Peta's Internship In China

From January to June 2009, I was on the first adventure of my lifetime. It is amazing now to think I spent those six months in another country eagerly soaking up what I could of the people and culture of China. The chance to learn new things, meet new people and see some of the world outside of Australia was a fantastic opportunity. The unexpected was always right around the corner!

What kind of work did you do?

I did a Developmental Traineeship (DT) at the China Orchid AIDS Project in Beijing, now renamed the Dongjen Center for Human Rights Education and Action, as the Legal Research Officer. COAP is a grassroots NGO working on legal advocacy for those living with HIV/AIDS as well as general prevention. They also have human rights education programs and an AIDS Orphans program. My work was internet based which was sometimes difficult when the internet server dropped out. The tasks I had were, collecting AIDS posters for a resource book and gaining copyright permissions; researching international sex worker support networks to write up a report of best practice by the end and to coordinate the initial contacting of international human rights agencies for donations of their publications for a human rights information library.

How did your AIESEC experience help with your internship?

Being part of the AIESEC Monash Outgoing Exchange team in the semester prior to the internship helped me with my team work, communication and goal setting skills. It allowed me to know what to expect as an AIESECer and an Exchange Participant, as well as giving me that extra boost of confidence to approach the new and exciting situation I was in. It also allowed me to forge strong bonds with my fellow interns and China UIBE AIESECers as we had a common ground to start on, and I knew they would help me find my feet when starting out.

What were the biggest challenges?

The challenges that I had were what defined my experience in more ways than just going on exchange and this is where the adventure happened for me.

The challenge at COAP was mainly a lack of knowledge about the organisation for me to frame the work I was doing, which went with a lack of communication (in part based on the language barrier) as I rarely knew what was happening from one day to the next outside of what I was specifically doing. I found the lack of engagement in the projects COAP does frustrating, but the work I ultimately did was still fantastically rewarding and useful ultimately to the work COAP does.

Personal challenges included the fact I was away for an extended period for the first time, which was both an amazing and weird feeling. The culture shock and homesickness was a problem at the beginning but once I established a routine with some friends it settled. There was also the issue of dealing with a computer breakdown, two wallets being stolen, accommodation difficulties, and a huge language barrier. There was also loneliness from the fact that some of my friends were rarely available. Not everyone was always invited on trips/events planned which was a pity as so many weekends I was left to explore on my own, which was great for independence, but not so great when I wanted some English speaking company!

What were the benefits after completing / or during internship?

Upon reflection the internship was a highly fulfilling experience in so many ways that I never accounted for. Who knew what bad luck would strike me next and how I would deal with it? I believe I have truly surprised myself with regards to the strength I had in withstanding so many catastrophes. There were times I wanted to come home because I didn't want to face anymore, but I was determined to see it through. The internship allowed me to develop my personal and professional skills as well as expanded my professional network. I made so many friends with the other interns and AIESECers, from all over the world, including New Zealand, Indonesia, Singapore, Canada, the US and the UK. It enabled me to engage in a new culture first hand, experiencing the food (such as the street vendors), the history, national holidays such as Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) and the cross cultural experience.

The internship has given me a chance to discover another world, learning about myself in the process. It has had a fantastic effect on developing my future goals and gave me an opportunity to forge international friendships and get one step closer to being a leader and Change maker.