On a random Tuesday afternoon our boss told us our company might just get a French intern. We didn’t know how to react really. None of us had really met each other in person anyways as we had started the internship online but we still did connect at many levels. Connecting with an international intern would be a totally different hardship altogether.
The intern’s flight got delayed a couple of times and after a point we just lost hope. Suddenly, one day our boss told us our fellow intern, Thomas had boarded the flight and will be quarantined for a week. His trip was scheduled only for a month out of which one week would get spent in his hotel room.
After he completed his quarantine everybody went to office to greet him. Contrary to popular belief, he turned out to be very sweet! We assumed he’d be mean and wouldn’t socialise a lot but he was so warm. He adapted to the Indian culture so well. He tasted every type of food that was thrown at him to try, he packed his bag and went to roam around the city alone and he really didn’t depend upon anyone.
He was just 19 when he came to a completely unknown country in the middle of a global pandemic. He was oblivious to all difficulties he’d face as he’d never been to India before but he managed gracefully. He made it seem like his journey was easy and without hurdles. Thomas taught us a lot about international culture as a French intern. But that will never overshadow what he taught us an individual, to be humble and patient. The meaning of friendship changes over the decades but never over countries.
Even though the rest of the interns came to the office a couple of times a week, Thomas went to the office everyday. The reason behind his perfect attendance could also have been the chai served in office that he absolutely fell in love with.
He took the company to a whole new level with respect to the market places. He put our products in foreign market places through which the profits of the company could increase exponentially. He played a major role in social media marketing by dancing in reels, modelling in green galaxy boxers or yellow sapphire t-shirts for photoshoots and attracting a lot of followers.
It is beautiful to see how a French boy ended up in India after stumbling upon an Indian company on Instagram. It’s a small world indeed and you can seek opportunities in whatever platform you are on. This is your sign to take the plunge and take your next big step!
