The simplicity of trying
“You are not a drop in the ocean; you are the entire ocean in a drop.” – Rumi
You see, at OIR, we play this little game where we choose the experience that inspires us the most in each intake. And the competition gets pretty tough because we always get to hear some incredible stuff like-
“I met the French Prime Minister”
“I travelled to 12 European countries”
“I got the chance to broadcast on Belgium’s radio station”
Yep. Big.
And in 2019, our Architecture student brought us his story that set a bar so different so deceptively simple, it pumps our passion even today.
Aishwary was just another simple average student when he first stepped into our office.
And now that he landed back, after a year having studied 2 semesters in South Korea, he looked the same, only his eyes shined of a different light. We asked him to share it all with us
What he told covered us in a shock of surprise and admiration-
South Korea wasn’t at all what he had expected. The cultural shock was real, exciting and daunting. So many different people, so much happening, it was intense. It took him more than a week to get into the pace of his study abroad life.
And when he did, a buzz took over him
It was a thick and contagious buzz that vibrated of the enthusiastic & hard working mentality of Seoul. He couldn’t help but dissolve.
He did so very simply. He decided that he needed more than the theoretical hold that he had on his subject. And lucky for him, Seoul had everything he wanted to learn right in front of him, and all within grasp.
He began by making a daily effort to visit the very many architectural wonders around this high-tech city, which, initially, was hard to stick to, but eventually, became his favourite thing to do after class. He would observe the detailed art and study all about it. He would sometimes even take his friends along to hang out around his best-loved arty building.
Also, within a month and a half, he found himself a part-time job as an assistant researcher of the university professor. This aided him in growth, and he felt more confident, competitive and better than his previous self.
And as the semester was nearing to an end, his hunger was nowhere near satisfied.
He knew he had to have more. So he applied for a semester internship in one of the top architectural firms in South Korea, which he got. Then, he requested the university to extend his semester program to another 6 months, and given his record, they had no problem.
For the second semester there, all that he learned he put into practice. He became involved in different projects. It was challenging but he loved every bit of it.
In the matter of these 6 months he had perfected his hands in Adobe Illustrator, PS, AutoCAD, Sketchup and Revit and Rhino basics, and knew more about architecture than ever before in his life. He also got to learn the basics of Korean Language.
And that’s not even the best part.
The best part of his internship was the social experience!
He made many friends in the company. It’s really something when you feel at home being a stranger at a place you only dreamed about.
He also got the chance to spend good time with several professional Architects, understanding their mindset & learning their ways of work. There wasn’t much to dream about, because his dedication had turned reality much more fun.
And as he told us all this, somewhere between the lines, he showed us the simplicity of ‘trying’
He was only taking chances in life and somehow beyond the fog, he stumbled upon the sun within himself.
And you know what? The last thing he said to us was-
“I think if I could do it, then anyone can do it.”
Imagine that.