AIESEC Graz
Universitaetsstrasse 15/GE
A-8010 Graz
Tel: +43 316 380 2944
Fax: +43 316 380 9229
Internship Experience
Here you find stories of AIESECers going abroad and impressions from students taking part in an international internship organized by AIESEC in Graz.
Christiane (on a 6 months development traineeship in India):
"It is only less than three weeks that I am in India now and it seems like much more. Everyday of my “new life” is jam-packed with experiences, scents, noises, people, Aha-effects and joy. I have travelled a lot all over the world already but so far, no country has ever challenged me as much as this one does. In the first few days, my body felt kind of numb from the inside because of all the impressions from the new environment. I could not stop twisting my head into every direction, too many pictures came up and everything was just rushing by.
If somebody asks me, what I like best about India, I answer: ”The people’s mentality.” I have met so many hospitable Indians, got invited to their houses, I was able to join religious ceremonies, got dressed up in an Indian style and was introduced to their families. Within only 18 days, I already have an Indian mother, with whom I practice my first Hindi words. This woman, who is actually my boss’ mother, seems very happy to see me every time I am invited to their house. Knowing how important family is in the Indian society, I feel a deep honour to be treated as a part of it.
Step by step I start to understand what the AIESEC experience actually means. I have heard it so many times and I thought I know what it is like. But it is so much more. It is so much more intense and it makes me grow with the joy and also with the struggles I have to face here. With every bit I get to know this new culture, I am glad about my decision in coming here. Jump into the cold water and learn to swim!"
Maria (on a 2 months development traineeship in Indonesia):
March 2010, university of Graz. I decided quite spontaneously to join an info evening of AIESEC Graz. Pictures from people, who discovered the world through internships, made me think immediately: I want to do that as well!
Four months later, after a sometimes stressy preparation time, between finishing exams and getting the last vaccinations, I took a plane to Indonesia, willing to spend two months in a foreign country. After an endless trip, me and a friend arrived two days after our departure in Malang (East Java). Thanks to my buddy, who took care of me, the settling-in period was easier for me.
The project in which I was involved offered a broad variety of tasks: Teaching in a primary school as well as in a high school and holding private English classes for university students.
The schedule changed quite often, because it was the first time this project was run. Therefore, the whole team had to be flexible. The pupils listened attentively to our presentations about Austria and asked a lot of questions regarding our culture. In primary school it was a bit more difficult to hold classes due to the lack of material and some communication problems. Nevertheless, I think that I also could make a positive contribution to the classes.
For me, every day was an adventure, because there was so much to discover. It started with the food (that mainly consisted of rice and noodles), travelling (from Bromo mountain to Bali) up to the conversations and small encounters, after which you see the world from a different perspective. You don’t just meet lots of new people from all over the world, but you also learn more about yourself. It’s difficult to express the experience in words, but a friend of mine said about exchange the following: Many people can travel, but in AIESEC you can travel with the heart.
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