me like my parents knowing that I was leaving an important project undone, and did not even think twice to make all arrangements for me to reach home safely. All they said when I was leaving was that they loved me and my work, and the decision was up to me if or not I wanted to return and join again, as they knew I had my mother alone at home. That was a real tough decision to make because I had commitments to make both at my family and my work at office which I had left incomplete. After a week, after talking to my mother, I called up my office and asked if I could join back. I knew that moment what a correct decision I had taken when they accepted my decision more than happily. If it had not happened, I would never know how committed one should be at work or home and how to make smart decisions in life during a crisis. My mother visited me and lived there for sometime, refreshing herself and giving me company.
The following few months passed by very quickly, and suddenly, my internship was over. I do not know whether I was happy or sad then, but as I would place it now, it was sad to leave with such good memories to look back and better ones to look for in the future. After I returned to join my college, my decisions and work done by me on the projects were all praised about, and I felt more confident as a person and an architect. The loss of my father saddened me for a long time, but the experience I gained in the 6 months would last a lifetime!
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