Matteo Marinangeli, 24 years, Ancona
Development Internship in Bangladesh, Dhaka
December 2010 - January 2011

Responsibilities: Internship Programme Grameen Bank

"There are emotions that you cannot fix in your mind, because your heart is still building them. And there are cities that you cannot picture in the mind of the others, because they will miss chaos, dust and smells. My Aiesec experience is full of these emotions, and Dhaka is one of these cities. It is a problem of connection between my beating heart, my overcrowded mind and my crazy fingers on the keyboard.
Thus, I really would like to try to fix in your mind one of my heart’s memories: bumping into Professor Yunus introducing my-self in Bangla (“Amar naam Matteo, amar desh Italy”), driving a rickshaw with the rickshaw’s wallah in the back, , shooting as a real actor in a French/Bangladeshi movie, shouting like with Bangladeshi supporters during a World Cup Cricket match, speaking with one hundred poor women collecting their dramas and their dreams, playing with slums children running behind a knit with holes that could not fly (but –do not tell them-, they were trying, and singing, and smiling, smiling and smiling) or telling you the story of Sabhina, 12 years old, slums girl, that hides (to her father) a small buttons business to earn 60 TK per day and buy cosmetics. I really would like. But the right way to calm my heart, mind and fingers it is ripping out randomly a page from my experience diary and paste it.

"26th Dec 2010, DHAKA

THERE IS NO SUCH PLACE AS FAR AWAY (because differences make you different)

The Danish girl, the major sister, she’s blonde but walking in the street her hair became a respectful golden chador. She introduced me to the healthy world of Oats. She left, but the flag of Denmark lives in our flat. I love her business card, with the yellow network of world cities visited.

The Japanese girl, the cartoon one, she asked me if all the Italian are “funny and hot” like me, I didn’t ask anything because –now- I know the answer to an old doubt: what we see and call “Japanese cartoon” are for them simple sit-comedies and reality shows. She loves chocolate.

The Austrian girl, the pretty daughter in the family TV spot who -with blonde curly hair and green eyes- pushes you to buy something that your daughter doesn’t need. Dhaka doesn’t offer anything, even she’s the only one that comes with me, we practice night-urban-trekking, English lessons, wi-fi fishing and Lonely Planet’s updating.

The Hong Kong guy/1, the mountain with a tender heart, he’s big as much as he’s good, I would like hug him every night before sleep, he’s really in love with his girlfriend. He’s watching “Love Actually”, and for sure he’s thinking about her.

The Hong Kong guy/2, the chinese metaphor, serious-folk-clever-hardworker, he’s a big eater –like China- that will eat all of us. He’s really in love with his girlfriend, very often I listen him and it’s incredible how love makes nice a frigid language as chinese.

The Japanese guy, the other half of the apple, he’s my exact opposite and for this we are a magic couple, he’s polite, he respects the rules, he doesn’t joke with the girls, he speaks few but he’s always right, he’s constant. His girlfriend is beautiful, and he loves her. He’s watching “Titanic”, and for sure he’s thinking about here.

The Indian guy, the Indian metaphor, young-dreamer-smart-still inexperienced, he’s full of hopes and –like India- there will be a better future for him. He’s 4th dan of Karate, he practices transcendental meditation, he will introduce me to meditation because I have to be quite even if the tea-seller asks me 10 taka for a cha that costs only 6. He said that he started to love Bangladesh “only after knowing me."

Tanvi Maniar, 20 years, India
Development Internship in Italy, Torino
October - December 2009

Responsibilities: work in "Torino Without Borders" project, run presentations of indian culture in high schools and lessons of english.

"I am 20 years old from Mumbai, India. This internship in AIESEC Torino was my 1st trip to europe and i was going all alone to a country where i didn't speak the language. But the warm hearts of the italians won me over. I had a life changing experience and discovered myself again. I made new friends and i found love. Even now when i think about all my experiences i have tears in my eyes because they were the best 8 weeks of my life.

The local committee of Turin is awesome and has many crazy and fun people.

One of my best memories of italy is of falling in love. Sharing my experience with a handsome italain boy was a dream come true. I would love to go back to turin and meet my friends. Many of my friends have also visited me in india.

