My name is Alana Fullen and I study International Studies and Spanish at Centre. For my internship I had the opportunity to work with Tsikbal, the international education agency that brought me here to Merida! My work is virtual every day so I spend my days creating social media posts for each of the students that are here with me, and I write about their internship experiences that way Tsikbal can share their stories on all of their media platforms including Instagram and their website.
I have also had interviews with each of the students and have had the opportunity to hear about their personal internship experiences and use that to write articles about them for Tsikbal. I have also been able to go visit some of the students at their internship worksites and help Anabel, my supervisor, with collecting photos and videos for their social media.
The most helpful thing I have learned is being able to communicate via WhatsApp with my supervisor in a clear and effective way while also practicing my Spanish. Virtual work is hard to sometimes be productive, so I have also learned how to find the right environment in order to do so while also getting to experience the city of Merida.
One experience I would like to share is when I had the opportunity to visit Maddy Jenkins, one of my classmates here, while she was at her internship. She works at a local garden, and it was so interesting to watch her help make compost and take care of the soil and plants that they had there. She truly cares about the environment and learning about ways to help the world around her and this internship was a perfect fit for her, and it was just amazing getting to hear and watch her enjoy her time there. This experience has also developed who I am as a person.
My internship experience has helped me become a more adaptable person because I had to transition to a new internship towards the beginning of my time here, but it has been an amazing experience, nonetheless.
I highly recommend this opportunity for other students because it is an experience, unlike any other study abroad opportunity that I have had. It is very independent in that you have an internship rather than classes like Centre usually conducts but it was amazing to be able to figure my own way around Merida and truly live my life here for about a month!
One thing I would say to a student coming to Merida for the first time is to truly prepare yourself for what this program is all about. The independence can be overwhelming, but it is definitely worth it.
My favorite part about living in Merida has been the independence and the different food that I have been able to experience. The culture here is incredible and I am so thankful that I have been able to live, not just be a student, here in Merida.