ACA16 RejuveNATION 16th ASIAN Congress of Architects

This week has gone really fast. I was working from early morning to late night. Average working time from 7am to 11pm. There are 3 days I took the last LRT to get home...

Me and another 2 classmates were selected to do the same task. We were in charge of the meetings. But end up we were doing everything. what we called in cantonese, 打杂.

Basically we are taking care of the Arcasia delegates or committees. We helped out for meetings. erm... Well. I do not know how to tell what I actually do because we were the group that the arcasia delegates will see everywhere they go or whenever they need help.

So what I did?
Set up laptop, give direction to the delegates, prepare they welcome pack, get international adapter for them, take coffee, arrange people who need transportation to the one who in charge in transportation, lead them to place they want to go, call the bus to and fro between hotel and dinner place, check their table number for dinner, help out for scanning participants' tag, inform the Arcasia delegates about the time and venue for bus, distribute the group photos, borrow charger and etc.

It looks incredible? But yeah, we had fun!

We get to eat nice food throughout the 16th ASIAN Congress of Architects. We get to enter to DATUM 2014. We get paid for working. We get to know architects around asia. They are from Mongolia, Korea, Japan, Pakistan, Hong Kong, Macau, Nepal, Bangladesh, Indonesia, India, China, Singapore, Philippines, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Vietnam. Other than that, I also get to know some of the speaker of Datum like from Brazil, Singapore, Kuching and so on.

Okay... Photos.
Day 1- I worked until 10pm. I was excited!

My classmates. They print tags.

Selfie in the office

 Then we need to rehearsal, so we go to KLCC. My head has a room in Traders Hotel. So I went!

The lounge floor

Bathroom. Favourite part for all the hotel rooms.

Bedroom

Living area of the room

Day 2- It was easy. sat all the day.

My team. And another guy as well.

Free coffee. Unlimited times you can take. And it's nice.

BTW. It's not mine.

The toilet of KLCC level 4. 

The haze

Day 3- Start of the Arcasia Council Meeting, female students volunteer were required to dress in traditional attire to open the flag of different country. I reported at KLCC at 6.30am
Worked whole day until all the arcasia (VIP) had gone up to the bus for their dinner, we left. Around 6pm

All the traditionally dressed friends. Heavy make up.

Continue working with the heavy make up after other girl-friends has gone back.

During the Council Meeting. We took this quietly.

 Day 4- Continue with the council meeting.
Because we didn't help out on day 3's dinner, it was a mess. We were asked to go to the dinner place with the delegates. We took bus together to the Intercontinental Hotel. And took LRT to back at 11.30pm.

Luxury toilet of Intercontinental KL. (Where the delegates had their second dinner)
Arcasia Award 2014 dinner

They set up the board for taking pictures.

Day 5- Start the Datum 2014. This is expensive. PAM students need to pay RM380 for that. but we, the students volunteer just entered without paying. In fact, we get paid of working there.
And the dinner at Shangri-la Hotel. Due to the traffic jam, we walked there from KLCC together with all the delegates, the committee of arcasia, the representative of different country among Malaysia. One friend and I walked with one speaker from Brazil, Mr Ferraz. We chatted with him happily.
That day, I back to KLCC around 11.45pm. Walked so fast to the LRT because LRT last service at 12am.

The BIG dinner

Took this when (walking+running) to the LRT...
Look at twin tower in the night and so close.

Day 6- Last day of working with them. Datum of the 2nd day. Morning session was quite free. So we entered again to listen to the speaker's presentation. BTW. Japanese Architect, Keisuke Maeda used a translator. But the translator is having too heavy of the Japanese, it was hardly understand.
After the whole day, the last event was the fellowship dinner. There are also performance from every country of Arcasia. I can see everyone enjoyed it very much.

Okay. Working experience has done sharing. Next.

My favourite speaker, Mr. Rodrigo Marcondes Ferraz from Brazil.
I companied him to walk from KLCC to Shangri-la Hotel and we chatted.

The man who likes me so much because I helped him to get coffee. Mr. Syed Zaigham Shafiq Jaffery 

Young award winning Japanese Architect, Mr. Keisuke Maeda and his cute elder son.

Architect from Singapore, Mr. Chan Kok Way
Chat with him while in the bus on the way to Intercontinental KL

Mr. Fawad Hussain Abassi and his wife from (Pakistan? I forgot already)

President of United of Architect of Philippine(UAP), Mr Edric C. Florentino.
He has a very cute voice and slang. He keeps saying thank you because I helped him a lot.

Japanese Architect, Mr Takanobu Ota and his wife.
This is the woman who gave us snack from Japan.

Another speaker from Korea. Mdm Bong Joo Yee.

Singapore Architect, the chairperson of Green & Sustainable in Arcasia. Mr Ashvinkumar.
His wife from Japan and we can see that he loves her very much

Architect from Mongolia. Mr. Bat-Erdene Gomnosuren. I lent him my phone to text his friend.
His friend replied the Mongolian to my phone, I showed it to him and he read it out.
I did help him a lot too...

Done the photos with the Architects.

All nice food we enjoyed as what the VIP had. I was lucky to be part of this organizing team. we ate a lot.

The organizing team

Yeah... This kinda congress, meetings, we will get a lot of name cards.

These are the part of my work.

The rotan bracelet gifted by a Pakistan Arcasia Past President. He likes me a lot.

The envelop from Architect from Macau, Ben Leong, because I helped him on his transportation to airport.
The chocolate and sweet is by Architect from Japan, Mr. Ota's wife.
The small booklet is by the young award winning architect, Mr. Maeda
The bracelet, from Pakistan, Arcasia Past President, Mr. Jaffery.

You know how it feels like when you just do your part, and the person asked your name? And how it feels like when the person can remember your name after that?

Architect from Kuching and also a speaker for Datum, Mr Mike Boon, he can remember me after 2 days!
When I found him by just only having the name, his wife asked me, how do you know this is Mike Boon? I answered: "because just now during registration (for dinner), I remember your face were looking for Mike Boon's name." They were happy on that.
I met him on a same dining table after 2 days, he was giving name card to the other people, and asked me:"do you want?" I nodded and asked, "do you remember me?" he said:" of course, you are Irene!"
I was so happy OMG. 

Of course, Mr. Jaffery from Pakistan also remember me. he is  such a sweet person. When I worked for whole day and finally met him, he said "oh Irene. Have not seen you for whole day, I miss you." He asked for my email address, my phone number as well!

I also heard Mr Bat Dash (Mongolia) talking to Mdm Boon Joo Yee(Korea) say:" This girl is very helpful!"

They all are so polite. Thanks for the compliments because I just did my part. 

*I feel proud when I used different language to help the VIP. I used Cantonese, Mandarin, English, Malay and Korean(hmm... not really).

Okay. done my sharing here. 

One whole week didn't touch my school task. I need to get everything back on track already.

What a nice experience. I love this!!!