Carmela Alia studies Mechanical Engineering at Imperial College in London. She hails from Italy and began work at Minconsult Sdn Bhd on 1st August 2011.

One day, I attended a Malaysia Day festival at my university and was immediately mesmerised and fascinated by the Malaysian dance performances and the music. That sparked my interest and desire to explore Malaysia. Furthermore, I have always wanted to travel to Asia and Malaysia with its mixture of culture and fascinating environment sounded the perfect place for me. The MEF Young European Internship Programme seemed the perfect chance for me to fulfil my dream. My desire to go to Malaysia was so strong that I even booked and paid for my ticket even before receiving an official offer from Minconsult! Being in Malaysia and interning at Minconsult has been a dream come true. Not only have I experienced amazing experiences in every aspect, but I have also grown professionally and personally. Most of all though, I have been given the opportunity to meet so many beautiful and kind people – their hospitality and friendliness has left me with so many beautiful memories. Coming to Malaysia has been one of the greatest experiences of my life.

Having completed her internship in Malaysia, Carmela has now returned to Europe. This is her story and she shares about what she learned and how she benefitted from participating in The MEF Young European Internship Programme:

All I can say is that my experience in Malaysia was just great. Not only did I work in a friendly environment, but I also gained valuable work experience for my future. I managed to explore Malaysia’s beautiful culture and it was very easy adapting in Malaysia, as I met so many kind people during my stay in Kuala Lumpur.

When I arrived in Kuala Lumpur, I stayed with a friend for 3 days but I quickly found a room to rent. I lived with an Iranian couple who made me feel very comfortable and soon I grew very close to them.

Ever since I was young, my dream had always been to rent a superbike and explore an Asian country. In Malaysia, this dream came true. I rented a BMW GS650 cc and a Moto Guzzi 750cc motorbike and travelled to Negeri Sembilan on two occasions: the first time to visit Port Dickson and the second time to visit a factory in a Felda oil palm plantation. After renting the motorbike, I was offered a job in a well-known garage called “Two Wheels Garage’, which is close to Batu Tiga. I worked there once a week and was taught how to fix motorbikes.

During my internship, I visited most of Kuala Lumpur and learnt about its history by visiting the National Museum. The city has beautiful sights and I visited the Bird Park, Batu Caves, Little India, the Golden Triangle, the Petronas Twin Towers and also Chinatown. I made so many good friends and had a chance to play paint ball in the jungle. I also watched so many movies, attended Indian dancing shows and I particularly enjoyed tasting all the different varieties of food Malaysia had to offer.

My internship in Malaysia was truly an amazing experience which I will always treasure.

Manon Anje Hendrika Eikelenboom's internship in Kuala Lumpur is coming to an end and she will soon return to the Netherlands. These are her thoughts:

5 months in KL have already passed and it really went too fast! I had a really good time in Malaysia. I met so many nice people and gained a lot of useful experience during my stay. Kenny Rogers Roasters was a real nice company to work in and I haven’t regretted coming here at all. I am totally adapted to the Malaysian culture now and I can’t imagine being back home. I am really going to miss the food, the people, the weather, the landscape and the fact that everyone is really laid-back. I will definitely look back on these 5 months with a smile and I am definitely coming back to Malaysia as soon as possible!

Ischa Harnam attends the Rotterdam Business School and is studying for a degree in International Business and Management Studies. She too, along with Manon, is carrying out her internship at Berjaya’s Kenny Rogers Roasters.

I have always wanted to do an internship in Malaysia as Malaysia always came to mind whenever I thought of Asia. My course also has a very international flavour so I really wanted to gain experience working in a different business culture. Malaysia, being famous for its melting pot of cultures, along with its beautiful beaches and shopping malls, was therefore the perfect place for an internship. A friend recommended The MEF Young European Internship Programme and I am very grateful that through the MEF, I got the opportunity to come to Malaysia and am now interning at Kenny Rogers Roasters. I am really happy to be in Malaysia – the people are very kind and the food is delicious! My work mates have been very kind and working in Kenny Rogers Roasters makes me feel as if I am part of one big happy family. I have been made to feel so comfortable and truly at home. Being here in Malaysia has been such an amazing experience and I am truly enjoying my time here.

