From Doubts to Adventure

In the second year of my Media Manager course, I heard that it was possible to do a six-month internship abroad! I was immediately excited, considering it a fantastic opportunity. I delved into all the possibilities.

Doubts I shared the news with my friends, and they all thought it was an amazing opportunity, urging me to go for it. However, I had serious doubts. I had never been away from home for such a long time, and I didn’t want to miss my family, friends, and hobbies. At that moment, I had a conversation with a guy who was halfway through a six-month stint in Seville. He shared many exciting aspects of life abroad but was also honest about the challenges.

Which country? One thing was certain; I didn’t want to go alone! So, I made plans with a friend to go to Finland together. It seemed like a great idea at the time, until we realized that we would be in the snow and cold for HALF A YEAR! The more I thought about it, the less appealing it became, prompting me to look for other options. I heard that two girls from my class were initially planning to go to Malta together, but one of them backed out. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to go abroad with the girl who was still interested. I preferred Málaga over Malta because I had already been in contact with Joost, the owner of JongLeren.es, an internship placement agency. I heard that it was easier to find an internship through them, so we decided to go to Málaga together.

Departure After selecting a location, we enrolled in a Minor at school. We completed assignments on different cultures and started learning the language. We also had an interview with JongLeren.es. After the first interview, I was contacted for another discussion, asking if I wanted to intern directly at JongLeren.es. I loved the idea! After these discussions, I was accepted at JongLeren.es, but Kyara (my future roommate) hadn’t secured an internship yet. This caused some tension, but fortunately, JongLeren.es also found the perfect internship for her! Shortly thereafter, we signed the lease for our apartment and booked plane tickets.

Internship When Kyara and I boarded the plane, it felt like a vacation. However, upon arriving at our apartment and spending the first three days cleaning, my perspective shifted. I had a realization moment: ‘Wow, this is our home for the next six months!’ In the second week, we had language lessons, and in the third week, we started our internship. It was challenging at first, but we’re enjoying it now! In the coming months, I want to learn a lot and explore Málaga further. I would love to take on responsibilities in the JongLeren.es team and have a fulfilling internship. One of the things I want to learn is to speak the Spanish language. That’s why I took a week of language lessons to grasp the basics. In the coming months, I aim to learn a few words every day. I also look forward to experiencing what it’s like to work in a friendly team where everyone has their own tasks. I’m confident that it will be a great experience!

Written by Floor Woestenburg, student Media Management