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Panrimo

Why choose Panrimo?

Based in Birmingham, Michigan, Panrimo is an intern and study abroad provider committed to offering travel experiences that connect you to world culture. We keep our excursion groups small, our focus on the student, and the experience immersive to give program participants the best overseas experience possible.

Panrimo: What it means

Eons ago, the world was one land mass called Pangaea. Thanks to land bridges, ancient travelers could go anywhere they wanted on foot! Unfortunately, as Pangaea broke into separate continents, traveling became more difficult. Panrimo reconnects the world, making it easier for you to follow in your ancestors’ steps.

In fact, that’s what our name is all about: “pan” for Pangaea, on world, and “rimo”, the Latin word for explore.

This is your journey, and we'll take you there!

Reviews

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Annette
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

My Life --> Changed

When I was an undergraduate student, I was ambitious, to say the least. I double-majored in Nutrition and Psychology, I was President of multiple organizations on campus, and I worked at my university counseling center. I had wanted to be a psychologist who worked with clients who suffer from eating disorders. As I was preparing for my junior year of undergrad, I knew I had to begin organizing my internship as part of my Psychology degree. As I watched my coursemates around me, I noticed a disturbing trend- they were arranging internships based on convenience. While I recognize that convenience can be a big factor, the point of an internship is supposed to be challenged, to be motivated to continue in the field, or inspired towards something else. When I came across Panrimo, I told them what I had wanted to do, thinking there was no way they could find an internship for something that specific. I was left dumbstruck when they found my perfect internship; an opportunity to fill the role as a Volunteer Assistant Psychologist on a new eating disorder unit at St. John's Hospital in Edinburgh, Scotland. I thought this was too good to be true. I remember thinking it was too good an opportunity, that it must be an elaborate scam. After many hours of investigating, I had to accept that it was indeed real. I got to not only sit in on clinical ward discussions with the care team but also contribute pertinent patient information as well. I was able to co-facilitate therapeutic sessions focusing on topics such as mindfulness, nutrition, art therapy, stress management, and emotional regulation. I had the opportunity to be able to provide support during meal times, periods of the day patients found to be particularly distressing. My internship experience was unique because I felt like someone thought that I was capable of doing more than intern cliches, such as make photocopies or fetch coffee. The work I was doing was a valuable clinical experience I don't think I could have had anywhere else. My advice to future participants is to trust yourself. For anything. Trust that you will be overwhelmed. At times, in an intense hospital environment, it can feel like you have gone from 0 to 60 in a blink of an eye, but in time you will catch up. Trust that you might not know everything, and that's okay. If you knew everything already, then this internship was not the challenging experience you needed. Trust your capabilities, your ability to learn, and most of all, your perspective. After I completed my internship, I left my new home feeling it wasn't "good-bye," but "See you later." That feeling turned out to be accurate. After a few years, I ended up coming back to the UK. I came to York to complete a Masters in Public Health and afterwards now work as a Health Science Researcher for a local company. I don't think I would have the life I have now if not for Panrimo and their amazing opportunity of a lifetime.

What would you improve about this program?
I feel that the staff who arrange the internship are very supportive. I like the idea of having a support person in the internship city. However, in my situation, I would have liked someone who was a little more attentive. Especially when it comes to the change of coming from a small, rural university in Pennsylvania to a major Scottish city. I think this role could be easily filled by a local student in the city for the summer. I feel this would be a good way to have someone who would be present, help them navigate the city, and support them during difficult periods- like when you're feeling homesick.
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Haley
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

City Life with a French Twist

Panrimo afforded a small provider experience to access the American Business School in the heart of Paris. This short-term summer program was great to accomplish some business courses in a condensed format. The pre-departure support was great and I appreciated the a la carte option since I was a student on a budget. My only complaint was that the on-site support was not as reliable as I would have expected. Other than that, I was very happy with my program.

What would you improve about this program?
Further training of on-site support staff.
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Liz
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Prague + Panrimo= 10/10

As cheesy as the title may be, it is the honest truth. My time in Prague was perfect. I completely fell in love with city, the people, the culture... Everything about it was a perfect match for me. My neighborhood was extremely safe and residential but also close to the city center. Our flat was clean, modern, safe, and huge (I had my own bedroom and bathroom)!
Panrimo made the process as easy as it could possibly be. All of my paperwork was a cinch to complete with the help of the advisers (Thank you, Michael!) and they made me feel completely prepared and safe. Panrimo also has advisers in Prague for you to ask any questions and attend trips, give advice of where to go, help with travel... really anything you could possibly need.
The city itself is magnificently beautiful and has a small/communal sense about it, despite the fact there are over 1 million residents in Prague. I walked everywhere and city transport made life so easy (and I am one to get lost very easily).
I was able to travel to 10 different countries and a handful of cities within the Czech Republic.
This experience was everything I had hoped for and I wish I could do it again! I really could write a book about how amazing and magical Prague is, how much I would like everyone to visit it, and upload all 5,000 pictures that I took while I was there.

