Here's the story of Mohammad Hassan (Traineeship in Slovenia!) in his own words!
"Slovenia, where do I start? There is so much to tell. Seriously! Well lets start from the beginning. The airport. Well I had a good flight I guess, the airline food sucked and I ended up eating at the Turkish airport for 25 euros. I was received well, they were waiting for me at the airport with my name tag and everything. Then straight from the airport we went for coffee and all. Had the ice breaking talks, about Pakistan and Slovenia , politics, economy and all. And ofcourse Thailand too because the Thailand intern was also there. This was probably the most interesting conversation I have ever had in my life, because all of us were just trying to share as much as we can about each other. Then we went to the dorm, they showed me around and my room. The room was good, it had a fabulous view. One thing you should know about Slovenia is that everywhere you look its green, like everywhere, there are trees and grass everywhere and very now and then there is a beautiful little lake or river. There was this one apartment of our friends, her name is Andreja, that was like our head quarters to chill, if anyone wanted to chill you just go there and you would always find people already there. Almost every day started with breakfast and coffee in andreja’s apartment, and that was the best part, everyone lived like a family, over coffee everyone would talk about their day plan and. It was great planning your whole day in the morning, something I wasn’t really used to. The people were great, really great. They were very helpful and very friendly, I lived in their dorms like I have been living there for years. They didn’t even for a second let me feel like I was from somewhere else. Even though they have their own language, but when ever I would be around they would speak in English, even though it was difficult for them at times.
I started work after a week in slovenia. We had Global Village’s in other schools, where all the interns went, cooked food of their country and represented our respective countries, that was also a very interesting experience. The audience would ask all sorts of questions, which would always be fun ti answer. Work was good, well it was easy everyday. Im with the kids, I play with them, eat with them and try to teach them as much English I can on the way. The kids were also pretty good in teaching me Slovenian.
This one day we went to the sea side in Slovenia, and we could see Italy and Croatia from there. It was a very beautiful place, like mind blowing, and luckily for me it was a sunny day. It was a really fun day with all sorts of activities on the beach.
This is a great country with a very rich history. The buildings and monuments were very interesting to look at. They also have a lot of castles and tourist places. Its beautiful everywhere, everywhere you go, the next day you see something ten times better. The party scene is also great as you can imagine, afterall its Europe. Great place to party and have a nice time.
One weekend this girl from the dorm, Speela, took me to her home town to have lunch at their house and see how the families live there. I had a great time, she has a very nice family, especially her mom. They are very nice people, they barbequed chicken separately for me and took care of everything, knowing that I am a muslim.
Sloveina. If you read it carefully enough, you’ll see name encompasses it all. Love. I went to Slovenia and fell in love with that beautiful land. The hills, the lakes, the people and the food. It was all mesmerizing. The school I worked at, with all its beautiful kids, helped me build a clearer and brighter perception to life. The best thing there was that work wasn’t work at all, it was so much fun that it felt like a daily party! I made friends that accepted me with open arms. The new faces, the new places, the new culture was so engulfing that pretty soon I felt I was home. Whether it was sipping European coffe at a roadside cafe or watching the sunset at the lake, I connected with the Slovenian roots; roots that are now deeply engrained in me.
Much of what I have leanrt I can not put in words, the experience has left a mark on my personality, my intelligence, my learning process and much more. All of what I underwent on my whole exoerience has moulded my character and personality in a positive way which I can not put in words.There is so much I have learnt from this experience of an international internship. Not just from the day I landed there, but my learning started from back home, even before leaving. Preparing was a huge task. There was so many questions in mind, so many ‘what if’s’. luckily I had very helpful managers in both my home country and my host country which helped me prepare for my trip. Preparation itself was a whole learning experience. I had to research all I could about Slovenia, and my job description, so I could be well prepared and confident.
One thing I learnt which I am really proud of is doing all my work myself. Back home we know how work is done, availibilty of servants and people to do your work for you. Apart from a little cooking I knew nothing. When I was living in my dorm, learnt how to clean my room and wash the dishes and everything. It was all very confusing and hard work at first, but I got used to it. The hardest thing was the laundry. The machines there are so high-tech with all sorts of options and types of washes. With the help of my friends I did my first laundry batch. The second time I tried it on my own, I ended up having all my cloths multi coulored, so I had to do a lot of shopping. Arranging food was no easy task either, I had lunch and breakfast at my work place, but if we weren’t going out for dinner I had to prepare something for myself, and I had to wash all the dishes afterwards. Even now, once I am home, I try to practice this as much as I can, and it really makes my mother happy.
Teaching English was no easy job, especially to the kindergarten children. Most of them knew only the basic English words, so enhancing their English took a lot of effort. I had to be really patient working with the kids. At home I work around people who are mature and old enough, so I did not have to take much care of my attitude and language. But around these kids, I had to be careful about everything. And it was really fun. Playing with them and eating alongside them. When they would be done with the English lesson, they would try to teach me Slovenian words, which they were really good at and I did learn a lot from them. They would come up to me and expect me to do something really interesting for them, as I was a completely new face for them. Apart from English I tought them a lot about paskiatn and even some urdu. Most of them could write their names in urdu by the time I left. At school I was one of the teachers, so I spent some of my time in the teachers common room for coffee or to just relax. There I had to socialize with the teachers, dealing with grown ups was also not that easy. They had all sorts of questions, which I loved answering. They would also teach me ways to make the children happy and to teach them more effectively and efficiently. With their help, I can teach any kid English.
Traveling to and from work was also quite difficult. Considering that I had never in routine travelled in a bus before. The transport system was great there though. I had synchronized the the transport system on my phone which made things really easy. But still waking up an hour earlier to catch the bus make me quite punctual and an early riser. I did have some mess ups. One time I got on the wrong bus and ended up in some far side of the country. I did panic at first, but luckily the place was beautiful. I took some pictures and found the right bus home.
Honestly I can say that I now know more about my country than I did before going. Firstly I had to do a lot of reaserch about my own country before going. I learnt stuff even before going. Then while I was there people had so many questions. At first I was not prepared, then I looked into them and I found all the information I needed to answer all the queries. And after this experience, I also know all about another country. Slovenia. I know the culture, I know the feeling and experience of living. I know the places to travel and visit. I have learnt all about their people and customs. Telling people there how great my country is actually made me belive too that my country is great. People are very confused about Pakistan especially after all the media attention. And people would be really shocked to hear that we live normal lives here too. All this process of representing my country helped me to love my country even more then I did previously.
Apart from all that, I have felt myself mature. Not just me, a lot of people have noticed this in me. The experience of living independenly. Managing and controlling your assets, especiallt your finance. Doing all your work yourself. The problems one faces while living abroad, and getting through them, really leaves a mark in your personality. The friendships and love you go through which leave a mark on your heart and soul. The things you learn from your friends and surroundings help you grow and mature.
One thing that draws the huge line between an international internship and a domestic one is not the work, but the environment you work in. working in a new environment with new people has a lot to learn in itself. Nothing can compare to that learning and developing experience. The things you pick up from your surroundings, the new things you learn and most, most importantly the new people you meet and the new friendships you experience. This experience has changed a lot in my life, especially the way I think. The experience of going abroad and working leaves a heavy mark on ones life, and my experience is one I will never forget in my life as I know how much it has helped me develop and learn.
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