Regifted
The prompt for this week's post revolves a regifting story/experience, what it is, whom I get it from and who I gave it too.
Background
This whole setting of this experience revolves around a program that my university had. This program is called "Global Immersion Program", which allows students to have a semester overseas to do international internship and also 2 modules in a local university.
When it was my turn to decide what should I do for my internship, I chose to embark on Global Immersion Program, to experience internship overseas and also to attend classes in a university other than the one I was attending. The place which I picked is Shanghai, China and the university that I will be attending classes at will be Fudan University during the weekend.
The Gift
After being assigned a company to be working in during my internship and also the various dates of reporting, I set off from my country and headed towards Shanghai.
While I know the Chinese language well, coming to a foreign land and preparing to stay there for half a year requires quite a fair bit of settle down work to be done. I am blessed to know a senior from my university whom have completed the same program one semester earlier than I do and managed to tie down to take over the apartment that he rented once his program ends. I took a cab right from the airport and headed towards that apartment. Prior to my trip, my senior sent me the code to electrical number lock to the apartment door. So when I arrived, it was a breeze to get into the apartment. It was a place well kept and cozy.
When I approached the dining table, I saw a diary and a piece of A4 paper which wrote,
"Hey buddy, this diary contains valuable information to help you settle down in Shanghai and various notes that I took about living in Shanghai. It is my gift to you and hope it will come in handy. Have a blessed time in Shanghai and see you back in Singapore. Cheers, Clarence."
When I flipped open, I was in shock. This is effectively a "Living in Shanghai for dummies" guide book but written by hand.
The diary contained so much information in it, from where to buy daily necessities, the best food hunts, short travel guides to neighbouring cities, important contacts, places to shop at a bargain etc. I felt so blessed, this diary will make my 6 month stay a real breeze.
Regifting/Paying it forward
While the diary didn't cost much in terms of money, it was priceless for anyone whom just stepped in a foreign place and trying to settle down. I had an amazing 6 months in Shanghai, a fruitful internship and a good cultural exchange with local students while attending classes in Fudan University in the weekends.
I came back to Singapore, with this amazing experience in Shanghai, then
while in school, a fellow junior YQ bumped into me outside the lecture hall and told me she also signed up for Global Immersion Program to Shanghai. Then the image of the diary came to my mind. It's time to pay it forward, regift this amazing gift that was given to me by my senior Clarence.
So I told YQ, to meet me outside the lecture hall the next day when I handed her the diary and told her the same words senior Clarence told me, hope that the diary will help her to settle down in Shanghai and make her stay in Shanghai a wonderful one.
YQ when returned from her trip shared with me on how useful that diary was and hopes that she can do the same to pay it forward to bless someone else whom will be embarking on the same adventure that she, Clarence and I had experienced. She thanked me for that amazing gift that helped her survive in Shanghai and that was all she need for her 6 months there.
Concluding Words
The encounter above helped me to realize that there are some gifts are relevant to specific people and a specific time stamp. It can even become a pay it forward gift to the next person in need.
Clarence didn't need it after his international internship and give it to me whom just embarked on one back then. It meant the world to me while I was there in Shanghai because it was so useful and helped me with my daily life over there. While it was an amazing gift to me, when I came back from Shanghai, it became just another diary sitting around. So the regifting/pay it forward portion comes in when we recognise how it can be a blessing to others for their time stamp and situation which made me give this diary to YQ. And it occurred the same to YQ whom also wish to do the same to bless others when she is back from the same trip.
Thank you for reading my post and hope you can look at the gifts you've received and see how it can be used to bless others whom need it more in their situation at that particular time stamp. Cheers and have a blessed weekend.