Motivation
I wanted to get ahead of the game and secure my first internship only halfway through my 2nd year as an engineering student. With the great opportunity offered by the NCP Mobility Grant I was able to do this overseas in a beautiful country full of culture and flavor.
Personal Development
Where to start? I developed a confidence in myself through a kaleidoscope of important life experiences. I was in a foreign country where I didn't speak the language and I knew nobody, so I had to settle into myself and figure out what to spend my time doing with nobody to share it with. I went to work and discovered many dormant skills I had that never had the environment to be properly expressed. I met friends and had the time of my life exploring a city none of us were familiar with. The experience should be described as transformative, as I am not the same person I was when I left, and it is only possible thanks to the nature of the experience.
Professional Development
I found that I was able to communicate effectively, exert my creativity on a real-world engineering task, and complete said task to a high standard, higher than I initially gave myself credit for.
Budget
The total sum I ended up paying to the host organization was around $4500 which included accommodation, cultural experiences, career development courses and counselling services. My daily budget was $50 broken down into $20 for transport, and $30 dollars between food and drink. On weekends that number would sit between $100-$150 a day on experiences and attraction entrance fees. My expenses separate from the up-front costs was around $1700 for one month of very active sight-seeing, exploration, partying and travel.
The funding I received was incredibly beneficial towards the experience. I would have considered the whole endeavor too expensive if the NCP Mobility Grant hadn't covered 1/2 the up-front cost. The funding was the reason I was able to have such an incredible experience.
Highlight
The highlight of my experience was definitely hanging out with the people I met while there. A group of about 15 students from UCLA were staying at the same hotel as me, and we spent next to no time apart. Every waking hour we weren't working we were together exploring the city or chatting about the state of rap.
