Greetings from Norway!
My time at UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) has officially come to an end, and I am writing this blog today from a campervan in the fjords of Norway. After completing my internship, my fiancé and I decided to meet in Bergen, where we started our nature escape vacation prior to my return for a busy fall.
The second half of my summer internship was even better than the first. Although the weather in July was horribly grey and rainy, August brought beautiful warm weather and long, sunny days (like May and June). In general, I felt much more at peace in Hamburg after having some time to settle in.
I also largely credit my higher satisfaction with the arrival of another intern at UIL, Praveeni, in my final weeks. As the only interns in an otherwise somewhat lonely office (as mentioned in my previous blog, many colleagues were on leave, on mission, and/or working remotely), we grew very close in a short amount of time. Some of the highlights of our time together include a sunset sailboat ride on my last night in Hamburg, an afternoon digging through the UIL publications reserves, and a dinner night where she taught me how to cook Sri Lankan food.
The work continued to pick up pace as I supported the Global Network of Learning Cities’ (GNLC) 2025 application cycle. My primary task was reviewing received applications in English and French, uploading and organizing the information within our internal database, and communicating with the cities and UNESCO National Commissions regarding any missing documentation. It was a rewarding project to be part of, as I was able to contribute greatly to the team and learn about local lifelong learning efforts around the world. Language learning is also a very important professional goal of mine, so I appreciated the opportunity to use my French.
In addition to the GNLC application cycle, I assisted my supervisor with creating a Powerpoint presentation for a conference this fall on her upcoming research publication on digital skills for older adults. I also spent much of my time networking with my teammates during 1:1 Teams meetings and coffee chats. This was a really great way to get to know my team better and helped me develop what I believe to be a strong international network that I can call on for future collaboration as a forever friend of UIL.
At the end of my internship, my supervisor welcomed me to her home for dinner with her mother, husband, and daughter. Her mother cooked a delicious vegetarian-friendly Chinese meal for me, and we enjoyed good conversation, such as the future of lifelong learning and cultural differences between our countries and Germany. I also spent the evening playing a German board game with her daughter, and then took a stroll around the neighborhood community garden before I left. This was an extremely generous and kind gesture from my supervisor, and a great way for me to feel the sense of community that I had been looking for since arriving in Hamburg.
In my free time, I took several trips, big and small. For my golden birthday, I met some friends in Mallorca, Spain (a real German holiday!) for a long weekend in the sun. One of those friends also joined me in Berlin for a weekend, where we learned all about Germany’s very interesting history and how it relates to the strong alternative culture that we see today. I absolutely loved Berlin and plan to come back again in the future. Lastly, I took a day trip to the small town of Lüneberg, which is only 40 minutes away from Hamburg by train (and free, thanks to the Deutschland pass). The architecture was absolutely stunning and unique, unlike anything I had ever seen before. While Hamburg certainly has older, more traditional looking buildings, it is the second largest city in Germany, and it feels quite big and modern. Lüneberg was exactly what I had pictured when I thought about old German towns, and I am very grateful that I made the time to experience that before I left. It was nice to be so conveniently located to so many beautiful places this summer.
As I look back on my time in Hamburg, I feel much gratitude and appreciation for my experience. While I am not walking away with any new hard skills necessarily, the internship with UIL has been transformative in many other ways. It has helped me diversify my professional experiences and interests and expanded my professional network. It has offered me the opportunity to exercise diplomacy and communication in a highly professional and international setting. It taught me so much more about the UN systems, and subsequently, how I might fit into it one day. And finally, I learned so much more about myself than I ever could have imagined. Through the trials and triumphs, I have grown so much as a person and as an educator. I am leaving Europe with a clearer vision of who I am, who I want to become, and how to get there. I am so grateful for all the wonderful people I have met and all the wonderful places I have visited which have helped me along the way with this process.
Megan is a Master’s candidate in International Education at the George Washington University, with a focus on inclusive education in emergencies. Her work and research focus primarily on refugee education, youth development, and community-based non-formal learning.