I recently spoke with Brandon, a 2021 IEDP graduate who is now working full-time at UNESCO Bangkok, where he completed a remote internship during spring semester 2021. Brandon was raised in Tennessee, and — prior to IEDP — worked in Bangkok as an English teacher. Brandon has shared his experiences on the blog before — You can read more about his decision to apply to … Continue reading Spotlight On…Brandon’s Internship & Job with UNESCO!
My previous blogs for September and October, which detailed my arrival in Paris and my trainee-ship at UNESCO, were quite verbose. I have, therefore, decided for this third post to be a picture blog in chronological order. Side note: while we were still studying at Penn in Philadelphia, we would try and come up with instagram and twitter hashtags for IEDP (International Educational Development Program), … Continue reading November Blessings
As I was preparing to write this final post about my fall internship with UNICEF Bolivia, I looked back on some of my peers’ final blog entries, to gain some inspiration for what parting words of wisdom I should share here. Reading only a handful of posts was enough to remind me that the ending to my internship experience was not like many of my … Continue reading Wrapping up internship, part 2: Learning & gratitude
My internship experience in Roatán was a rollercoaster ride zooming in slow motion. I definitely embraced its celebratory peaks, and screamed at its falls. But overall, I am happy with the experience, as I can confidently say it was a major learning experience for me. I have been going through a chronic medical issue for months now, and it was uncertain that I could actually … Continue reading Hasta Luego Roatán
Pre-Roatán The first two weeks of my internship were in Washington D.C, where an IEDP cohort-mate and I were introduced to the English program we were going to be working with and prepared for the field work. I not only learned more about Interactive Audio Instruction (IAI), but also observed how this specific nonprofit organization functions. I was able to sit in on other meetings … Continue reading Roatán Adventures
“Attendants please prepare for landing.” I slowly turned my head to the right to see the sun glisten the ocean through the plexiglass – blinding me. We were hovering the immense body of water, and still I didn’t see the landing strip. I had to trust the plane wasn’t going to be gulped by the water but instead touch land with it’s — THUD. Welcome … Continue reading Roatán Reflections
There is only one month left before my internship ends but it feels like I just started – time flies when you enjoy what you are doing! Time also flies when you are super busy and Paris in the fall is a very busy city. August was bliss, streets were empty and it was easy to find a table in a restaurant. With the start … Continue reading Happy (late) World Teachers’ Day!
Time flies fast! I am in the last week of my internship now – I have spent 8 weeks in Uganda and 2 weeks in Ethiopia, and I officially don’t know where the time went. It’s been a great 10 weeks – since my last update, I got to see the source of the Nile, attended the BEST music festival of all time (Nyege Nyege), … Continue reading An ode to data – Part 2
Someone currently living in a serene island of Koh Rong Samloem in Cambodia told me that when he left his native country, never to go back, and decided to settle in a place very different than the one he came from, learning a new language and relearning new ways to live was like being a newborn again – everything is exciting but you are also quite vulnerable. My move to Cambodia for this internship was not as drastic of a change as his, but I could definitely relate to being wide-eyed excited about learning new things every day and at times feeling completely out of place. Continue reading Learning, leaving and looking back
A three-month internship is a rather peculiar affair. It is short enough to ensure that you do not end up with anything concrete. And, just long enough to make you feel that you should have come away with something more solid. Continue reading He came, he saw…
The International Educational Development Program 