Editor’s Note: Han Lu is a graduate of Class 2018 majoring in industrial design at the School of Mechanical Engineering.
For the past two years, she has experienced an extraordinary life as an intern at many international organizations, such as the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization Regional Centre for Higher Education and Development (SEAMEO RIHED) and United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). Today, we follow her steps and learn about her wonderful stories.
Dream Lies Afar, Life Follows There
Born to be a timid girl, I am afraid of height, darkness, and in particular weightlessness. But in the eyes of my friends, I like climbing mountain, hiking and travelling alone to strange cities. Every time I go on an excursion, I would come to a halt halfway because of my fear of height, feeling dizzy, exhausted and shivering with cold sweat. At such times, a question I have asked myself numerous times will come to my mind: Can I go further?
Most of the times I would persuade myself that “Now I’m here”. And then I would adjust my breath and soldier on.
Arriving at the peak which daunted me at the first glance, I was awarded the gorgeous view of sunrise, snow or the paradise in my mind.
Obsessed with the possibilities and challenges in distance, I signed up for the internship program at(SEAMEO RIHED) in Bangkok in 2019.
Bangkok is home to diverse cultures, young and old, where you can not only feel the hospitality of the local people, but experience its subtropical monsoon climate. Here I was very lucky to be a member of SEAMEO RIHED and worked as an intern in multi-media design.
Han Lu (the 6thperson from the left) at the SEA-HiEd Week evening banquet (photo provided by Han Lu)
My duty at SEAMEO RIHED was to generate daily media materials, arrange various meetings, prepare for the meeting of South East Asia Higher Education Week held in Bangkok in 2019 and undertake visual and image design work. During the process of contacting Chinese representatives and collecting academic papers, I had access to dissertations on education and culture written by specialists and professors in south-east Asia and around the world.
At SEA-HiEd Week meeting hall (photo provided by Han Lu)
Most importantly, I learned from my partners the skills about event planning, conference arrangement, cross-cultural communication and teamwork. It was their care and help as well as the vitality of Bangkok that made the autumn in Bangkok the warmest one for me.
At United Nations Industrial Development Organization, Vienna (photo provided by Han Lu)
At the beginning of 2020, my internship atUNIDO began, and I worked in the department responsible for media relationship and support. My work mainly covered meeting arrangement, production of content on social media and print media, Chinese-English translation and some administration tasks.
The conference room of Vienna International Center (photo provided by Han Lu)
Working conditions in Vienna International Center (VIC) are more international, as you are more likely to see dignitaries, diplomats and business elites in flesh there. Colleagues are very competent with exceptional professional skills and multi-lingual abilities.
The International Mother Language Day activity at VIC (photo provided by Han Lu)
In March, 2020, the new epidemic center turned to Europe, and Vienna, an international city with 2 million residents, was forced to impose lockdown unsurprisingly. In view of that, VIC emergency group immediately formulated the strategy of work from home, leaving only 3% staff out of 5000 to work on site.
The role media department played an even bigger role against the gloomy background, as media materials such as news and research reports can inform more people staying at home of the international situations and help them make accurate judgement accordingly. Therefore, our workloads grew heavier. During the pandemic, I also participated in the translation of English reports, the graphic design of postal websites and Sinicization of videos. Although I felt at sea initially, I gradually adapted to the remote working style.
The biggest challenge during the internship was that I had to deal with my dissertation while working, which meant that I needed to squeeze 5 hours to learn after 8-hour-long work every day. No doubt, I always felt the time was against me. Getting through the difficult times, I seem to make light of all the hardships.
The view near my residence in Vienna (photo provided by Han Lu)
Working from home spared much time on commuting, and going out was prohibited during pandemic lockdown even on weekends, so I invested my spare time into voluntary programs about promoting sustainable urbanization and employment.
After the outbreak of pandemic, I encountered some people skeptical about China’s efforts on disease control, and as a public intern, I was educated to defend my country’s interests with facts and truth so that they could have a keener insight into this global pandemic without bias.
Tips on internship application:
Opportunities: Due to the pandemic, there are fewer post available for international internship, but chances for online internship and voluntary service will boom. Latest information can be checked on relevant websites and WeChat official accounts.
Skills: Good command of spoken English and writing is necessary, and expertise in administration management, office software and data statistics can make you stand out.
Ending: An open and inclusive mind will be more precious in this secluding world.
Source: Han Lu
Translated by Cheng Sheng
Editor: Eva Yin
