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EmailAgriculture, Food and Environment
Carol Berker
Organic Valley
La Farge, WI
Summer 2007
The experience
I think my best experience was after the grand opening of the distribution center. I had worked for several weeks planning the event, and while we had some serious weather-related problems (the long drought ended the night before, turning the picnic and speaking area into a mud pit), I was relieved that the event went about as smoothly as it could, and that I helped plan an event at which the governor of Wisconsin spoke.
Worst experience – A tasting event that I helped organize didn't go as smoothly. The participants all enjoyed themselves, so I think it was a success overall, but I felt terrible that everything wasn't in order.
Good advice
We didn't bring an air conditioner, so on the days when it was too hot to stay in our apartment, my husband and I would go to the movie theater and watch absolutely anything that was playing. I think we saw everything that was playing that summer.
The other discovery was the local library down the street: we spent all summer checking out DVDs to watch at home on our computer, or just hiding in there and enjoying the air conditioning. Bring someone with you! Or definitely stay with a roommate. I think I would have been lonely on my own, but I also would have gone out to more things with people.
Gretchen Miller
Island Hospital
Anacortes, WA
Summer 2007
The experience
Best Experience: Building relationships both personal and professional. Having the opportunity to make contacts in a part of the country that I hope to live someday was great. Also participating in partnership building between diverse stakeholders was a new and exciting experience.
Worst Experience: It was a very rocky start. The position was not well thought out when I arrived so it took a few weeks to really develop and get a sense of the role that I would play throughout the summer.
Good advice
Survival Tip: Get involved as much as possible in the farm stand that the hospital puts on. It's a great way to get outside and interact with the public and provides you with access to cheap/free leftover veggies. Advise: Be open to the fact that your internship may not be what you expected but if you move with the changes you can easily still have a beneficial and enjoyable experience.
Allie Quady
St. Francis House
Boston, MA
Summer 2007
The experience
My best experience at St Francis House was working in the garden with Tim in the morning. It is a great place to hang out, in the middle of the city, but surrounded by greenery. I got to know a bit about his life story and felt inspired by his positive nature.
Good advice
Be persistent and email multiple times. Also, be bold with new ideas, someone will likely appreciate them.
Food Policy and Applied Nutrition
Courtney Anderson
Niue Ministry of Health
Niue Association of NGO's
Alofi, Niue
Summer 2007
The experience
The best experience was leading the village exercise classes and seeing Niueans of all ages attend with big smiles. Niueans are wonderful people!
Worst experience living in my shack infested with huge rats and tropical crabs that tip–toe around in the night.
Good advice
Pack dried fruit if at all possible! The entire time I was in Niue, I consumed 3 papayas and a few bananas - fruits and veggies are just not around, and the things sold in the shops are extremely expensive ($4/apple) and the produce is usually rotten by the time the cargo ship reaches the country.
Secure funding, learn as much of the Niuean language as possible, and make sure that the Department of Health secures you a government house...not a rat shack, come with an open mind, be sure to get to know the ex–pat community (they are a wealth of resources and knowledge) and be very friendly and outgoing.
Mary Gibson
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)
Jaipur, Rajasthan India
Summer 2007
The experience
Best experience: Here is a note from my travel journal, on a good day:
Rainy day fun ~July 6, 2007~...I just came in from playing on the slippery marble enormous patio, I called it monsoon surfing and took videos of me and muchachos here sliding around with my flip flops. How fun to play in the rain, I love it. It was utterly refreshing. I feel great. We are in the middle of our second and final set of 8 days of 12hrs/day of data collection (plus 4 hours of data entry as soon as we get in from that day, each night), this time in the non–intervention receiving district. So for a much needed disconnect break I walked to our neighborhoods spanking new swanky basement of a still–being–built–mall new grocery store, big bazaar, to get some mangos. Of course I got sidetracked (the point of the circular structure, I think, you have to walk thru it all to get out) so I ended up buying 4 ayurvedic shampoos to sample (to dtrm which would be the best to bring as a gift to someone, right? Love my justifications :–), and a jar of nutella to surprise the girls on my data collection team on the following data collection day, 7/7/07, which is "Chocolates Day" here in India, when you gift chocolates to your dear ones, and some tamarind for my teammate who loves it and hasn't been well, and some spicy masala popcorn for myself to try.