What would you improve about this program?
It would have been nice to have a few more activities with our advisers in Prague and people from the Panrimo. We did them often, but they were so fun I wish we did more.
Read my full story
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Jenny
3/5
No, I don't recommend this program

It's on you

The placement process for Panrimo was frustrating. There was a lack of communication and a mix up with the length of my program. I had originally applied and paid a deposit for a 16 week program and found out three months later that I was only going to be interning for 12 weeks. I was not placed at my internship or given my housing placement until two weeks before I left for Madrid. Once I arrived in Madrid my onsite coordinator was very helpful in showing me my apartment and how to get to the city center. I lived on the outskirts of Madrid quite far from where I worked, about a 35 minute commute. I also lived alone, which was great when I had friends come visit, but bad when I was alone when my bathroom flooded or when my power went out. My internship at Bike Spain Tours was great, all my coworkers were very kind and accommodating. I learned a lot from this experience and definitely gained an even stronger sense of independence, but if I did not already have experience living in Spain I think I would have felt very isolated.

Response from Panrimo

Hi Jenny! We’re pleased to hear that your internship was a great fit and that your coworkers were kind and accommodating. We’re also glad that Laura was very helpful, she’s an excellent on-site coordinator! We do apologize that you experienced a lack of communication during the application process. Our staff in the US and abroad work extremely hard to make sure that we communicate clearly, and we are committed to improving this.

One of the biggest benefits of living and working abroad is the independence that students experience, and the skills and maturity that they develop. We are continually adding more activities for students and coordinators to make sure there is a strong sense of community, without impeding independent exploration. Your feedback is very helpful for us as we continue to expand our program in Madrid and other locations. Thank you for taking the time to review us, and best wishes for all your future travels!

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Carly
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Prague is the BEST!

My time in Prague changed me for the better, entirely! Panrimo's support before, during, and after my program took loads of stress off of me so I could better enjoy my time abroad. Strolling the cobblestone streets of Prague instilled in me an appreciation for living on such old land that so many Greats inhabited before me. My perspective of life shifted as I became more aware of how big and diverse the world is! Without the help of Panrimo and their wonderful advisors, I would have never had an opportunity such as this. I felt as though the program was organized and clear and I was comfortable knowing I had the support, feedback and advice of my Panrimo advisors and coordinators at my disposal. Because Panrimo is a smaller, more intimate study abroad provider, I felt like I was important to them. This was also a comfort because I know it is possible with larger providers to become lumped and lost among hundreds of other study abroad students. There were a handful of other Panrimo students with me there and we did participate in planned group activities sometimes, but I also felt like I had the freedom to take trips of my own and create my own schedule, which was very nice!

Programs

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Alumni Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with verified alumni.

Liz Weaver

My name is Liz and I live in Grand Rapids, Michigan where I was born and raised and am studying Marketing and Business Management at Grand Valley State University. I love to travel, I love photography, art and design and my favorite place(s) in the world are the Abaco and Exuma Islands in the Bahamas and Silver Lake in Rockford, Michigan.
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Why did you pick this program?

I have had a love for travel ever since my parents first took my family out of the USA for a vacation in Mexico. I was 10 at the time and even then was enthralled by the extreme change of pace, culture, language, scenery, etc. Since then, I have visited 7 different countries and 3 continents. Majority of these were in the caribbean and I really wanted to explore more of Europe.

I knew I wanted to travel a ton while I was studying abroad and wanted to be in a non-English speaking country. This led to me the Czech Republic as it is smack dab in the middle of Europe with a very different and distinct language, culture, and history.

I ended up going through Panrimo because they are very detail oriented and small which gives you personalized help and attention. My visa paperwork, which could have been a nightmare to complete, was completed fast and easily because the advisers from Panrimo walked me through every step of the process. They genuinely want you to have a great time and get the most out of your experience and ensure this happens by checking in frequently to make sure you are comfortable, having a good time, feeling safe, and offering help before, during and after the trip.

