Well my feet are now firmly back on the ground in Scotland - I have to say when my flight left Amsterdam and the Captain came on and said that the weather in Glasgow was 12 degrees and raining, I almost started to cry! But it is nice to be home and catch up with family and friends and tell them all about my experiences.

Reflecting on my internship I cannot put into words how fantastic my experience was. I don't think opportunities come any better than the one given to us by the Saltire Foundation. I have gained exposure to a huge international corporation of the calibre of IBM, I have gained exposure to the Chinese work environment and on top of that, I have developed my business skills and learned a lot about myself in the process. By the end of my internship I had completed the introduction of new reporting methods in IBM inventory controls. We had gained knowledge about these new control methods through conference calls with IBM sites in Rochester and Dublin and I spend my final week doing my daily reporting and breifing everyone on the introduction of these new reports ahead of them going live. It was quite rewarding to have completed something that will make a difference even now that I am gone from IBM. As an intern for 8 weeks, you have to bear in mind sometimes that you are not going to be able to go in and save the day - to fully learn a specific area in IBM can take years so going in for 8 weeks and trying to make a difference can be quite a challenge. It is true that a fresh eye on a project can be helpful and I think this is where I came in useful in the office with trying to generate new ideas. I have been inspired by the work ethic of my Chinese colleagues - they are so incredibly hardworking, and all for a third of the salary they would probably earn in the UK or US. An eye opener for sure.

I will forever look back on my Saltire Internship with nothing but great memories - I look forward to exchanging stories with everyone when we meet up later in the month.

For now though all I can do is give my thanks to everyone at the Saltire Foundation for giving me this opportunity - it has been no less than fantastic and will serve me well which ever direction my career takes after university.

Thanks again...