My name is Raffaella, I’m 22 years old and I’m currently graduating in my bachelor’s degree at the University of Aosta Valley, course of foreign languages and communication applied on marketing, economy and tourism. This study course foresees a final internship abroad of 4 months, for this reason I had the wonderful opportunity to spend 4 intense months in Berlin, working as an intern in Berlink, also thanks to the financial support offered by the Erasmus+ project through a scholarship.
My experience in the city and in the agency is absolutely positive and it changed my life completely.
Berlin is a city full of opportunities, that gifts unforgettable moments and exchanges with a lot of different cultures, that is exactly what I was expecting from this kind of experience abroad. It is impossible to get bored in the city and even if it sometimes can be scary and confusing, it only takes a few days to get used to it and its public transports and eventually to fall in love with it. Truthfully, that’s what happened to me.
My Berlin life would have not been the same without Berlink. In the agency I had the opportunity to grow up and to understand a lot about myself, such as my limits and my strengths.
Since the first moment everyone in Berlink treated me as a full member of the agency, trusting me and giving me the right amount of confidence to carry out this hard but amazing job. I never felt wrong, even when I have made mistakes. This approach was useful also for my everyday life because it made me realize that it’s okay not to be perfect: the important part is to put effort and passion in everything, exactly what all the staff does to make the experience of the groups visiting Berlin unforgettable (fully succeeding).
I really liked the job because I had the opportunity to work in different fields, both in the foreground and at the side of the groups of students/teachers and this let me externalise some of my personal traits, such as the empathy, the willingness to listen and to help, and to have everything under control. Of course, the best part for me was to meet a lot of different and wonderful people from all around Europe and to get to know the different cultures, that made me realize the marvel of our world. I learnt a lot about different fields, how to handle different situations and how to apply my problem-solving skills in different circumstances, without being inappropriate. Moreover, I had the chance to speak all the languages that I know and most specifically to enhance my German.
From a personal point of view, I loved the environment in the office: always professional but at the same time human; no one ever refused to help me when I was having troubles and everyone have always had the touch to ask if everything was going alright, putting the person above the job. For this reason, I felt at home and always at ease to be fully myself, because judgment in Berlink is not an option.
I arrived in Berlin scared from the world and not self-conscious. Now I feel like myself for real and I have a fully awareness of myself and I have to thank also all the Berlink staff for this.
Thank you for making me believe in myself and thank you for supporting me unconditionally. I will keep everyone in my heart forever.
