JoAnne's Journey in Romania

JoAnne went to Romania with AIESEC to the Romania- Discover Romania program in July 2018. Here’s what she says about her time in Romania:

AIESEC experience in Romania was wonderful, working in an Orphanage and providing sessions to children living there. AIESEC in Romania provided well-rounded support and Romania did not feel unsafe to go to. All other participants in the program were amazing.

Discover Romania is a program designed to help children in child-care centers or orphanage through English-teaching sessions and spending time with children. The program does not currently have openings for Summer 2019 but if you are interested, please fill out the interest form here.

If you are interested in the program and would like to personally speak to JoAnne about her experience, specify during your consultancy meeting with an AIESEC manager and we will arrange contact for you after the meeting.

Juliettes' Journey in Peru

Juliette went to Peru with AIESEC to the Peru-Doctor Sonrisas program in July 2018. Here’s what she says about her time in Peru:

“Peru feels like my new home! I am so thankful to be surrounded by such wonderful welcoming people who are willing to share every part of their culture with me.”

Doctor Sonrisas is a program to help children with special education needs in Peru, mainly working in child-care centers or SEN schools. For more information, please visit the program page.

If you are interested in the program and would like to personally speak to Juliette about her experience, specify during your consultancy meeting with an AIESEC manager and we will arrange contact for you after the meeting.

Luiza's Journey in Thailand

I was a member of AIESEC USC so that’s how I heard about the opportunity. I also was interested in meeting other international students. I went to Samurprakarn province iand Bangkok for my project. I visited Phuket, Krabi, pattaya, and ayutthaya in Thailand with other EPs during the project and Vietnam and Cambodia after the project.

I was in a rural village so there wasn’t much to do during the week. The nature was very beautiful and it was fun to walk around and explore. Bangkok was a very fun city and we went out a lot there with the program. I visited Phuket, Krabi, pattaya, and ayutthaya in Thailand with other EPs during the project and Vietnam and Cambodia after the project. Buddhism is a big part of the local culture and that’s reflected in the clothing and local customs. I went to several ceremonies and temples.

I taught English to primary school students (1-6) 5 days a week for 6 weeks. The children and teachers were super kind and amazing to work with. The work was hard but extremely rewarding. Learning to overcome the language barrier and teach the students despite this. Also, learning to create a good relationship with the students.

I can’t say there’s one story but my favorite part of the experience was playing volleyball and soccer with the kids between classes. It was a good way to bond and they are so excited to spend time with the teachers and practice their English. I meet so many people from so many different countries. Morocco, Spain, Mexico, Colombia, France, Vietnam, Cambodia, Korea. I recommend this experience to anyone it was incredible!!!!

I usually read and sleep after work because it was very exhausting teaching all day in the heat. My room was the only one with AC and I had to share a bed with another girl EP but we had plenty of space. We wore shoes in the shower but it was relatively clean. My host family cooked for us and we ate at school and tried to give us a sampling of the local cuisine and they even made milder dishes for us.

The language and cultural barrier at first especially regarding clothing as a female. Also the heat and the conditions were tough for some EPs. I had some of the best accommodations so I was pretty comfortable. I learned how to communicate and live with people from different cultures. I also learned public speaking and leadership skills that are extremely valuable through the teaching. I’m a lot more aware of the differences between Asian countries ad cultures. I also am much more comfortable speaking in front of people and leading a large group.

This was the best experience of my life and I highly recommend it. The people in Thailand are extremely kind and the school is super excited to have you. It can be challenging but just try your best and have fun!!!!

Chris' journey in Thailand

Last summer, I spent six weeks in Thailand to teach English in a local elementary school. The journey in Thailand became one of my most valuable experience to change my life. I have learned so many things through the traveling and living in a new country. Here is my story about Thailand. 

Working  
I think the teaching experience in Thailand was a totally new experience for me. Up until now, I have never taught as a teacher. I didn’t even have an experience to actually interact with little kids in the elementary school level. First, I thought I was not a very kid friendly person, but as time went by and now that I think about it, I enjoyed being with them. Even though there was a language barrier, I really liked seeing them playing, smiling, and enjoying their everyday life just like me when I was in elementary school.

Accommodation

To be honest, at first, accommodation was a little unbearable. My roommate and I had a hard time using squat toilet for a while before they changed it for us. And mosquitos were bugging us a lot, but it’s just welcoming you to Thailand. Overall, first it was a little hard to adjust, but as time went by, I could just get accustomed to it.
 

Free Time

I get to travel so much during my 6 weeks stay in Thailand. I can undoubtedly say that this summer was the best summer of my whole life so far. I traveled all over Thailand from north to south. The country was so full of surprises and lots of things to do. One time we were at Pattaya, and the other day we were in Krabi. Of course Bangkok is a must see place. My personal favorite was Krabi. It is a city near Phuket. It is a beach city just like Phuket. I had such a good time with sailing through island. Also, I had a great time kayaking and chilling on the ocean.

ANANT'S STORY IN ROMANIA

One of the most powerful and liberating trips of my life happened in the summer of 2017. Where I was able to discover my passion for serving people and also had a chance to make an impact on this world. I realized that I wasn't the one teaching, rather the children in my class taught me a very valuable lesson of "making sure the kid inside me never dies"

Being on an Aiesec exchange was something more than just being a part of a volunteer experience. What I gained out of the exchange was a home in 40 different nations with friend that I could call family.
 

My AIESEC experience started of with a little bit of skepticism and fear. Going to a an unknown territory and living with complete strangers for 6 weeks seemed like daunting task at the moment. I remember second guessing my decision right before entering the flight. However once I landed in Romania and met the other exchange participants it all went pretty smooth.


All of start of teaching children in a city named Arad, where we used to take a 4 hour sessions with children’s of different age groups. In particular I was responsible for teaching children from the age of 10-12. One of the most interesting part about teaching those children English was that I got to try new methods each day, I remember that there were days when we just watched a movie and did a synopsis on that afterwards. Moreover, I was also responsible for taking them to the field and playing different kinds of sports with them and what I got of of this experience was me learning how to ensure that the child inside you is always alive.


Since Arad was a one of the smaller cities of Romania, my group of exchange participants always managed to go out and explore other cities in the country. In total we visited 6 different cities during the 6 weeks period and now I can confidently say I have visited all the crucial parts of Romania with the most interesting people in the world.