Remote Internship in South Africa with VACorps

I did a remote internship with a human rights organization based in Cape Town and had an amazing experience. I did not necessarily think that my internship would be based out of Cape Town, or South Africa for that matter. However, I have always been interested in learning more about the social, cultural, and political aspects of the African Continent. What better way to broaden my horizons than choosing to intern with a human rights group in South Africa? Although at times it was hard (i.e. time difference) to communicate with staff/volunteers in Africa Unite, it got much easier as I progressed through my internship. You really can effectively work with people that are dispersed throughout the world. I liked that I was able to take on many challenging projects during the day, knowing that I could relax in the evening hanging with friends/family in the community in which I grew up. I do hope to actually travel to South Africa in the future, it would be nice to actually get to shake the hands of the people I was fortunate to work with. There were two major things that I took away from my experience. First, time management is key. I have for the most part been able to get tasks done, but this internship further taught me to hone in on those skills. Second, the ability to communicate is paramount. I initially had a hard time understanding those that I worked with. However, I pushed myself and did not hesitate to ask people to restate what they said if it was necessary. My favorite project was organizing a webinar, asking experts and human rights organizations based out of Mozambique to talk about the current crisis the country is experiencing. I would like to thank VACorps for coordinating with my internship site to give me such an fantastic experience!

I chose this internship because I was excited at the prospect of engaging with a human rights program in South Africa. I wanted to learn more about South African culture, as well as develop the skills necessary to succeed working with an organization in another country. From this experience, I learned a lot not only from my check-ins with my internship supervisor but also from my country hosts. Their flexibility and understanding helped me to still learn and engage with the culture, even though my work schedule interfered with the biweekly cultural series meetings. I am very thankful for all of those who provided me with support through this program so I could gain the most from this opportunity.

I chose to do a placement in South Africa (virtually) because I love scriptwriting and was keen to learn more about that area of work, as I wish to pursue it as a career. I really loved the weekly cultural meetings that were hosted by the loveliest ladies ever. I made new friends in South Africa and learned so much about the cultures, lifestyles, traditions, and food! I also made a new friend, another intern who was doing the placement with me. I will miss the meetings every week and learning more about the country and seeing my new friends every day.

I chose to do a placement in South Africa (virtually) because I love scriptwriting and was keen to learn more about that area of work, as I wish to pursue it as a career. I really loved the weekly cultural meetings that were hosted by the loveliest ladies ever. I made new friends in South Africa and learned so much about the cultures, lifestyles, traditions, and food! I also made a new friend, another intern who was doing the placement with me. I will miss the meetings every week and learning more about the country and seeing my new friends every day.

Due to the pandemic, I returned to my hometown Hong Kong, and I started to look at remote internship opportunities online. That’s when I received the college’s email about VACorps’ Remote internship abroad in South Africa, and I thought it would be a valuable opportunity to get experience working with a company and understand more about South Africa’s culture and business environment. The experience turned out to be beyond expectation. I much enjoyed my internship, as the team has a vibrant and supportive ambiance, and it made me feel that my opinions are valued. Furthermore, my supervisor, who was also the company’s CEO, had also been approachable and frequently communicated with me to ask about my progress and answer any questions. She provided various working opportunities to me beyond accounting works, which helped me to reconfirm my interests in business analytics. During the three months, I got to step out of my comfort zone by presenting my analytical findings through weekly meetings. This experience enabled me to polish my presentation skill that was once one of my weaknesses. Overall, I improved professionally and personally through this internship opportunity, and I will miss the wonderful team at my internship site, and the supportive VACorps staff.

I chose this internship experience because I wanted to gain an appreciation for another culture while also learning how to better my writing and research skills. South Africa has always been a top location of mine to visit and although I couldn't be there physically, the VACorps online cultural workshops helped me gain a great understanding of the country from the comfort of my home. I think the best part about interning with my host company was getting to work with Patricia, my supervisor. She exudes genuine warmth and friendliness, and was relaxed about meetings and completing tasks so as not to put too much pressure on me due to work and other responsibilities I had during the internship. My favorite part of the internship was reading and deconstructing her book, 'Skyline', as I felt a real connection with the story and the characters and how to relates to the world today. It made me want to travel, meet people and find stories like those in the book, and be a more compassionate person. Honestly, what I will miss most about the experience is talking to my supervisor - hearing her insight and her research into crafting and creating these incredibly complex characters, and the emotional stories they tell. I have been given a new appreciation for work in the writing world and now understand that it's not all glamour, but the hard work can be just as fun.

After the COVID-19 hit the globe, I was worried I would not be able to have an experience out of the United States. I loved the community of people that I met through both VACorps and my internship site. I loved learning about South African culture from Buddy Chats with Kuselwa and Kholi.

I hope to keep in contact with both VACorps and my internship site, as I hope to visit South Africa one day in the future. I really enjoyed the projects I was given because they afforded me the opportunity to learn and develop a new skill. I never had to create an informational brochure or a workbook before, but I am glad I got the opportunity to do so.

I chose a remote internship in South Africa because of the projects offered by the program-- it matched with what I want to do professionally in the future. What I loved the most about my remote internship was the people I worked with; communicating with my colleagues was fun and easy. What I learned about myself is that I do well when working with others and can take constructive criticism and create something everyone can agree on. What I will miss the most is creating and planning projects with my team.

Prior to the start of my remote internship experience, I wanted to become more comfortable and practice creating social media posts and I was able to accomplish this goal! I also enjoyed editing a project proposal for funding because I was able to put my excel skills to use!