Leaving but with Happy Memories

Leaving is always hard when your colleagues have welcomed you into their team so warmly. I fully enjoyed my time at Baptistcare and I have learned so much from all these experienced people. They were all really good at what they did and they shared that knowledge with me so generously. I could not have asked for a better placement.

I spent my last day in a tiny town Southeast of Perth - Brookton. Visiting the last aged care facility on the list and talking to the last couple of residents.

While there, I met the manager of the facility - a young man in his 20s. It was then I really started thinking about what I wanted to do with my life. He is only a few years older but he's already got so much experience under his belt. Obviously I do not intend to manage an aged care facility someday because I do not think that is anything I ever want to do but he has gotten this far in just a matter of years. If I can decide on something and actually commit to it, who knows where I can go in a few years? Meeting him has definitely got me thinking and deciding. 

During my time at Baptistcare, I definitely learned the finer points of writing from my colleague who majored in PR and Journalism. I have improved my photography and definitely my videography and I learned what makes a good interview. I learned what makes for a good feature piece and what photos make for a good editorial.

While the internship involved quite a fair bit of writing, writing is an incredibly important aspect of PR. From press releases to byline articles, I got to experience it all during this internship and my portfolio is definitely not lacking now.

Thank you Baptistcare for this amazing opportunity!

Half Done or Half Through?

 The halfway point is always bittersweet. I have been interning four days a week in attempt to catch up since I started my internship so late. My workload at work has increased since I keep asking for more things to do! I want to be able to do as much as I can during this internship because I want to experience as much as possible and to have more to show at the end of it all.

I have done more than just transcribing and planning interview questions and writing articles since the first quarter. I can only say things are definitely getting more exciting now and I am looking forward to the second half of the internship.

I had a taste of some advertisement-writing and sending out of internal emails to promote anti-poverty week. One thing I really like about Baptistcare is their desire to give back to society whenever they can. They support many initiatives and Anti-Poverty Week is just one of them. We held a food donation drive for Foodbank WA and I was glad to see many people respond to the email sent out. It warms the heart to see people caring for the less fortunate in society because we often get so caught up in our lives, we forget there are others out there who need help.

I have also started attending team meetings Monday mornings and nothing makes you feel more welcomed than knowing you are part of a team that works so cohesively.

I got to go out for interviews during the second week and I also got to see some of the aged care facilities. Some of the interviews really moved me and I was just amazed at how strong some people are and what amazing lives they lead. It makes me question what I am doing with my own life and they have inspired and motivated me.

I definitely enjoy the human interaction aspect of my job. I never thought I could work in a desk job but this may have changed my mind because I reckon I have found a good balance between both.