The Clinic

Mentioning ‘The Clinic’ would raise a few eyebrows among the new students as they enroll into IACT. ‘A college that actually provides medical facilities? Cool! No other colleges have this facility and now I can tell my friends about it!’

As the noisy door creaks open, a turn to the right would be an out-of-place clinic inspired counter with a round cut-out window, a chair, receipt books and stationeries. What you would not expect is that behind the window lies the IACT staff workplace where the tables are filled with paper notes, personal table decorations and more papers. Usually quiet during class hours, the grey carpet, sofas and the dim light makes the place depressing.

The counter window is used as a form of communication with the staffs and the students. Just like how a clinic operates when dealing with patients, the system is the same in IACT except that the patients are the students. On the right side of counter lies a black post box where the students can ‘post’ their assignments to their lecturers which is usually abandoned unless Kim is not there to take in the assignments.

Stepped on, slept on and even food spilled onto the grey fabric of the sofas did not deter the students from hanging out at this little corner of The Clinic even though the sofas smelled funny. One of the fun things in The Clinic is that all kinds of music were played from the students’ laptop, which sometimes gets criticized by others for their choice of music. Occasionally, gossips by students can be heard by unintentional eavesdropping as students talk and laugh loudly. The fragrant aroma of the food from the Chinese stall down the road makes stomach grumble when food is brought into The Clinic. Especially after class hours, students will be seen bustling in and out of The Clinic, waiting for their transport and bidding their farewells at the end of the day.

The Clinic was a popular spot for students working on individual and group assignments. Students are seen cracking their heads working on their designs, presentation slides and even brainstorm sessions. Typing away on their laptops to finish their assignments before The Clinic closes at 6pm, the adrenaline rush to race against time is heats up the atmosphere.

The Clinic holds many memories even though IACT has moved to a new campus. That comfortable yet depressing space, adios.

Li Chuen
DMC09