Marian Herold studies Business Administration & Engineering at the University of Applied Sciences HTW Berlin. He begins his internship at Minconsult on 3rd October.

I fell in love with Kuala Lumpur in 2010 when I was here on a vacation. The tagline ‘Malaysia Truly Asia’ was what I really experienced – the smiling people, the traditional customs, delicious food and many beautiful spots. Besides the gleaming 21st century glass skyscrapers, Malaysia boasts a number of beaches, mountains and national parks. I realised then that in order to get to know Malaysia better, I would have to return. I found out about the Malaysia-Europe Forum through a friend of mine who shared the same passion for Malaysia as I did. The day I departed for Kuala Lumpur I was well prepared – I had done my reading, was vaccinated and equipped with a visa. When I arrived I was so excited and enthusiastic and couldn’t wait to mingle with the joyful people. However, I have had to get used to the humid climate and the pollution and current haze compared to home. I am looking forward to beginning my internship and also to further discovering more of ‘Malaysia Truly Asia’, both at work and during my leisure time.

Gulsun Bakir comes from Turkey. She is studying for a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering, majoring in International Logistics Management at Reutlingen University. She is interning at Kontena Nasional and reported for work on 17th August.

I chose to do my internship in Malaysia as I was fascinated with Asian culture and wanted to explore it further and Kuala Lumpur being at the heart of south-east Asia was the perfect place to do so. Malaysia’s unpredictable weather, the rich selection of spicy food and the huge shopping malls have all made a significant impression on me. I am also impressed with the many different cultural varieties Malaysia has to offer. Apart from meeting Malays, Indians and Chinese, I am impressed with Malaysia’s international cultural diversity with the Africans, Indonesians, Arabs and other nationalities all living harmoniously together in Malaysia. Assimilating at work and in society has been very smooth and happened really quickly. It is like a big happy family here and I can definitely say that it has been one of the best decisions of my life to come to Malaysia.

Franziska Müller is doing a German-Danish Double Bachelor of Leisure and Tourism Management at the Europe University Viadrina in Frankfurt. Having secured at internship at the Malaysian Biotechnology Corporation, she started work on 19th September.

I first visited Malaysia in 2009 for a study trip and back then, I promised myself that I would definitely return. I am fascinated by how vibrant Kuala Lumpur is and how colourful Malaysia is. The people are charming and their culture, whilst so different from Europe, is just so enjoyable. I found out about The MEF Young European Internship Programme whilst doing some research over the internet. My preparation to come here included preparing the right documentation to obtain a visa, vaccinations, identifying accommodation, buying work clothes etc. When I returned to Kuala Lumpur, it felt like I had been away for just a short while. Everything seemed so familiar and I am keen to further explore and learn more about Malaysia. I have not started my internship yet but I have already checked out where my company, Biotech Corporation, is and I am I touch with the HR department on site. I am looking forward to the international and intercultural aspects of my internship and am excited about the experiences and insights I will gain.

Kirsty Ann May Brown is from East Yorkshire in the UK and studied law at Newcastle University. She is currently undergoing an internship at MMC and began her internship in November 2011, for a duration of 3 months.

Having made the seemingly simple decision to fly half way across the world to undertake an internship in Kuala Lumpur, I had high hopes for both the internship and for Malaysia itself, neither of which has failed to deliver. With weekends at my disposal I have had plenty of time to explore the city of Kuala Lumpur and immerse myself in Malaysian culture.

The vast amounts of internet based researched combined with stories from my Grandma (a previous resident in Kuala Lumpur) gave me a strong preconception of Malaysia as a colorful and vibrant country which embraces its cultural diversity. Almost three months later, I consider this description to be remarkably accurate. With the variety of different cultures comes a variety of celebrations. I was lucky enough to celebrate Christmas, New Year and Chinese New Year during my stay in Malaysia. Seeing the extravagant decorations and fireworks and being part of the energetic street celebrations it becomes impossible not to get swept up in the party.

Still recovering from my jetlag and struggling a little with the humidity I was a little apprehensive about my first day of work at MMC. Any difficulties however soon faded as I was met by a member of HR and introduced to the legal department, where I was made to feel very welcome. I have been involved in the day to day work of the legal department and as a result have gained a detailed insight into the types of legal issues commercial companies are faced with. Seeing the similarities and differences between Malaysian and English law is something which I have found to be particularly interesting. Coming to the end of the internships I feel much more confident in my abilities and firmly believe that the experience will be of invaluable benefit to me in my future career development.

