This summer with help from the Go Abroad Fund I had the opportunity to experience an internship in Armenia. This internship program was organised by Armenia Volunteer Corps which paired me with a renewable energy company (for two days a week) and a waste management NGO (for three days a week).  Before this internship, I had little work experience nor had I put in much thought into my future career plans. Now however, after this amazing experience things are a lot clearer.

Before arriving in Armenia, I flew into Tbilisi in Georgia and travelled around Georgia and Azerbaijan for two weeks; From Tbilisi I took a night train to the oil rich Baku – capital of Azerbaijan – and surrounding tourist attractions. My next stop was Sheki a small town in the North West of the country, the cooler weather was a delightful change from the 42^oC heat. I travelled back to Tbilisi in Georgia by bus, before making my way to the mountains. Once there I hiked to a glacier, something I found fascinating. While travelling, I fell in love with Georgia and Azerbaijan, and with these countries beautiful scenery and amazing food. I am very thankful for the chance to explore these countries.

Full of nerves and excitement I then caught a bus from Tbilisi to my new home for the next month – Yerevan the capital of Armenia. I was met at the bus station by my host family which I would be staying with. My host family were a young Armenian couple with a 5-year-old son that lived in an apartment on the outskirts of the city.

The renewable energy company wanted me to analyse data and research aspects of geology, topography, access, environment and electricity grid access to plan a potential wind park in Armenia. For someone who had considered being an environmental consultant this was the perfect opportunity to explore this job prospect. While the waste management company asked me to make educational resources for adults and children to teach them how to recycle and be more sustainable. Overall, I loved both of my work placements, all of my colleagues were lovely and wanted to ensure that I had the best time in Armenia – they made me feel very welcome. Both of these placements were areas of work that I now could see myself doing as future careers

Aside from my internship I got involved with activities ran by the corporation that I was volunteering with such as Armenian language classes, museum visits and even a Q&A session with the Ministry of Defence allowing me to meet with a diverse range of people. At the weekends there were also trips to tourist destinations through the Armenian Volunteer Corps, to places like Gyumri and Lake Sevan with other volunteers. While I also organised my own trips to places that interest me such as archaeological sites and to climb the southern peak of Mt Aragats.

After my month in Armenia I am extremely impressed by what I can achieve in such a short time and I’ll defiantly be back again.