I went to India to do an internship in Journalism. It was, of course, an amazing experience, specially because this programme is in Trivandrum, which is not a very touristic city. So, adding that to the fact that I also went during the low season, I definitely felt super immersed in the culture. It was incredible to get the chance to have such a daily indian routine and to be able to meet incredible people.
I've chosen to stay with a family and I was welcomed like I was one of them. Throughout my staying I was treated with nothing but kindness, although I feel I could have done a lot more if I would have stayed in an apartment as they were extremely protective. So, traveling and doing stuff alone was out of question.
Regarding the work, I was a bit disappointed, because I thought I would be traveling a lot more (only happened once) and also that I would be able to write my own pieces (I was mostly given editing tasks).
Overall, it was, as said before, an amazing experience that left me with a huge desire to go back to India and explore the whole country - which I hope it will happen in the future.
What would you improve about this program?
For those who are staying in a house, it should improve a lot in the sense of including some plans for our free time. The family I stayed with was really nice, so I think it is a good choice, but only if there would be some kind of flexibility for us or programmes (my family worked quite a lot so they wouldn't exactly take me anywhere). I was lucky to have been presented to these really nice guys who would do stuff with me, but if I hadn't, my experience would have been a disaster, honestly.
Also, the work part was not exactly what I expected. I was told I would be traveling and, as I said, it only happened once and I was too confined to the editing (when I thought, according to the descriptions, that I would be able to try other areas of journalism). So it should be a lot more organized, specially considering the price of the programme (one expects to gain valuable experience).
