Exchange Location: Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia

Program Name: PKYMS Share the Future

             
Internship Duration: 6 weeks

 

 

A typical day on your internship:

 

In the morning we would have a class from 8-10am and 4-6pm teaching with the other interns at either the girls orphanage home or the boys orphanage home (alternating each day). We would prepare material and games for the lesson, teaching English, maths, science or any topics they were interested in such as countries of the world or the human body.

Between 10am and 4pm we would be at the NGO office doing administration work such as searching for and emailing companies both locally and internationally that would be willing to sponsor and donate money or in-kind products. We would also be looking for funding agencies willing to donate and keep the NGO running. Other work would involve brainstorming ideas for fundraising such as making videos or posters.

There would be a big presentation each Thursday night held at the church for the interns to teach about a topic of interest. It’s a highly interactive lesson with the local community, and so time spent at the office would also be spent doing lesson planning to ensure every lesson was well prepared and engaging.

In our spare time we would also plan trips among the interns as we had Fridays to Sundays off. Some places we went to were Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh, Penang and Singapore.

We would also be taken around by the local AIESECers to their university, nearby places, malls, places to eat and more. They were very friendly and I became close friends with some of them, being able to understand their daily lives as I was an AIESECer myself. They always kept in contact with us even through their exams and busy schedules.

There was a lot of time after work or in between schedules where we played with the children and they really enjoyed our company. They taught us a lot about their own culture and their thoughts, and saw us as their own brothers and sisters. Living with them for 6 weeks and getting used to their way of life and their way of thinking was very eye-opening experience.


 

 

What did you enjoy most about your exchange?

 

Living away from home for 6 weeks by myself, away from what I was familiar with, was the most challenging yet most enjoyable part of exchange. I learned to be more independent, more accepting of different people, cultures, personalities and situations. I was able to achieve many personal goals such as finding myself, learning about myself as a person, and finding out what I was passionate about and what I wanted to do in life. Not many other experiences can provide this.

 

 

Any words of advice for future exchange participants?

 

I learnt so many things from every single person I met on exchange, and now have lasting friendships on an international level. Exchange has opened my mind from the sheltered bubble I was used to living in. I can really see that there are so many opportunities out in the world, and as long as I had a passion, there would be something worthwhile waiting for me.

Exchange has propelled me to become a better person, and I would love to give this opportunity to embark on a journey of a lifetime.



So, what are you waiting for?