The opportunity to experience a new country, whilst gaining engineering, and international experience.
One that included design and modelling. As well as fieldwork.
On par, minus the fieldwork. Despite this, I have learnt more than expected. I have more skills at my disposal, and hopefully opportunities when I return home.
Yes
Yes. They gave me a briefing on what the project entailed. They let me be creative with my work, and were confident in my calculations. It was my responsibility to help get this project up and running. I appreciate that I have been a part of the initial stages of the project.
Yes, definitely. Revisiting CAD modelling and programming was a challenge at first. The time it took to relearn may have taken time, but it paid off in the end, with several items of work produced. I am now confident with both platforms.
Yes. Offloading some work to me freed up their time to develop the core of this business. Thatâs not to say my work wasnât important. We have compiled a status report to deliver to funders, which my work was included in.
Yes. I have enjoyed the challenge of working in a foreign country. When youâre not in your comfort zone (home country), itâs up to you to make things happen. This international experience has shown me that the world is big, and youâre just one link in the chain. I do intend to make it in the energy industry. This exposure to a small scale solar business has made me aware of the sheer amount of time to get a project up and running.
My word, safety! Itâs not like a fear of heights, where it is only when you are at the edge of a cliff, that the fear instils in you. No matter how much my two friends (who are from Safa) told me that Iâd be fine, I had an internal fear of being in a new place by myself. Travel suppresses those fears and makes you a more rounded person.
Complete garbage. In saying that, thereâs a level of maturity and common sense when going about day to day life. Once you learn the lay of the land, the characters of the locals, you learn to fit in and things seem normal. Odds on me returning to Australia and not quite understanding why people donât just j-walk. Itâs quicker!
Iâll replace Cape Town with Stellenbosch. But you can ad-lib. Definitely get around the cafĂŠ scene. Even if you donât drink coffee, itâs the watering hole. A place to sit and chat, read, or simply catch up on some work. I did go into Cape Town a few times. Once for the Red Bull event, another time for Kirstenbosch, and the other to hike Table Mountain. All amazing. Also, get out there and explore. The Western Cape has plenty of hiking to do. Get to a lookout and get a sense of where you are. The higher you go, the more insignificant you feel. Earth keeps turning. Also I had to keep reminding myself that I, indeed, was in Africa. Seeing the Atlantic is amazing.
Yes. Make the most of the sunny weather.
Yes, BG relayed information well from my internship at Solar Turtle. I had a good idea of what the project would entail, and didnât feel out of sorts on the first day. The initial contact with Lucie, she laid out everything and genuinely cared about how she could secure me an internship. Even with my doubts on not being in Cape Town, Stellenbosch has lived up to what she said.
Despite choosing bootstrap, Luigi kept in contact with me. Making sure I was doing well in Stellies. (I donât know how old your other interns are. I turned 25 whilst being here. I have done plenty of solo travel in my life. But I certainly appreciated the check ins)
Catering to your ideal internship. I feel fortunate that Solar Turtle had a project that met my ideal. I was quite independent while here. But if I never came across this on my uni website, then who knows where Iâd be. So best service for me was you guys finding me something so promptly. A 2 month turn around from initial contact, to me landing in Cape Town
Yes, BG relayed information well from my internship at Solar Turtle. I had a good idea of what the project would entail, and didnât feel out of sorts on the first day. The initial contact with Lucie, she laid out everything and genuinely cared about how she could secure me an internship. Even with my doubts on not being in Cape Town, Stellenbosch has lived up to what she said.
Yes. If you feel stuck at home, consider BG. Improving and developing skills in your study area, whilst being in a foreign country is sometimes what you need to define what you want to pursue for a career.
Having a get-together night, regardless of bootstrap or concierge. Have one night a month, or every other month, where all interns get together and just share their experience so far. This could be a way to quantify what you guys do. Having a group photo of current âin countryâ interns would be great for marketing. It shows how many people you take care of, and how BG is a social internship programme. (You guys could already be doing this, and I have no idea. Seriosuly donât worry, Iâve enjoyed Stellies regardless âş)
Hefty. Wow, for one person me, youâre charging that! Then I compared it to other programmes Iâve done. Fee to week ratio is great if you stay for 3 months. Plus, I can add Stellenbosch to my âhomeâ list. I would love to come back in a few years and check up.
Outsourcing is sometimes the best money you can spend. I could have emailed around till the cows came home. Having you guys with in country contacts made the process of sourcing an internship that much quicker. Again, I will reiterate, it only took 2 months!
Would you rather go abroad, see a new side of the world. Experience! Or yeh, you can stay home, be comfy in your current situation, working the late-night shift and not know where this is all heading. Spend money on experiences, not things.
Well since you asked, Iâll leave with one story. When I was studying abroad in the UK, a mate of mine would always play this mind trick on us. Any time we were unsure about doing something, say going out for the night, he would always say, âOh no, donât worry Hugh. Next time youâre in Brighton weâll go out and have a fantastic time at (insert club name). No, no, I donât want to hear it. If you want to stay home, be my guest. But next time youâre in Brighton⌠weâll go out. Next time yehâ The point is, Iâd reiterate this to myself most weekends. Time is short, and you need to make the most of your leisure time. Before you know it, itâs Monday morning again.
Well since you asked, Iâll leave with one story. When I was studying abroad in the UK, a mate of mine would always play this mind trick on us. Any time we were unsure about doing something, say going out for the night, he would always say, âOh no, donât worry Hugh. Next time youâre in Brighton weâll go out and have a fantastic time at (insert club name). No, no, I donât want to hear it. If you want to stay home, be my guest. But next time youâre in Brighton⌠weâll go out. Next time yehâ The point is, Iâd reiterate this to myself most weekends. Time is short, and you need to make the most of your leisure time. Before you know it, itâs Monday morning again.
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