My International Cooperation and Development Fund (ICDF) Internship Diary – Season 2 is officially back. This video documentary series is produced by the Taiwan International Cooperation and Development Fund (TaiwanICDF) in collaboration with the College of Social Sciences at National Chengchi University (NCCU), as part of the Campus Ambassador Overseas Internship Program.
This season follows Vice Dean Liu Hsiao-Peng of NCCU’s College of Social Sciences, together with two NCCU students—Liu Yu-Ming and Catherine Tadlock, a student from the International Master’s Program in Asia-Pacific Studies (IMAS), selected to participate.—as they travel to Taiwan’s Pacific ally, the Marshall Islands, for a seven-day overseas internship. Through firsthand observation and on-location filming, the series documents the daily work of the TaiwanICDF technical mission and explores how Taiwan practices international cooperation and development assistance at the frontline.
Importantly, this is not a travel program and not a classroom report. It is a genuine internship diary told from a student’s perspective—an unfiltered record of what the “aid field” really looks like.
The trailer sets the tone for Season 2, introducing the Marshall Islands as the destination and previewing the internship experience. It frames the journey not as sightseeing, but as a learning process grounded in responsibility, observation, and engagement with real development work.
Episode 1 marks the beginning of the internship journey. The participants arrive in the Marshall Islands and are introduced to the TaiwanICDF technical mission. Viewers gain an initial understanding of the local environment, the mission’s objectives, and the expectations placed on interns entering the field of international development.
This episode focuses on observing the daily operations of the ICDF technical mission. From coordination work to on-site engagement, it reveals how aid projects are executed in practice and how international cooperation is shaped by local conditions, communication, and adaptability.
Episode 3 dives deeper into cultural interaction and field learning. The interns reflect on differences in work culture, communication styles, and social context, gaining insight into how development work is inseparable from cultural understanding and mutual respect.
This episode highlights the challenges and realities faced by aid workers. It shows the less-visible side of international cooperation—problem-solving, coordination pressure, and the emotional demands of working in development environments.
The final episode brings the internship journey to a close with reflections on growth, learning, and future aspirations. The interns look back on what they have gained from the experience and how this short but intensive exposure has reshaped their understanding of international development and their own career paths.
To further explore student participation in international development and overseas fieldwork, you may also be interested in the following articles:
