For those who choose to do a course for an internship credit (for me the internship was a mandatory credit since I was submitted into the program in Autumn 2021), finding the right one can be difficult. Sometimes there will be opportunities that you wish you were able to do, but because of either not having a high enough level of English language proficiency and/or not being chosen for a slot for an internship, the process of looking for an internship can make it seem as if it is nearly impossible to find one. Although it took me a long time to find an opportunity to satisfy the internship requirement, I needed in order to graduate, I am incredibly thankful for the one I found, and it showed me that it is true how sometimes finding good things takes more time than we expected.
After searching for an internship opportunity that took much longer than I expected, I came across an opportunity that is rare to find, especially in South Korea, an opportunity to work with an organization that works with refugees. Most organizations that I was aware of that worked with refugees, worked with North Korean defectors, however, the organization I was able to work alongside with over the course of the semester is an NGO that works with not only North Korean defectors but also refugees coming from countries around the world.
My primary duties while assisting the NGO included helping where English writing skills were needed and also assisting with greeting people who came to the organization as they waited for a staff member to become available who would be able to speak with them about their inquiry. While taking my courses at Ewha, I did take the two courses available that relate to international migration and refugee studies which did give me an overall better understanding of the macro-level workings and political environment involving refugees, however my time at this NGO allowed me to be able to see the micro-level workings of refugee-related work.
One aspect of the work of the NGO consisted of helping people navigate how to apply for refugee status in Korea, unlike in other countries where someone has already been granted refugee status upon entering a country, within South Korea people must apply for refugee status after they have entered the country and wait to receive approval. This process can cause struggles and confusion for people as they wait to see if they are approved or rejected and are limited in their access to the national health insurance scheme and work opportunities. Only about 0.54% of applicants who applied for refugee status within South Korea in 2023 received it, so it is a sad reality that many who come through the NGO’s doors will not be initially granted refugee status upon their initial application submission.
Knowing the hardships that those who come to the NGO face, it was important to be able to emotionally support those who came to visit the NGO as well. The staff, interns, and volunteers did a great job of doing that. For me, this looked like sitting down to talk with people from time to time as they were waiting for their appointment and giving them a chance to voice their frustrations, fears, and concerns. One time that will always be near and dear to my heart, is when it looked like me assisting several women from Congo when they were painting coasters for an event that the NGO was doing. It was a special time as some of my ancestry is from that area and although I have never been to Congo or anywhere in West Africa for that matter, spending time with them felt like spending time with my family back in my home country. Reflecting on that moment really put into a much deeper perspective of how being human unites us all on a deeper level than we realize, and it is important to not let what makes us different lead us to believe we are either inferior or superior to others. It also helped me to more fully see and understand why it is important to advocate and be there for those within our societies who as a group are often overlooked or misunderstood by others.
I’m thankful for the opportunity to have been able to work alongside this NGO and experience what I experienced and meet the people that I did and being at Ewha gave me the opportunity to do that. If you are looking for an internship opportunity and you are not finding immediate success in your ventures, do not give up. Remember that sometimes finding good things takes time and patience and just because one or several doors close doesn’t mean that different doors won’t open.
P.S – This is unrelated to the rest of the post, but because it is my last semester and there is a form I did not submit on time, I wanted to remind those in their last semester to make sure to thoroughly read all the emails from the GSIS office even when you don’t think some messages may apply to you. You don’t want to end up having to delay your graduation and the culmination of the efforts of your work over the course of the past semesters simply because you failed to read something and miss an important deadline. Best of luck in all of your future endeavors. 화이팅!
Ewha GSIS 