Life of a Chinese girl student in UK: tasteful and exciting

Internship experience

In the morning, commuters from all parts of London flock to the subway stations. They are still sleepy. However, Zhao Meng, an intern at the International Department of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is energetic. She is heading for the Bush House.

"Beautiful pictures of our Christmas party now appear at the corridor of our office and I am in the pictures," Zhao Meng said excitedly. "Under the guidance of our editor-in-chief, I have gotten familiar with the work flow and I have visited all the departments of the BBC. The long history and rich humanistic flavor of the Bush House has surprised me."

After Zhao learned more about the different departments, the editor-in-chief told her that she would be dispatched to BBC's English Language Teaching Department, an area with which many Chinese students are familiar. "Since I watched the BBC's English teaching video, titled "Muzzy," for the first time in the 1990s I cannot survive without English. I have never learned "silent English" and practiced "exam tactics." So, I have remain interested in English today," Zhao said.

Early on, Zhao faced a big challenge--interviewing the main performers from the Chinese Classic Folk Music New Year's Concert in London.

"Some of my friends thought the dialogue between me and the concert-goers was very interesting. But in fact, there was a Brazilian composer who attended the concert that could hardly speak English. Of course, I did not know this in advance. So, after I asked him a question, I looked at him hopefully, and he looked at me helplessly," Zhao said.

After looking at each other for a while, Zhao suddenly realized that she might have made a mistake. So, she asked the composer: "where are you from?" "Brazil," he replied.

Later, they talked in Spanish, a language with which neither of them were familiar. The Brazilian composer told her: "do not worry, I have understood all your questions and your interview will be a success if you were able to understand my responses.” The interview taught Zhao the importance of advance communication and preparation.

After completing her first report, Zhao took it to the editor-in-chief. To her disappointment, after glancing at the report, the editor-in-chief asked: "are you sure there are no misspelled words in here and you properly illustrated it and posted it on the Internet? "What the editor-in-chief said confused Zhang and she asked: "do I have to serve as a reporter and editor?" The editor-in-chief responded: "at the BBC, everyone must be able to do all the work and be responsible for the quality of his/her reports." Feeling shocked, Zhao immediately checked and revised the article. Then, she posted it on the Internet.

Zhao Meng has learned much from her internship experience: "everyone in the office sets a rigorous standard for his/her work. An editor-in-chief responsible for polishing Hong Hong-related news reports begins to work at 5:00 am every day so as to make up for the delay caused by time difference. After polishing all articles relating to Asia-Pacific in the morning, he has to handle news reports concerning Britain during the day and at night," said Zhao Meng.

"The high standards and strict requirements enable me to make progress every day and I feel that my life is colorful and exciting. With all the goals I have attained, I am now closer to realizing my dreams. I know that today's experience will make my future life more wonderful," said Zhao Meng.