Why This Internship Has Disrupted My Life
I wasn’t quite sure of my job description. All I knew was that I would be working for an NGO that provided hands-on science experiments for children from villages in most of Southern India. I liked the idea. I am passionate about education especially rural development via education so I agreed to this without thinking twice. Little did I know that this would be such a life changing, mind-altering experience. I love my job and I don’t think there will ever be a place like this.
The trees welcome me with perfect swaying motions, as if to invite me to their secret dance then the butterflies come out of nowhere to greet me as I walk to work. My working environment has made me a bubble of happiness and energy. From the liberty to walk barefoot to changing work environments whenever I feel like it, this place couldn’t have been more ideal. My favorite part of work is being disturbed by a group of about 20 children at my desk, asking me all sorts of questions about my life. The most interesting one I have gotten is, “Madam, are you married?” To which I giggled and shook my head simultaneously. I work with the sort of people who have intellectual discussions over meals, those who go star gazing or snake spotting in the evening. Although I am the only non-engineer and one of very few people who are afraid of snakes, I have found peace in this queer place I call work.
Before it looks like I just go star gazing and snake spotting, I actually have a job description now. I go to the night schools organized by the NGO and document the children’s experiences. It is almost mind-blowing to see excited village children going to school in the evenings just to get ahead in their studies or seeing children who have dropped out of school being helped to go back to school. I also work on some projects that are so innovative, I can’t wrap my head around them. My boss gave me a lot of responsibilities at the beginning of my internship. I looked at him and said, “I can’t really do some of the things you require.” He said, “all you need is a BEE degree. A Bachelors in Energy and Enthusiasm.”
Since then I have been pushing myself to exceed my expectations and although Energy and Enthusiasm is not a real degree, I go around waving it proudly. Do I still want to go into Consulting, Investment Banking or Accounting? Maybe but like I said, this internship has disrupted my life.