Name: Janet Mao

Exchange location: Mexico City, MEXICO

Program Name: Sharing Languages

Internship duration: 6 weeks

In three words, summarise your AIESEC internship: Culture, friendship, discovery

A typical day on your internship:
It’s 2pm and we’re ravenous, and we immediately head for our favourite taco stand near the campus, joined by some of our students and some local AIESECers. Someone suggests an interesting market where we can find cool handmade souvenirs, so we traverse there as a group using the subway, the locals leading the way. The streets are vibrant with shops and stalls and we enjoy the sights and sounds while our local friends explain things to us. We bargain for a few pieces before we’re hungry again. We fill our stomachs at a cheap local eatery with home-style meals and decide it’s time to go home. Another long commute later, we drag ourselves to our beds and finish preparing for the next day’s lessons before drifting off to sleep.

What was the most shocking/curious/fun fact you learned on your exchange?
- Burritos are not that Mexican, as they’re actually a fusion of Northern Mexican cuisine and Texan cuisine.
- Mexico City was built on a lake so it is sinking. Many old buildings are crooked or cracking.
- Mexican people have two last names, and many of them have a middle name too, so having 4 names is very common.
- Family is very important in Mexican culture so many young people live with their parents until after they graduate or even later.
- The fact that I could relate to and make friends with people all the way on the other side of the world.
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What did you enjoy most from your exchange? Any words of advice for future exchange participants?
The thing I enjoyed most was meeting all of the wonderful people on my journey. Not only did I become friends with the local AIESECers that received us, I also became friends with our students, many of which were around my age. Mexican people are so friendly and warm that even with cultural differences I became acquainted with them very quickly. It was wonderful to not only be able to help them improve their language skills as a teacher but also to have fun with them, share my own cultures, and have them show us their country the way only a local can. In fact, many of our students improved their English skills even more just by hanging out with us outside of class.

Besides that I also met many other interns in different programs from other parts of the world such as Brazil, Russia and Costa Rica. We all had such different backgrounds but we were united by a love of cultural diversity and the energy of young people.

My advice to future exchange participants is to let down your guard, be positive and be proactive. There will be times when there’re problems but everyone, including the local AIESECers, are student volunteers, so you must take up the initiative to keep going. At the same time, remember to be open and have fun to make the most of your experience in a limited time, and you’ll be guaranteed the journey of a lifetime.









Name: Martin Cheung


Exchange location: Kampala, UGANDA

Program Name: Teens Uganda

Internship duration: 9 weeks

A typical day on your internship:
I worked for a small, local NGO called Teens Uganda, an organisation that deals with the local teenagers in the poor suburb of Kawaala. My role was to organise fun, educational and motivational activities for the youth. For example, I had a large part in organising a Sports and HIV Day, with very limited resources and funding. In
addition, I also taught in the holiday program, which aimed to develop the teenagers’ leadership skills and life planning skills, and also provide an opportunity for goal setting and confidence boosting. Besides this role, I was also given the opportunity to assist in the operations at the nearby Kawaala Health Centre, which was a partner to Teens Uganda. Here, I assisted in testing, counseling and educating patients for HIV/AIDS.

What did you enjoy most about your internship?
There were too many things in my internship that I enjoyed, but perhaps the best part was the positivity from the youths at Teens Uganda. They were so appreciative of every little bit of help and advice that I gave them. Every day, the kids would be friendly and cheerful; never would I notice any pessimism, despite of their underprivileged circumstances.

Other than that I enjoyed being able to thoroughly experience local African life. From the first day, I integrated in the local life and the other interns taught me how to use the ‘taxis’ (minivan transport) to travel to work. From the moment I arrived I was eating local Ugandan food and street food. I also participated actively in the life at Teens Uganda. Every day, after the holiday program, the kids would practise dancing and I would enthusiastically join in. The highlight of my Teens Uganda dancing career was definitely when I performed a salsa routine at their New Years Celebration!

Finally, I enjoyed the portion of African life that occurred at night, namely, parties at the intern house and going out to the bars and clubs in the city, with the international interns and local Ugandans. A most memorable event was hitching a ride home on the back of a truck at 2am in the
morning!

How do you feel after finishing your internship?
I feel that must return to Uganda in the future and reunite all the friends I have made. And the kids that I worked with – I’d love to see how they are going in a few years’ time.

