Our interviewer asked Ms. Friederike K., a student of geoecology from University of Potsdam, about her Myanmar internship experience at an organic farm around Yangon.
Why did you choose to engage in this experience program and were you happy with the support ?
I am very interested in tropical-sustainable agriculture and I am always eager to learn about different cultures. When I got the offer for this internship I immediately knew that this was what I was looking for.
I was happy with the support. Whenever I had questions they were answered very quickly.
Can you please describe a typical day at the farm for you?
My day started at 8:30 with class. During class I answered questions, helped with groupwork or taught myself. We talked about topics like erosion, river regulation, permaculture, risks of coal mining and renewable energy. The lessons were in Burmese and English. Class finished at 3pm. From 3:30 till 5pm we worked on the fields where we watered the plants, harvested, built new beds or fixed the chicken house. Afterwards it was time for Badminton or Volleyball!
How can you apply what you are doing at the farm to your studies?
I learned a lot about the daily struggles of Burmese farmers. Just to name one example: Burmese farmers have to change the structure of the beds depending on the change of dry season to rainy season, otherwise the rain would wash away the soil.
I also learned a lot about Permaculture, a practice that is not very common in Germany.
What was your best experience?
The best experience was ‘Peasants day’. We had to get up very early and went to the Yangon to celebrate. I got to know everyone even better and it was a lot of fun!
Why would you recommend Myanmar Experiences Center?
It was great to know that there were people I could trust and rely on. This made me feel very secure.
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