I was one of the more fortunate students who were selected to do their professional attachment overseas.  During my attachment, I was working in the Actuarial Department of Sanlam.  Sanlam is the second oldest life insurer in the Republic of South Africa.  It leads the industry in both product innovation and policy servicing.  Sanlam has offices and subsidiaries spanning across the entire South Africa. Its head office is in Bellville, Cape Town and that was where I was working.

It was altogether a mind-blowing experience for me.  There are about 5000 employees working in the head office alone, not counting the insurance salesperson.  The building is gargantuan and the company is almost like a city on its own, with its own pharmacy, hairdresser, museum, and even travel agency.  In the Actuarial Department where I worked, there are around 100 employees.  During my attachment there, I learnt many things about the functioning of a life office as well as getting to appreciate how the subjects I learnt in my course (like Mathematics, Finance and Life Contingencies) were actually put into practice.  My colleagues and supervisors were unbelievably helpful and friendly, and although the work I did was in Afrikaans, which is a South African language that has roots in France and Holland, I picked up the language quite easily and even found it fun to use.

For the eight weeks of my stay in South Africa, I also took the opportunity to tour the country.  Cape Town is unarguably one of the most beautiful cities in the world, with its metropolitan population existing amidst soaring mountains and tumbling hills.  I was also moved by the friendliness and love of the South Africans in general.

All I can say is that the entire eight weeks has been so rewarding and enriching for me that I would encourage everyone to go for an overseas attachment, and hopefully there will be greater opportunities for more students to do so in the near future.