[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Ever since I was a child (around the age 3), Mulan was my favourite Disney princess. She was a great inspiration on the love I developed for China. Throughout the following years, I started to love Chinese culture, food, clothes and history.

Coming across the Generation UK programme immediately caught my interest. It pushed me to research more about InternChina, the opportunities they offer and feedback from previous interns. After reading the positive feedback about the Generation UK programme, I knew to take this opportunity. I decided to apply to the programme for an internship in the marketing field.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”61055″ img_size=”500×500″ alignment=”center” style=”vc_box_border_circle_2″ onclick=”link_image”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Pre-Departure

Staff such as Ali Hashemi and Liam Dempsey were very helpful and quick to respond to my emails. This was very helpful and helped me build trust with InternChina and the services. This lessened my worries, as I would always get fast replies and answers for any questions I had regarding visa application, my apartment and life in China.

I have a background in psychology and want to study an international MBA for my masters. So I thought that doing an internship within the business field would be a bridge between my transition from psychology to business. I was hoping to familiarise myself with key terminology in marketing, broaden my network and surround myself with the business environment.

The Master’s course I will undertake is international. Thus, doing an internship in a foreign country would make me understand more about the different procedures required for businesses in a country outside of the UK and Europe which I am familiar with.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

During the Programme

Landing in China and realising that I made it so far made me feel like I’ve accomplished a big part of my goal. It was a sunny day and I could not stop smiling when I was walking from the airport, all the way to the compound I lived in. My departure and arrival in China were very smooth. Liam picked me up from the airport with a warm welcome. He made me feel like I was ready for an adventure.

Throughout my time in Chengdu, all I had to do was throw myself out there and adapt to the environment I was in. I would use sign language and mime. And lastly, I would use a translation application to get a Chinese person to understand what I was trying to say. I always loved relying on myself before using translation applications. The language barrier was never an issue for me. I would see it as a fun challenge where I could learn a Chinese word from.

The weekly Chinese classes that I received were very helpful.  I would use a lot of the words that I learnt in class in my everyday life in Chengdu. The Chinese classes were great fun with the other interns.  I am still learning more Chinese now, as the languages and characters were very interesting.

The Internship Experience

Doing the internship and working with the best team was great fun.  I would look forward to going to work every day and learn more about digital marketing in China and the Chinese way of doing business. My boss was a very cool person, and I made great connections with the team. I was so surprised that I could take a nap (my lazy hobby) at work during the break. The normality of it surprised me.

Having the opportunity to work in my internship familiarised me with business models and key terms that will be useful in my postgraduate degree. Broadening my network and making connections with businesses in China via work will be beneficial for me in the future.

Outside of Work

After work, I would always visit the bubble tea shop under my apartment. I became friendly with the people who worked there. Also, there was a little noodle shop that was me and my friend’s favourite place to visit. Building a little community for myself in the area I lived in was very important. It made me feel more like I was at home.

Tourism in the city never ends! From my experience, walking down the market and going inside a little restaurant to eat fried rice and dumplings with chopsticks was some sort of tourism. The trips organised were great fun, and I enjoyed visiting the Chengdu panda research base. Seeing the Jinlong Great Wall in Luodai was an amazing experience which motivated me further to take another trip to China and visit the Great Wall in Beijing. The Thursday dinners were also exciting because it allowed me to try lots and delicate traditional Chinese dishes and give me the perfect time to catch up with other interns.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

After the Programme

I appreciate the opportunity for me to do an internship and reach my main goal. It makes me proud to inspire other minority women, such as those from a Muslim background. I hope to inspire them to push themselves out of their comfort zone and do an internship or travel to different countries. I did have doubts and second thoughts about doing an internship in China sometimes. However, I managed to live 5000+ miles away from home, whilst still being able to be myself. This experience taught me to express your values comfortably. And will never feel like you need to fit in because others will accept you for accepting yourself.

This trip to China is an unforgettable chapter of my life. It is the beginning of my travelling journeys. It was a break that I needed from my average daily life. I am very thankful to InternChina and the Generation UK programme for giving me this chance to accomplish my goals. My advice to anyone thinking about this internship would be, take the opportunity and just be comfortable with pushing yourself out of your comfort zone![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”61085″ img_size=”500×500″ alignment=”center” style=”vc_box_border_circle_2″ onclick=”link_image”][/vc_column][/vc_row]