Between October and December 2014 I interned with APCI teaching, training and working in Communications. One of the best things about interning at ACPI is that you really feel like you are part of the family. It was my first time in India but almost instantly I felt completely at home. All my colleagues were more than happy to give me a hand getting used to the culture and the local area but they also included me in all of their social events. Even though I came ‘alone’ I was never ever lonely. Living on the farm with the other volunteers and an amazing house mother who cooks the best food, has a great taste in TV shows and music and some crazy dance moves means you get the best of Indian life with all the comfort you need after a hard day at work. One of the benefits of working for a small NGO like APCI is the amount of flexibility that you have and the amount of responsibility that you are given. APCI want to make the most of your skills and use them to make a real difference to the kids you work with not your ability to do photocopying. Having worked as a teacher and been involved in peace education camps I was sent into the schools straight away where I created my own supplementary curriculum based on the needs of the students. I also got to help with social media and communications. Whatever skills or ideas you have APCI will always listen to you and tailor your workload. Your colleagues are so fun and so are the kids that you will work with! My experience also gave me a lot of useful skills and knowledge that I have since used during my academic and professional life. Following my internship I took a masters in ‘International Cooperation and Development’ and having ‘field experience’ undoubtedly enhanced my studies; I really believe that you learn infinitely more ‘on the ground’ than you will ever gain from reading books. The great experience that I had working for APCI also reassured me that I wanted to work in International Development and I’m now working as a consultant at the UN World Food Programme. In short, thanks to the amazing people I met and experience that I had I would recommend an internship with APCI to anyone; those few months were without a doubt one of the best experiences of my life. Somebody take me back!