2012: Asia Pacific

Name: Davey Wang

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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Name: Michelle Tjondro

Exchange location: New Taipei City, TAIWAN

Program Name: One Child, One Change – National Taipei University Winter Camp

Internship duration: 4 weeks

In three words, summarise your AIESEC internship: Inspiring, unforgettable and fulfilling!

A typical day on your internship:
The internship was divided into two sections: The first two weeks involved planning the sessions for the camp. Our day began at 9am and we had to prepare the activities for the children. These ranged from our own presentations on the issues we had to introduce to the children, to devising games that would educate them about our own cultures.

The second fortnight was put our hard work to the test! It was time for the actual Winter Camp and from the moment that children began arriving on that first Monday morning, we didn’t doubt that the next two weeks were going to be fun, challenging and immensely rewarding. The days always began with dancing – these were our dances that we had to teach the children. Depending on the schedule, there were either sessions teaching the children about certain issues, games, or culture classes.
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What was the most shocking/curious/fun fact you learned on your exchange?
I had the most fun learning about the cultures of the other exchange participants. While I am lucky in Australia to witness multiculturalism on a daily basis, I felt that there was an authenticity in encountering such a diversity of cultures on this camp.



What did you enjoy most from your exchange? Any words of advice for future exchange participants?
Meeting the children and forming such close bonds with them despite the language barrier. It was so rewarding to be a part of their educational experience and to know that they really appreciated their time with us. My advice for future participants in this program is to cherish every moment you have on this camp because it really does go by so quickly.



General advice for any exchange participant would be to recognise the opportunities in everything that comes your way. Anything unexpected undoubtedly has the potential to make the biggest impact on - and the best memories of – your exchange!







Name: Helen Chan



Exchange location: Colombo, SRI LANKA



Program Name: Youth Empowerment Program 2.0



Internship duration: 6 weeks



A typical day on your internship:

(During the first few weeks)
8:00-8:30am: Wake up and prepare for the day. Eat a quick breakfast
9:00am: Meet up with the group to prepare session material
12:00-1:00pm: Go to local shops and restaurants for lunch
2:00-6:00pm: Continue preparing session material and practice presenting
6:00-7:00pm: Eat dinner
7:00pm onwards: Grocery shopping and free time or continue preparing sessions.
11:00pm-12:00am: Sleep

(After the first few weeks)
8:00-9:00am: Wake up and prepare for the day
9:00-10:00am: Find a nearby restaurant and eat breakfast
10:00am onwards: Travel, go to the beach/tourist destination, shopping, etc.
8:00pm: Find a nearby restaurant and eat dinner, then free time

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What did you enjoy most from your exchange? Any words of advice for future exchange participants?
I enjoyed challenging myself to embrace a new culture and lifestyle and being completely out of my comfort zone. It was the most amazing feeling to be independent – alone and not knowing anyone at first – and having to rely on my own abilities to make friends and adapt to the new environment. I think having this experience really bolstered my confidence and faith in my own abilities, and encouraged me to continue challenging myself. I really enjoyed the feeling and notion of being able to experience something new every day. It was through these things that I underwent the cliché journey of “finding myself” and came to many self-realisations.



I would encourage future exchange participants to really push themselves and do the same – to try something different every day and see how far they can go. For me, remembering that the exchange was for only six weeks and that my time there would be limited really helped me get over being scared of being in a new environment. I’m a rather flexible person which made it easier for me to get over culture shock, so I think being open-minded to cultural differences and trying to adapt to the different circumstances will enable you to have a smoother transition into the new country.

 

 

 

 

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Name: Monica Luo

Exchange location: Kajang, Selangor, MALAYSIA

Program Name: PKYMS Share the Future

Internship duration: 6 weeks

In three words, summarise your AIESEC exchange: Inspiring, challenging, rewarding



Please describe a typical day on your exchange:​
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 was the most shocking/curious/fun fact you learned on your exchange?
One surprising thing that really touched me was how many the local community appreciated international volunteers.



A lot of the work we did required long-term research for appeals, and it was difficult to see results in the short time that we were there. The lessons were challenging for both the interns and the children, as we had to cater to different learning levels and speeds.



As a result, I did not feel that I contributed to the NGO to any large extent. However everyone at the NGO, particularly the children, were very thankful for even just being there. The children saw us as one of their own, always reaching out to us and teaching us their own culture while we were telling them about ours. Even though they had very little, it was amazing how much they wanted to give back to us.

What did you enjoy most from your exchange? Any words of advice for future exchange participants?
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.

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?