I had the opportunity to go abroad for my studies, and I didn’t want to study abroad because I needed a break from school. I decided I wanted to intern somewhere instead so I was doing some research about where I could go and I found Bridging Gaps; it seemed cool so I went for it.

I was looking for something in my degree field, which was international development, so something in the non-profit space.

It was exactly what I was looking for! Everything came together perfectly.

Oh yes, we worked very closely together. I worked very closely with the CEO, we had a chat every day, and the team was always there to help.

Very much so! Very very much so. They gave me enough time to settle in so I never felt overwhelmed, and then when I was ready to dive in they let me DIVE IN.

Yes absolutely. I developed my writing skills a lot. I also have this thing where I really hate talking on the phone and feel uncomfortable making calls, and for this position, I had to talk on the phone a lot, so I’ve really had the opportunity to work on that skill. I also learnt how to communicate with higher-level people and companies, and how to work within a professional setting - that kind of stuff.

Yeah, they gave me direct control over projects that I could see through from start to finish. I could watch each project advance!

Absolutely, it was directly in my field of study. I wanted to go somewhere and do something different and that's exactly what I got.

Well if we’re being real, I was most nervous about being scammed! I was so scared I’d show up in Cape Town at the airport, and Bridging Gaps just wasn’t there or real. Another one was my living situation, I didn't know how that would go down at all. I was nervous about whether I’d make any friends or that people wouldn't want to be friends with me.

Well, I wasn't scammed so yay! And my accommodation was beyond my wildest dreams of people and friends and love and all that, so I could literally not have asked for a better experience!

I love Cape Town. The city gives me a very Los Angeles vibe, and I’m a fan of that. The people in general, are wonderful here. The city is just gorgeous, there’s always a mountain in view and an ocean nearby.

Oh absolutely!

Definitely. I got a lot of pre-arrival reading materials and Lucie was always very willing to answer my questions and calm me down if need be.

Good, I knew you were always there and that I could contact you any time. I think that was very comforting to have in the back of my mind, even if I didn't need your help often, you were available in case I did.

From what I’ve seen from other internship companies and heard from other people doing internships here in Cape Town, it seems like the quality of the internship placements that Bridging Gaps secures are much higher. I think that's quite unique! (and am very grateful for it too)

Definitely. I got a lot of pre-arrival reading materials and Lucie was always very willing to answer my questions and calm me down if need be.

I really would! I don't really have anything negative to say about this experience.

Not really anything big. I think maybe when you organised team dinners and things like that, maybe I would have liked more of a weeks heads-up as I had quite a busy schedule.

I thought it was a good deal. If you look at many of the other internship programs out there, they are much more expensive and include nothing, compared to Bridging Gaps.

It's definitely fair. I’ve met a few people who came here on a much bigger, more expensive program (one of them worked with me) and we were getting the same things. So its definitely fair.

I would say that I think it's worth it. You get the assistance you need. You have people watching over you. It's a worthwhile investment, and it's better than other programs from what I’ve seen.