From June 2011 to November 2012, a journey both ordinary and profound.

Familiar names one by one caught my eye, and with a quick glance, at least a hundred or so images were etched into my memory.

I had steeled myself to experience the arduous life of a clerk, but things did not go as planned. Instead, I ended up in a department with a lighter workload, giving me more time to engage in activities that were not scientifically sound. For this, I feel deeply remorseful.

I lived in the company dormitory for over a year. Since I moved in, I haven’t seen any new faces join, only watched as they left one by one, which made me silently resolve to escape sooner rather than later.

This wasn’t the original plan. I had even bought various kitchen utensils, ready to fight the long battle here. But an unexpected exam turned my plans upside down. Some colleagues have been struggling for years, still worrying about various exams, while I, with no particular virtue or ability, managed to escape with a stroke of luck. Every time I see them striving, I feel a pang of guilt and hope they all find better futures.

The public service industry is no longer the complex web of interpersonal relationships it once was. Most of the time, people are driven by a sense of duty and responsibility to fulfill their commitment to their salaries. The intricate social reality makes it hard not to feel that corruption and darkness have seeped into every corner of public power, but being in the eye of the storm gives a completely different perspective.

Perhaps one day, I might return to this environment, but who knows what the next year or so will bring?