"I discovered how strong I really was and how adventurous I could be"
Jasmine, 3rd year. Honours Bachelors in Social Sciences in International Studies and Modern Languages
Host country: Nepal
Canadian NGO: Alternatives Canada
Local NGO: NGO Federation of Nepal
It all started last September, when I got an email from the Faculty of Social Sciences informing me of the opportunity to go abroad as part of an international internship. Slowly, I started to look into the possibility of spending an entire semester in a different country. Having never lived outside my parent’s house, I was excited at the idea of having so much autonomy. I knew this opportunity would be a great life experience as well as good work experience. I had travelled on my own before, but never for this long. In January, after a long process and multiple training sessions, I left for Kathmandu, Nepal. Having had such thorough preparation, I felt ready for anything. My experience had a rocky start, but has been positive overall. This has been an amazing opportunity for self-growth. This entire experience has taught me to take everything one day at a time and to be flexible. Here, there are a lot of things that are different from Canada: the lack of heating, the food, the smog, the friendliness of the locals (yes, more friendly than Canadians, especially towards foreigners), the driving habits…. At the beginning, I suffered from culture shock - everything was different! But slowly, I started to appreciate all the new things with which I was coming in contact. I discovered new foods, like momos, and a different way of life. I got to ride on a motorcycle daily to get to work. I discovered how strong I really was and how adventurous I could be. Overall, I discovered quite a few things about myself and gained new skills, such as flexibility, adaptability, cultural awareness, and problem solving