Zǎo Maria!

·   Tofauti on the move as per its tradition has to let you in on the firsthand unedited interns' experience with us here in Kenya. This we believe goes a long way into gauging our credibility and also giving future possible interns a sneak preview of what to expect. This time round we take you to the People's Republic of China, as some of you may have realized their rather big invasion to Africa this past summer! We take you specifically to an amazing beautiful be cheerful lady Yingzhu Tao, commonly referred to as 'Maria'. And as her name suggests, from a Christian background, may very well define her graceful warm character. Here is what she said about her experience with us:

   

        Kindly give us a brief bio of yourself:

My name is Maria Tao, a college student (study at Zhejiang University) from China.  After studying in various fields of Social Sciences for one year,  I was endowed with professional skills like accounting and microeconomics. However, due to my love of meeting new people and the great passion for diverse culture and life, I decided to come here and have a totally new experience. What’s more, helping people in need makes me glad and proud.

·         What were your expectations of the Tofauti Internship Experience? Have you met them?

Teaching kids or children in a slum, subjects including Mathematics, English, Arts and Chinese; meeting different interns from all over the world, and working, discussing issues and sharing experiences together; subsidizing students by practical things like books and stationary; communicating with local NGOs; culture-sharing with interns like Cultural Village; enjoying and savoring tasty local food and fruits.

Apart from the NGO part, I have already met all of them. They indeed exerted  a great influence on me.

·         What did you get from the Tofauti Internship Experience? What value did we add to your life?

First, I got the rich experiences like teaching adorable kids in slum, meeting new people, adapting exotic lifestyle, attending international conference, visiting amazing places, dealing with all manner of cases and many more. Second, I was really impressed by the kids who were in my work place and learned the spirit of staying optimistic when facing the tough situation. Third, I felt I gradually get to know much more about how to communicate and get along with various people. Last but not least, I gained a group of amazing friends, who are extremely kind and supportive.

·         What other ways could we could have engaged you in the field?

Apart from AIESEC, other NGOs or organizations would be good. Besides, after the intern completing their projects and going back to his/her own country,  they have the power to get more people involved.

·         What can we do to make the Tofauti Internship Experience better?

Before deciding whether one potential intern is accepted to the Tofauti Project or not, you had better balance the number of people from each country and control the diversity; otherwise some problems like accommodation, food or culture shock would arise more or less.

When one intern is accepted, please inform him/her sufficient and necessary info about the projects(My buddy Cyrille did so well that I’m really gratitude for what he has done for me).

When matching, it’s better for the TNM to tell interns the exact school or orphanage they’re about to work in, or at least the students’ basic info (like age) because it would be much better for interns to get sufficient preparation. (Take myself for an example, I planned to bring some books with me but I was not sure about the students’ level thus giving up.) What’s more, if interns are not satisfied with the job, they can communicate with TNM in advance, and it would save time and reduce misunderstandings. Also, it would help avoid the situation that interns has nothing to do when they arrive just because no school fit them well or too many interns work for the same school.

As for the job description, it could be more concrete and specific, not that general.

One more thing is about the period of the project; it required me to stay here for at least 6 weeks, but school closed earlier. Although I really enjoy my stay here but I in the meanwhile maintain that I should be informed when matching or upon arrival.

·   Have your say:  Never too much to experience!

                                                                                                                          

By Maria Yingzhu Tao