Strapped on my seatbelt on the flight from Manila to Palermo, Italy with all strangers beside me, it finally struck me that I was going on this trip to Europe alone. Surprisingly at 19 years of age, this is my first time to go outside the country.
Working in AIESEC for three years and hearing about Exchange first hand from participants who leave, as well as those who arrive here from different countries, I could not possibly ignore the opportunities this organization has to offer. I had been determined to go on exchange from the moment I joined the organization, and so I decided to take up this “challenge” last summer: to be independent in an unfamiliar place, with people I do not know from different backgrounds and cultures, working on a project created by locals of that country who do not speak English in their native tongue.
The internship itself was situated in Palermo, Italy. The region of Sicily is already a mosaic of different cultures from Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Norman, Spanish to name a few. With that said, arriving in a different continent and trying to settle in with 15 other interns from all over the world was undoubtedly overwhelming. For six weeks, I worked on a project to raise funds for a local NGO in the city. It was a new experience being able to organize events successfully with the help of fellow AIESECers in a foreign place.
Although executing and organizing the project well ensured an accomplished internship, the fulfilment and rewards of the whole experience certainly do not end there. It gets as deep as self-development and how I perceive the world. Other than learning how small this big world can get when you travel, it’s the moments I spent with people from diverse backgrounds. Hostel searching and Couch Surfing helped me get around Europe on a budget. This is where I met more student travellers from different countries. Like it or not, I represented my country when I went travelling – both to locals and to other travellers. I actually wanted to know more about the Philippines because all of us there with wanted to share our own story from home.
AIESEC made it possible for me to experience this adventure at a very young age. I urge you to grab the opportunity to the same while you can. The things I gained from this two-month journey certainly last longer than that – a lifetime. I would do it again, because at the end of the day, it was a humbling yet overwhelming experience. I fell in love with the buildings, the food, the city, the culture and the people. I became a sponge, absorbing every detail and sensation of a new location.
Written by Monnik Togle
