Katharina during her internship in San Francisco!

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

Hey guys! My name is Katharina, I’m 21 years old and I come from Salzburg, Austria. I study Innovation and Management in Tourism and this summer I’m doing an internship at an event agency in San Francisco.

What was the first thing you thought when you arrived in San Francisco?

After getting on the train from the airport to downtown San Francisco, I finally realized where I would be spending the next three months. I looked out the train window and saw the sunset over the ocean and the downtown SF buildings slowly appear — WOW!

What was the most shocking difference between the Netherlands and San Francisco?

San Francisco is one of the most expensive cities in the United States and rent prices are incomparable to any city in Austria. Because of this, many people can’t afford to rent an apartment or even a room and end up sleeping on the streets. If you walk down Market Street, the main street running almost through the whole city, you’ll see many people sleeping on cardboard boxes. Locals say they’ve gotten used to it, but it’s still hard for me to see young people sleeping outside designer stores.

What does your typical workday look like?

I work from 9 AM to 5 PM with a 30-minute lunch break. Usually, I leave the hostel with my roommates and walk about 10 minutes to our office in San Francisco’s Financial District. Depending on the day, we have morning meetings or supplier presentations. In the first weeks as an intern, my main task was to research event venues and contact suppliers for info and pricing. Now I help organize and plan events and prepare cost estimates that we propose to clients. I also get the opportunity to network at various onsite events and supplier presentations (hotels, venues, etc.) that happen once a week.

How is the work atmosphere at your internship company?

The atmosphere is very open. Because we have an open office – departments are mixed and not separated – it’s easy to get to know others involved in the event planning process. It feels more like a close-knit team than a corporate vibe. Some days, my employer even comes to the office and works at an empty desk because she feels lonely in her own office.

Have you ever experienced homesickness? How did you deal with it?

When I was 18, I spent a year as an Au Pair in London, so I’m used to living away from home in another country. Missing family, friends, and home is normal. When I miss them, I either go to my favorite spot in the city (the pier) and drink a hot chocolate from Starbucks ;-) or if my roommate isn’t working, I spend the day with her.

Do you feel at home in San Francisco? Why (not)?

San Francisco is my home for three months during the summer. In my opinion, it’s important to be open to experiencing a city as home; otherwise, you might feel like a tourist or stranger for several months. And a city like San Francisco has so much to offer—it really wants to be discovered.

Is there a typical local dish that you REALLY can’t eat (or really love)?

San Francisco is multicultural—you walk through Chinatown in the morning, Japantown in the afternoon, and the Latin American part of the city called Mission District in the evening. In other words: there are many local dishes but from different cultures. San Francisco definitely has something for everyone. The only thing I personally don’t like is the combination of chicken and bacon in a sandwich that you can find in many restaurants and stores.

Give us tips on who you should befriend abroad. Russians? Irish? Chileans?

My first advice for making new friends is: travel alone! Many people don’t want to travel alone and never go anywhere without their best friend from kindergarten or high school. What might seem harder for some is one of the most important experiences during my travels. When you travel alone and you’re a somewhat extroverted person, it’s an opportunity to quickly meet new people and make friends. The first and fastest way is through roommates. At work, you meet new people, get to know them better, and maybe start a friendship. If you don’t feel like starting a conversation in a bar, park, or coffee shop, Facebook is a good way to connect with others. I used a location-based group (for example, interns in SF), posted that I wanted to meet new people, and asked if anyone wanted to grab coffee.

Describe the people of San Francisco in three words.

Open-minded – relaxed – crazy (at least a little bit)

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

You need the right transit pass for the buses in San Francisco; otherwise, you might buy a ticket for maybe 20 dollars(!). By the way, summer in California doesn’t always mean warm weather and shorts—SF is the best example of that. The sun shines, but I usually wear a jacket and sometimes even a scarf because it’s too windy. Still, it’s a beautiful city with mostly blue skies.