Love Begins at Home (ICA)

PHOTO: Dayana Yakob

Ever heard the saying that you don’t have to search far for your soulmate as they might be right under your nose? 

This was the case for Sergeant (SGT) 3 Nurril Shafirrin Binte Mohamed and SGT2 Muhammad Ridzuan Bin Rosli of the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA), who discovered that they lived just a door away from each other.   
 
When SGT3 Nurril joined ICA in 2015, she didn’t expect that the person she disliked at their first meeting would become her partner for life.

PHOTO: Dayana Yakob

The couple first met at the cargo clearance counter at Woodlands Checkpoint in 2015. At that point, SGT2 Ridzuan had been with ICA for three years. “Initially, he wasn’t even talking to me, but to my mentor; I was just a mentee who’d newly joined ICA,” recalled SGT3 Nurril with a laugh. “So my first impression of him was that he was quite arrogant. I didn’t like him, actually.” 
 
On his part, SGT2 Ridzuan found SGT3 Nurril to be “bubbly” as she was friendly to everyone she met. The couple soon found themselves at the same deployment at work. “He suddenly started a conversation with me by asking me where I stayed,” SGT3 Nurril explained. “And that’s how we found out we were practically next-door neighbours!” 

PHOTO: Dayana Yakob

The couple realised that they lived on the same floor of the same block, and were only separated by one residential unit. Despite staying a few steps away, they’d never noticed each other. 

SGT3 Nurril soon found that her initial impressions of SGT2 Ridzuan were unfounded. “One thing that I like about him is his firmness,” she said. “When he’s assigned to a task, he puts all his effort into it. I admire his sense of dedication.”
 
SGT2 Ridzuan was smitten too, “I admire her bubbly character and willingness to learn something new,” he shared. “She’ll say ‘yes’ to everything!” 

PHOTO: Nurril Shafirrin

Their friendship soon turned into romance, and the couple got married in 2019. 

One challenge that they faced together was when COVID-19 struck at work. “I had to be quarantined in a hotel for 10 days because of a case of close contact – ” shared SGT2 Ridzuan.

“– And I was heavily pregnant at that point of time,” SGT3 Nurril continued. “So we called each other every day. He gave me the moral support and asked me to stay strong. Of course, he had a hard time as well.”

In 2021, SGT3 Nurril was offered a sponsorship by the Home Team to study Communications at the Singapore University of Social Sciences. “I took up the part-time sponsorship because I was really interested in the course and I wanted to sharpen my knowledge of communication,” she explained. “With the support of Ridzuan, my family and my Team Leaders, I decided to go for it!”

PHOTO: Dayana Yakob

Just as SGT3 Nurril began her studies, the couple was blessed with a daughter named Medina Scha Daalia. With SGT2 Ridzuan now posted to Airport Command as a Primary Screening Officer, the couple takes turns caring for baby Daalia, with the help of their parents.

“It was overwhelming at first but I managed to adapt and balance my work, studies and family commitments,” said SGT3 Nurril. “Without the strong support of my husband and family, I don’t think I’d be able to do it!”

PHOTO: Dayana Yakob

This year, SGT2 Ridzuan was also awarded a degree sponsorship. “I appreciate that ICA has also given me the opportunity to further my studies,” he shared. “Although both of us will be schooling, we’ll continue to prioritise Daalia and plan our schedules so that it doesn’t affect our work. Most importantly, we’re really grateful for the support from our family and our supervisors.”

The couple continue to support one another by offering words of encouragement and being great listeners. Asked what they’d learnt from their time together as a couple, SGT3 Ridzuan shared, “Always trust your partner. Respect her and always be open in your communication.”

PHOTO: Dayana Yakob

“And, if things don’t go your way, just accept them and learn from your mistakes,” said SGT2 Nurril. “It's just like how in our work, we often have to deal with and overcome challenging circumstances or unpredictable incidents. So I always encourage Ridzuan: It’s okay; chin up!”

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