25 Jan Expectations of an Intern Racing to Shanghai
The feeling before travelling to a city like Shanghai, China for an internship is not too dissimilar from how a horse feels like before it runs a big race. You are trapped in a box, buzzing with energy, excitement and uncertainty. At any minute those gates will open and, when they finally do, the adrenaline filled race will begin!
My name is Rob Soros and I am a public relations student on the home straight of my degree at Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia. Like most in this position, I am always looking forward to see what I can achieve beyond the finish line. I believe that my internship in Shanghai with Absolute Internship is providing me with a fantastic launching pad into my career.
Travel has always been a passion of mine and I have managed to incorporate this into my degree by spending a semester studying at Koc University in Istanbul, Turkey. This experience was the first gate to be opened and I have been running ever since with travels and international volunteering experiences all over the world. Despite my breadth of international experiences I feel that Shanghai will be one of my biggest challenges yet.
The thought of interning in a city with a population of 23.5 million, larger than my entire country’s population of 22.6 million is hard to fathom. Having only read books and never been into Asia beyond the Middle East, I can only imagine what the culture of this city will be like. I bet that no matter what I picture, Shanghai will surprise me when I arrive there.
Despite knowing this I still have my expectations about the whole experience:
1) I am going to have to Gallop
With less than a month in Shanghai complimented with full time work hours at my internship I will have to hit the ground running if I am to see as much of Shanghai as possible. I am approaching this experience with the mindset of always saying yes and never missing an opportunity.
2) I will stumble at some points
When entering into a country where you don’t know the language you are always faced with challenges. Now add to this equation entering a workplace with a focus on communication and there is bound to be some hurdles to jump. I am very appreciative of Absolute Internship as they are providing an English-speaking supervisor at work and support throughout my time in Shanghai.
3) The finish line will change me
I have never worked in China or even experienced Chinese culture first hand. I will take away a lot more than the completion of an internship from this experience. I am looking for lessons and experiences within this trip for me to carry with me for the rest of my life.
Rob Soros
Scholarship recipient for a Public Relations Internship in Shanghai, China
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