Summer in Paris

Finding the perfect internship for the summer is always a stressful time. One day, my French professor told me about an opportunity of working abroad through Global Experiences. From then on, everything just fell into place. All the informational videos and chats just got me more excited about being able to work in Paris. After being accepted, Global Experiences helps you through all your questions and hesitations about going abroad. Although I have been to other countries before, I had never gone to Paris or lived in a foreign place for an extended period of time.

Being a game design major, I was initially a little skeptical about being able to find a relevant internship for my major through Global Experiences. I didn’t want to be just one of those interns who grabs coffee or does busy work that no one else wants to do. Finishing up my last days here in Paris, I am very happy with my placement. The internship might not have been specifically for game design, but because of that, I was able to learn more about different types of programming. My boss was a designer, and therefore she had an eye for aesthetics. Building a website was one of my main tasks. Being a programmer, I could build the main structure of the site, but with her help, I learned about making the website aesthetically pleasing. Towards the end of my internship, I was even able to make a little game experience. This internship gave me the opportunity to go as far as I wanted. I didn’t feel like a machine but rather a relevant team member, so much so, that my boss offered to have me come back to the company when I finished my studies.

For my homestay, I was very close to the metro. Getting around was easy and simple with my Navigo Découvert. For two months, it was me, my host mother, and one other American in the house. I had five meals a week, home cooked by my host mother, and each meal was delicious. I had some of the best food I’ve ever eaten in my life here in Paris, but my host mother’s dinners were definitely on the list too. These meals were also a good time to bond with my host mother and practice my French.

The activities set up by the program location coordinator were unique. They were a good time to be able to talk with the other interns and go to places I might not necessarily have known about. Building these friendships definitely helped me to feel more comfortable living in a foreign place. They were people you could relax and have fun with on the weekends, or just a group to be able to talk to in English once in awhile.

Coming out of this experience, Global Experiences helped me to build my résumé, strengthen my interview skills and just made me learn more about myself as a person. I also get to say that I spent my summer in one of the most beautiful cities in the world.