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Expectations of an Intern Racing to Shanghai

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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