Internship in Korea - Asia Internship Program

I am legitimately so happy with my internship, like the place, the people, the work itself... Everything is legit so much better than I expected, which is saying a lot cus I had like, pretty high expectations to begin with, ahaha~ My bosses are super nice and understanding, they're so kind and relatable and helpful, always open to help and hear any questions or even suggestions of mine (I've had to say my two cents' worth at times cus I've got some levels of experience at least, ahaha~), and I legitimately love the work environment they've created, it fees very safe and open to share one's thoughts! My co-workers are also so lovely and it feels like I've known them for a good while rather than just a few weeks! Housing is great too, legit was my "dream goshiwon" from a few years back, I can't believe I'm living there! The landlords are very kind too, always sharing info with us when relevant, letting us know of things with time, and they even offered to help me to install a filter for the shower! So not only are there legit zero issues, but they are super kind to top it all off! Also I still can't believe I get to live in Seongsu! I didn't know it was so popular before moving in, but apparently it's like, THE place to be in, in Seoul??! Like, ALL the pop-up stores are in Seongsu! And I get to see them being built up in the mornings and taken down at nights, HOW COOL IS THAT?!!!! ALSO. One of the most popular dance studios in Korea, 1 Million Dance Studio, is like, less than a 10 min walk away from my house, so obviously I joined in, wooooooo!!!! In terms of the actual work of the internship, the workload is good! Sure, there needs to be an adjustment period for me still (need to improve my "business Korean"!!!), but it's the perfect amount, also it's so fun! I didn't think that I would enjoy doing this sort of work as much as I do! Like sure, I thought it would be interesting at first, but it's turned out to be actually so frikkin cool and enjoyable working with all the different aspects in the giant field of marketing! Like, there's something new every day and there's VERY little room to get bored, which my ADHD brain loves soooooo much, ahahaha~ It's so weird, but I actually look forward to going to work every day, it's become a very wonderful daily routine! Commute is also great, the bus stations are like, RIGHT THERE so it makes it suuuuper convenient to get places! Rush hour is still going to be rush hour anywhere, so sure, there's that, but it's nothing unexpected, all good! But even once when I got distracted by something and missed my stop on the way to work like a dummy, it was actually so easy to find the way bacc cus I got lucky and turns out the next station really ain't that far off! xD Of course, there's also the option to take the subway (which, also super close!), and I sometimes do that, depending on where I need to head to next, and everything is just sooooooo convenient that it's legitimately unbelievable! O: I'm always doing something after work too, whether it be exploring alone or with friends, shopping around, dance class, church... Legit, my ONLY complaint is that there are simply not enough hours in the day. Like... I need at LEAST six more hours, please! xDDDDD Forreal tho? It feels like I'm living inside a dream and MANY times throughout the day, I feel the need to just stop what I'm doing and just be present in the moment, taking it all in.. It's absolutely mad to me that I'm able to live this sort of life right now (I get to live in SEONGSU? I get to cross the frikkin HAN RIVER EVERY DAY? To work in FRIKKIN COEX?!!!?!), and I simply cannot believe how incredibly blessed I am to have this opportunity..! Like, it feels so unreal you know? Or like, it feels like something that can happen to someone, but not to me in specific, ya feel? Like.. "Why me?" Or "HOW me? When there's sooooooo many other people out there who good things should happen to, how was I the Lucky One?" Cus I've never been "the Lucky One," so it's a strange feeling! Welcome for sure! But still strange, unfamiliar! It might sound a bit cheesey, but I am so, so incredibly grateful for this opportunity..!!! The AIP staff are so kind too, and supportive and encouraging, it feels like we're legit besties and I love that, they're such beautiful souls..!!! Legit feels like I'm getting to re-live life again through the opportunity AIP has given me and I am so thankful, I don't even have the words to express..!!! AAAAAAAAAAA

Five years ago, if you had asked me if I would be interning in South Korea doing marketing, drinking iced long blacks while reaching out to content creators, and having the opportunity to be expressive in my creativity, I would have laughed so hard that I would have probably spilt my coffee all over myself. At that time, my "creative projects" mostly involved making TikToks in my bedroom... I'm very grateful to the Asia Institute Program for giving me this amazing chance to get real-world experience in my field. The application process was surprisingly straightforward, and the team always had my best interests in mind, which made everything go easily and without stress. They also helped me with the transition process, and the on-ground team has been so kind and supportive in helping us adjust to a completely new environment. Through this internship, I have learnt a lot, from designing campaign ideas to back system tasks, which has allowed me to see my ideas come to life, all while learning so much along the way. Even though I at times may fail utterly, the freedom to be creative, try new things, and grow overseas has been an experience that I did not originally have planned. Some days I feel like a marketing superstar and on other days, like an intern juggling too many tabs and having too many coffees on the go. In other words, every moment has been a chance to learn something new. Thank you so much to the AIP, for supporting us, helping us improve our skills, and giving us the opportunity of a lifetime. I would recommend this company to anyone who is wanting the opportunity to travel and gain work experience within their field, it has been an amazing experience throughout my degree.

Overall I had a fun experience during my internship in Seoul, South Korea. The staff at AIP was very helpful and usually answered my messaged quickly. They also found me an internship fairly quickly, which was much appriciated because of my tight schedule. Another thing I liked was that AIP had arranged so that me and another intern stayed at the same accommodation, which meant we could easily work together and hang out together. My only issue was I only found out the night before my first day that my internship is fully remote. Whether that's on the host company or AIP I don't know, but it would be good to be informed about something like that during the interview process with the host company.