So, naturally (pardon the pun) by the time I came outside with my big open cone of popcorns, a monsoon spot flood rain had started, so I had to traipse home thru God knows what (human and animal feces, trash of every variety, dead animals, broken glass and tile, branches, etc... in the muddy road turned river. When I at long last made it to inside our guesthouse's enclave, and yes, my dwelling is gated, the marble patio (flooded) beckoned like a big ice rink on a silver platter. I was thoroughly drenched anyway, so I embraced the moment and got all the boys, manager, and nightguard involved in my patio foot surfing. You can see soggy videos of this if you go to my myspace page and click on videos. How fun :–). What a refreshing moment from which to write, ahhhhh.
Worst experience was probably the stress of dealing with our driver's kamikaze style high risk driving for several hours every day.
Good advice
Favorite survival skill: Finding a pool in a nearby hotel to lounge in the sun, exercise, and take a much needed minibreak away from our long long work hours.
What clothes to bring: Not too many, and don't bring anything too nice that you hope to use after this trip. We bought salwar cameezes there and wore them everyday in the field. You should be prepared to wear loose fitting long pants or long skirts and long sleeved loose fitting shirts for the duration of your stay. Flip flops were my footwear of choice. How to feel secure: If you feel uncomfortable about anything, it is your responsibility to assertively voice your concern and ask for what you need until you feel secure, safe and comfortable. Polite persistence worked for me on our issues of concern, such as the driving style of our drivers. Other tips: pay attention in the following classes, and bring notes from these classes: all stats classes, monitoring and evaluation, survey research, and international nutrition programs.
Chloe Puett
BASICS
Madagascar
Summer 2007
The experience
My best experience: I was based in the capital city for my internship, and was analyzing data that had been collected in rural areas by other people. After six weeks, I was stir crazy and decided to take a trip to a southern province and get out into some villages. Seeing what a district–level health center actually looked like, and making the rounds with the local community health worker (driving through rivers and over cactus beds!) gave me a much better understanding of the logistical complexities underlying my analysis. I think my work benefited greatly from this experience, even though it was not directly related to my research.
My worst experience (and advice!): I had one particularly bad day where I had several interviews scheduled one after the other, which had me working from 6 AM until 7 PM. All of these meetings were in an unfamiliar language, and they were all on opposite sides of town from each other. I relied on food from random street vendors all day. By the middle of the day, I was exhausted and feeling ill and probably did not take advantage of the opportunities that day as much as I could have. When you're on your internship, you are adapting to a new culture and trying to make some sense out of the experience so that you can help an organization improve its work. Realize that this can put wear and tear on your body, and make a conscious commitment to take it easy on yourself! You will avoid unnecessary illness and have a much more enriching experience if you take this advice to heart.
Good advice
My favorite survival skill: I actually have no advice on what clothes to bring except that you should not assume anything! I had worked in Asia previous to this experience and brought along a minimum amount of clothes, mainly t–shirts, a couple of blouses and jeans, figuring that I would get some local clothes made by a tailor as soon as I arrived, as one does in India. Madagascar's clothing culture is very different from India's. I ended up wearing those shirts and jeans to most of my meetings, and always felt that I could have presented myself in a more professional manner.
My best survival advice is computer–related. Most Friedman interns will be traveling to an unfamiliar country with their laptop. Most developing countries have problems with electricity surges, which can be unsafe for your computer. Many people bring complicated and heavy adapter/transformer systems with them, and may need a couple for different appliances. I would highly recommend checking out this website: http://www.walkabouttravelgear.com/. It will give you information and offer products tailored to the electricity situation in any country on the planet. I especially recommend their Universal 220/250V Surge Protector Strip (find it here: http://www.walkabouttravelgear.com/surge.htm). I get an adapter plug that will fit sockets in the country I'm going to (they can advise you on that, too), which the power strip plug fits into, and I am ready to go. There are six surge–protected outlets on the strip that can fit almost any kind of appliance you would want to buy or bring from home (i.e. hairdryers, computers, iPod chargers, cell phone chargers, digital camera battery chargers), and all you need is one wall socket to plug it all into. It is brilliant and I have not seen a simpler alternative to it. Highly recommended!
Brenda Roche
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)
Jaipur, Rajasthan India
Summer 2007
The experience
Seeing India for the first time was unbelievable. Every experience was so memorable and unique - hard to choose just one. I loved the food and the culture.
Worst Experience: Having a car windshield shatter all over me was rather unpleasant. I had some qualms with the driving skills of some of the drivers that were hired for our fieldwork.
