Amy’s Intern reflection

Creative Folk | January 24, 2024

By Amy Saeki-Zhai

I have been very lucky to be able to do my internship at Celebrate Living History. As
a literary studies student, I have always wanted an opportunity to use the writing techniques
that I have studied in other texts such as metaphors, symbolism, and dramatic irony to write
and share my own stories.

I believe that considerable amounts of wisdom, cultural history
and, inspiration for future generations can vanish throughout time without stories from older
generations being written down. Thus, I not only wrote down the experiences of my
interviewees but attempted to recreate their experiences through literary techniques.
The aspect that I enjoyed the most about Celebrate Living History is that when it
came to selecting a topic and subject to write about, ‘ the sky was the limit’. I was not
constrained to write about a single topic and could find the interviewees myself. While this
was challenging at first, it opened up more opportunities for me to get to know my local
community, family,and friends overseas on a deeper level. Without this internship, I may
have never known their incredible, often, unbelievable experiences.

It made me realize that the everyday struggles and hardships that I have experienced are incomparable to what my interviewees have gone through in order to build a better life for their families. Sometimes it
was difficult for me to even ask about their life journey. Such was the case when I
interviewed Shelly, a current resident of the Gold Coast but originally from South Africa. In
the beginning I requested her for an interview asking about her life experience which she
promptly denied. Just when I decided to give up, Shelly invited me for some coffee at a
nearby cafe. After chatting for close to two hours, she began to open up to me about her
childhood and participation in protests against Apartheid. I learned that the process of
conducting an interview goes beyond asking the interviewee a list of predetermined
questions. Instead, it is built upon trust and emotional connections between the interviewer
and interviewees.

Despite her past trauma, Shelly never forgets her motto, “ No matter what
life throws at you, keep smiling.” There is hardly a time when I do not see Shelly with a bright
smile on her face. Inspired by her, I also try to smile during hard times, whether I am feeling
stressed or have an argument with someone. It certainly makes a difference.

I really want to thank Bev for always being very encouraging and supportive
throughout this internship experience and taking the time to read all of my stories. Although I
was totally lost in the beginning of the internship as to how to write my stories and where to
find my interviewees, Bev’s constant encouragement helped me build the confidence as a
writer and interviewer. Her passion for writing has also inspired me to continue to pursue a
study that I love, regardless of what others think of me. Working with Celebrate Living
History has been an invaluable experience and I hope to take the skills that I have learned
here with me for my future career as a writer.