I learnt how to speak some italian and my students in the schools also taught me so much about the beautiful country called Itally. I was a person who hated pizza cause of dominos and pizza hut. But in Italy i ate pizza and gelato almost 3 times a week. Even now i miss the authentic italian food. The grocery store near my house and the polite "grazie" of the sales staff.

I was crying every morning a week before i had to leave. All i wanted was to live in Turin for the rest of my life. After being pampered all my life by my parents and grandparents (indians have big families) being alone was refreshing. Despite all the silly things that went wrong it was perfect in my eyes.

If only i could rewind and go back to those two months. See my friends, meet my love and eat lots of pizza.

Dora Salemi, 27 years, Palermo
Management Internship in Amsterdam, Holland
August 2009 – January 2011

Responsibilities: Business development and Marketing Director for RoadSoft International with the objective of open and expand the company in the Italian market.

If I need to describe my experience in 3 words I would choose : challenge, deep personal and professional growth, emotions.

1. Why go on exchange?

AIESEC exchange was the best mix of personal and professional growth, I got to know incredible people from all over the world, I share ambitions, dreams, problems and I had a lot of fun. I had real and big responsibilities at work and I could prove myself in different areas of marketing and sales. I made great friends and I know they are for life.

2. What added values has exchange provided to your career?

My long term career goal is to be an entrepreneur, to own a business doing everyday what I like the most and continuously learn. When I picked my internship I had that very clear in my mind, and I chose to join a very small company in Holland. I took the responsibility to expand their business in Italy. In one year I open a new market, put the basis for it to work In the long run in a sustainable way. I achieved my goals and contributed to the opening of the company in more than other 3 countries. Exchange experience has been crucial to get closer to the achievement of my professional goals, a big step forward in my ambitions, a key factor in my learning and development. I’m moving to the next level now and I’m ready to start my own business in few months from today.

3. What did exchange teach you?

The AIESEC exchange helped me to strengthen my will power and ambition. It made clear to me what I want to do and achieve, it taught me one more time to never give up and go for what I love, because in the end it pays off.

I see exchange as the key in understanding your limits, overcome them and follow your life path.

Eleonora Ferrero, 24 years, Torino
Development Internship in UK, Manchester
July - October, 2008

"One day one of my friend asked me: "What is AIESEC?"

AIESEC makes your dreams come true......!

This is the best sentence to express AIESEC internships! I was dreaming of something new, something challenging and something unique and finally I got it. "Eleonora, you've been selected for MAC MILLAN CANCER SUPPORT!!"

My exchange experience started in July 2008. I took the flight to Manchester, took the train to Sheffild and then I started my new adventure! I was working for an NGO that helps people affected by cancer and search for funds for medical research.
Well, I was thinking: "This was the best way to have a positive impact on society!"

When I arrived at the airport I was already feeling at home - an international team was there waiting for me.... giving me 3 special presents:

• a dairy to write everything about my experience
• an umbrealla (that was my best friend, considering the weather)
• some candies

What a better way to start?

At work everything was great from the beginning: I was working in the fundraising office and my main responsabilities were to organize event with a team. It was really amazing. I had the possibilty to organize a Midnight Run, a special Jazz night, a painting competitionsons. The biggest Event that we organized was The BIGGEST COFFEE MORNING - an event run in all England in the same day and we raised more the 7 million pounds. This was really a special day all over the city, there were logos of MACMILLAN CANCER SUPPORT. This event gave me the opportunity to met a lot of people, interview businessman and understand how companies are doing CSR in England. I had the deep and professional working experience ever.

It's really not so easy to talk about three months of special journey in just few words............ I gained a lot professionally but this is just half of the experince cause the personal side gave more. I was in England and I had the opportunity to live with people from China, Korea, Germany, Poland etc.... sharing ideas, thoughts, personal life, enjoy participation each day.

This is why AIESEC makes your dreams come true!"

Simone Malesan, 26 years, Trieste
Management Internship in Russia, Novosibirsk
May - July 2010

Responsibilities: external trade manager in a coffee and tea enterprise.

"My SIBERIAN DREAM

Soon after having obtained a master degree in interpretation and translation, with Italian, French and Russian as working languages, I suddenly realized that entering labour-market nowadays is kind of a difficult process to go through. Language knowledge is no more sufficient to take a good job for granted, as far as working experience is especially needed. Where could I put into practice my skills?

