We never think about it, but it’s quite rare to see younger people working in the funeral industry and taking care of dead bodies.
According to The Straits Times, 22 year-old Nicole Chong defies the norms and is considered to be one of the youngest embalmers in Singapore.
Source: the straits times
Embalming involves the use of chemicals to prevent a corpse from decaying. This process is typically done for funerals to make the deceased look more presentable.
Nicole is an embalmer-in-training and is currently working on becoming certified.
However, despite her being relatively new to the industry, she has embalmed more than 500 bodies under the supervision of a more experienced embalmer.
Source: the straits times
What makes her story more interesting is that she had no prior training and has learned all of her skills while on the job.
The young lady works in her brother’s funeral company, Serenity Casket and Funerals. Her her sister-in-law, who went to New Zealand for an embalming course told Nicole about the process of embalming and it immediately sparked her interest in the field.
Working as an embalmer is without a doubt a morbid job and can take a toll on you, especially if you’re familiar with some of the people you embalm.
Source: the straits times
This was what happened to Nicole recently, when she had to embalm her colleague, 62 year-old Lim Swee Huat, who passed away from a heart attack in 2015.
She shared with The Straits Times that many of her friends have expressed their disapproval of her job, as many of them are superstitious and refrain from asking her about work.
Nicole hopes that after gaining the right amount of experience, she can go to New Zealand to become a certified embalmer like her sister-in-law.
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