Reflective Journal: Internship Experience at Saudi Embassy

This assignment is a reflective journal documenting a student's internship experience at the Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Canberra. The journal entries detail the student's observations and learning experiences in customer relations, particularly during the Eid Al Fitr festival. The student reflects on the importance of cultural sensitivity, maintaining a welcoming environment for guests, and adapting to new cultural norms. The journal also covers the student's involvement in event preparation, budget management, and the value of time management. Furthermore, the journal highlights the development of intercultural communication skills and insights gained from the internship, including the supervisor's evaluation. The student's reflections cover the impact of the internship on their professional development, including areas of improvement like leadership skills and the importance of customer satisfaction.

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

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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.

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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.

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I sensed a similar change in a lot of other interns as we spoke over dinner. Most of them
held similar opinions and some even admitted to not knowing anything in details about Saudi
traditions. I was glad to be a part of a group that would be willing to work in unison to achieve
the one goal that was to ensure maximum comfort, enjoyment and solidarity on both fronts.
Entry 3
In the preparatory stage, I along with a lot of other of my colleagues were struggling a
little bit. That was mainly because of two reasons that I was able to narrow down to. Firstly,
most of us had next to zero experience in working in the department of customer relations and
we soon realised that a mere theoretical knowledge was not sufficient in order to execute a task
as demanding as the one we had at hand. Luckily, we had mentors with ample experience in this
field and they helped us a lot in understanding how the system of customer relations worked. I
found that one crucial element in a successful customer relations project is customer satisfaction.
I was a mentee to the Account Manager and my job was to manage specific areas of the budget
for the ceremony. Since the event was large, the task for handling budget was allocated to
different people. Throughout the process, there was a lot of calculation, specific targets were
reached while some were abandoned. This made me realise that when we are doing something
for a specific set of guests, how important it becomes to keep their satisfaction and feelings in
consideration. Once I was used to the process of handling the budget, I was able to successfully
handle the supply of food and drinks that would be required at the event. Needless to say it was
one of the most exhausting but at the same time, the most experientially rich work that I have
done so far.

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Entry 4
All the interns were also provided with a demonstration on proper attire and demeanour,
along with behavioural etiquettes. This is what made me realise that the first impression goes a
long way towards making and maintaining a good reputation and image in the minds of the
guests. They would afterwards expect an equally excellent treatment on the part of the host and
once we are able to give that to them, it would establish a strong bond of customer relations for
the future.
The interns were also provided with dedicated task sheets to follow throughout the
ceremony. While some of us were to stay behind and oversee the final preparation and help our
mentors, the rest were assigned the task of preparing for the arrival of the guest which included
the decoration of the entrance, reception and the initial welcome greetings. I was assigned the
task of managing timely deployment of services to the guests. I was one of the most punctual
interns and had a reputation for timely completion of tasks assigned to me. This job made me
understand fully, the value of time when organizing a ceremony this important and this culturally
significant.

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Guests eagerly looking at an architectural demonstration
Entry 5
Apart from the delegates, the guest list also included many Saudi nationals and Muslim
guests from other countries. Therefore, it would be insufficient as well as unprofessional on our
part to provide all out attention and focus to the delegacy while neglecting the other guests. Since
the embassy serves as a residential alternative for individuals from other nations, we were also
tasked with organising a small ceremonial fair on the embassy premises that would incorporate a
perfect blend of the host nation’s culture alongside the rich Saudi culture. This signifies a crucial
bond for both the nations as the fair serves as a gathering ground for all individuals alike. This
allowed for an intermingling of a cross cultural population. It was indeed a delight to experience
Saudi culture and tradition in the very modest way that we attempted to portray while at the same
time engaging in conversation with foreign nationals and learning about their ways of life, their
culture and tradition. The ceremony helped further strengthen our conception of Islamic lifestyle
and tradition that we were so thoroughly introduced to during the briefings.

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The fair at the ceremony that was visited by a lot of people
Entry 6
The last day of the event was filled with a lot of hugs and goodbyes. This also signalled
the nearing of the end of our delightful internship. I felt like I had learned a lot about customer
relations and management from the hands on experience over the theoretical knowledge. Upon
reflection, I realised that there are certain key takeaways from the whole internship that I can
earnestly state had profoundly influenced me as an intern. Firstly, the whole event was
instrumental in helping us understand and gather knowledge about intercultural communication
and relationships. It also helped us realise that our preconceptions regarding a particular
community can be influenced by a lot of factors but that should not cloud our judgement.
Secondly, managing an event of an international and intercultural standard is a job that needs
delicate handling and much planning and management. Alongside that, it also requires that all

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individuals involved in the organization understand their task well. Finally, accommodating the
guest runs parallel with maintaining customer satisfaction, which is a crucial aspect of any
management task. It becomes prudent to learn the background functioning of any organization
along with that of customer relations in order to successfully execute a ceremony like this.
Invitation for the ceremony

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EVALUATION REPORT
FEEDBACK ON STUDENT FROM
SUPERVISOR
1. What tasks did the intern do best, and what did they struggle with?
The intern performed the task of managing accounts and expenses related to the event
really well. The aspect of the job where the intern struggled with was communication. I
felt like there were certain preconceptions in the intern’s mind related to our guests which
held him back from engaging in conversation. However that was quickly overcome.
2. Did the intern have/gain sufficient knowledge to complete projects and assignments
given to him/her?
Yes. The intern had excellent knowledge about customer relations, international relations
and public management and showed remarkable skills in the aforementioned aspects.
3. Did you think the intern improved or learned throughout the placement term? If yes, in
what areas? If not, why do you think there was no improvement?
I think the intern improved the most in the areas that required engaging with the guests,
or customer engagement. The intern was extremely enthusiastic about learning about new
cultures and traditions. That helped with the engagement part by making the intern take
every conversation as a potential lesson.

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4. Did you have any issues with the intern? If so, what were they, and are they resolved?
I did not have any issues with the intern whatsoever. The intern was very punctual,
honest and skilled in his endeavours.
5. What were the intern’s most outstanding characteristics?
The intern’s most outstanding characteristics were eagerness to learn, questioning and
feedback and most importantly punctuality. Timely feedback and delivery made the
intern a valuable and reliable asset.
6. What areas do you think the intern still needs to address?
I think leadership skills is an aspect that the intern needs to address. With the knowledge
and skills possessed, the intern has an excellent opportunity to be a good leader.