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Master's Markéta Fajfrová, UCT Prague,

ročník 5

Faculty

FPBT

Field of study

Biochemistry and cell biology

Field of internship

Biological and Biomedical Sciences

Specialization of Internship

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Internship period (from - to)

04.09. - 30.11.2023

Internship duration (weeks)

Transport (means, price)

Plane, 400 EUR

Insurance/Insurance company

UNIQA, ISIC

Visa/Work permit (yes/no)

yes

Price of Visa

350 EUR

City of Internship

United Arab Emirates, Sharjah

Internship reference number

AE/2023-24-RIMHS

About the country

Location of the place

Girl interns lived in appartements 10 minutes from the university by taxi or bus (bus was provided by uni at 8 am and 4 pm back). I was working at Research institute of medical sciences in Medical campus - you can find cafeteria or supermarket there. The whole campus of the University is very large and for transportation you have to use shuttle buses. It is not really possible to move around by walking because of the distance and weather. You can find also gym and swimming pool for free in the campus.

City

Sharjah city centre is 15 mins by taxi from appartments. You can visit beautiful waterfron and fountain, souk, Sharjah aquarium or just go to the mall to cinema, bowling etc. City is full of nice restaurants with arabic or indian food. Sharjah is a strict emirate so you should wear proper clothes and you won't find any bars or clubs there. If you want to visit beach in Shrajah, you have to wear one piece swimsuit.

Surroundings (possible trips, ...)

There are so many opportunities where to have a good time. Dubai is just 40 minutes by taxi and there you can visit a lot of touristic places (Dubai Mall, Burj Khalifa, The Palm, Global Village, Miracle Garden, ...) and also Dubai creek and souk, waterpark, Dubai safari and much more. I would recommend to book a trip to desert. We also visited Abu Dhabi and organised a weekend trip to Oman. There are also some places for hiking for example in Hatta.

Employer

I worked at the Research Institute of Medical and Health Sciences called RIMHS at the University of Sharjah. I was assigned to a Tissue injury and repair research group. I worked with postdoc who was really helpful and kind. She taught me a lot of things. In the end I participated in three projects.

Work description

I was working on asthma research. I had an opportunity to try also work with animal model (but I was not forced to) which was great. I used some common methods like PCR or western blot on daily basis, but I also learned some new methods as immunohistochemistry.

Salary (sufficient for local conditions?)

Salary was around 3200 AED. It was sufficient for local conditions, but not for flight tickets, visa or insurance. But we spent a lot for our weekend trips and were not saving the money.
You'll get your salary in cash during the internship. Payment for last month will be send to your bank account, but it takes almost two months, so be prepared for that.

Language requirements

Everyone at the university or shops and restaurants spoke english well. Just with some taxi or bus drivers it was little complicated, but they know the basics so we always managed somehow.

Accommodation (price, who provided it)

Accommodation price was approx. 900AED/month. The accommodation was provided by IAESTE office (right after I was accepted for internship I knew where I will stay). We lived in beautiful and clean apartments near university, 10 minutes by taxi or bus. It was equipped with everything we needed including washing machine, wifi and TV. Girls lived in appartments for 4 (2 girls in one room). Boys were staying in university dorms.

Social life

Meeting IAESTE members (pick-up at the airport, organized events...)

IAESTE UAE did not organize trips or events as there are no student volunteers. There was only one event where we all met to get to know each other. However, this event took place almost two months after our arrival. Unfortunately, there was no pick up at the airport.

Meeting other foreign students

There was around 30 interns from all over the world. We organized many trips together for example to Abu Dhabi, Oman, hiking trips..We went to Dubai every weekend and experienced a lot together. We were not allowed to meet male interns in an apartments or in cafeteria for lunch, because everything at the uni (except medical campus and few other places) is divided into male and female part (rules for students are strict). Anyway, we often met after school in the city center or restaurants in the neighborhood.

Sport and culture

In the campus, there is a sport complex for free, including a gym and a swimming pool. Of course one for men and one for women. By the end of the semester (November) we could participate in many competitions (very friendly environment) for example volleyball, chess, swimming or fitness challenge.

Food, local specialties

There are many local specialties, mostly Arabic, Indian or Pakistani food. We used to eat shawarma a lot and there was no day without drinking karak (special tea) for me.
There was a canteen in a hospital at the campus open every day for having lunch for a reasonable price of 14 AED.

Other information

Possibilites to communicate with the Czech Republic

Messenger and Whatsapp calls have been blocked unless you used VPN. It is possible to use MS Teams or Google Meets for calling home. There was wifi in the apartments and at the uni.
I also recommend to get an Emirati SIM card, preferably right at the airport (you may need it to call reception at the apartments or to show taxi driver where to go) . Prices for data and some calling are little higher. I was using the one from Etisalat.

Recommendations for students who will go to the same place

Don't be afraid and go. It's different culture, but everyone is so nice and helpful. I felt really safe there.

What not to forget with you

You can buy everything there if needed. But if I had to recommend anything, it would be sunscreen, sunglasses, power adapter, one piece swimsuit (you'll need it in university sport center or Sharjah beaches), proper clothing for uni (long trousers/skirt) and some scarf to cover your hair in case you want to visit a mosque.

Benefits of the internship

When you think about doing an internship abroad, everyone talks about how it will be beneficial for your career, that you will improve your language skills, learn about new cultures and experience new places. That is all true, but the most valuable thing is that you will learn a lot about yourself, and if you are as fortunate as I was, you will meet truly inspiring people and establish friendships for life.

Cooperation with IAESTE in the foreign country

From an organizational point of view, everything was good, especially at the beginning of the internship, when a lot of things needed to be arranged. But don't expect anything more like trips or events.

Overall experience with IAESTE

I'm so grateful that I had this opportunity thanks to IAESTE. It's much easier to go abroad, especially to work abroad, when you have someone who has your back in case of need.