Oumayma Ayadi is an industrial biology student at INSAT. She took a gap year at the end of BIO 4 and went on an internship in Poland. We met with her at the INSAT Press office for an interview to learn more about her unique experience.

Ahmed:  Hi Oumayma. Thank you for accepting INSAT Press’s interview invitation

Oumayma : Hello. Thank you for inviting me. I am glad to be here with you today.

Ahmed: Can you please introduce yourself and tell us what inspired you to pursue a degree in industrial biology?

Oumayma: I’m Oumayma Ayadi, a 5th year industrial biology engineering student at INSAT. I chose to study biology because I have always adored life sciences. In biology lessons, I used to always think about biological innovations and solutions beyond the course material. This love for problem solving and biology made industrial biology engineering a natural choice for me.

Ahmed: Awesome! Now let’s get to your internship in Poland. How long did it last and what was its main area of focus?

Oumayma: It lasted 6 months. We focused on environmental research. We analyzed the toxicity and heavy metal presence in mushrooms and river water as it’s commonly used in Poland. We also received in our lab babies’ umbilical cords to analyze for heavy metals too !

Ahmed: Interesting work! Did you intern at a private company’s lab or a university affiliated one? 

Oumayma: It was in the lab of the faculty of environmental management of Zut university in the polish town of Szczecin.

Ahmed: How did you come across this interesting opportunity and how was the application and selection process?

Oumayma: I found this internship opportunity by chance actually. It was through IAESTE Tunisia, an association that helps students find exchange opportunities and internships abroad. They organized a stand at the university so I approached them and applied for their various destinations. I passed an English test with other applicants that allowed us, based on our score, to get a choice among the ones we ranked. I got my first choice which is this Poland internship.

Ahmed: Why did you choose Poland?

Oumayma: The IAESTE offered many destinations like Iran and Brazil, but they seemed too far for me compared to Poland haha. Also this Polish internship came with the polish government funding and dorm housing so it seemed a great opportunity for me.

Ahmed: As you already talked about the financial side of this, I wanna ask you about how you funded this experience. Did you need any personal money?

Oumayma: I paid the plane ticket and needed some money at the beginning as the funding was issued after half a month. The scholarship monthly amount was 1200 złoty, around 900 TND, and the dorm fee per month was 400 złoty so what was left was not much. It was enough with some good budgeting. But I received some student benefits like a 50% reduction on public transportation and other things even when I was an intern. 

Ahmed: How did your family react to the news, especially when unlike Germany Or France, Poland is not a usual destination for work or studies for us Tunisians?

Oumayma: Their response was positive. They were supportive as they usually are. They saw my excitement for the opportunity and supported me fully.

Ahmed: Aha, that’s great! How was your first day in Poland? Describe it!

Oumayma: Hahahaha, it was ridiculous! My coordinator waited at the bus station while I arrived from Berlin. He took me to the dorm. His name is Kamil but he won’t understand this article.

Ahmed: This will be published in english. Don’t worry haha.

Oumayma: Thank you Kamil for helping me! So, he took me to the dorm, did my paperwork there and talked to the receptionist while I stood there understanding nothing! I was like oh my god, how am I gonna spend 6 months here. He brought me the key and wifi code of the dorm. The thing is it turned out it was not the dorm I was supposed to live in, so they allowed me there for the night. They would have probably left me sleep in the streets if this were Tunisia Hahahah

Ahmed: Hahaha, they would’ve kicked you out lol.

Oumayma: Another problem was that Poland does not use the euro, and I did not know where to exchange money so I slept hungry that night hahaha. I was lost and did not have money. My professor felt sorry for me and lent me 200 złoty to get going the first few days. Then after “a century” I learned how to exchange the money. I discovered that their google maps is organized unlike ours too.

Ahmed: You can rely on the app there.

Oumayma: Yes, you don’t have to ask the locals. I had no internet at first and had problems with the bank account too hahaha.

Ahmed: My fire on you [Tunisian idiom].

Oumayma: And Telecom sent me a message to tell me I spent 100 dinars. I was shocked, it was just the first day hahaha.

Ahmed: Oh my god ! Did your expectations of Poland align with what you have experienced there?

Oumayma: The reality is I did not expect [anything] hahah. I did little research about Poland. It was very organized. I mastered the apps used there with time. My life depended really on these apps. Ah, also people were not “cold” like the Germans as one might expect. People were friendly. A professor invited me to spend Christmas with her family.

