In order to complete my masters' degree, I needed to take part in an internship. I chose to do it aborad, and I came across the Intern Group website. As I have always loved Latin America, I decided to apply for an internship in Colombia.
The staff was very helpful from the start. They helped me with all the administrative stuff I needed for my university. They quickly found an internship for me, at the Alcaldía de Sabaneta in the communication department.
I felt home as soon as I arrived in Colombia, thanks to both the Intern Group Staff and the kindness of the Paisas (population of Medellín). My stay started beautiful with the visit of the amazing Guatapé, one of the many activities that were organized by the Intern Group. I got to met amazing people who are now my friends, and we also organized trips by ourselves, as it is quite easy to travel in Colombia.
There is a popular expression in Colombia: "El riesgo es que te quieras quedar" (The risk is wanting to stay), which perfectly sums up my experience in this beautiful country. The people, the colours, the sounds, the smells, the feelings, the taste will forever stand out in my memory.
I think Colombia leaves no one indifferent, and that is why you should really go.
Saludos a Johanna, Adri, Monica y Paula!
What would you improve about this program?
I think the Internship placement could be improved. When I arrived the first day at my internship, apparently nobody knew I was coming. There had been a change in the head of the communication department, and my arrival had not been communicated to the new staff. So the first couples of weeks were a bit difficult, as I was a bit left aside with no work. But as I was constantly begging for work, they started to integrate me in their activities. My work consisted in assisting to events and writing sime articles for their website, in order to give a foreigner's point of view on the Sabaneta community. I am not sure many people read my articles, and to be honest I didn't really gained professional skills, but I learned a lot about how a small Colombian city worked, and my collegues were always very kind to me.
I would advise you to have a good idea of what kind of internship you would like to perform, so the Intern Group can look for one that will match your expectations.