Erasmus+ through the culture or culture through Erasmus+

Pakistan, Germany and Spain. At first sight countries with nothing in common yet there is something connecting them. It is a young ambitious girl originally from Pakistan, living in Germany and doing an internship in Spain. The story of Nabeela is impressive and can inspire many people.

1. Present yourself.

I am Nabeela Khalid Pervez, from Pakistan but currently, I am living and studying in Germany. I am 26 years old. I am doing a master’s in public policy from Willy Brandt School of Public policy, University of Erfurt Germany and now I am on an internship.

2. Where are you doing your internship (where are you from)?

I am doing an internship with Milli Cunti a non-governmental organization led by young people.  

3. Why did you decide to go on an internship?

This internship is part of my degree and since I wanted to go outside of Germany to have experience in a different country, so I decided to go to Spain. I like the Spanish language and Spanish culture. one of the other reasons was the organization. When I got to know about internship opportunity in Mille Cunti and read about the organization’s work it was exciting. I found it relevant to my work and studies. That’s why I decided to come here.

4. What did you study?

I did a master’s in public policy with major in Management of Non-profit organizations. I did bachelor in development studies from University of Punjab, Lahore Pakistan.

5. What did you learn there?

In Spain, I have learnt quite a few things. One of them is the Spanish language. I can a little bit understand it and now I think I can learn the Spanish language easier. I also learnt organizational work, how to write different projects, project evaluation, application writing and soft skills especially, I learnt communication skills and team building.

6. Did your expectations meet with the reality there?

I would not say that totally yes but to some extent, my expectations met. My expectation was to work in an environment where I could learn about fundraising in a nonprofit organization, about application writing and more about how to improve my writing skills. However, what I work with Milli Cunti was full of learning, but it was not totally what I was expecting.

7. What about the culture of the country you stayed in?

I really like Spanish culture, I met many Spanish people, I made Spanish friends and I really like the friendly and lively Spanish people. I can compare it neither with Germany nor with Pakistan because there are friendly in every place and people who are not so I would not compare. In Germany I have also wonderful friends, they are very friendly also but in Spain, the usual spirit of people when I go outside is livelier, friendlier.

8. Was it hard to change your life from one day to another day?

No, it was not that hard because I was really focused on what I want to do, and I kept myself busy with my personal work and the work of the organization so it was not difficult. The hardest thing I faced was the daily routine because in Germany you work from 9 am to 5 pm or continuously but here in Spain the siesta was totally new for me. In the beginning, it was a bit difficult to understand but then I am OK with that.

9. Can you tell us something very interesting about your experience?

I think for me it was very important to observe the behaviour of different people from different cultures and I have noticed that Miriana, the president of the organization, has very good leadership qualities and hardworking skills what is fascinating for me how she organizes everything and the way she engages people from the city and people who come here for the internship. I will always remember her work style.

10. Do you have any funny story?

My New Year´s Eve was interesting. I was with my friends, we were partying till 8 am so it was what I will remember always. The funny story from Spain which is not related to Ciudad Real was while travelling with my friend around Spain. It was interesting because we were travelling consecutively for 5 days. Sometimes we were tired, and we were fighting and then we were talking about our fights and laughing at small things and making jokes. People around us were getting mad because at some point we were fighting and then we were friends again. That was funny.

11. What about the people you met there?

I met different people from different countries with different attitudes and different behaviour. With some people, the experience was really good and with some people, it was not that good but I think it is part of learning and the part of the experience.

12. Do you think the internship improve the skills you got at university?

Yes, I think I improved a lot and have learnt a lot here. For example, presentation skills, writing skills, communication skills.

13. Do you recommend Erasmus internship to other people?

Yes, I highly recommend it because we are studying in the countries where we have friends, families so we are living in our comfort zone; therefore, we should go to another country to have a different experience and it really helps to reflect on yourself and on your work as well.

Written by Nabeela Khalid from Pakistan