 "Photo:")
Walking home one night a few weeks ago, I looked up to the sky and realized that I could see stars. A rather unusual sight in New York, I exclaimed to my friend, "They have stars here!" Despite having made a fool of myself, this was one more thing that has made this summer one of my greatest.
Every year, Baruch's journalism department gives one or two students the opportunity to intern abroad in any country where they can find a journalism internship. Last year, I was fortunate enough to have been selected and, after months of preparation, I arrived in Malta on June 28 for a nine-week stay. Less than a week after my arrival, I started my internship at the Malta Independent on Sunday, a publication associated with one of the major newspapers in Malta.
A small country in the Mediterranean, Malta is unknown to many. It is one of Europe's smallest countries, yet is the densest of them all. Its history is incredibly rich and it was only in 1964 that it gained its independence from Britain.
Forty years later, it joined the European Union and today its politics remain one of the most popular topics of discussion among the Maltese population: the country's voter turnout is about 98 percent.
All these facts aside, I have been learning many things since living here. Not only do people drive on the left side of the road, but I am the one with the accent. Living in another country has taught me how differently people live and how rushed our New York lifestyle really is. In Malta, when I walk down streets, beaches, cafes and restaurants, I often catch myself dodging people like I would in Manhattan. Here, no one else does this.
The culture in Malta is also very different. The majority of the population is Catholic as seen through hidden statues of saints on house walls and tunnels. In addition, both abortion and divorce are illegal here, the latter of which I had never even fathomed back in the States.
But if I've learned a lot by just living here, I have also learned a great deal through the internship. From my very first semester at Baruch, the importance of getting internships has been drilled into my head, and although this is my third internship to date, it so far has been the most productive and educational one.
Taking place over the summer, this internship is the only thing I have to worry about; no classes, no homework, no projects or presentations to take care of. Although having an internship while going to school does help with time management, the summer allows me to focus solely on my writing.
I spend my days writing in the office, surrounded by other journalists who run in and out of the small newsroom to attend press conferences or go to interviews.
Every week, I am given a set of stories to work on. Most of them are features, which means that although I have more time to work on them, they involve interviews and research. I make my own schedule for most days, in the sense that I have deadlines to meet, and must plan accordingly.
A day in the office has, over the past few weeks, varied between transcribing an interview to then writing and editing an article based on the transcript, going out to interview people and then coming back to the office and writing their story, and going to press conferences or media lunches with other journalists or photographers.
In fact, I have been fortunate to have extremely helpful colleagues and on my very first day I attended a press conference by the Minister of Environment. There was also a time when I sat in on a special meeting of the United Nations and another where I ran around the island with a photographer who had received word that a dead body had been found at sea.
Of course, one must not forget the many coffee breaks taken, usually in groups, by the journalists. At first, I thought these were actual breaks, but soon found that even then, important issues are discussed. I have learned many things about the country and its residents, mainly about politics and the problem of illegal immigrants, by sitting around with my co-workers.
Through this internship, I've also learned not to settle for anything, but rather to reach for what I want. Last summer, the internship I had was not very productive. The first few days at the newspaper this summer reminded me of that experience.
Instead of sitting and waiting for the summer to pass me by, I did what I believe all interns should do: I asked my editors for more responsibilities. Just by asking, I've been given more stories and have also been given space for a weekly column. As a journalist, this was a huge accomplishment and seeing my articles in a nationally published newspaper is incredibly rewarding.
The great thing about internships, whether abroad or not, is that they really help you determine whether your major is right for you. Taking journalism classes for the past two years and being active in the student newspaper were good ways for me to satisfy my passion for writing. Doing so on a daily basis has reinforced the possibility that I will pursue this as a career.
Like many people, I still haven't decided what I will do after graduation. But I have a feeling that this internship, like any internship, has steered me in the right direction.
Be the first to comment on this article!