Growing up as a shy and self-contained person, I have never thought that I would be able to work with people. When I was offered an internship opportunity at a rehabilitation center, I was so frightened, I thought I would fail. The mere thought of constantly meeting new people and talking to them scared me, and overcoming this fear was the most difficult thing I have done in my life. The experience of the last six months has changed my perception of myself, turning me into a more open, friendly, kind, and confident person. Analyzing my journey, I now feel grateful for this opportunity and willing to share my experience.
When I came to work on my very first day, I felt extremely nervous and anxious. However, I was welcomed kindly and introduced to the staff who happened to be nice and friendly people. My job was to meet patients and answer their questions while they are waiting for their appointment. From the start, I encountered several problems due to my lack of experience. The first was always feeling unsure about what I was doing and saying. The second was communication difficulties that I have experienced for my entire life. As a shy person who had never worked with people, I had trouble finding the common language with patients of different ages and backgrounds. The third issue was the fear of new challenges that I had to encounter every day.
At this job, I learned several important things that changed my perception of my future career: how to deal with stress, how to communicate with people, and how to work in a team. When I overcame the initial anxiety of asking for help and realized that my colleagues are always happy to offer me their advice and support, I started to feel much more self-confident. I learned how to talk with patients, what to say and what to do when I am unable to help them, and I was surprised to see that, day after day, there were fewer and fewer problems that I could not solve. This experience has changed my personality, and I now feel that I have turned into a more confident, friendly, kind, and empathetic person that is not afraid to ask for help and meet new challenges.