The Highs and Lows of My Internship Experience, by Mercedes Wright

As our time in Accra comes to a close, I thought it would be appropriate to take a trip down memory lane with some of the highs and lows of my internship. Unfortunately, my time was cut short due to personal reasons, but there were some pretty surreal moments over the course of my employment there that have helped me grow professionally.

I’ve decided to compile a list of my highs and lows because let’s face it- no job is ever perfect but it’s nice to look back on the experience as a whole to see how far you’ve come.

I’m going to start with the lows first because I love to always end with the positives.

Low- The Traffic

I’ve mentioned this in a previous blog post that the traffic in Accra is unmatched. My internship which was 3 miles away, took an hour to get to in the heat of Accra traffic. Some days it felt like I was in the Uber ride longer than I was at the internship.

Low – Internship Catering

Don’t get me wrong, I am the first person to graciously accept free food under most circumstances, but my meals at work mainly consisted of chicken, a gravy of some sort, and jollof rice. After eating basically, the same thing for four weeks, it’s easy to get tired of it quickly.

High- Auntie Alice the Mango Lady

Around 10 a.m. every morning was my favorite part of the day because it meant that I could have my morning pick me up of freshly cut mango. This woman named Alice would walk into our office and list her fruit supply for that morning. The variety changed every day, but what remained consistent were the mangoes. It goes without saying that I’ve had some of the best fruit of my life while in Accra and Auntie Alice’s mangoes are no exception. For just five cedis I could escape the world for a little bit and taste the sweetness of the mango. Since ending my internship, I’ve tasted mangoes from other fruit stands and honestly, none compare to Auntie Alice’s.

High- Professional Exposure

From the first day of my internship, I was thrust into the professional world. One day on the job was never the same as the next. On Tuesday I could be working on a press release for MTN and on Wednesday be attempting (emphasis on the attempting) to write financial reports for some of the largest banks in Ghana. My biggest “pinch me” moment was being able to attend the stakeholders meeting for MTN Mobile. I was definitely the least important person in the room, but I got to listen to some of the most powerful figures in the country speak about the future of mobile services. Also, I got free food which is always a bonus in my book!

I am incredibly grateful to have been able to experience my first ever internship while studying abroad. The skills that I have been able to acquire while being here are ones that I will take with me for the entirety of my professional career.

Here are some of my favorite photos from my time at my internship.