Good advice
Bring your laptop if you're going to be doing data entry. You should probably do your own data entry to detect problems early–on. Make sure you download any essential programs onto your laptop before leaving home. For instance, if you're going to be collecting anthropometric data, make sure you have WHO Anthro downloaded onto your computer beforehand. Take on as much responsibility as you can within your host organization, but also take the time to enjoy the country and the culture. Don't get too bogged down with work.
Sarah Sliwa
Integrated Development Fund (IDF) and University of Dhaka
Ramna, Dhaka Bangladesh
The experience
Best experience – Using one of our Fridays off to visit Cox's bazaar, the longest seabeach in the world. Sampling the delicious fruit of Bangladesh - no other bananas will ever taste so sweet.
Worst experience – Although summer is the most convenient time for an internship, it is also monsoon season for South Asia. Bangladesh experienced severe flooding while we were there and in the course of two days, 100 people died in Chittagong alone, largely as a result of landslides. It was emotionally exhausting to witness a tragedy like this, especially while knowing that we would be leaving and returning to our lives in the states in a matter of weeks.
Good advice
If you're traveling to South Asia during Monsoon, be prepared to surrender all of your packed belongings to mildew. Pack a flashlight, batteries, and -no matter how adventurous of an eater you are- be sure to bring some of your favorite non–perishable snacks. Lastly, double–check the shipping policies of your host country, particularly with regard to declared customs value. I paid over $200 USD to pick up a box at FedEx. (!!) The package was nice, but the bill was unquestionably the bigger surprise.
Aarati Sridharan
University of Panama
La Chorrera, Panama
Summer 2007
The experience
Best experience was going on a 3–day gira (a trip to rural parts to provide medical and other health care) with the MOH to help with a nutrition evaluation of an NGO called NutriHogar. Six people packed into an old MOH pick–up truck bouncing along the horrible dirt roads (with enormous rocks) going up and down mountains. It was painful and tiring yet exciting and an amazing learning experience.
Worst experience: Going to the bathroom in public places and being careful with food when I travel because I've got the weakest stomach.
Good Advice
Pocket Spanish/English dictionary, antibacterial wipes (normally, I would never use them, but they helped), toilet paper, cotton clothes (not your favorites, because they will get dirty). Travel with people you know until you get to know the area and particular safety issues. La Chorrera was more or less safe. People there are very protective of you, especially if you have a host family. It's easy to get to places. There's an extensive public transportation system (buses) and the cabs are inexpensive (
Try to plan what exactly you want to be doing before you get to Panama, but keep in mind that things will likely change and be amenable to that change.
Devika Suri
University of Panama/Ministry of Health
La Chorrera, Panama
Summer 2007
The experience
Best Experience: Learning to dance the Salsa, Merengue and Bachata from the local Panamanians!
Worst Experience: Having the flu in tropical heat and humidity.
Good advice
Indulging in an hour at the air–conditioned internet café and drinking a delicious Panamanian café con leche. Make friends with the locals, it will enrich your experience exponentially! Also, bring at least two ATM cards or bring travelers checks as a back–up, in you're your ATM card doesn't work for no apparent reason (as happened to me!)
Aliza Wasserman
Community Food Security Coalition
Washington DC
Summer 2007
The experience
Watching the committee webcast in bed at 1 AM when an amendment we had been working on was introduced with bipartisan support and accepted on a voice vote. Lobbying for our issues myself in several Senate leadership offices the last week of my internship and having several very experienced colleagues from other organizations tell me I did a great job.
Good advice
You need a suit, but don't worry about what you're wearing when you're not lobbying - always be prepared for disgustingly hot days in DC and remember to bring your lunch when you have four back to back meetings or conference calls in one day.
Nutrition Communication
Emily Guertin
N. Chapman Associates, Inc
Washington, DC
Summer 2007
The experience
Best experience – Being a fly on the wall at the first meeting of the Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee, which was held at the Department of Health and Human Services. This is a new committee formed to create federal physical activity guidelines similar to the dietary guidelines. Being present at such a historical meeting, I learned as much about how the dietary guidelines are determined in one day as I did from all the reading and lectures during the previous school year.
Worst experience – Finding affordable housing. I stayed in a really creepy apartment the first couple days. After that I lucked out with nice places to stay, but I had to move mid–summer because the first apartment I sublet was only available for one month.
Good Advice
The homeless population in DC is extra–friendly and uninhibited, and it is easier to ignore them if you wear headphones and sunglasses while walking down the street. I recommend renting a furnished unit. However, if the deal of a lifetime is unfurnished, I found an air mattress is a manageable alternative to a bed for a couple months. Just remember to top it off each night so you do not wake up on the floor.
