In March 2019, when the Ivey Global Lab project assignments were announced, I found out that I was going to be working in my own homeland, to gain an international experience! It seemed very strange then, and it still does! I was going with a Digital Marketing company called iQuanti in the city of Bengaluru in South India. Having had completed 3 internships in the same city in the past, I thought I would hardly get to experience anything new, but oh, was I wrong! The minute I landed in Nagpur (my hometown), I was greeted by the hot, gusty, dry winds. After an almost 40-hour flight, I expected to feel exhausted but instead of that, I felt a boost of strength, strangely. My short stay at home gave me a much-needed break, and I landed in Bengaluru, feeling completely invigorated.
I started work at iQuanti on the 13th of May. Throughout the internship, the responses and reactions of my teammates—be it comments about the number of cows on the streets, or the workspace environment, or the weather, or even the nightlife and the prices—gave me a sense of what I should expect when I go to a country whose economy is not as vast and fastly growing as that of India’s. My teammates and I were briefed about our projects on our first day, and I got to know that I probably would get to see some, if not most, of my recommendations, be put into practice over the course of my internship! All in all, our first week ended on a high note, with all 4 of us, i.e. my teammates and I having pretty high expectations – in terms of personal learning and growth – from this internship.
My Farewell (Gag) Gift
Over the next couple of weeks, I made some new friends, who were extremely welcoming and even gave me “a farewell gift”! We also discovered that employees at iQuanti were pretty flexible with timings. As I have worked with a start-up company in India before, this was not at all surprising to me, but what was fascinating was seeing my teammates adhere to the typical Canadian working hours. Before IGL, I thought that I would prefer a full-time job that followed to general 9-to-5 rule, but I came to understand that I was actually accommodating when it came to working hours. Another thing that I discovered about myself was that I would prefer to work in a company like iQuanti, one that was in the “Growth phase,” more than a company that was just starting out or a company that had been in existence since a long time.
Having lived in India for all my life, I was obviously not expecting to undergo a culture shock during my time in Bangalore. However, witnessing my fellow classmates experience it was quite interesting! Even though my “foreign” classmates were apprehensive about certain things related to food and hygiene, they were not at all fastidious, perhaps because of the vast variety of cuisines served by the thousands of restaurants in Bangalore. In fact, most of the Bangalore squad loved Indian food. Watching my teammates eat rice and curry with their hands in an authentic South Indian restaurant, whereas I myself was using a spoon and a fork, was really amusing! And this wasn’t the first time I realized how well had they adjusted to my culture in a very short period of time. General cleanliness was not an issue for anyone as the hotel that we had been put up in was immaculate. However, I didn’t hear anyone complain about the dirty streets and the poor garbage disposal and sewage systems in the city – issues that I myself have with the city.
Despite the fact that overall, I had a good experience, I did face a rough patch at work, when my weekly meetings with my mentor had to be rescheduled twice in a row. I found myself hoping that my work was appreciated and could actually impact the organization I was working for. I also realized that I had been keen on learning a lot more, past the beginner stages, owing to the aforementioned Content Marketing internships that I had completed. Nevertheless, I remained positive and today, I can proudly say that this internship has made me confident that I can get a full-time job in the field of Content Marketing, which is something that I genuinely enjoy.
When my week 8 “Check-In” with my manager finally took place, she pointed out those recommendations that had been incorporated by iQuanti and even asked me to include the final templates in my final presentation to clearly portray the impact that my work has had on the product launch! I could not have asked for a better mentor – she was really responsive and helpful throughout the internship and clarified every question that I had, regardless of whether or not it was related to the project. The kindness of our supervisors made me understand the importance of having good superiors at work. Once I start a full-time job, I’d be spending a majority of my waking hours at work, and an unwholesome work environment could take a toll on anyone’s mental health.
When it was time for our final presentation on the 3rd of July, I felt nervous yet at ease. I’d worked on this project, all by myself for the last 8 weeks, so I felt oddly attached to it. Even though my client had already said some words of praise during our last weekly review the previous day, I was eager to learn what everyone else thought not only my recommendations, but also the methodologies and the thought process involved in getting the results. I was extremely pleased when I received positive comments and feedback from the IGL committee. The feeling of content was unbelievably empowering and inspiring!
Thus, overall, the work aspect of my Ivey Global Lab was most definitely, satisfying. Besides submitting deliverables that – hopefully – exceeded my client’s expectations, I was able to draw some conclusions about my own expectations from a workplace and a full-time job, which will definitely be helpful, especially now when recruitment season is just around the corner! Although balancing work, my social life and some personal tasks was slightly challenging initially, soon, I began to comprehend the fact that I had to make the most of my summer. Once I set my mind to it, it was not very difficult getting into a desirable routine. As I started to cope up with my new routine, the significance of mental well-being was highlighted yet again, and so, I have decided to take up yoga, and this is one thing that I really owe to my IGL experience.
From the day we got our project options to my last day at iQuanti and the IGL farewell dinner, I have undergone a gamut of emotions, through which I have been able to get to know myself better. I honestly did not imagine that I would embark upon such a journey. I thought it will be just another internship, but IGL surprised me by having an international touch to it that even I, an Indian citizen, got to experience. In the end, I’m glad I got to come back to Bangalore, I’m grateful for the time I got to spend with my family and friends, and I’m appreciative of the effort put in by my iQuanti family, including Anwesha and Vishal. Most of all, I’m thankful for having had the time to discover myself just a bit more, right before the most crucial time of my life begins.
