Hi, my name is Elaine Zhang, I am from Ottawa, Canada, and I have just started my second (and last!) month of internship here in Shenzhen. I am writing my blog a month later than planned because originally, I did not think my experience was worth sharing. This is because my experience in Shenzhen is a little different from most other interns. Although I live in Canada and now study in the US, the majority of my family and relatives remain in Shenzhen and other places in Guangdong, so this is not my first time in China. In fact, I have been coming back to Shenzhen every summer for the last 12 years, no exception. I am not like the other interns that
are exploring China, Chinese food, and Chinese language and culture for the first time.
Despite this, I have recently realized that there are many things I can share about my experiences this summer. This is the first summer that I have been living on my own in Shenzhen, independent from my family. I had never once taken the metro here, and now I rely on it to bring me everywhere- to work, out to dinner, exploring different parts of Shenzhen- I love it. It is the first time I have REALLY explored Shenzhen as a tourist, with people my own age from all around the world.
This, to me, is what makes CRCC worth it. It is not like summer camps I have been to in the past where the Americans stick together, the Italians stick together, the Chinese stick together, etc. We are all interspersed here. It has been an enriching opportunity to get to know individuals from so many diverse backgrounds (Italy, Australia, the UK, South Korea, the US, and more), and to see how we can relate and how we differ. The best part is that we can all connect through a love of exploration and trying new things, since this is what brought most of us to China in the first place. With other interns in the last month, I have explored every part of the city that is said to be worth seeing. I went hiking, planned a weekend trip to Guilin and Yangshuo (gorgeous places), and did KTV at 2AM. There are still many things I want to do, which makes me sad to think how little time is left.
Work-wise, I feel very fortunate. I am interning for a rather large e-commerce company named ePro, but I am working for one of their smaller branches called MadeInChina.com. I feel fortunate to be working for this smaller branch of this company- I feel that I can contribute more here than I may in a larger branch. I have actually grown very attached to the brand and am eager for its success. After only two weeks at the company, I learned a lot about myself as a worker and what I value in a permanent workplace in the future. There are weeks that I have felt more motivated than others, and this has been a great learning experience for me in determining what I need to do my best. In addition, there are some colleagues that have been so welcoming, lively, kind and funny that I cannot imagine my summer being complete without having met them.
All in all, I do not normally like to generalize an entire summer, but this one really has been a great one.
The post Reflecting on Shenzhen appeared first on CRCC Asia.
No comments:
Post a Comment