AIFS Abroad: Study Abroad in Italy

Florence is a very artistic place. Since I never been to Europe before, it was a change in scenery I never expected. Everywhere I go, I can find some form of art or history. I got to:

1. try different food that I never ordered before from different restaurants
2. Been to different theme museums
3. Been to different theme Churches
4. Take pictures of old streets

In the end, Florence was a nice working vacation spot.

1. The staff were all so helpful and patient, I never had issues with them
2. I learned how to be more confident, independant, and got a ton of real world experience
3. I got to experience things and places I never thought I'd get to do
4. The high expenses are worth it for everything I got to do and see
5. If you are wondering about doing an internship through Global Experiences, GO FOR IT!!!

My experience has been amazing!
Nothing really about the internship that I didn't enjoy. If anything it was more like certain types of blog posts were less fun than others, but that's the same with any job. Writer's block was an obstacle for me when I wasn't terribly inspired by the project and I really had to kick myself in the pants sometimes to just get it done!
As for the Global Experiences parts of the internship I loved the outings, big surprise huh? Having Eleonora as our overseer was amazing, she's the best! Friend, tour guide (because she knows alot about the places we go!), guardian angel. We were lucky to have her, she's very sweet and kind and it was great knowing if we needed something or had questions she would be very prompt with her responses.
The schooling sadly did little for me, maybe it was just my learning style didn't fit but I regret not using that two weeks to just travel. The instructors themselves were very friendly though.
Another thing, the metro card, guys this saves us so much hassel! Never get rid of this! Ever!

Talking about my internship:
When I arrived and began working with my supervisor, a fashion blogger, we jumped right in to things. She had me up an running with all the log in's for her email, wordpress, pinterest, twitter, and instagram in the first few days and by the end of the first week I was keeping her calendar, reasearching trends, writing blog posts and going along for outfit pickups and events. I also helped her shoot a look book for a designer she was consulting for which was pretty cool.
Fashion week itself was a different kind of schedule altogether. Before fashion week it's all about the prep work like picking up fashion week outfits from press rooms, writing about what trends we will see in the show as well as keeping up the everyday work like shooting and writing about different outfits. We also try and lay out a tentitive scheduale as best we can before fashion week with the events and shows we know about before all the last minute (like 'day of' last minute) emails come in and we are scrambling to make sure they all make it on the calendar. Then it's a week of running to this show or that event, fighting for a seat amongst the seasoned fashion week photographers, and hagling with security. Exchanging pleasantries with PR, picking up press releases and goodie bags and doing all this while constantly updating twitter and instagram stories from every event you go to along the way.

After fashion week everything slows nearly to a halt for about a day or two, while we catch a breather, doing clean up work like retrning borrowed designer peices and organizing the million goodie bags with product and press releases. Then things in the writing sector take off and, because we now have so much material to work with our topic pile is overflowing, the blog post frenzy begins. So it may seem quieter because no, you aren't running around hopping on and off public transport til 8,9,10 at night, you are technically staying in but you're staying in because you have several hours, days of writing that needs to be done haha!

Working with this supervisor there's a role you don't find in a lot of work environments, she really wants you to be soaking in a learning as much as possible. It is actually a must for her, as oppossed to a lot of places where it is more 'here's the work you have done by this time, oh and hopefully it will help you learn something'. No she wants you to understand what you are doing, the reason and purpose behind doing it and how to do it well.
She also gives you a lot of independence, if you have a list of events to go to, you go on your own a lot of the time, and unless told otherwise you pretty much decide which order to go to them and when. You're job is just to make sure you make it to all of them and do the job right. So an important role here is to really keep yourself on task.

Patience, perhaps stemmed from years of retail work, has helped tremendously in this line of work and in a new country. Patience with the people, patience with the public transportation system that has an agenda of it's own and is at times utterly confusing, or on strike! Patience with those who send last minute emails but fully expect you to attend their event, and those events that don't start on time by like a whole hour. Patience with the workload, and with yourself for not having more of done.

My advice to any intern: Communicate, keep yourself in line and organized and be useful! Because it will all help you in the end!

Cities become your home when you get to share the city to your family and friends. One of the best 'aha' moments I had while abroad was when my mom got to visit me about half way through the semester. We were walking around the city and I was sharing everything that I knew about it, simply going on and on about how marvelous it was and why. I would talk about the Duomo and the small piazza by my apartment. My mom was impressed that I not only knew all of this information, but I knew every which way to turn while we were walking. She finally said that "Wow. This truly has become your new home." And it was simple moments like these that I truly miss the most about my time in Florence, Italy.

I had always known going in to college that I wanted to study abroad for a semester sometime during my four years. I chose Italy and immediately also chose Florence because I appreciated that it was a vibrant booming city but also a small city, in hopes that it would feel homey. I wanted to be in a place where another language was spoken. It turned out that many of the cafes I would go into often, the workers would want to help you learn Italian and would help you as you mumbled the little Italian you knew to order a cappuccino.

