My month in Bali with Think Pacific

In June this year, I travelled nearly 8,000 miles to Bali to join Think Pacific’s Global Team Internship (GTI). I’m Caitlin, a first-year BSc Education student, and in cold and rainy November, I applied for Think Pacific’s first-ever GTI, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. By the new year, I had forgotten about my application since I hadn’t heard much after my initial interview. That was until I received an email from the University of Southampton’s Travel Abroad Team informing me that I had been offered Turing Grant funding for my potential trip with Think Pacific. I immediately accepted my place, and that was that! After months of preparation—booking flights, organising visas, and getting ready to immerse myself in a traditional Balinese village—and an epic 23-hour journey, I arrived in Bali.

Initially, we stayed in a hotel in Ubud, a bustling town known for its traditional crafts, decadent Hindu temples, and rice paddies. Here, we were briefed on what to expect during our time in Bali.

Next, we travelled east to Sidemen, where we stayed in a jungle-like retreat called Bali Kuno. We participated in traditional cooking classes and Balinese dance lessons, took river baths, played mud games, made chocolate, and engaged in team-building activities. Despite not knowing anyone when I arrived, it was here at Bali Kuno that I began forming precious friendships and incredible memories.

From Bali Kuno, we moved to Mas Village, which would be our home for the remaining three weeks. We stayed in ‘homestays’, allowing us to fully immerse ourselves in traditional village life while serving as our base for the real work to begin. On the GTI, we were tasked with providing practical business advice for three local businesses. We were split into groups, with each workgroup developing an ‘action project’ for a different business. One of the projects I worked on was in partnership with HNS Studios, an art studio based in Gianyar. The studio aims to become a leading creative hub on the island by nurturing talent; alongside their collaborations with Google and Bank Indonesia, HNS offers internships to Indonesian students interested in illustration, graphic design, and animation. To support HNS’s goals, my group and I developed a ‘University Advocacy Prospectus’ to enhance and engage international students, thereby growing their outreach. While the partnership with HNS Studios particularly stands out to me, all the businesses we worked with were truly inspiring and exciting.

As part of the GTI, weekends were free to explore the island further, allowing me to travel with new-found friends to other beautiful areas of the island.

Truly, my time with Think Pacific in Bali is one of the most treasured, eye-opening, and personally developing experiences I have had and likely will ever have. To anyone considering a project with Think Pacific, my biggest advice is just to DO IT! Though it seems daunting, I am so glad I decided to take up the opportunity, as I not only gained valuable work experience but also got to travel and made incredible friends along the way.

Please feel free to email me at cm8g23@soton.ac.uk if you have any questions about my time in Bali; I would love to share more with you!