Coming from a sleepy, suburban town in the middle of Texas where roughly 70,000 residents go to sleep by 10 PM each night, I was pretty amazed when I was thrown into...
Startled from my sleep, I groggily paw at my phone, trying to shut off the alarm I set every morning for 7:30 am. Having to leave for work by 8:00 am every...
Shanghai welcomed me with a blast of hot air, a wave of tired travelers, and a fight that broke out due to a K-Pop group.
After a grueling 14-hour flight, my friend and I arrived at Pudong International Airport where we were greeted by our program coordinators and a few of the other interns in the program. We were taken to our apartment where we would be living for the next six weeks; Initially, I was worried about the size and utilities of our living space, but I was pleasantly surprised by a large, apartment-style hotel with modern televisions, a functional kitchen, and my own separate bedroom.
Traveling to China was a fantastic experience with countless opportunities to learn and develop as a person. My biggest piece of advice to a future intern is to not have any expectations coming into your trip and internship. Come with an open mind to learn as much as possible and let the experience change you and develop you, as it will. If you come with a certain mindset of how the time is going to be or how you think it should be, you will be disappointed in the end.
My time throughout Shanghai was filled with ups and downs. There were many moments of being uncomfortable. From my internship to interacting with the locals, I was always coming across something new. That is what this trip is all about. Putting yourself outside your comfort zone to create meaningful experiences. It was a fun journey. From eating scorpions to working at an investment bank, the days were exhausting because of how much there was to do! Now that I am back home, I can already tell that I’m going to miss my time in China.
Pack light! While preparing for your excursion to the Far East, remember that you will have access to so many cheap products. These products are inexpensive and your times at the fake market will be some of the most fun experiences. You are able to purchase designer merchandise to authentic (or close to) sport clothing. You will quickly build up your wardrobe. I did not take advantage of this enough, but while shopping in the United States I regret not purchasing more clothing. It seems “sketchy” at first, but looking back, I could have saved a lot of money on wardrobe.
One of the best ways to gain real exposure to the business world is to be an intern. Work long hours and do the stuff no one has time for. Another way to put being an intern would be “busy work”. While that might not sound too appealing to young aspiring business majors, being an intern has changed my life.
An internship is an opportunity; an intern is going to get out of it what he/she puts into it. So, keep an open mind and look forward to work each day, even if there is not much to do. GO to work with a smile, “yes sir, no sir” have a positive attitude and your employer will love you.
Seeing the country side of China has made my internship experience one that I will never forget. At first, I did not really want to go to all these other cities on my weekends. However, after our first trip to Wuzhen I could not wait for the next trips. I saw some very strange behaviors, was treated like a celebrity and ate some of the most interesting smelling food on the planet. 
My normal day usually starts at 9:30 am and goes till about 6:00 pm in the evening. I usually have a continuous project to work on for the pre IPO process. My company specializes in maximizing client experience by supplying the most exclusive, high-end, branded products and services of superior quality. In a nutshell, we are a client service company and we have to give our clients what they want and when they want it.
After nearly twenty hours of sitting down, I finally felt the bang of the 757 touchdown in Shanghai. As far as my eye could see was what looked like mountains of skyscrapers. The airport was packed but I really didn’t understand how gigantic the city was until the next morning. 
Our very first speaker from Absolute Internship was also the best one of the lot. Her name was Jackie. Together with her Danish partner John, she created the Wagas empire, a chain of high-quality foods with dozens of stores in China.
If you’re walking around Shanghai and you hear music, follow it. Yes, keep walking. You’ll come across a small crowd eventually. They’re watching transfixed as a small group of elderly ladies slow dance to a resonant lament. A female Chinese voice swoons from a large speaker mounted from a moped. A few onlookers see how fun it is. They join in. Their friends come too. Everyone’s smiling or hiding a smile.
On the plane ride over to Shanghai from the states I watched the movie Office Space, a comedy about office workers who hate their jobs and decide to embezzle money...
After three weeks in Shanghai, I think my favorite thing about this city has to be the experience of walking to work and having people walk and shove past you without a look back or an apology.
Nope. Not sarcasm. I really do.
My experience as an intern has been quite different from my day to day life at home. I can’t speak for the other interns as the general consensus seems to be that many are university students who spend a large portion of their time in school. I took a less conventional route and put off college for about three years after I graduated high school to work. When I finally did start school, I opted for online courses so I could work full time and be a full time student.
While Absolute Internship has organized many major events for us, I would have to say the most significant one that contributed to my understanding of European culture have been to the more historical sights. This includes the trip to Stonehenge and listening to the various theories surrounding its construction as well as the trip to Paris the weekend before last. When touring the streets of Montmartre (which I still don’t know how to say) I got an idea of the most important aspects of European culture. I know, I know, the culture of Paris is different from the culture of France the same way the culture of London is vastly disparate from the rest of England. But these two cities held some things in common with another city I visited-Bath. All of these places were absolutely filled with pedestrian traffic. Okay there’s no revelation there. Actually what’s fascinating is the sheer amount of history these locations are filled with.
Beginning your career abroad may be one of the best decisions you make along your professional path. I would like to give others the same advice that I was given before accepting my position in Spain with Absolute Internship. So let me set the scene: After a long night of classes, homework, and officer work in one of my extracurricular clubs, I mentioned to one of the other officers that I had just applied for a position abroad, however, I was hesitant because I would have to pay to go there! In other words, I felt that I was paying to work for someone. A few of the older officers heard me, and they quickly asked where I would be interning. I replied, Madrid. They exclaimed that they had interned in the same city in the same situation without pay. More importantly, they told me to take the position if it was offered to me – that it would be worth the expense and make for one amazing experience. They couldn’t have been more right. So here is my advice: intern abroad. Your career will thank you, your future employers will thank you, and you will thank you. The experience is priceless.
Absolute Internship gave our Madrid group the chance to broaden our horizons – literally and metaphorically. Literally, we took a weekend trip to Barcelona, Spain where the horizon was made up of the turquoise waters of the Mediterranean and the pale blue sky that seemed to smile as I lay on my towel on the beach. Metaphorically, Absolute Internship organized two sessions with guest speakers who expanded our mindsets; the first being with two representatives from a company that one of our members was interning for and the second with the CEO of a startup company here in Madrid.
Madrid, Spain is an interesting city in the way that I quickly found myself forgetting I was actually in Spain. Now, this may surprise some people or perhaps even dishearten them, but let me explain. When my mom asked me what it was like living abroad, in Spain of all places, I realized it really didn’t feel much different than living in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania during the semester. Cities are more alike than different all around the world, it appears. Nonetheless, to answer my mom’s question, I did notice a few differences that serve as subtle reminders of my European life.
My first month was a crazy adventure; I got to know a group of people all from different places around the world. I learned what it’s like to be in a professional environment and I learned a lot of personal lessons as well.
