October 17, 2014
Improving China's Literacy, One Book at a Time
Finding one's place in a new work environment as an intern isn’t the easiest task. One may feel as if one doesn’t belong or isn’t particularly needed. It makes it all the more difficult when the internship takes place in a foreign country. The language barrier and cultural expectations can heavily influence the relationship one has with one’s boss and coworkers, as well as how one should act in that work environment. Spending her summer in Shanghai, Ashley Kareken worked as a marketing intern at The Library Project. The Library Project is a non-profit organization that works to build libraries and donate books to rural elementary schools in China. While Ashley had studied Chinese for 3 years and lived in China for 4 months prior to the internship, she still faced difficulties fitting into her office's culture. Ashley will discuss what specific challenges she faced during her internship and how she overcame them.
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