Famke during her internship in New York!

Hi everyone!

My name is Famke van Duinen, I’m 20 years old and I’m from Bergen, North Holland. I study Leisure Management at Inholland University in Diemen. Right now, I’m doing an internship at an experiential event and marketing agency in… NEW YORK!

The company I’m interning at is an event agency that organizes events for companies or brands. These events can vary a lot. Some examples are: brand activations, launch events, media & press events, corporate retreats, private functions, charity & non-profit events, and so much more!

Six months ago, I started the process with Abroad Internships. I hadn’t expected there would be so much to arrange before I could actually spend half a year in the United States. Think about things like: finding an internship, arranging a visa (which involves a lot), housing, plane tickets, contracts, and so on. So here’s my first tip: start early!

I decided to arrive in the city a week before my internship started, since I had never been here before and wanted to get to know the city. That turned out to be a really good decision! During the first week, I explored the city with some other Dutch girls and we visited lots of tourist attractions. Luckily, I didn’t experience any jet lag, since we quickly adjusted to the new rhythm!

New York is, just like everyone says, “The city that never sleeps”! Day and night there’s always something going on — you definitely won’t get bored in this city. What I personally found the most breathtaking thing I’ve visited in these four weeks is the Top of the Rock. From the Top of the Rock, you get an incredible view of the entire city and it really makes you feel like you’re in the heart of it all.

One of the great things about New York is that it has so many small neighborhoods, like SoHo and Greenwich Village. But even just outside the city, there are really fun areas like Brooklyn and Williamsburg. Personally, I love these smaller neighborhoods the most — they’re a bit calmer and filled with younger, trendier people. Plus, you can even go to the beach from here! For example, we went to Coney Island. And a real must-do is experiencing a Yankees game! It’s been one of the best experiences I’ve had so far!

Life in New York is amazing. I’m staying at The Webster Apartments, a residence for women only. I definitely recommend The Webster to all girls — it’s so easy to meet new people and make friends! Life in New York is very different from life in the Netherlands. Everything moves super fast and you really have to be able to adapt. But it’s also very exciting, and I’ve already learned so much in just these four weeks.

Beforehand, I was told that Americans are really rude and unfriendly, but I’ve actually had quite the opposite experience. I have really nice colleagues, and lots of people will just casually chat with you on the street. It is a good idea to save up before coming to New York though, because it’s definitely not the cheapest city. Also, it’s so much fun to recognize places from series and movies. I’m a big Gossip Girl fan myself, and I’ve already seen almost all of the Gossip Girl spots!

The most powerful experience I’ve had so far was visiting Ground Zero on September 11th. We had already been there during our first week, but being there on the actual anniversary gave it such a different feeling. Two beams of light shining into the sky, flowers and little flags placed by the names of the victims... It was sad, but incredibly moving to witness something like that.

Until next time!!!