Julia during her internship in New York

Hey! Who are you and where are you from? Where do you study/live/work?

Heey! I am from Venlo, the Netherlands. I am currently studying Hotel Management level 4. This summer I am doing a 4 months internship in beautiful New York!

What was the first thing you thought when you arrived in New York?

AWESOME. Yes, that was really my first thought. I really like New York and I felt right at home.

What was the most shocking difference between the Netherlands and New York?

I really think the time difference. I am working until 5pm every day. By the time I get home, took a shower and ate, it is already around 7pm which is 1am in the Netherlands. My parents are always asleep during that time and my friends are often about to go to sleep. This made it difficult to communicate during the first weeks but we're currently used to it and have invented a time where we are both available!

What does your daily work day look like?

I work in different departments within the hotel so the working days differ. For example, I worked at the front office for the first month and now I spend a week on accounting. Next week I will go to another department within the company. I work every day from 9 to 5 so this is always the same. Now that I work in the accounting team, my entire day is about making figures and balances.

How is the working atmosphere at your internship company?

I think the work is pretty relaxed every day, despite the fact that many departments stress about the amount of work that they still have to do.

Have you ever been homesick? How did you handle this?

No, frankly, I have never been homesick. Every day I am so impressed that I really live here and got the chance to be here. I certainly will not get homesick, also because a few people from back home are visiting me here.

Do you feel at home in New York? Why (not)?

Yes! I really feel at home in New York. I love the busy atmosphere in New York and think it's super fun to live in a big city. This is so different from where I live in the Netherlands.

Is there a typical local dish that you really can not eat (or really like)?

In New York they have so many different things that we do not have in the Netherlands. I am someone who loves desserts and I have a whole list of restaurants that I want to go to. The best thing I have had so far is CookieDO. This is a small tent in SoHo where they sell edible cookie dough in the form of ice cream scoops. DELICIOUS. What I also really liked was Junior's cheesecake. If you like cheesecake, this is highly recommended.

Give us tips on who to become friends with abroad. The Russians? The Irish? The Chilean?

Within New York you will really have to deal with the real New Yorkers! This has brought me so much further. Because I met people who really live in New York, I have seen and experienced many special things.

They showed me things that you normally will not see as a tourist. For example, I have been in a real New York apartment, it is super cool to see how these people live and what they do every day!

For example, I have also been to restaurants that you would never know about otherwise, and I have, for example, been to a few events where you can only go if you are invited or have the so-called 'connections'.

Describe the people of New York in three words.

Social, friendly, fun. I can not describe how different people are from the Netherlands. Everyone is so open to chat with you or they say how nice you look when they do not even know you! I really like the people in New York. Everyone is so open and social.

What did you learn from your experience abroad? Was it the beloved community that you liked? The cheap cocktails? The beautiful nature? Or was your experience less than expected? Details, we want details!

The cheap cocktails certainly were not, because New York is so expensive! Because I am still here I can not quite say what I have already learned. I try to enjoy every moment that I am here. I am so happy to be here and I can easily remember that I had to wait months before I would finally go to New York and now I have been here for more than 6 weeks.