Hello! I am Vicheka. Prior to my internship at Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS) Cambodia, I was an International Relations and Professional Communication student at the Institute of Foreign Languages of the Royal University of Phnom Penh. My first encounter with KAS Cambodia was in 2018 when I was a participant in one of its workshops. Since then, I have been following closely with the organization’s activities and projects. Now, I am going to let you in on my experience as an intern at KAS Cambodia.
What I do at KAS an intern
At KAS Cambodia, the structural hierarchy is not applied to the everyday work of project management. As an intern, I handle a variety of tasks ranging from simple administrative duties to facilitating, or moderating event. I work very closely with program officers and program managers. At times, I even get a chance to translate documents, design posters, write an article on a topic of my interest, or even pitch my own project ideas and possibly implement them if approved.
How I experience KAS
I work in an open office, so it is really pleasant because I do not feel confined nor boxed up. The building itself is also aesthetic and vintage. It is comparable to walking into a home instead of a typical office building. My favorite parts are the small garden, the office pets, and the big trees along with one red squirrel. In regards to my colleagues, they are all talented, down-to-earth, approachable and kind-hearted people. They are also very open and truthful in terms of their feedbacks for me, which is extremely helpful for my character and career development.
What I have learned
Being an intern at KAS Cambodia, I have personally learned to come out of my shell and be more observant. There are times when situations demand me to lose my reserved nature and communicate more or vice versa when I am too dominant. I have become more analytical, compromising, flexible and accepting as a result of the situations and people I have come to contact with and thus enhancing my interpersonal skills. In relation to the practical aspect, I have adopted some useful computer skills since I have been exposed to a lot of software programs. I have also picked up some event planning or coordination skills as a result of the tasks assigned by the program managers.
Final words to my successors: if you are a go-getter looking for some real, hands-on experience to shape your career path, and if you are a person with a lot of ideas, KAS is the definitely the right place for you.
