I interned abroad In Australia last summer and it was a once in the life time experience. It has always been my dream to travel to Australia and I never thought I would actually make the dream happen, let alone do work there. I worked at a film company and TEAN did a perfect job matching me with my ideal internship. It was great because I had a chance to go out into the country with people who have grown up there all their lives. Everyone was so welcoming and the experience I got in a short two month period was almost more then I would've gotten at home for a full semester. TEAN was great with matching me with awesome roommates, and the outside activity they took us on was the best part of the whole trip. It was an incredible experience that I will remember forever.

I interned in Sydney in the summer of 2017. My TEAN advisor got me in contact with an awesome company and really took into account not only the field I wanted to be working in but also the type of company I wanted to be working for. I had an awesome experience with that company and remain in contact with them, as they have written me recommendation letters for upcoming work. Additionally, TEAN did an awesome job of ensuring we had the best possible experience outside work as well. Alice, our advisor was there for us every step of the way, from arriving and showing us around the city, to being on call when someone was sick and didn't know where to go, to helping us plan trips.

This summer I interned abroad in Sydney, Australia. It was the most amazing and eye opening experience of my life. My experience was unique because I spent two months exploring Sydney in addition to building my resume with my internship. My internship was in the healthcare field, at two different Sydney Children's Hospitals through the Starlight Children's Foundation. I worked in their "express rooms", where I did activities with the kids such as arts & crafts or played video games. I as well went on wards with the captains for the patients who were bedridden. It was an amazing and an eye opening experience. I learned so much from my internship that will help me throughout finishing school and my future career. My excursions in Sydney ranged from having a surfing lesson at Bondi beach to taking a yoga class at Bondi Icebergs Club to attending a Rugby game. TEAN is more than helpful with giving suggestions about what to do throughout Sydney, as well as giving advice on where to travel throughout Australia. They planned two great excursions and were always available if I had any questions about my internship.

Deciding to do a summer internship in Australia was truly the best decision I've ever made. Being pre-med, it's really hard to study abroad since you can't take pre-reqs abroad, but this program was the perfect solution. My internship was doing research on cognitive deficits following concussion on the neuropsychiatry service through Hunter New England Health in Newcastle, and it was an absolutely amazing opportunity. I got the chance to experience clinical research first hand in an international setting, which was pretty huge. I also had the opportunity to travel around Australia and saw amazing places including The Great Barrier Reef, Byron Bay, the Great Ocean Road in Victoria, and the Whitsunday Islands, which was truly the most beautiful place I've ever been. I've made friendships with both Australians and Americans that will last a lifetime, which is an incredibly priceless reward of doing this program. This program has truly spiked my desire to keep traveling, as it has taught me that travel truly is the most important source of learning and self growth.

When I first watched Peter Jackson's adaptations of The Lord of the Rings at age 10, I knew I had to visit New Zealand. How could such sweeping plains, craggy volcanos, and verdant farmland exist in one small island country? However, because of the stresses of traveling so far, I knew this would not be an easy trip to plan or execute on my own. What is a sad nerd girl to do? Luckily, I found my answer in TEAN; not only did they help with my travel and living arrangements, they offered me the chance to work for college credit and live in my dream city, Wellington, for two months. I had the opportunity to get real-life, cross-cultural work experience at Shakespeare Globe Centre New Zealand, a partner of the Globe in London that specializes in educational outreach for secondary school children. Aside from my 40-hour work weeks, I was able to explore the country that had fascinated me for so many years during my spare time. It took a few bouts of severe homesickness and many trips to the coffeeshop by the office, but in between searching for Hobbits and those ever-elusive Kiwi, I found a better, stronger version of myself along the way. I'm forever thankful to New Zealand and TEAN for allowing me the opportunity to live a dream and plan for my not-so-distant adulthood, all at the same time.

This whole experience has changed my life. As cliché as that sounds, I can say with complete honesty that it is 100% true. Before this trip I had never been out of North America, let alone, away from my family and friends for this long. While there were definitely times where it was tough and I really didn’t want to do this whole thing anymore, I found ways to stick it out. I took trips and saw places like nothing I had ever seen before. I made friendships that will hopefully last a lifetime. I truly experienced what it is like to live and work abroad. But most importantly, this trip allowed me to develop and grow as a young adult, who is looking forward to my next adventure; wherever that may take me.