Internship Activities at KBRI Singapore — Part 2
Hello guys! Yeay, it’s been a while since the first story and thank you for the reads and responses. Ya, I know it has been over than three months ago but I’m going to share what I’ve learned there, as Domestic Workers Matters Intern.
I’ve been dreaming to work at Singapore since I was in High School, and fortunately the wait has paid since the day I was accepted to be intern there (ps. if you haven’t read the first part about how I was accepted, you can click here). For your information, Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Singapore consists of several function and attaches but not all of function and attaches are open for internship. They are only
- Domestic Workers Matters Function (known as Fungsi Perlindungan Warga Negara Indonesia), at PWNI, you will meet domestic workers and their employer daily! You’ll arrange their work contract and things.
- Transportation Attache (known as atase perhubungan), at Transportation Attache, you will meet a lot of sailor and take care of their documents.
- Economic Function (known as Fungsi Ekonomi), at Economic Function you will attend and handle event. Usually the event are about collaboration between government and start up.
- Penerangan, Social and Culture Function (known as Fungsi Penerangan, Sosial, dan Budaya), at Pensosbud Function, you will handle of KBRI Singapore’s social media, their contents, attend event, or make vlog! How fun, isn’t it?
- Politic Function (known as Fungsi Politik), at Politic Function, you will attend several seminar and event, analyse news about political.
- Education Attache (known as Atase Pendidikan), I’m not sure about this, because none of June 2019 interns are attempt at this Attache, but I think it associated with Sekolah Indonesia Singapura (SIS) and the curriculum.
The day I arrived Singapore, our internship coordinator (shoutout to Mike Nio! I miss you) arrange us to attend meeting on 4th June, because on 5th June we should handle KBRI Singapore Open House on Idul Fitri. So, I came to Embassy at the Evening to meet Mrs. Melati, second secretary at KBRI Singapore. In that day too, at the first time I met my intern mate, they are Cheryl from Singapore Institute Management, Mike Hendri and Albert from Unpar. We talked a lot, so ya this is our not-so-awkward pose at the first day intern. LOL
After we met Mrs Melati, we went home because on the next day we need to arrive KBRI at 7 AM. It was fun help handle the open house event, meet a lot of Indonesian here, gathering, eat ‘lebaran food’ until I forgot that I were not in Indonesia hahaha. I took some video and photos, arrange like thousands people there, and take photo with Mr and Mrs Ambassador.
After we help to handle the event, we have Eid breaks until 9th June, so I came back to Embassy at 10th June. In that day, Rafly, my PWNI’s intern mate just arrived at the embassy to join us. After we talked a lot with him, Ms. Lita, Pensosbud staff company us to look around the office before the placement. KBRI Singapore is one of the biggest and bussiest Indonesia’ Embassy in the world, and they have big domestic workers shelter. After we look around the office, we come back to Mrs. Melati for the function or attache placement. Gladly, I was placed at PWNI with Rafly. Fyi, they usually do rolling for intern, if you willing to be placed at another function and attache, talk to the intern coordinator. At the first day, I was that nervous tho! But Mrs. Sofie helped me a lot, she told me things that I need to handle here, I was assisting her at my first day, while Rafly assisting Mrs. Wita. Mrs. Sofie taught me that domestic workers need to take care of their work contract and make Kartu Pekerja Indonesia Singapura (KPIS), so the domestic workers could pass Indonesia Immigration safely, because of the regulation written that domestic workers should bring copy of their work contract and KPIS whenever they pass the immigration.
It waaaas sooo challenging! Why? Because on the work contract, it written about the domestic workers salary! You need to arrange two people (the domestic worker and the employer) to meet the agreement about the minimum salary there. I often meet several domestic workers who are underpaid, and I need to give the understanding to employers. And believe me, it doesn’t as easy as it heard LOL. But the result worth the struggle. At PWNI, I often dealing with domestic workers cases, and they are really widely open the new perspective about domestic workers.
A month being there obviously not that enough for me to explore more about KBRI. Also about the weekly meeting, PWNI function also do the weekly meeting with the domestic workers. The staff are so friendly and taught me a lot about the jobs, so at the second day they let me and Rafly handle the employers and the workers by ourselves. Mine was mentored by Mr. Zafli, we talked a lot about our governance issue, he often suggests me to read some hadists.
As the PWNI intern, I was provided breakfast, lunch, and some snack there, so I don’t really worry about food costs there, hahaha. The domestic workers there, Teh Yois, Kak Susi, Mbak Wardah, Mbak Risma, Mbak Maryam always provide the foods with looove! The domestic workers there are so friendly to me. One thing, on a dzuhur break after I prayed, one of them approached me.. and guess what? She worked at Telkom University! Hahaha, she was a canteen staff of Kantin Besi.
A month passed, last day has come. It was 28th June 2019 on Friday. A month since the first day I placed at PWNI, i met a lot of people’ characteristic. There were an-obey-ones until the dissident employers and workers. Everything went well on the last day, the queue was pretty quick until the friday prayer break.
After the friday prayer break, Ms. Lita asked us to wait at Pensosbud’ office to go to Mr. Ambassador’ office to get our certificate letter and certificate of completion. We had a great talk with Mr. Ambassador talked about our experiences here, our studies, and what are we expecting to our diplomacy, it was such an honour to talked to him even for a moment because he taught us a lot about diplomacy between Indonesia and Singapore and his experiences.
After went to Mr. Ngurah’s office, it was time to say goodbye to PWNI’s staff. First to Mrs. Sofie who taught me first about PWNI, then to Mrs. Wita (I miss Asmara so much, Bu. Hihihi) Mr. Budi and Mr. Zalfi as my mentor there. I would miss this office so bad, especially to mbak-mbak shelter there!
There are so much things that I can not achieve if I weren’t go there, from networking, public service, and problem solving. Talk to foreigner was a big issue for me to be intern here at first, but if we learn to take advantage to go from our comfort zone, it was not as scared as we think tho! Remember, faults are okay, because we could learn from them how to manage our problem solving, our anger, our emotions to serve the best, especially we represent the embassy there. That’s all what I learnt from KBRI Singapura, I hope it could be your reference if you want to take a chance there. Good luck!!
