Program Reviews

What you make of the experience is entirely up to you. With the local committees there is a diverse set individuals all going through similar experiences so it's possible to make group travel plans and just socialize. Being abroad allowed lots of time to make plans and travel. I was able to travel to 3 different countries other than my host country just though weekend trips which led to many great experiences.

I think my internship is a rewarding experience for me. I have not only gained practical experience related to my major, but also traveled to many cool places in Germany. IAESTE German LC committee has organized those trips pretty well and made them affordable. The fun part is to meet interns from all over the world, to learn and experience a different culture in the host country.

Going to Brazil was a highlight of my time in graduate school. From beginning to end, the staff was extremely helpful and involved in the quality of my time spent abroad. The placement itself was incredible, in a great city, and within a group that included other international students. The time spent working was supplemented by personal time to explore the local environs and other cities around the country, some of which included meetings with colleagues that expanded my professional network. Hands down, I would jump at the opportunity to participate in this program again and recommend it to anybody wishing to visit a foreign country, immerse themselves in a new culture, and gain experience in an international setting.

The last weekend of my fellowship was the most impactful moment of my trip and something I did not expect would happen when I first embarked to Buenos Aires. It sparked from a passion that my boss and I have in common and it all came together with full success in the planning of a week.

One day speaking with my boss, Rocio we spoke about my organization Seeds of Change. I explained to her my frustration in not being able to go to Kenya and help out the Massai Tribe and had this money and just wanted to go out and help. She said that she had been feeling that Fundacion de la Tierra was lacking something we began to brain storm and came up with Playing for Change Project. We both agreed that it was difficult to get children to love nature if they could not go out and play if they were too cold and didn’t have sweaters or take care of animals if all they cared about was figuring out where they will get their next meal. She showed me locations in Argentina that we could help out. With that in mind Playing for change is a project that its mission is based on promoting the rights of children in Argentina. My foundation Seeds of Change formed an agreement with Fundacion de la Tierra where we seek schools, food shelters and community shelters that are in underdeveloped communities. Our philosophy is by connecting them to playing in nature at a young age will develop a love for nature. Playing gives a sense of hope in children and teens. With the instruments from both foundations combined, Fundacion de la Tierra will do workshops and games in nature while Seeds of Change will provide any basic necessities for the community. Playing is the root and essence of the human culture and an activity that begins during childhood and lasts through out a lifetime.

The first launch of Playing for Change was in Salta, Argentina (another province 2 hours away by plane.) we presented the project to Andes Lineas Aereas seeking for sponsorship of three volunteers, the agreed. I went out to the China Town of educational supplies and bought pencils, crayons, pencil pouches, erasers and notebooks for each child that would be at the food shelter. Along with Rocio and the team I’ve been working with we collected clothing donations and bought hats and gloves for the kiddies too. In all the excitement we were ready to travel and have some fun! I planned out the weekend filled with activities. We gave out the pouches with the goodies and the first activity was free art inspired by nature. I sat next to the kids and got to know their stories and hours went by we were enjoying ourselves so much that the rest of the activities were delayed. I later learned that the community we were helping it was very common for the parents to be drug addicts and to have from 5 to 11 children. I work with children back home and I know that kids get bored easily and are ready to move on to different activities constantly. These children just wanted to talk and to learn to draw,one little boy Rodrigo told me “Teach me to draw that giraffe, no one has ever taught me, now that I thin of it no adult has ever sat next to me one on one and spent time with me.” This broke my heart because that is when I realized these kids need attention, love and care above anything else that is what they seek the most. Throughout the weekend we did other activities like airplane races, movie afternoon and popcorn, bird observations outside, card games and more. We also made sure to provide the shelter with enough food for a couple of months and seeds to plant for their own vegetable garden. These children cared for each other. Six year old sisters would feed their baby siblings and carry them around, they raise each other and their rights to be children and just enjoy being one are stripped away because of the neglect of their parents. This project has become dear to my heart and will be continued in Argentina by Rocio and the Fundacion de la Tierra. This project will now bring the joy of playing to other children and that is what I live for.

The Cultural Vistas Fellowship has been easily one of the most beneficial and memorable experiences in my college career to date. I not only learned further about my career interests, but was able to grow considerably on a personal level as well - challenging myself to adapt with a foreign environment. The staff is incredibly supportive as well.

Being a Cultural Vistas Fellow changed my life in so many ways. Professionally, I was able to gain experience that I would have never been able to get in the United States. I spoke German every day at work and my German improved so much just in the 8 weeks I was in Berlin. (Other fellows spoke English at work, so don't fret if you are not advanced in the language.) To my surprise, I had a large amount of personal growth and learned so much just about myself during my time in Berlin. Participating in this program will benefit your life and your future in so many ways.

Overall, I had a great summer in Bangalore. Living on my own in way in India allowed me to grow as a person through becoming more independent and self confident. The cultural aspects of the trip were great - we gained fantastic insight into different parts of Indian culture and society through trips to historical sites, an Indian wedding, a Bollywood movie, and at our workplaces. Interning at a rather large, and prominent hospital in Bangalore gave me an idea of the kind of medical work I would be interested in doing, and what international possibilities were available in the medical industry. Being able to experience another country with the other interns was an amazing experience!

I was IAESTE Slovakia member for 5 full years and during my time, I was given opportunity to go on 2 internships in very different cities. My first internship in Skopje, Macedonia, at a age of 20 was my first experience with living abroad on my own, but friendly and very helpful members of IAESTE Macedonia always made sure, that I would have only great memories and get the best of my time in their country. Fear of unknown, which many young people facing, changed into hunger for new adventures and eventually I was able go on another internship, this time to New York City.

Coming from very small village in Slovakia I always wanted to experience big city life and thanks to an IAESTE, another of my dreams came true for me. Living in New York City was whole different, than anything I experienced ever before, but I always found people from IAESTE USA (and Cultural Vistas) very helpful with all challenges I faced.

Since, I have experienced IAESTE program as an intern and also as a reception coordinator, I am very positive, that everybody, who will pick IAESTE internship in effort to make step forward in personal and professional development will be highly satisfied.

I felt like the Cultural Vistas program was really helpful to me as a person who had never traveled outside the US before and, at the time, did not have the financial resources to do so. I had an all around great experience in my host country and find it difficult to make any critiques of the program, however most of my work experience is technical in nature and my internship was placed with an environmental awareness non-profit. It was still valuable work experience and had helped me stay competitive for other jobs and careers in my field but was not particularly relevant to work experiences in my day to day life. Be aware and flexible in your internship placement as you apply for this fellowship.

The CV Fellowship was the most important developmental and cultural experience I've had in college. I learned more in 8 weeks than in any class, and it gave me an advantage and wealth of experiences to draw upon when recruiting for internships and full time positions thereafter.