Follow your sun
Did you enjoy our previous interview? Well, surprise! You don’t have to wait long for our next one, this week we have another great interview and it is an insight on life as an intern in Mig Mit. Do you also have in mind the image of the poor intern doing nothing but making the tea in the workplace? Well let’s find out together what our interns Maria and Thomas have to say about their experiences in Witten (Germany)!
- Can you quickly introduce yourself (name, age, nationality and your hobbies)
Tom: My name is Tom, I’m 21 y.o. and I’m from the UK. I like football, languages and South American music. I have been an intern at Mig Mit for four months.
Maria: I am Maria, an intern in migration_miteinander since January. I’m 25, I’m from Bulgaria and I love cooking, travelling and experiencing new things.
- Tell us one positive aspect of living in Germany (Witten/Bochum) and one not so nice 😀
Tom: Germany is very affordable and has a very diverse community. I liked the shared flat WG living system.
The weather is terrible but I find it hard to complain about the weather being a Brit myself. Otherwise it has been a really positive experience.
If I have to find something, I might say the transports can be confusing but I like that.
Maria: I love how the people living in this area are so open-minded and helpful. I have travelled a lot and at many places have felt like a stranger, a foreigner. But here, even if you speak a different language and you’re coming from another culture, you will be welcomed with open hands and soon you will feel that place like home.
What I hated was the weather. I am from a warmer country and I can live in the highest temperatures, but for me the average temperature of 0 degrees, combined with constant rain and wind during the winter was deadly. However, with the time you get used to it.
- Can you sum up in one sentence your experience at Mig Mit?
Tom: ‘ I never thought I could learn so much in such a short time’’
Maria: In just a few months I realised what my direction in life should be and that success means to deploy your abilities so that you can support those in need.
- What did you learn while working here?
Tom: This has been my first proper job, besides holiday work, so I have had to learn a lot of things from scratch but I particularly learn about communication tools and their importance in the workplace. I could also practice in the field what I have learned through the translation studies in my degree.
Maria: First of all, I learned how alike we are all in the differences. During Corona time I learned how close you can stay with people even on the other side of the world. I gained very important personal experience, which I will never forget. Secondly, I gained substantial knowledge related not only to my law studies, but also how to manage a project, allocate a budget and have fun at the same time! 🙂
- What will you miss the most?
Tom: I will miss everything, it’s hard to narrow it down to something. For example the Falafel Tasche in Witten 😀 I will also miss having such an open and caring office space and colleagues, because I don’t think that’s the case in every workplace.
Maria: I will also miss my colleagues the most. The working environment was so friendly and inspiring, the projects went so smoothly when I collaborated with the team that I couldn’t wait to get up from the bed every morning and to go to work, because I knew that my friends are there and the next big portion of laughter and cooperation are waiting for me.
- Why should people choose Mig Mit to do their internship/voluntary service?
Tom: It’s a great place to gain valuable experience in the field of migration and where you can be trusted a lot even being young with important tasks since the beginning. It’s nice to be trusted, to have real responsibilities and feel valued.
Maria: I agree with Tom. At the beginning of each job everyone feels uncertain and sometimes even shy. In mig_mit you will feel part of the team since the first week. All of your qualities will be valued, all of your opinion – taken under consideration. You will be explained everything, no matter how many times you ask, and always with patience and a smile. If you are searching for an internship with which you want to gain experience and knowledge while doing good for the society and making friends at the same time – Migration_miteinander is definitely your place!
Thanks Tom and Maria for sharing your experience with us and we hope to see you again soon in Witten! And here is a quote to let you get inspired today and maybe, why not, will lead you to Mig Mit as our next intern.
Don’t ask yourself what the world needs.
Ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go do that.
Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.’
Howard Thurman