27 Nov Shanghai: The Prelude
Before I delve into this post, I’d like to confess that this will not be my first time in Shanghai – the first was full of fleeting memories of a circus, the 2010 Expo, the Shanghai Tower – a typical tourist endeavour. If someone had told me a few years ago, that I would return to Shanghai as an intern working for a company in one of the largest financial centres of the world, I would have been absolutely perplexed.
I am Frances, currently a budding student at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia. As I round up my second year in my Applied Finance with Actuarial Studies degree, I am buzzing with anticipation for my trip. I do consider myself to be well-traveled person, having been to several countries in Europe, Asia, Middle East and the Americas as a tourist, but this unique opportunity to experience Shanghai through eyes of the financial and business world, is one which I will have never encountered before.
It will be my first time working professionally in a foreign country, and I have no doubt that I will stumble across challenges along the way; adapting to a Chinese work-environment, applying skills from my degree to the internship work, even just overcoming the language barrier in day-to-day activities.
But of course, all of these adversaries will be worth it in the end as I expect to grow through this Shanghai internship program, by acquiring new skills in the professional and social sense, meeting plenty of new people and making new friends through the Absolute Internship Program, as well as enhancing my personal growth as a global citizen.
My final thoughts before I arrive? I will be walking (or more precisely, flying) into my internship in Shanghai with an open mindset, with every intention to learn and experience as much as I can. I have no doubt this trip will develop my skills and give me memories that will last a lifetime.
Shanghai, here I come!
By Frances Mai
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