Hi everyone! My name is Hareena, I’m from Troy, Michigan, and I’m a rising junior at Penn. I’m in the College of Arts and Sciences, majoring in Biological Basis of Behavior and minoring in Health Care Management. This summer, I’m interning at the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) in Gurgaon, India.
One of the local open malls in Gurgaon
I am writing this post after finishing my first day at PHFI, and I’m nervous but excited to see what the next 10 weeks has in store. Going abroad in an academic or professional capacity has been on my college bucket list, so I’m thrilled about being in India this summer. My family is from India, so I’m looking forward to exploring new places and aspects of Indian culture, hopefully doing some weekend traveling with my co-intern, Varshini, and getting to interact with everyone at PHFI to learn more about public health in India, and diabetes in particular. My project this summer is to help further develop a diabetes awareness program in schools. Part of this goal includes working on a social media campaign platform to promote diabetes awareness in students, and I’m curious to see what the end product will look like.
As my first day at PHFI is wrapped up, I have both a clearer picture of what my work will be like and also a deeper curiosity about how this internship experience will unfold. From navigating possible differences in the workplace environment to navigating the streets of India, I hope it’ll all be an amazing adventure.
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Awesome post, Hareena! I’m curious as to how your project will turn out to be by the end of 10 weeks!
Thanks, Judy!
Excited to hear more about your work this summer! How do you like the city so far?
Thanks Veena! I like it so far, there’s a ton of malls, shops, and eating places that we want to explore!
That’s a great introduction. I look forward to reading more about your Indian experience.
Your project sounds really cool! Any pre-departure tips?
Thanks! One thing that helped me was to try to adapt to Indian time during the plane journey, so when you arrive, jet lag is minimal and you’re able to go out, explore, and orient yourself 🙂 And bring loose cotton clothing!