Name: Jan Tijmen Donkelaar University: Erasmus University, Rotterdam Studies: Financial Economics Organization: PRAYAS Internship field: Micro Finance Internship Duration: 3 month Country: India City: Ahmedabad

Due to delays in my studies I had to fill in the first three months of the college year 2008-2009 with something meaningful other then study. For three months I had no courses. The lack of course to complete was, for me, the ultimate opportunity to go abroad, gain working experience related to my study financial economics, see and discover the rest of the world.
 
They say that living in or visiting India can be a huge cultural shock for a lot of people. And after being 101 days in India I can understand why, but to me the differences in behavior, habits, culture and religion where not any problem. I absorbed the culture and adopted easily when necessary. I treaded people with respect and tried not to insult them, sometimes you have to be careful but asking for explanations about several customs and habits helped me a lot.
 
During my internship I stayed on the campus of my NGO in Kolkata (Calcutta). My boss also lived with his family on this campus and he introduced me to his family, friends, religion and the Indian culture. Through my new connections I was able to visit 12 cities in 14 days after the completion of my internship. Without the assistance of my new friends I probably would not have made it back on time to Kolkata, without spending an enormous amount of money.
 
The NGO I was working for started in 1997 with social development. In 2005 they opened a Micro Finance wing. My task was to fill in the loan application forms and to provide the company with new financial resources. After completing roughly 8 forms I focused on the financial administration of the company. First I looked through the accounting books doing a so called accounting audit.
 
During this search for mistakes I learned a lot about the financial structure of the NGO which was performing below par. Together with my boss, we decided while we were discussing a job evaluation that I would write a report about the problems, analyze them and come up with some solutions to help the director and his accountant to gain complete financial control over their NGO. I wrote 22- page report which was sometimes difficult, for them to accept, but they liked the prospect of being in control of their financial situation again.
 
My colleagues and other AIESEC trainees were the ideal oracles for traveling in India. With this information I planned a crazy but fantastic trip. In 14 days I traveled with sleeper trains (no need for a hotel and arriving the next morning in the next town), sleeper busses and by airplane more than 4400 km throught Rajasthan, Delhi, Agra and Varanasi to the feet of the Himalaya for a ride on the Darjeeling Toy Train, and ended my trip in Kolkata where I started my journey back to the Netherlands.
 
Before I began my internship with AIESEC I set myself several goals to accomplish while I am in India. I had to give up learning Spanish, but I learned that I can live and work abroad. Now I have gained some valuable working experience related to my study.I have seen an imported part of the world, learned about the world’s oldest religion, and gained new perspectives and values from living in and with another culture. I really recommend (young) people to use their chances to learn and see the great experiences the world abroad has to offer you.
 
Learn and Enjoy!
 
Jan Tijmen Donkelaar