Sarah’s Travels Through Asia
Sarah’s Travels Through Asia
Sarah, one of our Senior Regulatory Affairs Officers, was kind enough to write a blog post to share her recent travels through Asia. Continue reading to learn more about her highlights and insights into her exciting adventures.
About me
My name is Sarah, and I am a Senior Regulatory Affairs Officer at RApport. I have been at RApport for the last 2 years, and last year, I decided to take 4 months leave so that I could pursue my dream to travel around Asia. I travelled with my boyfriend to 7 countries: Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and India.
During these travels, I was fortunate enough to see some of the most beautiful sights and make the best memories. It is so difficult to distil 4 months of travel into a blog, as nearly every day was filled with once-in-a-lifetime activities and sights, so I will share some of my highlights.
My Highlights
Thailand
Thailand was a beautiful country, with lots of culture, white sandy beaches and amazing food (mango sticky rice, in particular). We met rescue elephants in an ethical elephant sanctuary in Chiang Mai, and visited many temples, including the White and Blue Temples (Chiang Rai).
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Malaysia
Malaysia offered more culture, great food and lovely people. A highlight was seeing the Batu Caves, just outside of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The caves and temples were beautiful, and the many monkeys surrounding the caves were very cute. We also managed to see the King as we visited his palace!
Batu Caves, KL, Malaysia
Laos
Laos was an incredible country to visit – I didn’t know much about it before we went, but it is very popular with backpackers, so we added it to our itinerary. We started our time in Laos with the Gibbon Experience in Huay Xai. We spent 2 days camping out in a tree house in the jungle, ziplining to different viewpoints. This was an incredible opportunity to connect with nature and disconnect completely from the world. After that incredible experience, we took a slow boat from Huay Xai to Luang Prabang, spending two days cruising down the Mekong River. This experience was incredible, and we met so many great people on the journey. Once we had arrived in Luang Prabang, we attended a Batik class, which is a technique of decorating fabrics. This was a fun skill to learn, and it is great to be able to take something traditional and handmade home! We also attended an Alms giving ceremony at sunrise (local monks are given offerings of food by the community and tourists).
Batik class, Luang Prabang, Laos
Cambodia
Our next stop was Cambodia. It was such a beautiful country to visit, but has a lot of sad, recent history. We generally opted to go on tours wherever possible so we could learn as much as we could about the places we were visiting and engage with locals. For example, we went on a tour of the Killing Fields and the Genocide Museum in Phnom Penh. We learnt a lot about the Khmer Rouge regime and met a survivor and heard his gruesome account of the events. In Siem Reap we visited Angkor Wat, an ancient city of temples and one of the wonders of the world. We got to see the sunset over these temples, which was breathtakingly beautiful. Finally, another highlight of our time in Cambodia was visiting the Apopo Visitors Centre in Siem Reap! Apopo trains rats to safely detect explosives left behind following the Cambodian Civil War and Vietnam War, and we were lucky enough to meet the retired Glen and Alvy who had careers working in landmine clearance.
Ta Prohm, Angkor Wat, Cambodia
Vietnam
Vietnam our penultimate country on this trip, was our highlight of the trip. We travelled south to north and saw so many amazing sights and did so many activities (including traditional lantern making!). A highlight was the Ha Giang Loop which is a motorcycle loop through the mountains of northern Vietnam and up to the border with China. I had never been on a motorcycle prior to this, but trusted my life with a great driver, who spent 3 days driving me around the mountains. It was an incredible experience which I will never forget.
Ha Giang, Vietnam
India
We didn’t do much travelling around India, as we wanted to slow the pace of our trip at the end. We visited Mumbai and saw lots of family, and went to Goa to relax and unwind by the sea. We did a fantastic cooking class in Goa where we made many local dishes. A huge part of culture is food, so we tried to do as many cooking classes as possible on this trip so we could to learn how to make traditional dishes (and hopefully be able to recreate them at home). We also did them in Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam.
Professional Growth and Lessons Learnt
On this trip, we were faced many unplanned events; from cancelled coaches, delayed flights, lost baggage, scams, illness and cockroaches – I learnt a lot of resilience and problem-solving.
Furthermore, the social aspect of this trip made me a far more confident person as I was constantly speaking to lots of new people and making new connections.
Travelling has made me grow as a person; it has given me a new perspective on life, it has made me realise what I want from it and what is important to me. I am more motivated to set goals and achieve them.
Helpful Tips
My biggest advice for anyone going on holiday abroad or planning a longer trip would be to put an air tag (or a similar tracker) in every checked bag. Our bags arrived in Ethiopia at the start of our trip rather than in Thailand. The Air tags meant we got our bags back faster… phew!
