Firstly, after the constant texting and calling, my lecturer, who had recommended me to the organisation (Network AID Africa) to do my internship for a week and a half, had already given me the Director's contact, which I used and contacted him with regards to my internship letter to know whether I had been accepted or not.
So I called the Coordinator, Mr Wurie Mamadu Tamba Barrie, to follow up on the 6th May 2026. He assured me that he'll get back to me, and he didn't fail. So I got a text message from him, "Hey Balu, come to the office on Tuesday, 8 am. Thanks. These were his exact words to me. He also told I and my collegue that we will be having a conference call to enlighten us a bit about the organisation before going to the office, so we held the meeting on Sunday, 10th May, 2026, in which we discused and made an introduction of ourselves, on be known to me i didn't know one of us was my classmate until the introduction, Myself, Wurie Mamadu Tamba Barrie and Samuella During.
On hearing that I was supposed to start my internship on Tuesday, I had mixed feelings about what my first day was going to be like. I was skeptical, nervous, and full of questions in my head. Questions like, " How are they going to welcome me at the office? Who and who am I going to meet? Will I be able to work there? Am I going to stay there till the end of my internship? Are they going to be friendly?. I even had a conversation based on that with my husband, i told him that i was'nt sure they are going to welcome me openly, and the he told me that " You should believe in yourself and what you are capable of doing, just go there and be you, nothing else" these where the exact words of my husband, and it immidiately build some amount of confidence in me.
On Monday night, I tried to get myself prepared by choosing what to wear, ironing the clothes, packing my bag, wiped my shoes. With so much excitement, from being sceptical to being excited, all I needed was a boost, and I got it from the right person, my husband. Slept early so I could meet up at the time I was asked to be at the office. So the day finally reached, woke up by 5:30, prepared for Fajr prayer, after which I did my house chores, finished early and got ready for the office. I reached at the office at exactly 7:55 am. Arriving at the office i met a guy named Gibrilla, greeted him nicely and he aso responded to me nicely, and almost immidiately before i could even take a sit as he asked me to, he than ask that he gave me the passcode for the office internet, i was shocked, because i was not expecting that, at least not on my first day, so he was very welcoming.
Then came some other workers to the office. Since I sat at the reception, the entrance to the office, I made sure that I greeted everyone who came into the office, as that shows courtesy.
Then came the Coordinator, Wurie Mamadu Tamba Barrie. Honestly, the perception I had of him before meeting him in person was far different from what I saw. Whilst we were chatting, I thought he was a very strict, unfriendly person. Upon meeting him in person, he is a very open person, very friendly and welcoming, gentle and understanding. When he came and met me at the office that Tuesday, I greeted him, and he stood beside me. Before I could introduce myself, he was already trying to guess my name and say "Balu", then I replied with a "yes, sir". He then asked me to follow him so he could introduce me to the rest of the workers at the office. Everyone was friendly and very welcoming, they welcomed me openly and told me that " here is a learning ground, feel free to ask questions" This alone shows how incredible they are.
I meet with my colleagues at the office(Network Aid Sierra Leone). Everyone is so welcoming. The Coordinator, Mr Wurie Mamadu Tamba Barrie, made sure he introduced me to each an everyone in the office, including the head of WASHNET. He, too, gave me his words of advice and a warm welcome.
And fortunately, most of my classmates are also doing their internship in the same organisation. So learning continues. And then again, I also met with one of my high school teachers from Sierra Leone Muslim Brotherhood, Berry Street, Freetown, Sierra Leone. He was teaching the commercial students at SLMB, meeting him at NetWork Aid as one of my bosses whom I will be learning from again is amazing, and I am proud to have known him from Secondary School level to working with him in the same office, sharing the same office space. He himself felt proud of the fact that I recognised him and the fact that I am doing so well to have reached this level.
The Coordinator, Mr Wurie Mamadu Tamba Barrie, took me through some of the doings of the organisation, what and what is expected of me to learn during my internship and everything, and then he gave me a newspaper to go through and also taught me how to do my report in writing.
My first day was amazing, and I'm hoping to explore more while I am at Network AID Africa for the next three months.
