你好！After a little hiccup at Hong Kong airport and a two day delay due to a typhoon, I’ve finally made it to the bustling city of Chengdu. My name is Brigitte, or 浩羚 (Haoling), and I’m really excited to join the InternChina team in Chengdu for the next 6 months. I studied Chinese in London but am at home on a tiny island of Spain at the moment.

With family in Hong Kong I have had insight into Chinese culture and lifestyle all my life and I believed I knew what to expect when I first came to Beijing in 2010, to spend my year abroad there. Clearly, I was mistaken. Unlike Hong Kong, where Western influences have become so ingrained, Beijing had a very distinct feel to it. I could best describe it as ‘organised chaos’, and certainly amongst the most exciting time of my life. Sure, there were things to get used to – Chinese customs that are unthinkable in Europe – but overall, I felt drawn to their culture and way of life.

And so I pointed all my future prospects at China, and an internship was exactly what I needed to get started. Only about a month and a half after my first contact with Jenny (office manager of InternChina, Chengdu), my application had been processed, my visa verified and my plane tickets bought. I have only spent a day here so far, but I’m prickling with excitement for all that this new city has to offer.

Want to meet people like Brigitte in China? Apply now for an internship in Chengdu!