The possibilities presented by Connect-123 to come to work in Cape Town were too good to turn down. They were able to provide a number of various interning opportunities which appealed to my interests, but the one that attracted me the most was that an economic policy institute. Prior to my arrival in South Africa, Connect made everything as easy as possible, from arranging accommodation to answering endless questions concerning visas, security and a whole lot more. From then on, my internship took a number of extremely interesting twists and turns which gave me huge levels of responsibility and meant that no two days were ever the same. My first day, for example, led to the highly unexpected pleasure of being flown to Johannesburg a mere 2 hours after first arriving in the office to act as translator for a delegation of Congolese politicians – you would be surprised how well GCSE French can serve you! In addition, I was given the chance to travel all over South Africa interacting with all sorts of people, from politicians to some of the poorest residents of the townships. I was able to contribute to a variety of reports that were submitted to government of South Africa, as well as coming into contact with politicians from Iraq and Namibia. My internship ended as dramatically as it began when I was flown to Uganda to work as a consultant to the Department of Social Affairs for a week. My only disappointment was the last-minute cancellation of a trip to the province of Limpopo as we had not been able to get permission from the local chiefs to enter their land – don’t ask!! Overall, my internship offered me opportunities to make an impact in all kinds of areas that I would never have been able to find anywhere else. Needless to say, my 4 month experience has boosted my CV a great deal by getting real, hands-on work experience with a high degree of responsibility, and the fact that it was all done overseas in an completely different environment only made it all more fulfilling. Added to this, the support facilities on offer from Connect meant that settling in was very easy, and there was always a huge group of interns on hand for long weekends or late nights, so there was never a dull moment. Testament to the success of the programme has been the fact that some interns have even been able to turn temporary positions into full-time jobs – I couldn’t recommend Connect-123 more highly.