Finding an internship in Eskisehir, Turkey :)

Hello everyone! I would like to share my very first and also erasmus internship with all of you. To tell the truth, when my Erasmus+ studies in Anadolu university was finishing I have started to think about internship here in Eskisehir. I knew it can be difficult because the term for sending the documents to our home universities was nearly closed. Moreover, it was late spring, only few weeks were left for finding internship.

I was urgent to find a place for internship

I had a feeling that I can find the place, so firstly I talked with Anadolu university's coordinator of civil engineering, also our erasmus coordinator. She can speak in english fluently and maybe can give useful information regards to finding internship. However she asked me in which civil engineering area I would like to take internship. I knew from very beginning of my studies that I like working with projects, analyzing buildings, making building projects in autocad programme. I told her that but she told it can be difficult to find, but she assured me that she can find some information and that I should come back next week. To tell the truth, there are some lecturers or professors in our department that have companies or atleast have connections in civil engineering. I felt very excited about finding internship and also I really wanted to stay in Eskisehir for longer time. I love this country :)

Finally the next week came!

When the time has come, and when just three weeks left for finding an internship, I went to see my coordinator. Ah yes, why just three weeks? After three weeks I had to turn back to Lithuania, my erasmus time will be finished, and I already have flight tickets back there. The coordinator told me some names of lecturers and where I could see them. She told the very first and best option would be to see one of my current class lecturer, who has his company and some friends in civil engineering. 

Hunting my lecturer :D

To tell the truth, I was not a good student in his lessons. On Friday I had just his teachings, and they were for 3 hours afternoon. Not a good student, because I did not go to his lessons often, just twice or once per month. I was not going just to this lecturer lessons. It was hard to understand because it is tough for him to explain technical topics in English. He taught me just the basics of the lesson and all the exams; homework consisted of doing projects. I was quite ashamed of myself to ask him for help, but it is normal, C'mon I am Erasmus. I went to see him, and it was the 6th time that I went to his lesson. In shortly he told me he would try to find me a place and we exchanged our mobile phone numbers. I called him in the middle of the next week, and he told he forgot to search for me because he was very busy with his job. He was the real business person. Moreover, he didn't come to the lesson so I had to feel that I should also try searching for an internship on my own. I made the list of all companies related to civil engineering, their contacts and addresses. When I met my Turkish friend, I asked maybe he could help me going to these places, because I know just the basics of the Turkish language, and he told why not. It was the beginning of the final exams week, we all were busy, but still, I was always thinking about finding an internship. The last lesson was on the end of exam week, on Friday. I called him once again, and he told he could not find the place, he assured to wait for little more and that everything is going to be good. What I had left, just to prepare for the exam. I had to do all homework which I have not done and midterm exams. He gave me tremendous chance to get a good grade because I am the erasmus student. You can imagine how much projects I had to do :D 

Expecting good news during the final exam

After a long time of waiting, my very last exam day has come, and I was expecting good news. I presented all of my projects. The hardest was the final exam because I knew just the basics of this lesson and I was using just my intuition. He gave us an architectural project, and we had to draw the best position for columns and beams. Then just to use Idecad programme (i had difficulties finding it in the English language because it was Turkish) and draw floors, walls, foundations and so on. When I finished it, my grade was 85 out of 100. I was surprised because he calculated according to the rules he told us. To tell the truth, I got more than half of the classroom, even if they were going to the lessons often. Finally, I asked my lecturer if any information regards are finding an internship place for me, but I got a negative response, he told me to wait for just little more. And I also forgot my list with civil engineering companies to visit because of the stressful week. So I had one week left.

Finally good news?

On the Monday, when I was not expecting, he suddenly called me in the morning when I was sleepy and he told: "I have great news for you, Tomas!". At the moment i felt so relieved and happy. He found me an internship place in Odunpazari Municipality's Building control directorate. My lecturers friend was working there and he wanted to accept a foreign student. I told big thank you to my lecturer so many times and he told me he was feeling very good to help me. 

Finding internship was stressful because the time was running out, but come on, my lecturer found me such a great place! Im happy to be there now. More of my internship experience is going to be on my blog soon :)