International Internships in Colombia with The Intern Group

I spent twelve weeks in Medellin living with a Colombian family. I previously studied Spanish at university in the States do I did not take Spanish classes during my stay. However, living with a family that only speaks Spanish was a great way to better my language skills. I also had the opportunity to practice at my internship so I think my speaking ability has greatly improved. I felt very safe during my entire stay. The neighborhood in which all the interns live is very modern, comfortable, and easy to get around. Taxis and the metro are very cheap so it is easy to travel to other neighborhoods in the city. The social programs and day trips provided by the Intern Group give you a chance to meet many other interns in the city, and I spent three or four days a week with them. I have made friends from all over the world and that has been one of the best parts of this experience. I only had minimal complaints. One being the amount of work I was given at my job was minimal and at times I was bored with nothing to do. The work ethic in Colombia is very different than the US so that was partly the reason. Also, although my host family was alright I would have preferred to be more like a family, cooking dinner together, sightseeing, etc. Living in an apartment as opposed to a homestay, however, does lessen your Spanish exposure significantly. Overall I had a good experience!

A fantastic experience supported by the great team of people that make up The Intern Group. The team working in Colombia were responsive and helpful from day 1 and I felt at ease before and during my time in Colombia.

Aside from working at the stadium during the U-20 World Cup in Medellín I took Spanish classes at the local university. I found these an excellent way to begin learning a new language and the professor was excellent and provided me with more knowledge on the culture and history of a fascinating area of the world. I actually took more classes than what was initially included in the program.

The social opportunities surrounding the internship were excellent. I met lots of local people while working and also fellow interns, many of whom I am still in touch with now. The trips and events organised by The Intern Group were always a fun and interesting way of seeing more of what the area had to offer, especially such trips as the one to Guatapé. The nightlife in Medellín is very good with lots of restaurants, bars and nightclubs.

These opportunities are unique and are an excellent way to immerse yourself into a new culture and the rewards are huge.

I went into my internship with specific goals: improve my language skills, learn more about the health care system in Colombia, and attempt to make professional connections that could help me get a job locally. I think my goals were more or less met, so I was satisfied with the program. The language classes at EAUFIT were excellent, and I wish I had had more time to participate in those. The hospital staff were very nice, and were very kind to me during my nursing internship. I quickly learned that due to the low salaries and long hours, working as a nurse in Colombia probably wasn't for me. My third goal of meeting professional contacts wasn't really met because Sabaneta was such a small hospital, and the staff that ended up working there were not very well connected. I wish there had been opportunities to see a bigger hospital or go to networking events with other physician or nurse leaders in Colombia, as well as opportunities to have a real mentor (perhaps a nurse educator or nurse manager). The staff nurses in Sabaneta were just not capable of fulfilling this role, and only had familiarity with their small piece of the overall healthcare system. The physical practice of medicine in Sabaneta was actually very ethically challenging for me (it did not meet Western standards by a long shot), but that's another story.

I thought the social calendar for the group was well managed, and the lodgings were fine for student accomodations. The staff was very supportive and engaged, and I enjoyed working with all of them. I would recommend this program to others who want a professionally-geared study abroad experience with the caveat that their paying a huge premium for the convenience of having everything set up for them.

An internship or a semester abroad is less about everything around you and more about yourself. You will get everything you put into it. IF its work experience you're looking for then you have to be in the mindset that you're there to work and be productive. And you can celebrate and have fun on weekends. I took a lot out of my internship because I put a lot of effort into it, every day, and I am glad that I did because I grew as a person as a result of that effort.

Internship:
My internship in the Secretary for Education of Sabaneta was incredibly disappointing. I was not given any of the jobs mentioned in the role description (scrutinising and evaluating the school curriculum for Sabaneta students and proposing how we could improve this). I managed to join a research project started by a previous intern, but we received no training or guidance on improving our personal development throughout. As such, I feel I learned little from the experience.

The secretary for education was not prepared to offer structured and meaningful internships.

Accommodation:
This was wonderful! Conveniently located and in a very safe area, I had no complaints. Our maid, Lijia, always put so much effort into making the place look amazing when she came each week.

Safety:
I felt very safe at home, travelling to work, and exploring medellin. The walking tour included in the programme is very useful for helping you figure out where is safe to go in the city centre. Medellín is certainly not as unsafe as people outside of the country would have you believe!

Support:
I would've liked for the intern group representatives to check in with me more, and do something about it if I wasn't getting enough from my internship.

Otherwise, they were very receptive about things we needed, e.g. Maintenance in our flat. They also try hard to organise social events for the interns to meet each other, which were great fun.

I had an amazing time interning in Colombia! I lived in an apartment with three roommates in the center of the city close to great food and a fun social scene. I was in Colombia to do research for my senior thesis on forced displacement, and my internship allowed me to interact with the displaced on a more personal level. The internship was great for me academically and professionally; I actually got an internship this winter/spring based on my ability to show that I had worked in an all Spanish-speaking workplace. There are so many wonderful weekend and day trips around Medellin, and the people are extremely friendly. I had a bit of a hard time at first with the accent, but I got used to it. I hope to go back to Medellin again one day!

I would certainly consider my time in Medellin as a rewarding, enriching and truly inspiring experience. As a language student, perhaps one of the most important aspects of an extended stay in a different country is the opportunity to meet locals and this is the only way to really challenge your grasp of a language.
If you want to improve your Spanish and you go to Madrid, Barcelona or Buenos Aires you will find it infinitely harder to meet locals and it is very easy to stay in your comfort zone and socialize solely with fellow travelers. However, during my stay in Medellin there was an abundance of invitations from work colleagues, friends of work colleagues and this provided me with an instant platform to improve my Spanish and also to experience a completely different culture.
I worked at the local government where I essentially had an administrative role. Whilst this was at times mundane, I was constantly talking Spanish and I met many interesting people from all the different echelons of society. For instance, I attended a national conference which was attended by the Colombian President but at the same time I was fortunate enough to visit the poorest communities with local politicians and attend meetings in which these locals addressed the problems that they felt needed immediate action.
In terms of social life, Medellin has an area full of nightclubs called Parque Lleras which is great fun; there are also nights out organised by InternLatinAmerica and this gives you an opportunity to socialise with other interns from all around the world. Whilst I was there, there were interns from the US, Belgium, Holland, France and the UK.
Perhaps the only issue that I should raise, and I do feel that this should be acknowledged, is that if you apply for a home stay with a Colombian family, that family has no obligation whatsoever to involve you in their daily activities. The term 'homestay' is actually misleading as in reality you are just renting a room within the house of a Colombian family. My 'homestay' consisted of an unemployed Colombian women who stayed in her bed all day, chain-smoking. (Her name was Olga. If you do end up applying just say I don't want Olga!)
To conclude, I would absolutely recommend the Intern Latin America program. Aside from the issue with the accommodation, it was a fantastic experience and any keen linguist should seriously consider it as an option to improving their written and spoken Spanish.

Every morning attend classes 8-10am
Go to the clinic or hospital from 11am-3pm
Spanish tutor 4-6
Study
Eat dinner, go out with friends

Clinic consisted of interviewing the children and the family members, performing a physical exam, reporting the findings to the attending, and discussing the case at the bedside with the family.

How this program could be improved:

I was fortunate enough to live with family friends who live in Medellin, however the original housing I was supposed to be, I did not like very much. I would suggest allowing students to actually live with a family to get the full experience like I did. Eat the food, speak the language, spend the weekend doing what typical Paisas would do :)