I can honestly say that from the moment I accepted the internship position I have had no regrets about my decision. The people have enhanced my experience considerably showing kindness and generosity. The hospitality in Malaysia is second to none. Waking up each morning to see the impressive line of sky scrapers fronted by the infamous Petronas Towers, with the mountains in the distance is a view I will never tire of and one which I will miss greatly. I feel incredibly lucky to have been given the opportunity to experience life and work in such a wonderful country with such wonderful people.

Pedro Castro hails from Portugal and is currently undergoing his internship at Minconsult. Having graduated with a M.Sc in Structural Engineering from the University of Manchester in the UK, he started work in Kuala Lumpur on 3rd October 2011. This is his story.

I came to Malaysia after I finished my MSc in Structural Engineering and I was very much looking forward to the cultural interchanges that Malaysia is famous for. Having never been to Asia, I was really excited. When I landed at the airport in Kuala Lumpur, I found the heat and humidity unbelievable. However, Malaysia made me feel so welcome and the scenery and landscapes are very impressive. The Malaysian people are also genuine, warm, friendly and very laid back. The food is also amazing and almost as good as Portuguese food. My advice to anyone considering an internship in Malaysia is to just come and enjoy yourself.

Ieva Ivanauskaitė has a Bachelor of Economics from Vilnius University in Lithuania. She began her internship at Kenny Rogers Roasters International in Malaysia on 8th February 2012.

Before coming to Malaysia, I was an exchange student in South Korea and by the end of the semester realised that my attachment to Asia was so strong that I couldn’t just go back home. That was when I remembered a friend mentioning about The MEF Young European Internship Programme. I started researching about it, got more and more interested and eventually ended up participating in it.

Asia is completely different from the western world and Malaysia is probably one of the best destination choices to make because of the level of its development, the multicultural environment, and, of course, the eternal summer.

I arrived in Kuala Lumpur in December 2011 and immediately fell in love with the food, the hospitality of its locals and the cozy atmosphere of the city. I was determined to return. Fortunately, my job interview went well and by being offered an internship here in Kuala Lumpur, I was able to turn that wish into reality.

I’ve been working in Kuala Lumpur for almost one month now and can say that even though I have visited many Asian cities, KL remains my favorite. And yes, it’s ALL about the food. Since Malaysia is so cosmopolitan, you can choose pretty much anything - either it is Malay food, Chinese food or Indian food. The climate is also completely different from what we are used to in Europe. A word of advice though: even though the sky may be clear, an umbrella in a bag is always a good option because it may suddenly start pouring with rain, out of the blue, and be over as quickly as it started. Nevertheless, I love it, particularly as it is so good to go out in the evening knowing that you don’t need to wear a jacket as you’ll never get cold.

I believe the Malaysian hospitality is what has made me feel so comfortable and really enjoy my internship. My colleagues greet me with smile, they are always there to help if any questions arise and they’re also keen to learn about my country and culture (Lithuania) as well as to educate me more on Malaysia. “Is everything alright?” has become a common question now.

Kenny Rogers Roasters International is also a very international company, operating in most Southeast Asian countries, the Middle East, USA and is constantly expanding. Since this is closely related to my area of study and interests, I am really glad to have a chance to be able to personally add to the growth of a global business.

I highly recommend participating in the MEF Young European Internship Programme. Give up any doubts which may be present, take a chance and enjoy this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Unless you are planning to go on a diet!

Dassise Dzellat hails from Paris and is studying for a M.Sc in Financial Management at University Paris X. He began work at Malaysia’s Land Public Transport Commission [SPAD] in April 2012.

Malaysian people are so open-minded, the food is amazing and the country is just perfect for enjoying good travelling. You can’t get bored here! I also love my work at SPAD and I couldn't have asked for a better internship. I feel lucky to be here and as I said to my friends, Malaysia is the place to be at. I feel like I’m at home, even though I am actually abroad. You don’t want to leave this place, you just want to enjoy it!!!