International Relations Student: Internship Experience at The Embassy of Islamic Republic of Pakistan
As a part of my Bachelor studies in International Relations at BINUS University, I did a four months internship program (from September until December 2017) at The Embassy of Islamic Republic of Pakistan, in Jakarta. There are 3 attaches in the embassy: the Diplomatic Wing, the Commercial Wing, and the Defense Wing. I was doing my Internship at the Diplomatic Wing of the Embassy. My main duty was to do the translation both written and spoken from English to Bahasa or from Bahasa to English. I also wrote a reports regarding international issues, attended meetings and made the minutes, conducted protocol duties, helped the consular matters and many other various tasks.
The meetings and seminars that I have participated in are: “The Power of Proximity: Enhancing Australia – Indonesia Economic Relations” in Center for Strategic and International Studies, “72nd United Nations General Assembly” High Level Week in Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The Launch Book of “Sharp-Eyed Eyes On The Forest” & “Behind The Ecosystem Crisis” in Ministry of Environment and Forestry Indonesia, “Geo-Political and Legal Development Post Permanent Court Arbitration (PCA) Award on South China Sea Dispute” by University of Indonesia, ASEAN – Pakistan Joint Sectoral Cooperation Committee (APJSCC) in ASEAN Secretariat, and other various international seminars.
During my internship program, I also translated many scripts, such as news about Pakistan in Indonesian media, invitations for The Embassy of Pakistan, and letters from Indonesian Officials for The Embassy of Pakistan. Aside from attending meetings and translations, I also wrote various reports on following themes; Indonesia – China Economic and Political Relations, The Rise of Extremism in Indonesia, ASEAN’s Role in Rohingya Conflict, West Papua Conflict in Indonesia, India – ASEAN Relations, Indonesia as Global Maritime Fulcrum and Indonesia’s Bilateral Currency Swap Arrangements (BCSA) with other countries.
Before the internship program, my knowledge of International Relations was limited and I was not used to have English conversation that often. Now, that my four months internship has over, I’ve learned a lot. All the embassy’s staffs were really friendly and understanding. I made a lot of mistakes but they were understand and supported me. I’ve become more familiar with the role of each institutions and I got acquainted with so many people from different institutions. A few weeks after I started, I was hoping for a wider variety of assignments to keep myself motivated. When I attended APJSCC, I got a chance to company the new delegates from Pakistan to help them bought various needs, I also introduced them to Indonesian culture. Being a part from Embassy of Pakistan was very precious and enriching experience for me.
Michelle Iskandar (1801421245)
International Relations Student- Bina Nusantara University