Ahmed: How lovely!

Oumayma: Polish people were curious and truly respectful of my culture. I told my professor that I don’t eat pork. I once grabbed a sandwich which I didn’t know had pork so she yelled ,put that down, don’t eat it, it has pork hahah.

Ahmed: Did you face any challenges integrating into Polish society?

Oumayma: In the supermarket the employees did not speak english, so I had to mime and use google translate. The young people spoke very good english unlike the adults who I felt did not even like it.

Ahmed: What is your favorite part of Poland and its culture?

Oumayma: Oh, I really liked that they have many museums with free entry days too. It’s a country that has truly invested in culture! I visited museums and roamed around the town enjoying its architecture and scenes. I loved nature so much there too.

Ahmed: What aspects of Tunisian culture and society do you appreciate more after your time in Poland?

Oumayma: The food hahaha and the weather.

Ahmed: Hahaha, What about society?

Oumayma: Honestly I did not feel like a foreigner there. I got along very well with people in Poland. People there had that eastern warmth one might not expect. It was trouble dealing with the supermarket employees hahahahaha. They did not like that I did not speak Polish. I will take my grievance against them to God XD.

Ahmed: Can you describe your responsibilities during the internship?

Oumayma: My supervisors would show me various techniques in the lab so I can apply them and note down measurements. She once sent me with a professor on a trip with another student. We went on a rainy day to collect river water. My pants were drenched in mud hahah. I was assigned projects too. I did one on environmental protection in Tunisia and my supervisor liked it.

Ahmed: Did you have opportunities to network with professionals or other students?

Oumayma: I networked with the professionals my supervisor knew but mostly with students. They were very welcoming and I faced no problem integrating myself with them in the student events. I am naturally open to knowing other people and this helped me to get along with people in general.

Ahmed: What would you do differently if you were to redo the internship?

Oumayma: I would learn more about Poland and how things work there and the apps used as they were very helpful. I would also learn the daily used common phrases in polish.

Ahmed: What app you wish we had here in Tunisia.

Oumayma: The public transportation app where you check the arrival time and the trajectories of trains and buses. It was very helpful.

Ahmed: Was Poland safe for you as a girl?

Oumayma: Honestly it was very safe. You have to naturally pay attention at night like anywhere else but it was safe and they had buses at night which is great for transportation!

Ahmed: What did you learn about yourself during this experience abroad?

Oumayma: I discovered my ability to be independent, adapt with new environments and live with people of different cultures. My English has improved a lot too!

Ahmed: You seem to be excelling and making the most out of your major as an Industrial Biology student, how can other students studying biology in INSAT thrive too?

Oumayma: You have to love the major. I advise students to be curious and keep up with the technological progress of the field. Follow youtube channels and go to the clubs’ workshops. Learn new skills to join fields like bioinformatics for exemple if that’s what you’re passionate about. It makes you more employable in Tunisia and abroad as you can apply your skills to streamline processes in the labs and companies you join.

Ahmed: What are the most promising professional paths, in your opinion, in the field of biology?

Oumayma: It’s a question I ask myself a lot. I honestly don’t have a specific answer. But I am personally more inclined towards fields involving innovation, discovery, and research.

Ahmed: How should students approach abroad internships search?

Oumayma: Look everywhere, on linkedin, job boards and clubs like AIESEC and IAESTE. You can find really interesting opportunities. Make sure to reach out to your network and ask about where older students and alumni did their internships and whether they recommend them or not. They can help you a lot. Perseverance maximizes your chance to find the opportunities that live up to your aspirations.  

Ahmed: CBA students will be choosing between CH and Bio this year. What’s your advice for the undecided student?

Oumayma: You have to project into the future and see what field serves you the best. Choose the field you like so you can work hard and evolve without hurting your mental health. At the end the two choices are very similar, so you have to pick the industry you want to join whether it’s renewable energy, petroleum industry, pharmaceutical industry, environmental industry or any other domain that will make you happy in the long term and allow you to innovate.

Ahmed: Thank you Oumayma for your input and answers today. It was a pleasure having you with us.

Oumayma: Thank you Ahmed, I enjoyed this interview and I hope people will find value in my answers!

Written by: Ahmed Toufahi