In this episode, we spoke with Nazrul Islam, a migrant worker in Singapore with an interesting and busy background. Nazrul came to Singapore in 2008 to support his family in Bangladesh. He encountered numerous obstacles but his never-give-up attitude pushed him to obtain a degree from the University of Newcastle in environmental and occupational health and safety. How does he juggle being a marathon runner, an English teacher, co-founder of Help Societies International, a migrant worker, and ultimately a father? We find out more about his amazing journey on this episode. We hope you love this episode and Nazrul as much as we do!
What to Listen For
- Background of Nazrul Islam - Co-founder of Help Societies International, English teacher, volunteer, and a student
- What made him come to Singapore to work?
- Why Singapore and not the Middle East? - An opportunity to learn while you work
- Going abroad and being away from the family at a young age
- First day in Singapore - 12-hour wait in the airport
- The Course before going abroad - Steel Reinforcement course in Bangladesh
- What did he want to be when he was young? - Achieving his dream as an Engineer
- How others can follow his footsteps - Choosing the right channel to learn through courses and starting from the bottom
- First job at Marina Bay Sands
- The role of the agencies - Arranging the training and finding the companies for them
- Living in the dormitories vs living in a HDB flat
- A big heart - Nurul's pleasant experience with a Bangladeshi colleague
- Misconceptions, Discriminations, and Stereotypes Bangladeshi workers face in Singapore - A lack of understanding from the locals
- COVID-19 showing the importance of the migrant workers
- How the pandemic affected the migrant workers? - Living at the Expo with COVID-19, staying positive and enthusiastic
- Ramadan and Eid-ul Fitr at the Expo - Looking at the Positive side
- Thinking about the family - A new baby boy!
- Treating the migrant workers are equals to everyone - Welcoming migrant workers into the community
- Help Societies International
- Fitting so many things to his schedule - Running marathons and many more
- Improving yourself and "Always look on the bright side of life"
Selected Links From the Episode
Help Societies International
Facebook
Halal Travel Podcast
The Halal Travel Podcast hosted by Hazirah, Nurul, and Raudha as they talk candidly about travel, food, life, and everything else in between and sometimes with awesome guests! Listen to moving and inspirational stories from our guests from all walks of life.
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