It’s impossible to talk or think about my IAESTE internships without nostalgic feelings! Amazing summers! And, even though both were in the United Kingdom, they were two completely different experiences, in two different very different cities, but both memorable and only for good reasons.
My first internship was in Cardiff, Wales. It was my first experience of traveling alone to a foreign country for such a long period of time (two months), reason why I was slightly nervous. But as soon as I arrived at the bus station, from the airport, and saw other trainees waiting for me, the nervous feelings start to diminish. It quickly faded as we were talking and they were showing me around what they had already seen in the city. And so began two of the best months I ever spent. I was lucky of having accommodation in the university residences, together with the other trainees and there wasn’t a boring day or night. Many were the nights when we would go out all together and, when we didn’t, we would keep talking until late, always having fun!
Every morning I would leave for the university where, after a week and a half of learning, I was given freedom for moving with my work on my own, even though it had great influence in the results of the rest of the team. The fact that I was given such a trust and responsibility was amazing! Every day was a different challenge! The work environment was also something I never had experienced. Music, sport commentaries, talking — all natural and after a week of working there I was feeling as if I always had been there. It was amazing!
My second internship was in Edinburgh, Scotland. Once again I had a really warm welcome waiting for my, this time form the local committee (LC). In Edinburgh there is always something happening, so there were no boring days! And besides the various events all around the city, many were organized by the LC, such as amazing weekends to know different places of Scotland, or even by the trainees in the city. It is an amazing country! And once again, the work was really stimulant, full of new situations, new problems and new ways of thinking and seeing things. Everyone in the university was really friendly and helped me in all I needed. To sum up, it were another unforgettable months, of which I have extraordinary memories!
And these four months of amazing experiences were only possible thanks to IAESTE! At the end of each internship I wasn’t the same: broader perspectives, new work methods, increased autonomy, increased tolerance and understanding (to/of other cultures and manners), between others. All of this I won during these experiences made possible by IAESTE!
