I completed my first week at my internship and it is everything I hoped for and more. It is an American company that has offices in both Boston, MA and Shanghai, China. It is allowing me to slowly understand what it may be like to one-day work in a company every day from 9 to 5. I look forward to this because I cannot wait to have structured days where I can come home at night and cook a nice meal. This could partly be because I am currently missing home cooked American meals.
We have next week off due to the national Chinese holiday. We would usually go back to class on Thursday and Friday. Instead we are taking these classes the preceding Saturday and Sunday. Which will give us seven consecutive days off. During this period, I plan to do a few day trips and more sight-seeing. I hope this blog will in some way inspire you to come to China. That way you can experience for yourself what I have been living for the last month.
It is strange to think that there is only a little over two months left of this awesome experience. I plan to come back to this amazing country and explore more of what it has to offer. Part of my career goal is to become an international actuary. I would be able to travel the world while doing the thing I love…math.
The internship I have been placed into is confirming my desire of what I want to do for the rest of my life. It is eye opening to see how the company has to operate in order to get their message to both the westerners and the local Chinese. Whether that be through making their website and weekly articles in multiple languages or by having a diverse team that is able to speak many languages. There are many different ways of conducting business effectively.
When I go back to the states I look forward to applying my new work experience in my next job. I do believe that if you want something bad enough that you can always find a way to get it. At my college I am not the number one student in my class. This is okay because it makes me work harder for what I want out of life. The rewards I earn from working hard make it that much more gratifying. This internship reminds me to keep my eyes on my goals and to keep moving forward and to not look back.
Grit. This is the word that I hold dear to my heart. It can say a lot about a person, especially in relation to your drive in life. I plan to get a tattoo when I return to the states of the Chinese character for the word grit. The past few weeks the word keeps popping up, call me crazy, but I believe it is a sign that I am on the right path.
