Experiences You Have On An AIESEC exchange

It's that time of year again folks. Summer season means one thing- exchange and internships. Whether your a newbie heading off on your first AIESEC experience or a seasoned exchange veteran, one thing is for sure- you have no idea what to expect from this experience. Choose to embrace it.

You pack your bag and head off for a summer with an ultimate goal of achieving peace and fulfilment of human's kind potential.... and the occasional party or two.

 

1- Preparation

Hot country? Cold country? WHAT SHOULD YOU BRING? That moment of panic when you realise you have no idea what you're doing.

2- Arriving in the airport and realising you have no way of contacting your host

No wifi, no signal, no credit. Well this is going to be interesting.

3- Relief when you finally find your airport pick-up

When I arrived on my first exchange in Rio I can't describe the relief of seeing someone standing there with a sign with my name in one hand and a picture of me on there phone in the other. It had begun. Pure excitement.

 

4-Meeting your host/buddy for the first time

and realising everything is going to be okay...

5-New Cultural Experiences

and having the "that would never happen in my country" moment..

6-Wifi.

And your constant struggle trying to find it. HOW ARE YOU GOING TO TELL THE WORLD WHAT YOUR DOING?

7-Getting used to sleeping wherever you can

Sleep is precious and on your exchange you will not care where your bed is or even if it's just a mattress on the floor.

8-Your first day of work.

Figuring out working with children isn't as easy as you thought..

9-Trying to learn a new language..

 

10- Having the occasional moment of self doubt..

and realising that everything is going to be okay..

11- Ramen noodles become your main food group

It doesn't matter if you're in Europe, South America or Asia. Instant noodles are always your friend.

12-Stopping every few minutes for photos...

snap snap snap.

13-First time you experience cultural shock:

It's always going to happen and it always hits you when you least expect it.

14-Then dealing with it because you're an AIESECer

and lets face it- AIESECer's can deal with anything..

15- Getting lost. All. The. Time.

It's all part of the experience guys..

16-Newbies reaction to seeing roll call's for the first time:

It  looks like some kind of high school musical, pre-rehearsed, group dance.

17- Working hard and partying even harder:

When you're not working it's time to do something fun..

18-Realising that you actually can't stay on exchange forever and actually have to go home..

What ? You mean we can't do this for the rest of our lives..

19-However you're still smug about having been a traveller not a tourist for the past 8 weeks..

You're a global citizen now.

20-Although you still have that one day where you take those touristy photo's:

You just can't resist pretending to pinch large monuments from afar..

21-Heartbreak when you finally say goodbye to your group..

22-Then understanding that going on exchange was one of the best decisions you've ever made..