How to help an injured bird

During their first flights, not all birds make it through. A lot of them end up on the ground..injured and helpless. If you find one such bird lying injured on the ground, the best thing is to call a wildlife rehabilitation centre. But if that doesn't work for you (as it did in my case), you need to know what can you do on your own:

1. Get a shoebox or a container and cut some holes in it for air to pass through.

2. Fill in some newspaper or thick paper towel for the base.

You can also add some leaves and/or a soft cloth

3. Put some water and bird food in the box and sprinkle some seeds around.

I put some Pearl Millet (Bajra) and Oatmeal (Daliya)

4. Here lies the tricky part : Gently pick the bird and put it in the box.

DO NOT listen to those old tales people say about how if you touch a bird, its parents will reject it. Its not true at all. I needed to hold the baby bird to feed it and take care of it. And the parents did not reject it afterwards. Birds recognize their babies from their chirps and cries, and not by their smell.

5. Feeding the bird

If the bird is an adult, it will be able to eat the seeds or drink water on its own, if it's a baby and cannot eat/drink on its own, you should feed some water by a medicine dropper/eye dropper.

That's how I feed this little one

6. Place the box near where you found the bird and there's high chance that its parents will be able to find it. I put the box outside in my balcony and stepped away to observe. Within 30 seconds, its parents recognized its chirps and responded by chirping loudly..swooped down and fed the seeds I had kept in the box, to the baby bird.

One of the other birdies that I found injured in my balcony some years back. Named it 'Ginni' :)

I'll take care of it till its able to fly again. Until then, do recommend some name for this little baby. :)

10 things working as an Intern Architect taught me!

So I just got done with 12 months of my training in KGD Architecture - Delhi. This was my first experience in an architectural firm, and to my utter delight, it turned out way better than my expectations, or apprehensions, if I may say! 

I met, worked with some reallyyyy nice and "interesting" people. Learnt so much over this one year that it's funny to realise the difference between the how I was back when I joined to how I am today. (I was pretty awesome back then too btw!!)

So for all those who are aiming for an internship/training in the coming year, I have some gyaan to share. What working as a Trainee/Intern Architect taught me!

1. Life is going to change completely
Okay so in the first month, everything is going to be new but exciting to you - the place, the people, even the AutoCAD layers of the firm's template also, for that matter :D You weren't used to spending long hours in front of the computer or sitting on the same chair in the same position for 8-9 hours earlier, so your eyes will hurt a little, and the power of your specs which was constant for the last year will suddenly change in a month!
but again, its okay, embrace this change and understand that all of it is a part of your growth.

Incase you think you've bid goodbye to hand drafting,
let me tell you that in most probability, it will come back to you! :P

2.  Don't shy away from doubts
NEVER say "yes" when you're asked "Got it?", if you haven't really got it. Its okay to feel like a fool for 2 minutes when you ask that silliest of silly doubts, than to make a fool of yourself by working on a file which you had not understood in the first place. 
And because a) you are only a baby in this vast field and b) it is human to forget new things, keep noting down everything that comes your way - a new command, how to set layout, new doubt that got cleared..just anything! This will save you the hesitation of going to your trainer again and asking the same thing, and will also serve as a record for your own information.

3. Maintain records
Keep a written record of EVERY thing that comes your way. Coming late to office? Mail the HR. Planning to take a leave? Mail in advance. You completed the files you were assigned but your trainer is in a meeting/has left already? Mail it. It's always best to pre-inform; plus you never know when and how written record might just save your ass.
Maintain your Daily Work log-book right from the very beginning because you'll not remember what did you work on the 23rd of March while you're preparing your training report on the 23rd of December.

4. Ask for site visits, incase you're not offered/asked to. The more visits you make to the site, the better will you understand the project.
                                      

5. Be very careful to understand that your personal and professional life are two VERY separate worlds.
Discussing about the feel of a place you last visited, is still okay but talking about how you and your friends got totally sloshed in that party last weekend, and how your almost-happy-story with your ex-girlfriend didnt work out eventually, is just unprofessional. As college go-ers we're used to discussing all this with our friends..but here lies the difference - this isn't college and your colleagues aren't your friends. You will always find people around you talk about such stories.. My advice to you : plug in your ear-phones and refrain yourself from any such talks.

6. Ouch! That hurt!
More than what you do, its important to know the strict no-no's. NEVER, even in jest or fun, just never use a phrase or pass a comment to anybody which can, in any way, be 'personal' in nature.
India is diverse in culture, and more often than not, you'll have people from 10 different cultures working together with you. You'd never know how talking or commenting about a religion/region/caste/sex/community in most casual way also would offend someone. A guy in my office used to comment on how 'these Delhi girls' walk with attitude, and also sometimes said ridiculous things like "Baniya matt bann yaar!" not realising that nobody likes such talks/stereotypes in office, even if they aren't directed towards them.

7. There's life beyond office!
Working over-time once in a blue moon if the project demands is okay, but working over-time shouldn't be an everyday thing. You know why? Because you have a life. :P
Well, of course your manager would want you to work every living hour, and every submission deadline may appear to be the most important thing to exist, but you should know the art of saying 'no' if and when required. You might also enjoy working over-time sometimes thinking that "I'm learning so much!" but you have to realise that the kind of work-habits you develop in these initial years pretty much stay with you for the rest of your life. 

8. There will be a lot of "Oh-shutup-you're-only-an-intern" moments that you might face in various ways. My advice to you: Never take anybody's shit. You're learning. Walk and talk with dignity and let your work speak for you.

                                 

9. The phone is best kept on charging
Having said that (Point 8), you should ensure that you give in the best of your potential during the hours that you are in office. Excuse your phone, and those thoughts about your crush :P and concentrate on your work to the very best of your ability. Chatting on WhatsApp when you think nobody's looking (they're always looking btw) and trying to work simultaneously, will not do justice to your own potential.

10. Keep that zest for learning
Always always keep new/exciting things going. You can never know too much and every single person, no matter how senior or junior has something to teach. Accept your mistakes, (trust me, you're gonna be making plenty-ful of them! :D ) learn from them and move on.
Most importantly, have fun, you're never going to be an intern ever again. :)

My not-so-organised desk at KGD

P.S. Thank you dear trainers at KGD - AC, Akshati and Nimisha.. for making this internship enriching, both personally and professionally! :)



P.P.S. Did you find this post helpful? Sharing it will help others too! :)