Émilie, International Development and Globalization,
Forum of Federations,
Myanmar and Nepal,
Project Support
This experience has been as enriching for me as a full university semester and will be extremely relevant as a young professional. The internship provides an opportunity to see dynamics and concepts taught over the past years applied in real-life contexts! Whether it’s understanding gender relations in conflict situations, human rights, transitional justice, or international relations, all these areas of knowledge have proven to be incredibly useful. The University of Ottawa’s internship opportunity is, in my opinion, a great complement to my academic learning.
As the internship comes to an end, I reflect on the past weeks and realize that none of them have been easy. I worked hard and put a lot of energy into every assigned task. At times, I doubted the relevance of my work within the organization. My colleagues’ actions and achievements take place 11,000 km away from me, making it difficult at times to fully grasp what we are doing and see the bigger picture. Despite these small bumps along the way, my experience as a young intern has been incredibly rewarding. The working conditions exceeded my expectations. The schedule was highly flexible, the workload was reasonable, and I felt supported and understood. My team was very understanding and extremely patient, taking the time to answer all my questions. Every Monday morning, we had weekly meetings where I took the opportunity to discuss the situation in their countries and the different realities between Asia and Canada. We had incredibly enriching and engaging discussions.
My only regret is not having had the opportunity to learn more about Myanmar’s culture. My colleagues suggested movies and readings, and I even found a traditional Myanmar restaurant near my home, but I still feel that the experience is never as authentic as visiting in person. Nevertheless, I highly recommend this internship to anyone looking for work experience but not enrolled in a CO-OP program. As for me, I will cherish this experience for a very long time.