My time abroad has been as delightful as expected. Due to the nature of my internship and set work hours created by my company, I am only required to be in the office for three days out of the five. This gives me plenty of time to explore Shanghai on my own. I enjoy taking the time to visit popular shopping centers and streets, as well as new restaurants and tourist attractions. As shopping can get repetitive over time, I’ve been looking at new places to visit like art museums, aquariums, and centers that give unique experiences. Having the free time also allows for extra rest if needed; since the weather is so hot and humid so regularly, sometimes I want to stay in and take a rest day.
While at my internship, I am given tasks to complete over the course of several weeks. Because this is my first internship, I wasn’t sure what to expect; along with the different work culture, I was starting a completely new experience. I enjoy my workplace and company very much. The people have been extremely generous and welcoming, and I’ll be forever grateful for them allowing me to join their team, even just temporarily. As a graphic design and marketing intern, I’m allowed to work on creating designs for my company. So far, I have been working alongside my supervisor to create brochures and postcards that accurately represent the company. Through lots of trial and error, I create designs, get feedback, make necessary changes, and go through the process several times. Workshopping designs has been the biggest learning experience so far—all prior design opportunities I’ve had were where I had final say; it’s nice to be in a collaborative environment. The goals of my work are to create materials that my company will be able to hand out at events and film festivals and as merchandise that can be used over the course of many years.
Growing up, I wasn’t impacted by culture and community. As a Chinese adoptee to an American family, the culture I was surrounded by is the culture no one will associate with me at first. At home in America, I always feel a bit culture-less. Growing up without Chinese culture or language in my daily life means that as an adult, I can’t relate to Asian Americans, and growing up in America means I can’t relate to Chinese people from China. I think my experience abroad has complicated this and reinforced it, somehow. Understandably, it is assumed I speak and understand Chinese. But it is quickly understood that I don’t, which reinforces this complicated relationship I have with myself regarding race, ethnicity, and culture.
I don’t know if I’ve experienced a culture shift. Over time, I have become more used to my daily schedule and, to an extent, the things I had first questioned or understood. The most common thing I can think of is the amount of honking. In America, honking is a gesture seen as rude and crass; here, it’s not as serious. It’s just a language of the road, simply an act of letting the people around you know you’re approaching. There hasn’t been a time when I have had to reevaluate my beliefs or values to a point where I've consciously noticed it. I approached this experience open-minded.
Emma Weast, Diverse Ducks Ambassador
GlobalWorks Internship in Shanghai
