Exchange Location: Ho Chi Minh City, VIETNAM

Program Name: Hope for Children

Internship Duration: 6 weeks

 

 

A typical day on your internship:

The mission of my project was to ‘bring underprivileged children closer to the community’ through educational and recreational programs.

I visited 6 different schools and orphanages on a weekly basis alongside other interns and local university students. We would teach children through classroom and outdoor activities. Besides this, I also taught an adult class 3 nights a week on the topic of business communication skills – how to use business terminology and interact in the workplace environment. I also attended the local AIESEC events there, including the Rewards and Recognition Night, Local Committee meetings, Exchange Culture Day, Aodai Contest.

For Christmas, the interns and local AIESECers fundraised for an outback trip to a disadvantaged community. At Bao Loc, 20 local students and 10 international interns played interactive games with 300 children. This included fishing, painting, boomerang throwing and sack racing. We also carried out several performances for these children, where I got to dress up as Santa Claus for the last performance.

Besides the usual programs, I had travelled around on my own accord. I visited the famous Mui Ne beach, Mekong Delta River, Monkey Island, Cam Gio black sand beach and an amazing nature park. I travelled alongside the other interns and local university students. We were all so keen to explore and try new things. I had climbed a mountain, visited a monkey farm, visited sand dunes and beaches, explored pagodas and museums, seen a water puppet show, exercised at parks alongside 100s of other locals and tried many new foods. I had learnt how to ride a motorcycle, which I found pretty cool.

 

 

 

What did you enjoy most about your internship?

The people. I found Vietnamese locals there to be incredibly friendly. I remember having trouble reach a destination. I present the address to a lady who was doing the laundry outside her house. She understood and had gone inside to get her husband. He kindly gestured for me to go on his motorbike and drove me to the place without charge. Although the language barriers were apparent, this Vietnamese family showed how supportive and caring Vietnamese people can be.

I had also gotten to know the local AIESECers there quite well. They were of a similar age to me and likewise studied at university. They got out of their way a lot for us as interns. They made the effort to show us around popular tourist destinations. I always had someone interesting and fun to hang out with. Now I still keep in touch with my Vietnamese friends through Skype and email. I’m looking forward to the day I go back to visit, or they come to Sydney to visit.


 

 

How do you feel after finishing your internship?

I had a self-fulfilling feeling after my internship. Knowing that I had made a positive different through the project meant a lot to me. I saw and felt that I had experienced a lot of development in myself as a person in terms of my independence and maturity.

 

 

Any words of advice for future exchange participants?

Take every opportunity presented to you. The more effort and time you give to being proactive, the more satisfied you’ll be with your experience. You’ll make lifelong friends, build an international network, explore the beauty of another country, try new things and you’ll make the best memories of your life.

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