My name is Adrian Arsene, and I am a 24-year old Romanian currently working as a trainee in The Netherlands I  I started my internship in September 2008 at MultimediaBrains, an Eindhoven-based company that has since proven to be a great work place with very nice people who are always willing to help and to share their experience.

Constantly looking for new challenges, I have always wanted to live and work abroad, but the thought of being away from my friends was a bit frightening)A Romanian friend of mine who had been active in AIESEC for 2 years told me what the organization offered and what a great experience it was for her. I was a bit skeptical at first, but after listening to some testimonials of people that went abroad for internships I decided to join the Exchange program.  Until now, that was the best decision I have ever taken in my life. My professional skills have improved a lot during my internship and I have also made many great new friends.

Adapting to a different country is not easy, however. Going to a country where no one knows you and having to make it on your own, away from family and friends, can be very daunting. I’m absolutely certain that the difference between struggling with integration and having the best year of my life was made by the students in AIESEC. It was them who found housing for me, who picked me up from the train station, who took care of all the paperwork needed, and who introduced me to people, helping me make friends.

For me this experience wasn’t just about catching a flight with some luggage and some money and arriving in a differently-looking place.  It was a lot about opening up, culturally. When one leaves his motherland, he is expected to assimilate the key cultural aspects of the new society. This would be a “test year” for me, and when I left Romania, I hoped that by the time my internship would be over, I could make the decision of moving here or not.

During my stay here, I had tons of fun, from going to carnivals, reception weekends (best way to meet the trainees from other cities), and AIESEC National Conferences, to dinners, student parties and impromptu Dutch lessons. I love the fact that Dutch people are always patient and willing to help teaching the language to those who want to learn. Being able to have a 10-minute conversation with someone in Dutch gives me a great deal of confidence.  I guess my integration into the Dutch culture is going quite well since I now own three bikes, and as a good friend of mine said: “Dutch people only walk to their bikes”.

In conclusion, this Exchange experience taught me a lot. I have learned to be more open, more tolerant and constantly willing to improve. I can now say that AIESEC changed my life.