Hi everyone! This is Caleb here and I am sad to say that I am coming to the end of my 6 months internship with Jurong Frog Farm.
Working here has been nothing short of enjoyable as I’ve managed to fulfill my childhood dream of being a farmer for a period of time. Being a student from the School of Biological Sciences (SBS) in Nanyang Technological University (NTU), most of my undergraduate work has been on genetics and cell biology. As such, having the chance to work outside of the lab for a change is an eye opener for me.
Through my internship at the Frog Farm and the interactions with the different farm owners, I’ve come to learn about the challenges faced by the local farmers in Singapore. This gave me an insight on our local farming scene and the efforts put forth by the various farms in trying to stay relevant in today’s society. In addition, the internship has taught me the value of being self-sustainable in a country such as Singapore, where we rely heavily on imports from other countries to meet our local demands.
I can remember during my first week of internship, I was assigned to various tasks such as conducting tours and the management of the farm’s social media accounts. This was a valuable experience for me as it gave me an opportunity to learn skills that I would otherwise have been unable to pick up in my course of study. As such, I am extremely grateful for the patience and guidance given to me by my supervisors, Chelsea and Jackson.
Lastly, through this internship, I’ve made many fond memories through my interactions with the workers and colleagues at the farm. The daily interactions with them have brought fun and laughter, allowing me to have a positive working environment, without a dull moment at all. Furthermore, from them, I’ve learnt not to take things for granted and to be grateful for whatever may come.
The internship at Jurong Frog Farm has given me a unique and valuable experience. If I was given a chance to choose my internship location again, I would definitely still apply to the farm. I hope that as the Covid-19 situation gets better in Singapore, more people can visit the farm and have some hands-on fun with the frogs!
Croaking off, Caleb