AIESEC was the right answer for me!

It offered me the opportunity to work in a russian enterprise not a simple trainee, but as a real employee, a member of the staff, and a sort of good new-old friend for all my collegues. I had the chance of meeting a smart and clever person, my director, from whom I learnt a lot. From the professional point of view, these are the advantages and the emprovements this Management traineeship gave to me.

But I consider the working part as one half of the whole meaning of my X-change period. Starting from the first minute, after landing in Siberia, up to the last morning at the airport on leaving day, I went through an unforgettable life experience, through which I received some very precious gifts: first of all, the people I met there, the hospitable and generous Siberians, with whom I shared some unique moments of happiness, and who helped me face all sad times and difficulties all along as well. Nothing would have never been the same without them, and I will never thank them enough, everyone of them knows how much they mean to me.

This is what I got from this internship: these two months have changed my life and opened my mind, making me discover the beauty of a country and the deep soul of its inhabitants."

Simone Bernardi, 27 years, Torino
Management Internship in India, Jaipur
July-December 2008

Responsibilities: marketing and sales in Spain and Italy for an Indian jewellery company

"COLORFUL TWEEZERS

Sticky and stinky trains, creams in which put hopes, different continents that say hello insulting me, delay as long as endless trip, fans never off, incomprehensible sings.

Three eyes that stare me behind corner of rainbow; clouds that, even in the same sky, won’t reach you. Old small tower to shoot the tigers today drowned by waters wisely moved from henna hairs; owls, antelopes and hidden crocodiles. Colourful faces unknown until yesterday just became safety, t-shirt that slept on walls surrounded by enthusiastic eyes so different from ours. Hindi songs and German eco, the unsteady English of too-young moustache that rejoice per white spots on a picture. Jeep get stuck in the mud, floors that become beds, hands become forks, bag-packs become pillows, strangers become friends.

Writing on an irregular roof, by sweaty hands of a faraway sun, with principles of meditation on one side and my first Indian smile that go through and smile. Alone, by choice, to taste the silent and count the knots in my dream’s threads, brushing them to melt the bigger, in vain. To look at naked wrist and intact bookmark, without finding the soul of brick house. The Australian accent that changed my life that sing and hang out. I don’t know where I am, I smile.


AN ORDINARY SATURDAY

A hot that I’m not able to stop.
Polish hand on a camera, traces of a night on the roof in my head. Projects.
Indian music screen the noises of mad fans that barely slice thought the air.
Unsafe green gas pipe and ants that go crazy because of the smoke of a mosquito repellent.
Noisy lids and fixed washing machine. A new song, my future piano. Orange and brown follow each other on my arm with a fresh tattoo, bottles full of sweat. Spanish accent that climb the stairs and become stronger.
My hands that softly hit the keyboard pushed by nothing. Phone call with the shining blond smile, Colombian goodbye hugs... and usual delays."

Luca Di Chiara, 25 years, Palermo
Management Internship in Turkey, Istanbul
September 2008 - January 2009

Responsibilities: an intern in Import/export office in a Turkish Logistic company, Cobantur Boltas.

"A dream came true!!!!!

When I decided to do an intership with Aiesec I just wanted to go away from my city, try to do a good experience and trying to take the best from a new life abroad. I choose to go to Istanbul, in Turky cause i was so excited to go and to visit and to "live" in a so amazing and fashinating place.

I immediadetely felt in Love with the City, this strange athmosphere that involves you completely from the inside; first of all I was a little bit scared because of the enormous differencies about culture, religion, language and so on, but i could realize that Italian people and Turkish are very similar for a lot oh things; that's why now i can say that I still have a lot of friends there, and my Turkish friends say that I am self Turkish :)

The places were so beautiful, the food, the culture, people, everything was just like a DREAM. I am so happy now cause i did for sure the best expereince ever in my life. I had the opportunity to know a place that is now in my heart, and it will be there forever, to meet a lot of people that are like brothers or sisters for me, to work in a great Company with an extraordinay team work... so what can I say...just a Dream came True. Thanks Aiesec to change my life"