Study Abroad

“What are your plans after you graduate?” This is thedreaded question most seniors in college are asked repeatedly, by family,friends and sometimes even complete strangers. For me, I didn’t have a nice,neat and succinct answer.

The thought of traveling overseas had always been enticing,but I knew I didn’t just want to take the typical backpacking trip throughEurope. It was important to me to have an opportunity that would allow me tocontinue expanding my professional experience in the communications field, inaddition to gaining a global business perspective. I also wanted the ability toimmerse myself in a new culture, not just be a tourist.

Visiting Africa had long been an interest of mine, althoughone I kept to myself. The details of where, when and in what capacity werestill unclear to me. After doing some general internet research, I came acrossan internship program called Home - VACorps in Cape Town, South Africa. The program had all ofthe aspects I was looking for and even helped arrange housing, weeklyactivities among other interns and general assistance if needed. Afterdiscussing with the program staff what type of work I was interested in and thelogistics of my arrival, my internship with a small PR agency was confirmed.Then I was off to South Africa.

Jumping in head first

Taking the leap to move to a city almost 9,000 miles awaywas completely terrifying, intimidating, yet exhilarating. To date it is thebest decision I have ever made for myself, both personally and professionally.People say you will learn so much about yourself living and working abroad, andit’s true. Each Day in Cape Town I was tested. From having to figure out wheresimple things like the grocery store and laundromat were located, to taking thetrain to and from work. Also a more complex issue was having communicationbarriers because someone couldn’t understand my accent or vice versa.

Public Relations Internship

One of my main responsibilities during my public relations internship was to create, plan and implement a social media campaign for one of our clients. I learned howimportant vital planning and staying organized are to the success of any project. In addition, I was responsible for researching which members of themedia to contact on behalf of our clients. Acquiring these hands-on workexperiences allowed me to develop transferable skills, which include managingclient and media relationships, as well as being able to seamlessly transitionbetween working on accounts in two different industries and in a culture that’sdifferent from mine.

Regardless of the task, my internship increased myself-confidence in my skills and knowledge. This experience reaffirmed workingin the public relations field is the right career path for me, whether it is inthe U.S., South Africa or anywhere else. I proved to myself I can be throwninto any situation and thrive.

When I reflect on my internship in Cape Town, I was a partof some pretty incredible moments – from attending the announcement of the city being named World Design Capital 2014, listening to live music during a concertsponsored by one of our clients or watching the children’s eyes light up after opening their gifts at another client’s Christmas party. My co-workers not onlywere teachers in the office, they were also my personal Cape Town tour guides. They constantly educated me about the city’s complex history, delicious foodand numerous languages. Without them I would not have felt so connected to aplace so far from home.

Advice

Having professional international experience will always be advantageous. As a current job seeker myself, my internship is a great conversation starter. It is usually the first topic a hiring manager brings up during an interview. Listing my PR internship in Cape Town on my resume is not only eye-catching, but it makes a bold statement regarding my willingness tochallenge myself. It also says that I value cultural awareness, particularly in the workplace. With business becoming increasingly global, an understanding ofothers’ customs is essential.

My bungee jumping adventure the third week is quite symbolicof my entire time in South Africa. I was completely and utterly petrified. Isecond guessed myself a lot in the beginning, but once I took the plunge, I wasso thankful I pushed myself out of my comfort zone. With that, I will pass onthis piece of advice I received when first contemplating working abroad: GO! Youwill never regret exposing yourself to a world undiscovered, meeting peoplefrom all walks of life and learning more than a thing or two along the way.

As St. Augustine said, “The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.”

Jennifer Quayle has a Bachelor of Arts in Written Communications with a minor in Graphic Design