Any words of advice for future exchange participants?
Make sure you find out as much as you can about your internship and its location before you confirm. Ensure that your role is exactly what you want, so that you are not disappointed when you arrive.
While you are undertaking the internship, take the initiative. Do not wait for someone to give you work to do, as this may not always happen. A lot of the time, you may have to ask for more work or to offer your services, if you want to get the most out of your internship.







Name: Thet Mon Soe



Exchange location: Mexico City, MEXICO



Program Name: Sharing Languages



Internship duration: 6 weeks



In three words, summarise your AIESEC internship: Eye-Opening, Challenging, Rewarding



Please describe a typical day on your internship:
My internship was at National Polytechnic Institute, Mexico City.  I was teaching three different levels of English there. A typical teaching day started around 6:30 am when I need to wake up since the accommodation is about 45 mins away from the university. Taking trains every morning at peak hours was an unforgettable adventure too. I had classes the whole day from 8 am to 2 pm with all different keen students! I was more scared than excited because I thought I did not prepare enough for it and also because I had two professors from the university in my class, but the students were the best part of everyday. It was great hanging out with students after classes and them taking all the interns around the city. Sometimes, students paid for my lunch and I couldn’t say NO. I thought that was cute. After going around the city from all the tourist places to the local places, and after filling our stomachs with different tacos and food, we all went back home, got ready for the next day and went straight to bed.



What was the most shocking/curious/fun fact you learned on your exchange?

Mexico is not dangerous.
Mexico City looks exactly like Burma.
Mexicans make out everywhere.
Nachos are not authentic Mexican food.



What did you enjoy most from your exchange? Any words of advice for future exchange participants?
During those 6 weeks, I was thinking about the things I did and the amount of impact I made but it all seemed fluffy. Thinking back on the first few days in Mexico, I almost stopped believing in it thinking I couldn’t see any result. No one knew better than myself how much I wanted to go home. Now I realised its not the major thing that you have changed or that change you. It is the little things that matter. We sacrificed our Time, Money, Hope and Dream to be here in Mexico but all I could think of right now is the people I met and the friendship formed. I have met a lot of people and made life long friendships. I feel touched by everyone being so nice and to see what real Mexicans are like. These 6 weeks have changed the way I see things and people. I learnt a lot and it has changed me in many ways.

I dared to explore a world that is bigger than I know. There had been a lot of reasons to not do something or not feel something. Those boundaries and walls are put up by ourselves. Once we are able to step outside of them, we can truly realize the endless possibilities the world has to offer. I assure you this is the start of an experience of a lifetime and one which you will definitely not regret. It was the best experience.









Name: Rachel Fong


Exchange location: UGANDA

Program Name: Mengo Youth Development Link (MYDEL)

Internship duration: 6 weeks

In three words, summarise your AIESEC internship: Shocking. Marvelling. Realization.

A typical day on your internship:
Rising early at about 8.30am to get ready and have breakfast with a couple of other interns in the house, we’re out of the house by 9.30am where I would walk past the slums near where I live to take a “matatu” (taxi) to Downtown, Kampala which is the heart of the city, which take about 30minutes, which should really be a 10 minute journey – traffic. From there, I’ll walk about 20minutes up hill to work, crossing the busiest place in Uganda, all traffic and people walking about. Once at work, I’ll be assigned a task for the day, most of which would be writing proposals to gain funding or visiting homes in the neighbouring slums. In the last few days, I have been writing the whole year’s worth of action plans that is to be carried out. I have also presented some of the proposals to respective city councils to gain their support and approval. I would then go back whenever the work is done, which is usually around 2pm, the same way we came. We’ll then have a late lunch around the slums near home and the night is continued with some work or mingling around with others.

What was the most shocking/curious/fun fact you learned on your exchange?
Many of the Ugandans I have met only drink water when they’re thirsty! It’s shocking to me because I am one to always be hydrated, plus I am a health freak. It’s fact that if your body is feeling thirsty, you’re already dehydrated, one should never feel thirsty! Also, AFRICAN TIME! Where by, when someone tells you something is to be done/will happen in 30 minutes, it’s usually an hour or two.
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What did you enjoy most from your exchange? Any words of advice for future exchange participants?
The people I have met during my entire stay, they made it all the better. Not to mention the travelling every weekend to different parts of Uganda. Advice that I would give to future EPs are that, you are going to have really boring, down and stressful days, or some of the people you meet may not be appealing to you, but it’s up to you to make the most out of everything, even work as work is not all productive all the time.