What do you tell your friends who are thinking about going abroad?

PLEASE DO IT! I cannot emphasize this enough. I want to write a book filled with reasons and stories and photos and facts vs. myths about studying abroad to give to every single college student.

I gained so much confidence from studying abroad and I now know I can travel (almost) anywhere in the world if I want to. I maintained a budget, lived in a country where I had absolutely no knowledge of the language, navigated the public transportation (in a different language) and visited 10 different countries. It seems daunting at first but it is so worth going out of your comfort zone. When else will you have 4 months to drop everything and move across the country to travel and immerse yourself in something totally new?

What is one piece of advice you'd give to someone going on your program?

Explore whenever you get the chance.

When I say a visited 10 countries and a dozen or so cities as a full time student, it seems absurd. Europe is so much smaller than the US and for that reason, travel is cheap and easy. I flew to most of my destinations for $100 or less and slummed it in cheap (but safe) hostels. I brought my backpack with me and that was it.

Even within Prague there is so much to see. I could kill hours just walking the cobblestone streets and finding something new every time. When you have spare time, use it to wander.

What's your favorite story to tell about your time abroad?

Probably not what you expected, but my favorite memory was getting stuck in the rain with soaking wet shoes, coat, and backpack in Paris.

Wait.. what?

Yes. At the time, I was indeed miserable and wanted to scream and cry and hurl my bag and shoes off the Eiffel Tour and sit inside a café all day but now it has become my favorite part of studying abroad because it perfectly embodies how I wanted and did travel.

I had a budget that I had set for each trip to ensure I could visit all the places that I wanted to and buy/do the things that I really wanted to do. It was mid November and cold and rainy all weekend. I was in Paris for 4 days and it rained all day, everyday except for the morning that I left.

I stuck it out and walked about 12 miles everyday to see everything I wanted to. To escape the rain, I went into tons of little shops, boutiques, art galleries, and museums. Little moments like this happened all the time and I never realized how much of an impact they had on my experience abroad until now.

Why Prague?

Prague was definitely not my first choice for a host city. When there is Barcelona, Paris, London, Copenhagen, and Rome to choose from; Prague may seem odd.

Well... it is definitely different from every other European city but in the best and most unique way. Their communist past gives it a fascinating culture and rich history and because the city is so old, their architecture is different from most and absolutely stunning. It feels like you live in a fairy tale (cliché but true).

AIt also houses over 1 million people but seems so close-knit and homey. I truly felt at home while simultaneously experiencing big city life. Geographically speaking, I was able to walk to all the major landmarks/sights to see from my apartment.

Because it is not one of the major cities that people want to visit when they travel to Europe, it has less tourists and makes it feel that much more authentic and like home. For this reason, I am torn between keeping Prague, the delightful, beautiful, little treasure it is, to myself; or tell everyone I meet to skip Berlin and Vienna and go straight to Praha to experience it for themselves.

"If European cities were a necklace, Prague would be a diamond among the pearls".

Staff Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with program leaders.

Taneka Martin

Job Title
Office Manager
As the daughter of West Indian immigrants, Taneka was born with travel and global world view in her blood. Splitting her childhood between three states and Toronto she earned her "wings" early and prides herself with never being without a valid passport. Having flown by herself for the first time at 9 she has particularly developed a deep love of solo travel most recently having visited the Turquoise Coast of Turkey.
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What was your favorite traveling experience?

One of my favorite traveling experiences was to Zagreb, the capital of Croatia. It was a completely unplanned add on to a European trip and yet turned out to be full of rewarding experiences. I found the people I encountered to be very warm and interested in talking to a foreigner and the traditional foods to be flavorful which dispelled my prior belief that Slavic food was bland.

What country have you always wanted to visit?

I have always wanted to visit South Africa. The wines produced in these region are some of the most interesting and undiscovered wines in the world and very good for pairing with a wide array of foods. South Africa also requires signficant time in the air and I am one of the few people that really loves flying.

What language have you always wanted to learn and why​?

I have also want to learn Mandarin as I think learning a language that requires learning a completely different character structure from English would be the ultimate challenge.

Why is language learning and cultural immersion important to you?

I think cultural immersion and language are particularly important because the borders between nations are rapidly dissolving and, in moving forward, it is important to develop cultural understanding of individuals who, due to distance barriers in the past, we may not have encountered but we are now interacting with on a daily basis.