My colleagues made it a point to make me feel at home from day one and I have never gone without company for a short recess of lunch, dinner or tea. Having two other interns also in the same office was a blessing not only because they were going through the same process and emotions but also because of these little brainstorming sessions we had on our projects and our long discussions on life in general.
Also a word of thanks to the perfectly timed office cabs which ensured I got to my PG before the end of the first innings of the IPL matches. RBS has a strict no-take homework policy and it was a refreshing break from the strenuous midnight project submissions at b-school. Suffice to say the work-life balance at RBS ensured that I caught up on my long pending watch list of Netflix shows and l had weekends all to myself to explore ‘Namma Chennai’ - visiting the landmark Marina beach, catching up with old friends in the sprawling malls, watching a music concert or two and relishing the spicy potato spring rolls of the serene Besant Nagar beach and the famous for spice Sukku Bhai biriyani.
All play and no work makes Jack a dull boy but my work was progressing reasonably well thanks to my mentor’s guidance who despite her hectic schedule made it a point to find time for me. Finally, the D day arrived and I had to make a concise presentation of my two months’ work to the senior leaders. A few of my stakeholders from London team also took part in the same. The final presentation was not in a typical PowerPoint followed by a grilling Q&A fashion but was more of a discussion session and I was made to feel at ease. The ideas and questions were thrown around and it was a give and take learning experience for me. It gave me a sense of satisfaction to know that my work made a difference and it was a huge morale boost to be appreciated by highly experienced leaders and domain experts.
In short, the two months were absolutely amazing not just because of the handsome stipend and tremendous learning experience and exposure, but also because I made quite a few friends and have had some genuine laughs and good times in my brief stint at RBS
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