As a Burmese, I always had the fascination to return and learn about Myanmar’s growing economy and emerging markets. The recent democratisation of Myanmar’s politics was also the area of interest for me as I was curious about how that would impact the ASEAN community-at-large. I was also excited by the fact that I will be working abroad – living independently and exploring the county. It was ultimately to challenge myself to step out of my comfort zone and experience the life of an Auditor beyond Singapore shores.

The most prominent challenges faced was trying to understand the assigned tasks and adapting to the street food culture and sanitary conditions. Despite having a technical accounting knowledge, the tasks assigned were new and unfamiliar in nature, and it took me a long time in understanding the tasks before performing them. Having travelled to a rural area during my first engagement, I often find it difficult to find suitable food for my stomach. And again, I had to question the locals in the rural area who helped me find food that was suitable for me. That is when I truly learnt that asking the right questions would enable an individual to overcome challenges.

I managed to forge a memorable bond with my seniors and my audit team! We travelled out of state twice, one to Rakhine on work engagement and one to Kyaikhteeyoe for department retreat, and that deepened our relationship. We got to know each other better through constant chattering and doing activities together. It was actually fun to go to client places with the team where the spirit of working together energizes each other. The seniors were always encouraging and consistently helped me to learn Burmese better through our conversations.

The department retreat to Kyaikhteeyoe! During one of the weekend in internship, the Partner arranged to go on a day trip to one of the holy religious site in Myanmar. We went together as a department with colleagues from Myanmar, Singapore, and Philippines. We had a relaxing and fantastic time visiting Pagoda, eating local cuisine, and playing at the waterfall. It was an unforgettable trip with many friendships forged.

In the growing fourth industrial revolution, disruptiveness are common and can even be seen in Audit & Assurance service line. In staying relevant, I have gained the necessary analytical skills and IT savviness, acquiring how to utilize auditing tools and resources. More than that, the constant need for human skills such as Relationship Management will remain universal in Audit & Assurance. The soft skill of managing relationship was also acquired during the internship.