Truly one-of-a-kind program!

I would never have been able to have such a professional internship experience in China without the help of Norcap. The whole process of finding safe yet inexpensive housing in a central location, and getting in touch with an appropriate company for an internship in a city I had not spent much time in seemed overwhelming--Norcap removed all of my worries and made my ideal summer come true! This "package" including: internship and housing placement, airport pick-up and drop-off, cell phone, in addition to cultural activities, networking opportunities, and get-togethers by Norcap made the whole experience very easy, fun, and productive for my future goals, Mandarin skills, and just for meeting new people! I had participated in other kinds of "study abroad" programs before, and this was very different--I was able to be so much more independent, attending the Norcap get-togethers if I felt like it; most other study abroad programs have mandatory events and outings, and as a result, giant groups of touristy Americans end up wandering around a city together and don't end up making local experiences. This was far different! I was able to be independent and go about my own day-to-day routine between my amazing Chinese host family and my office where I mostly spoke Chinese, but had the comfort of knowing that I had the Norcap support system just around the corner if I needed. The Norcap events were also very local and not so "touristy," as the program is led by Beijing residents who have spent lots of time there. There was a good mix of cultural events from shows, restaurants, karaoke, the art district and various museums, historic sites, etc.

My only day-to-day difficulty was getting to and from work. The distance between my office and my host family's apartment was not far at all, but unfortunately required a short bus ride to get to the subway station, and then just a couple stops on the subway. Beijing morning rush hour traffic made it so that it was quicker to walk (45 minutes or so) than to take the bus to the subway stop. As a result, I chose to walk through the pollution for about an hour and a half each day, but this is just the inevitable Beijing traffic situation unfortunately; I would have bought a bike if I had more time in Beijing! Norcap is not to blame for this but just a warning to get a bike or find easier and quicker ways to get around to beat the rush hour traffic! I think this was my only real 'difficulty' I faced in Beijing. Otherwise, my host family was very sweet and made me feel so at home; they always invited me to eat with them for every meal even though I was only paying for breakfast. I interned at a small digital media agency which had just about 10 people working at one long table--a very fun atmosphere! They were all 21-27 years old so I made a lot of friends and my Mandarin improved a lot by speaking with them. I wish I could have been given a bit more substantial work (I did a lot of website content uploading and regular busywork any intern would do), but I still feel that my time with them was worthwhile and that it will help me out with the art/advertising/media path that I would love to pursue post-graduation.

Thank you Norcap for an unforgettable experience!