AIFS Abroad

Interning abroad in Paris was an unforgettable experience that I will never forget. The culture is filled with so much art, history, and romance. I will miss the simple things like getting a croissant on my way to work from a boulangerie, which is "bakery" in French. After work I would walk to the Canal Saint-Martin and meet up with my roommates to explore boutiques and cafes. At night, the city of Paris was so alive. Watching the Eiffel Tower sparkle on the hour once it got dark was so magical. I learned so much about international business and cultural etiquette. Paris is the perfect place to gain real-world experience while being fully immersed in yourself through a unique way of life. Paris was my dream come true!

I went abroad alone, which was very intimidating at first, considering I've never even been to Europe before! However The AIFS staff and students met me exactly where I was. I was immediately surrounded by new friends and an apartment that felt like home. This experience was the best thing I had ever done for myself. I was immersed into a entirely new culture that created the industry I want to pursue a career in. Physically exploring Italy forged a special connection between my personal experience and Italian history, that a textbook simply couldn't replicate. This semester showed my ability to explore, learn, be scared, take risks, and prove to myself that I can tackle the growing pains that come with adulting. I leave this experience with a gift too big for words!!!!!

I really enjoyed Prague. The city is amazing and has so many diverse experiences to offer. There is a vast selection of things to see including arts, good food, history, sports, nightlife, and nature. I felt that AIFS was really helpful and available with all the questions I had. I really liked the AIFS staff in Prague too (Jenny and Renata), they were both super fun to talk to and had lots of great insight to share. Prague is just genuinely one of the coolest cities I have been to. I also traveled a lot during my study abroad, and still found Prague to be my favorite or one of my favorite cities. Across all the different aspects of a city, it is just so consistent and have so much to see. I really enjoyed the AIFS group trip to Moravia as well. Some drawbacks I experienced now. There were many AIFS events to attend (which is a huge plus) but I found it pretty difficult to plan so far ahead with these and declare attendance. I understand it is difficult for AIFS to handle this issue but the restrictiveness was difficult as well because when you study abroad you are just trying to sort out your mind. It's very overwhelming to figure out the subset of things you actually want to allot your time towards, since there is just so much to do. The other thing I didn't love was how the dorms didn't provide food other than super simple breakfasts. And you don't really have any space for groceries and it seems like a waste of money to buy kitchen items (tools, spices, etc) for one semester. While it is fun to eat out and explore, it was pretty inconvenient to always have to do it. Lastly, integration w/ Charles University wasn't really there. I found that I made great friends with the other AIFS and other study abroad students staying at the dorms, but it was hard to have good experiences with local students or have a proper "campus life". Overall, I would still highly recommend Prague w/ AIFS. My study abroad semester was something I'll never forget, and I don't really have any regrets related to it.