Gwangju International Internship Program

Life as a Foreign Intern in Singapore

Written by and photographed Kang Boungju.

Last year, the Gwangju International Center (GIC) provided global opportunities for Korean youth to participating in an international internship program. The organizations that took part in the program had their areas of interest in culture, business, social welfare, and human rights, among others. I was lucky enough to be selected, together with another two Koreans, and went for twelve weeks (August–November 2019) to Singapore.

Singapore is an island country located between Indonesia and the Malaysian Peninsula. As everyone is aware, it is a place where both English and Chinese are spoken. I can also speak some Chinese, as I studied in China when I was a college student. My main goal in joining the GIC’s internship program was to gain experience in working abroad at a welfare center and to meet people from diverse cultures and backgrounds while developing my language skills. Though my English is poor, I thought my Chinese skills would be helpful enough, so I left for Singapore.

At the Fei Yue Senior Activity Centre (Senja) where I worked, there were also people who would speak English, Malay, and Mandarin Chinese, as well as Cantonese and a Chinese Fujian dialect called Hokkien. The Fei Yue Senior Activity Centre is a daycare center for adults, a not-for-profit established in 1991 with the mission “to affect life transformation through the provision of quality social services.” It promotes social development for all ages, seeking to bring the spirit of volunteerism to the community, and advocates for strong family ties in society. Its target audience is the needy in Singapore through diverse services and programs.

The programs offered at the Senior Activity Centre aim to improve the physical, mental, and social wellbeing of senior citizens and to prevent social isolation. I worked together with the manager, student interns dispatched from schools, and several volunteers. The volunteers came every day, and I felt it was amazing to see them helping others in their free time. All my tasks were related to the seniors. Some of these tasks were on a daily basis, such as attendance checks, health checks, and bingo games, while other were individualized activities such as intergeneration interactions, medical classes, and body maintenance (haircuts).

I used to play games of bingo with senior members every day. Whenever I played bingo, I said the numbers in English, Chinese, Malay, and Tamil, and they really liked this. I also made my own activity by creating a Korean class for those who wanted to learn my own language. I taught at the center where I worked every Friday for about an hour, and I was proud to see them studying my mother tongue. Later, I received requests from other Fei Yue centers to teach Korean language and culture, so I taught at two places every week. Everyone was interested in Korea and Korean culture, so it was fun.

The best part of my internship was that I had an amazing time with the seniors at the centers, making a lot of friends despite the age gap. I was able to learn about diversity through people from various cultural backgrounds, and I was proud that I could teach my native language.

Singapore was so convenient to get around in, so on weekends, I did a lot of traveling, exploring this city-state. Sometimes I felt uncomfortable having to use various languages, but in the end it helped me learn them. I learned not only English but also a little bit of Malay and Tamil! Although I have left Singapore, the love and gratitude I received while there will always remain in my heart. I went to experience life as an intern in a foreign country, but I returned having more friends and somehow healed. I want to go to Singapore for my summer vacation this year to meet my elders and friends, but due to the current coronavirus situation, I am not sure if this will be possible or not. Until then, only the good memories remain.

THE AUTHOR

Kang Boungju works at LMS on the international sales team. He has a cheerful personality and loves watching baseball games and soccer matches. His heart is still in Singapore.