Fiona Kenny
Body & Soul Omnimedia
Dr. Andrew Weil's Self–Healing Newsletter
Watertown, MA
Summer 2007
The experience
Best Experience: Having my writing edited by Dan and Cari. They took my pieces to a new level and with very simple changes made my writing more clear and concise.
Worse Experience: The commute. Watertown is not an easy place to get to from where I live in Providence so by car or commuter rail it was a 90 minute ride each way. Not such a big deal though if you already live in Boston!
Good advice
Favorite Survival Skill: At lunch, go for a walk on the bike path and enjoy the birds swimming on the Charles. It's a very pretty area. Also, there is a phenomenal sandwich shop called The Meat Shoppe a few blocks away from the office - so fresh!
Advice for future interns: Listen and learn from how your work is edited.
Emily Kuross
Boston Children's Museum
Boston, MA
Summer 2007
The experience
Best experience: Having the opportunity to teach after school program instructors some basics on nutrition and teaching nutrition to children.
Worst experience: Sitting in long, drawn out, high–tension budget meetings.
Good advice
Favorite survival skill: Learning to tune out all of the screaming and general hullabaloo in the background. If you do educational programming in a museum, you have to learn to take a lot of rejection. Frequently people have no interest in participating in your program; they just want to play in the exhibits. It's not you, so don't feel bad.
Sarah Murphy
Porter Novelli
Washington DC
Summer 2007
The experience
The best experience of my internship was the ability to see how the skills I have learned at Tufts work in a "real world" setting. It was enlightening to see how a PR firm operates and where nutrition fits in.
Good advice
Be sure and bring walking shoes to change into to commute and a large water bottle. It is a city on a swamp after all and the heat will wear you down! But don't let it because there is too much fun to be had! DC is the land of the happy hour and schmoozing an art form in the city. Find alumni associations, your state society, political events, capitol hill receptions, etc... Take advantage of the networking opportunities, not to mention the free food and drink!!
Allison Parker
The International Food Information Council (IFIC)
Washington, DC
Summer 2007
The experience
My best experience is hard to decide. I think it would have to be the "Lunch–n–Learn" and the positive feedback that I received from doing the presentation for the office. It gave me the opportunity to utilize my communication skills on a topic of interest to me and the office.
The worst experience was the communication channels, but this may not always be the case. IFIC was in a time of transition with the technology in the office, and because of this I was not able to get my own IFIC email address nor was I able to be included on the office wide emails, leading me to not know about office wide announcements. Overall this was a tolerable problem and nothing that should defer anyone from pursuing an internship at IFIC.
Good advice
Get involved, attend meetings, ask for projects that you might want, and network as much as you can. For housing I was lucky with craigslist.com and it's relatively easy to find a place because DC is made for the summer intern. The only thing to be prepared for - if you aren't used to heat and humidity - DC gets HOT! Make sure you find a place to live with AC.
If you don't ask, you'll never know - so if you are interested in something or someone in your office, they will likely be willing to help you out. Have lunch with your coworkers, and if possible the head of the organization, ask them about how they got where they are and learn as much as you can. It's a great experience and can lead to much more!
Diana Raab
Market Analytics, Pfizer Inc.
Brookline, MA
Summer 2007
The experience
I had many amazing experiences at Pfizer; however, the work that I conducted was up there with the best: it was exciting, interesting, and enabled me to learn a great deal.
Worst experience – being delayed in Charlotte, North Carolina, and so sleeping only 4 hours before a full day of in–depth–interviews.
Good advice
Keep exercising despite long hours and being tired. Because the internship was stressful and demanding (I can count on my hands the number of times I left the office before 6:00, despite getting in at 8:30), the gym is what kept me sane. Remain upbeat and talk to as many people as possible while you intern, to learn about their experiences and backgrounds.
Brierley Wright
Eating Well Media Group
Charlotte, Vermont
Summer 2007
The experience
I have two best experiences. The fact that my work is or will be published (and some with bylines!). I brought my dog to work with me everyday.
The worst experience – It's absolutely trivial in the grand scheme of things, but I wish my office were in the same part of the building as the magazine editorial department and the other interns.
Good advice
When in doubt, ask questions! Put yourself out of your comfort zone. Whether it's the location of your internship or a project your supervisor asks you to take on, chances are it will be worth it both personally and professionally.
