Our study abroad programs welcome all nationalities and student groups! This winter we had the pleasure of working with a group of students from South Korea who took Internships in their desired fields of study. The internships were primarily in English and so the students took part in a language course, either Spanish or English, to accelerate their language learning. We took time to interview Lilly, one of our student interns, to truly find out what the experience was like for her in Valencia.

1. What have you enjoyed most about Valencia?

   It is my first time in Europe and I have really enjoyed Valencia. For me, the Spanish people are very free and relaxed. I like this part of the culture. I also love the fresh orange juice in Valencia, it is the best I’ve ever tasted. Another thing is that compared to South Korea right now, Valencia has a good climate and not a lot of rain!

2. What are you studying in Korea?

   I am currently studying for a double major in I.T. Business and Design Engineering. It has been fun to come to Valencia because the city is very inspiring with many beautiful buildings. Also I can learn about my studies in a different environment.

3. What internship did you do in Valencia?

   I did my internship with a company called Seidor. My daily tasks included programming and coding testing. This was difficult for me at first and I had to learn a lot of new things, but my colleagues helped me and taught me very well.

   I learnt how to operate a new program at Seidor (called selenium). This is a new automated coding testing program that is used by big companies.

4. What cultural differences did you come across during your internship?

   It was strange for me at first that people eat 5 meals per day. We would always take ‘almuerzo’ with the other colleagues. This is usually at 11am every day and so during this break I ate a snack with my colleagues and I got the chance to meet new people and best of all, practice my English!

5. Which language course did you take? Did you find it helpful?

   I took English lessons from 3:30pm- 5:30pm on week days. We changed the class start time from 3pm to 3:30pm in the first week and this worked much better for me because it gave me time to have a longer lunch break and not be so rushed. I took the bus for my commute to and from work every day, so the English lessons at this time were perfect.
   The language course included everything. We did speaking, writing, grammar and listening activities. For me the speaking part was the best because this is a skill that I usually don’t practice. So it was good to practice these skills and feel more confident doing this.

6. What was your favorite part of the experience?

   The best part of the program was my Internship: it’s an experience I will never forget!
   I was in a Spanish company with no other Korean person except me. At first I felt lonely but I realized that it was a new experience and I could learn a lot from it. I think it has been a very good experience for my future career.

   If you are interested in a language course or an internship in English, take a look at our programs here.