This week is my first week as an intern in Schering-Plough (or SP, now brought over by Merck and is officially MSD-West). I feel so blessed by everything I went through these four days!
I am not supposed to blog about anything regarding the work I'm doing so I shall omit all names and not mention the nature of my work (which I haven't really started doing yet). Will just share the overall feeling of what this place gives me.
I had my first day in MSD-South (or Merck) for orientation. It was a very well-planned orientation and I was very happy when they highlighted Merck's value systems, and emphasized it's importance to us. 'Values' of giving only the best to the people (Merck is a pharmaceutical company), are more important than 'skills', which many other companies pay more attention to. The Merck organization is extremely value-driven since its founding, and I feel proud to be a part of it, even though I'm just an intern.
Some people get the kick out of their job because it's challenging and they excel in it. My satisfaction from this job comes from the fact that I know the whole organization is encouraged to pull together to help people, not just for profits and fame.
Another thing I like about Merck is it's cafeteria. Free salad on Mondays, free fruits and drinks everyday! Free drinks in the pantry too. And the food is NICE and inexpensive. Too bad I won't be eating there everyday haha. I haven't really tried much of SP's canteen food yet, but it is a bit more expensive than Merck.
The employees in both Merck and SP are very kind and friendly. I made friends with a few new employees on contract basis who underwent the same orientation as me, and were around my age. They have been around since June though, and are more familiar with the place. Hence, when I was in SP, they baby-sitted me around when the HR assistant was not free. (I suppose they treat me as if I'm much younger because they thought I was from Polytechnic at first, and one of the uncles actually asked me if I was 16 or 17.) They showed me where the canteen and toilet were, directed me to the shuttle bus waiting area, and agreed to drop by my office for lunch because they didn't want me eating alone, although we were working in different areas. (We couldn't use our phones as the reception is very low, and in some places, phones are not allowed.) Even the chemists in lab took the trouble to show me around, and senior employees I was not working under voluntarily introduced themselves and asked me to approach them any time if I needed help.
I'm very thankful to be under my current supervisor too, who is very kind and approachable. When I was at the pantry this morning waiting for her arrival, one of the other colleagues in the office talked to me and said I was very lucky to be under her, as she will make sure I'd learn a lot. And judging from what the things she told me that I would be doing, I think I really will.
I finally managed to navigate around the plant I'm working in in SP today without getting lost. Everyone knows I have a bad sense of direction! It was so extreme the past two days that wherever I need to go, I had to follow someone around (or ask people). I suppose I was getting rather burdensome, especially on the HR assistant who had his own work to do. He brought the bunch of us out for lunch, and this time I managed to remember the directions to the hawker center properly. :) But I guess I won't be going out much, as canteen food is still relatively cheaper.
I'm looking forward to next week where the sequence of day-job night-FYP is going to be over! And I look forward to tomorrow as well, because on Fridays we go home half an hour earlier! :D The start of this internship looks promising. I hope it will end fruitfully as well.