My next step was choosing which program I wanted to study abroad with. I was initially drawn towards AIFS (American Institute of Foreign Study) because, 1. It was an affiliate program for my school (University of Alabama), 2. It had a great flight package that would allow me to spend 3 days in London prior to arriving in Italy 3. It had a meal plan package that had great reviews and 4. It appeared to include a lot for the cost that was similar to other programs.

I ultimately chose AIFS and all I can say is AIFS went above and beyond everything I expected. It started off with the great flight package which included a 3 day all-inclusive trip to London and then a 5 day orientation in Rome. I really liked having an orientation in another city because in the morning, we would have orientation, and then in the afternoon, we got to explore the city, go the Vatican, etc.

The meal plan WAS OUT OF THIS WORLD. IT WAS INCREDIBLE! There is no better way to experience the culture of Italy than being able to eat at about 25 different restaurants throughout the city each night. Each restaurant ranged from a meal "gift card" or a set menu. And these restaurants had incredible food. It may have helped me gain a few pounds, but I also got to explore some of Italy's best food for no price. I know so many other students studying abroad that ended up cooking pasta and sauce for dinner every night to save money, whereas my friends and I got to go out to eat each night of the week.

AIFS also had an incredible and friendly staff to help you out if you need them, and planned many social events including volunteering the local schools, colleges, etc.; social nights with local Italians to practice your Italian and meet other students; free trips to the Italian country side as well as a 3 day trip to Venice; and even got to stay right on the river in an Italian style apartment. I’m telling you, AIFS did an incredible job of making sure we had every opportunity to fully engage in the Italian culture and I couldn’t have asked for anything better. With that, I urge anyone reading this to go for it and GO STUDY ABROAD.

In summer 2016 I jetted off to Florence, Italy for a digital marketing internship that I landed through the amazing Global Experiences program. Travelling has always been a major part of my life however, I wanted more than a vacation. I wanted to be immersed in an entirely new culture for a prolonged period in order to broaden my world view. This is exactly what Global Experiences gave me. Not only that, I will have memories, stories, and friendships that will last a lifetime. While it sounds scary to move to a country where you not only don't know anyone but you also do not speak the language, it was the best decision I could have ever made while in university. I am a firm believer that only good things come from stepping outside of your comfort zone and, if presented this choice again, I would jet across the world with GE in a heart beat!

I knew from the moment that I went to a Global Experiences interest meeting my junior year, I was hooked (and it wasn't just the free pizza). The idea that I could spend three months doing a credited internship in one of the most beautiful cities in the world was a dream. The team at Global Experiences helped make this dream a reality. The entire process was not confusing due to how organized and helpful they made it. My hometown is the same city as their office, so I stopped by to meet everyone, and their office had such a cool vibe and the people were so welcoming! Later on in the process, they even had a coach call me and help me work on my resume and cover letter for my possible internships. They want to prepare you the best they can for your future endeavors!

As for my internship, they really took the time to make sure that I was matched with one that was well suited for me. I did marketing and social media for a bicycle touring company, and they honestly became my family as I was working for them. I joined many of their tours, biking through the stunning hills of Tuscany, touring through family owned wineries, eating delicious food, and meeting people from all over the world. They taught me so much not just about the touring business, but Italian culture and their language. Also, I can now I can make a mean cup of Italian coffee.

As for the city of Florence, it can seem scary to some to live in a foreign country for any amount of time. Global Experience quickly helped make this city a second home, giving us a coordinator, aka "mom" during our stay (I love you, Rachel!), making many group activities, tours, and always checking up on us. I never felt alone in Florence, and this was because they made us an awesome tight-knit group. I also loved my housing, as I was right next to the duomo and basically in the center of the city. Being able to walk everywhere was such a refreshing change than that I was used too.

I would give Global Experiences a 10/10 overall for so many reasons, but most of all for how much they care about anyone going through the process. You are not just a number, and they really want to make sure that your dreams come true during your intern abroad experience. Thanks GE!!!

Ciao! This program with Rome was an amazing and life changing experience. Throughout my time abroad the onsite staff continued to make sure we were immersed in the local culture. I got to travel to so many Italian cities and experience them how the locals do. In Naples I got to eat at one of the first pizzerias, ever. In Rome we had the chance to take cooking classes to continue eating this amazing food upon returning home.
The resident director, Rosanna, was amazing. You could always go to Rosanna to talk about academics, living situations, or personal situations and she would welcome you with open arms.
Choosing AIFS was the perfect fit for me and my study abroad experience.

Through my internship with Global Experiences I found lifelong friendships and countless networking opportunities.
I traveled to Milan and Paris to work in showrooms for my internship company. I would not have been afforded these opportunities had I interned in the states.
If you are looking for a killer internship to put on your resume, look no further than letting Global Experiences place you in the prettiest city in the world.