Reflective Journal The Saudi Embassy in Canberra 2022

Running head: REFLECTIVE JOURNAL
REFLECTIVE JOURNAL
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

REFLECTIVE JOURNAL1
Every individual living in this current time needs to earn a living for themselves in order
hold their own in the world. As for me, I had worked at the Embassy of Saudi Arabia in
Canberra for my internship. It is what I believe to be my path to my dream career of becoming an
International Relations Expert. During this internship, I have learned to work hard, collaborate
with my teammates and the management and exercise the skills that I have learned in a more
practical scenario. This series of journal entries depict my reflection on few specific aspects of
the internship that led to the manner my work progressed and developed.
Entry 1
My work in the department for customer relations made me realise that there are certain
standards in the work that need to be maintained. I understood two very important aspects.
Firstly, the customer base is made of Muslim delegates from the Saudi Embassy who were
invited to be a part of the Eid Al Fitr festival in the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Canberra.
Therefore it was must on our part to ensure that a culturally and religiously tolerant, peaceful and
inclusive environment is maintained. Secondly, since Eid Al Fitr is a festival that is celebrated
after one month of fasting and harmonizes relationships between every individual in Islam, I
understood that simply maintaining a culturally inclusive environment is not enough, the
atmosphere should also provide the guests with a homely and accommodating vibe in order for
the event to be a success. One way that I learned was to provide respect to the guests and their
culture. As an intern in customer relations, these were crucial aspects that determined whether or
not the event would be a success or turn out to be a socio-cultural and political debate. We had to
ensure that the simplicity and discipline associated with the event is maintained.

REFLECTIVE JOURNAL2
The Saudi Embassy in Canberra
Entry 2
All interns were provided a special briefing of the Saudi culture as well as the traditional
nuances in the Islamic religion. I realised how different the customs and cultural setup was from
my own. I had a prior knowledge of the different religions but to be given a formal briefing in
the intricate functioning of one opened up newer dimensions of thought and understanding as
well as an interest for learning more. I must admit that contemporary political discourse on
global warfare and terrorism that had put Islam at a negative viewpoint, also impacted certain
aspects of my mind-set. However when were shown a small documentary on Saudi art form,
their trade, the Bedouin traditions and especially on Arabic calligraphy, my notion of the religion
changed drastically. I was more open and eager to learn about the good things they do and ready
to critically evaluate every anti-Islamic content I find on the internet hereafter.