Online Internship during Corona – My Experience from 5,868.85 Miles away

Here I am, on the train on my way from my university home in Passau to Cologne to spend the Christmas holidays with my family. However, the original idea was to be on a plane from Brazil to Germany, because I had planned to spend my internship at Aventura do Brasil in Brazil. I've always dreamed of traveling to that big, faraway country in South America to experience what it means to live the Brazilian lifestyle. My mandatory stay abroad as part of my studies came just right. I wanted to get an insight into the culture and nature of this beautiful country and gather inspiration for my blog articles by meeting locals. However, I could not have known, that a global pandemic would destroy my plans. Instead of opting for an exciting Brazil trip, I decided to do my internship from the less exciting university library in Passau and complete the last missing courses of my studies. Read on to find out how that went and what I learned from it.

I have to admit, I didn't prepare much for my internship. I had just returned to autumnal Germany from my summer vacation, when my internship started. The rapid change in temperature and the lack of ocean breeze made me feel like I had made the wrong decision. Shouldn't I have just gone to Brazil after all? What could have happened? The situation in Brazil regarding Corona is under control by now. Why not just enjoy my life there?

Thinking back and forth, I didn't want to sink into self-pity and had to concentrate on my first internship day. I tackled it in my pajamas and with a cup of coffee from home. I only realized this was a mistake after a few days. I got distracted far too quickly by my roommate or my cell phone. I also missed company when my roommate was at university and I was sitting at home alone. That's why I moved my workplace to the university library, where some of my fellow students were also writing their bachelor thesis. The feeling of being among people and the coffee breaks with my friends increased my motivation. I could finally concentrate on the essentials and got into the flow. The six hours of internship per day turned out to be more pleasant and easier than I thought. Even though I would have preferred to sit with my laptop on the beach in Rio de Janeiro or in a rainforest lodge in Amazonia.

My tasks included writing blog articles, creating content plans for social media, and website optimization, such as link building. At first, I was a bit overwhelmed, as I had never had much to do with these topics before. However, thanks to my lovely supervisors Lisa and Melanie, who were always quick to answer all my questions, I quickly familiarized myself with the tasks and really enjoyed them. Especially, writing the blog articles was a lot of fun for me. While searching for information on my topics, I learned a lot of new things about Brazil, such as the fact that there is a water desert in the north-east of the country. The Lençóis Maranhenses consist of thousands of white sand dunes interspersed with blue and green lagoons. Did you know?

I also got to know Brazil better while creating monthly content plans for Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram. I have intensively studied the many wonderful trips that Aventura do Brasil offers. Now I know, that it is absolutely worthwhile taking advantage of the experience of the local Aventura do Brasil staff and getting advice from them regarding a vacation in Brazil. The accommodations are carefully selected, and a lot of care is taken to ensure that the trips are sustainable. The Amazon Turtle Lodge in the Amazon Rainforest and the Caiman Lodge in the South Pantanal are just two of many accommodations, that combine ecotourism and comfort. Choosing the right pictures for the posts on social media often made me dream, and the longing for summer temperatures and long sandy beaches grew again. I am particularly fascinated by the island archipelago of Fernando de Noronha. The 21 islands are a true natural paradise with deserted beaches, clear water, and a stunning underwater world. If you like diving or snorkeling, you should definitely visit Fernando de Noronha. But also jaguar safaris in the North Pantanal or the Mamori Survival Tour in the Amazon make me curious, because I love adventure!

As you can see, I can't stop raving. Yes, I imagined my internship differently, but I still learned a lot, and I'm grateful for that. My time to take a Brazilian vacation will come, I'm sure of it. In the meantime, I'll pick up plenty of information and inspiration from Aventura do Brasil and keep dreaming. Because how does the saying go, the greatest joy lies in the anticipation, right?

Source: Kim Knour