Also, I kept a journal of our travels, saving tickets and leaflets, and documented what we got up to everyday – it is a lovely thing to have to document the time spent travelling. I really recommend doing this, so you always have memories to look back on and something to show your family and friends when you get home.
~ Sarah Parkes
Presentation Skills Training
Recently, our team participated in a Presentation skills training session, led by the amazing Mark from Glass Box Thinking Ltd. the training proved invaluable, equipping everyone with newfound confidence, improved skills, and a solid foundation to tackle future presentations.
As highlighted by our COO, Mariyam, training opportunities such as these are huge part of our commitment to nurturing talent, innovation, and market leadership.
“Rapid technological changes make investing in training essential for retaining competitive advantage.”
Mariyam Rawat, COO
Explore testimonials below.
#PresentationSkillsTraining #RegulatoryAffairs #RApport #ELIQUENT
~ Hannah Withnell
RApport Spring Team Day Recap
On the 20th March, the RApport team, along with members of the ELIQUENT leadership team, gathered at the beautiful Institute of London for our Spring Company Update Meeting. The day was filled with insightful discussions, team-building activities, and valuable reflections on our past achievements and future endeavours, especially in light of our acquisition by ELIQUENT Life Sciences. Video at the end.
The event kicked off with an exciting team-building challenge; constructing the tallest spaghetti marshmallow tower. This activity definitely brought out everyone’s competitive side!
It was fantastic to hear from members of the leadership team who provided valuable insights into our collective journey over the past year. Their guidance and vision have been instrumental in shaping our successes and navigating the transition period post-acquisition.
It was a pleasure to be joined by members of the ELIQUENT leadership team who shared insightful updates on the immense potential of our acquisition. Their strategic perspective and enthusiasm reaffirmed our confidence in the transformative opportunities ahead.
Among the highlights was the enlightening workshop led by Mark from Glass Box Thinking. Through interactive exercises, we gained a deeper understanding of our individual leadership styles and how they contribute to the dynamics of our team. This session fostered a newfound appreciation for our differences and emphasised the importance of leveraging them to enhance collaboration and productivity.
As we move forward, energised by the possibilities presented by our acquisition by ELIQUENT, we are committed to embracing diversity and harnessing our collective strengths to drive innovation and growth.
~Hannah Withnell
RApport Announces Three New Hires
RApport, proudly announces the addition of three new members to its team:
- Emma Weeks: Senior Regulatory Affairs Officer
- Ayesha Sultana: Regulatory Affairs Officer
- Shakeeb Ur-Rehman: Regulatory Affairs Officer
These new hires mark an exciting time of growth and expansion for the company, following a strategic acquisition by ELIQUENT Life Sciences.
Emma Weeks brings extensive regulatory experience in clinical trials, having successfully led Phase I-III multinational clinical trials from inception to completion over the past five years.
“While my background is primary in Oncology, I am looking forward to expand my experience to different therapeutic areas and to embrace the diversity of development projects heading towards marketing authorization. RApport provides me with opportunities and a supportive environment to learn and grow as a Regulatory Affairs professional.”
Emma Weeks, Senior Regulatory Affairs Officer
Ayesha Sultana, with her background in Diagnostic Radiography from City, University of London, brings expertise in medical device operation and patient care. Ayesha will provide support in Regulatory Affairs, including clinical trials, quality control and medical writing and much more.
“Throughout my time at RApport, I’ve felt supported in my work and welcomed into the team. I am excited to contribute to various aspects of regulatory affairs including clinical trials, quality control and much more!”
Ayesha Sultana, Regulatory Affairs Officer
Shakeeb Ur-Rehman brings valuable expertise to our team, holding a MSc in Drug Discovery and Pharma Management from UCL, demonstrating a deep understanding of drug discovery, drug development and the global pharmaceutical industry. Shakeeb will provide support to the RA team across regulatory areas, medical writing, quality control and administrative activities. Additionally, Shakeeb has experience in the regulatory processes within the MHRA and an understanding of EU regulations.
“I am looking forward to the opportunity of growing and developing my understanding of regulatory affairs with the goal of increasing my knowledge in the various areas such as clinical trials, medical devices, lifecycle management.”
Shakeeb Ur-Rehman, Regulatory Affairs Officer
These new hires reflect our commitment to continuously enhance our capabilities and expertise to better serve our clients and achieve our organisational goals. We are excited about the valuable contributions Emma, Ayesha, and Shakeeb will make to our team and look forward to the innovative solutions they will bring to our clients.
To learn more about RApport and our services, please explore our website https://rapportss.com/
For inquiries or to get in touch with our team, please contact support@rapportss.com
Explore our current vacancies on PharmiWeb.Jobs
~Hannah Withnell