Lessons from a Summer Abroad
About the author: Ashley Meyer’25 is an FSI The Europe Center Global Policy Intern with The Baltic Security Foundation. Ashely is currently an International Relations major at Stanford University.
After 6 weeks, my global studies internship is coming to a close. Spending this summer in Riga was quite the experience with many highlights and many life lessons. Now that I am getting a chance to reflect on my internship abroad experience, I want to put together a few lessons that I have taken from the trip so that they might help others looking to intern abroad as well.
First off, be flexible at all times. Sometimes, the best experiences come from spontaneous decisions, and setting expectations for the summer can lead to disappointment. When offered a unique opportunity, take it even if it is a little outside your comfort zone. Afterward, you will have a memory worth sharing even if you were not entirely thrilled about it all at the moment. When visiting the National Song and Dance Festival in Tallinn, Estonia, my Stanford group got caught outdoors in a thunderstorm, leaving us soaking wet and 40 minutes from the city with limited knowledge of the local public transportation. But we eventually dried off and while we might not have gotten to enjoy the festival to the fullest extent, we still walked away from it all with great memories of a rainy day well spent.
Second, don’t underestimate the difference that a little company can make. Every experience is different depending on who you are around and taking in different perspectives can help you appreciate the complexity of life. Whether this means exploring places with a local tour guide rather than alone or simply eating lunch with coworkers or making friends with neighbors. Each of these offers you a new experience and a new chance to see something from another person’s perspective. So, if you are like my roommate, ask to sit down with someone you see eating alone and start a conversation, or just find an opportunity to connect with peers and coworkers outside of work and explore the social life of the area you are in. Not only will you come away with great conversations, but you’ll also feel more at home in your new area.
Lastly, above all keep in mind that this is summer. Yes, you have work to do and often times you can learn a lot from your internships if you invest yourself in the program but remember to save some time for you. Take a break every now and then. Not every excursion has to include exciting sights and thrilling adventures. On sunny days, take a walk through a local park and read a book or go people-watching. For rainy days, check out museums and libraries and spend time with your new friends. Spend time on what you like and don’t feel like every minute has to be dedicated to something unique. Part of this program is simply learning to live in a new area, so be sure to treat it as such.
For me, and likely for many of the global studies interns, this summer has been a collection of interesting memories and lessons. I know I will be taking these learning moments with me as I move on to tackle bigger challenges and hopefully, they help you too, in whatever you may be up to. As sad as I am for my internship to be over, I am happy to know that I will forever carry these memories with me. Happy summer everyone! Here’s to another quarter well spent and even greater quarters yet to come.
