Internship at the Centre for Public Policy Studies

During my 2 month stay in Malaysia, I interned at the Centre for Public Policy Studies (CPPS), a think-tank under the umbrella of the Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute (ASLI). This internship was thoroughly enjoyable and by far one of my most memorable internship experiences. From the aesthetics, to the office culture, to the actual assignments I was tasked with, this internship was definitely an experience I will never forget.

My first day at the internship (before I figured out the transportation system), involved me navigating a taxi up the steep, jungle-y hill to my office. My first surprise was the group of monkeys swinging on the trees beside my office. Coworkers would later tell me that these monkeys were very obnoxious, sometimes damaging cars and breaking into the office. I was advised to keep the windows shut, lest one of the monkeys decide to pay me a visit.

Just outside my office there were durian trees. The first time I had tried durian, I felt the sudden urge to gag. The second time I tried durian wasn’t much better. The third time was the charm. A fresh durian fell from one of the trees outside my office, and a coworker asked me to pick it up. After picking it up, and several minutes of manhandling the spiky fruit, I opened it, and enjoyed it. Ever since, I have been a durian convert. I may never learn to appreciate the smell, but I will eat it whenever it is offered.

My favorite part of the internship was getting to know the people in my office. I formed good relationships with my colleagues, and would spend most of my evenings getting to know them. This really helped me become immersed in my environment and facilitated my learning. I had studied Malaysian politics during classes I had taken back at AU, but now I actually had a chance to learn from actual Malaysians, who were very knowledgeable about not only Malaysia, but the United States as well. Some of my colleagues were also ethnic Chinese and I had the chance to communicate with them in English as well as Mandarin.

Beyond the friendships I formed with my coworkers, I also had the chance to make a few Persian friends. One time, my coworkers and my Persian friends met and we all went hiking. The hiking trail was rugged, and much more difficult than anything I've ever hiked in the U.S. When you see the pictures below, you will be surprised to find that the place we hiked was barely outside the city of KL.

During the Bersih protests (the peaceful, clean-government protests, which were met with a heavy-handed government crackdown), I avoided the protests and went to a colleague’s home and had a chance to meet her whole family (grandparents, children). My colleague made me homemade Malaysian food, which, in case you have been living under a rock, is some of the most delicious food in the world (no exaggeration). This was perhaps one of the most memorable experiences I had, and I will always regret forgetting my camera.

Besides these aspects of the internship experience, I also had very substantive work projects. I don’t know if it was my English language abilities or what, but I had a lot more responsibility than one would usually expect in a typical internship. Let me give you some examples of what I did: 1) I drafted multiple speeches for the former Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia, Musa Hitam; 2) I drafted a speech for the Ministers of Energy and Transportation; 3) I drafted a speech for the Housing and Property Minister; 4) I drafted a speech for the CEO of ASLI. Beyond these tasks, I researched human trafficking and youth parliament in Malaysia, gathered research materials on the economic impacts of cloud computing, served as a rapporteur for the Shell Smart Mobility and Energy Conference, and I served as the rapporteur for the Annual Joint Chairman Meeting for the Malaysia-China Business Council. Furthermore, I had the chance to attend several events such as a forum with pro-democracy activists, a forum with young Malaysian scholars, and the press launching for the 3^rd World Chinese Economic forum.

Overall, my experience was very fulfilling. I made great friends, learned a lot, had meaningful work, and had a chance to really become immersed in the environment.