23 Dec Manhattan of the East
I’m Danielle Battista and I am from Perth, Australia. I am 19 years old and have recently completed my second year at the University of Western Australia, where I study Law & Society and Marketing. I have been involved in the arts ever since I was five years old; whether it is by performing in musicals, dance concerts and bands or teaching dance. Through Absolute Internship I will be completing a legal internship in Shanghai. After many discussions with friends about Shanghai and internships in general, I have formed many high expectations about this experience.
One of my first expectations of Shanghai is that it will be absolutely freezing, well to me at least, as the internship is during winter. Perth’s winter is not too cold and does not produce snow. Leaving Perth’s summer, where I am at the beach almost every day, for the chilly Shanghai will be a massive shock to the system. Hopefully I will be able to touch snow for the first time in Shanghai!
I have also heard Shanghai is an intense city i.e. it is highly congested and lively. This is very different to Perth, where there is lots of open space and a dramatically smaller population. I expect the nightlife in Shanghai to be a lot more exciting and lively than Perth’s. The Perth City on weeknights is very quiet, and I cannot imagine there being one moment of silence in the busy city of Shanghai. Shanghai is described as the ‘Manhattan of the East’ so I am expecting the shopping and city life to be amazing! I am also really looking forward to learning about the history and culture of Shanghai. Public transport is definitely something I avoid in Perth, so I expect the adjustment to depending on it in Shanghai will be a very, VERY traumatic experience for me. I have been told many Westerners reside in Shanghai and that English is widely spoken there. So although I expect the culture change to be a large shock and for the local language to be a barrier for my adjustment into Shanghai life, I do think it is possible to adjust.
One of my first expectations about my legal internship is that the workload will be high. Friends have told me that interns generally get worked hard, so I am a little worried about that. I also expect the work to be quite difficult as I am only familiar with the Australian legal system, and do not know much about the Chinese legal system. In this way, I expect the work to be difficult, but I also expect to learn a wealth of knowledge in the end. I believe I will make many rewarding contacts through the networking events provided by Absolute Internship.
If Absolute Internship was not so organized, I really do not see how I would ever be an intern in Shanghai! Thus I expect all of the group dinners, weekend activities, housing, transport etc. to be highly organized. I believe these activities will be so much fun and will greatly enhance my experience of Shanghai. The fact the Absolute Internship Program welcomes students from around the globe leaves me with the expectation that I will meet some amazing people and learn many new things about different cultures. Absolute Internship has been so helpful thus far and I know they will offer 24-hour support during my time abroad. I also believe this program, which includes living and working on your own in a foreign country, will make me even more independent. I believe the Absolute Internship Program will differentiate me from other law graduates when it comes time to apply for a job, and will greatly assist my career.
My final three expectations are as follows: 1) To gain weight from all of the Chinese food I will be taking advantage of. 2) To suffer from karaoke addiction. 3) To have the time of my life! So that is all from me for now! I will keep you updated with whether these expectations are accurate and about my battle with PUBLIC TRANSPORT.
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