Reviews

Maris Quagliata

Connect-123 has really done something out of the ordinary. Not only was I able to get a well rounded internship and was helped with finding housing and the best route to work, I was also able to make some amazing memories. This group set me up with an internship at a professional photography studio, which I learned helpful skills in running a business as well as how to take pictures and how to have pictures taken of you. Outside of the internship, Connect does a wonderful job of bringing together the other interns. We all go out on tours, trips, or even just to grab a pint. We always have fun, I've made some wonderful friends here. Dublin is a beautiful city and I'm very lucky to have had the experiences I have here because of Connect-123.

Natalie Eidson

After I graduated, I wanted to volunteer in a hospital in Spain. I researched several organizations until I came across Connect-123. I am very glad I went with Connect-123 and would recommend them to anyone. They were able to provide me with exactly what I was looking for and were with me every step of the way. After arriving alone in Barcelona, it was very comforting to know that I had people here who cared about my safety, people I could reach out to. From the beginning to the end of my stay in Barcelona, I could not have asked for a better experience. The pediatric hospital I worked at for two months was just what I was hoping it would be. Every day I was there had an impact on me and I was able to meet some amazing people along the way. Not only that, but I also gained valuable cultural experience and was able to improve my Spanish a lot. The group events hosted by the program coordinators were fun to attend and a great way to make friends. I’ve made many lasting memories and owe it to the trip that was made possible by Connect-123.

Edith Muleiro

My experience with Connect-123 in Barcelona was more incredible than anything I could have ever imagined. I had no expectations upon arriving in Barcelona, and soon found myself falling in love with this city and its people. Connect-123 made sure I was comfortable, taking the time to find the right internship that would fit my interests and making sure everything went well from the beginning to the end! I felt that I had a constant support network while exploring the city. I learned so much during my internship and developed long lasting relationships with my coworkers. I really recommend this program to anyone who is exploring their interests, or looking to forward those they already know! As for Barcelona, there is no better city to be young and curious! It's beautiful in its architecture, nature, people, and culture. Thank you so much Connect-123!

Daniela Silvas

From dealing with the culture shock to making lifelong friends, I don't regret choosing Barcelona at all. This city gave me an opportunity to learn more about myself and to grow both personally and professionally. The city has it all: beautiful architecture, famous attractions, nightlife, and all different types of food! You will find people from all over the world, share different stories and be able to travel with them. My best friend referred me to Connect-123, and they are there with you every step of the way. From the first interview, they are able to get to know you and find the internship/volunteer program that best fits your interests. Connect-123 also offers their students meet-up events that allow us to make new friends with similar stories and common hobbies. This was my first time traveling to Europe and Connect-123 has made it so easy and comfortable, they are there for guidance and assistance whenever you need it.

Tasha Heller

By the time my two months is Argentina came to an end I did not want to leave, and ever since I left Buenos Aires I’ve been aching to return. Connect-123 helped provide me with one of the most incredible, life-changing opportunities that I could have ever imagined. At the beginning I was a bit overwhelmed. Buenos Aires is a large, bustling city that is full of passion and tons of life. During my stay, my coordinator arranged my housing to be with local Argentine students, per my request, and they were extremely welcoming. I loved rooming with people outside of the Connect program because not only was I able to hang out with people from Connect-123 via the weekly programs, socials, and events but I also got the unique taste of the native lifestyle. I went to Argentina wanting to immerse myself within the culture of the people, and I certainly did. Argentina is so diverse and I wish I could have stayed longer than two months. During that time I explored all the cafés nestled within the city, learned how to Tango, visited one of the Wonders of the World, ate an unlimited number of empanadas, and spent afternoons with friends and mate. Of course, I went to Argentina for an internship experience. My internship was one of the greatest parts of my stay. It exposed me to a new level within the career that I hope to pursue and certainly deepened my passion to reach my future goals. I am extremely thankful for the Connect-123 family and this experience that it provided me. I cannot wait to return to Buenos Aires and to meet up with all the amazing people I’ve met!

Sarah Crockett

Having the opportunity to be living and working halfway around the world is indescribable. Everything is different, but it somehow still feels so normal. I work in Spanish all week. We share cultural “mate” (an Argentine “tea experience” if you will – Google it!!). I’ve made friends with the family that owns the local fruit and veggie stand down the street. That said, I still complain about the weather with my co-workers every day at lunch. I still pop popcorn and sit back and watch a movie some Saturday nights. And the parts that seemed so different and foreign when I arrived have become my favorite parts of the day. I’ve gotten used to the relaxed rhythm of life, where being late is not shamed. I’ve learned that, like most foreigners and local Argentines, I love talking about language and linguistics – how do we learn languages, how are expressions different in each language, etc. The best part about my experience in Buenos Aires is that I’m living a normal life in an extraordinary place. I work with an NGO that focuses on providing business development aid and financial support (in the form of micro-credit loans) to women living just North of Buenos Aires. These women take what they have learned from our NGO and start up their own small businesses, selling baked goods, homemade jewelry or finding and selling fashion pieces. Every Saturday, I go to the “neighborhoods” (which is what we call them) with a mountain of local Argentine volunteers to assist these women in their economic and personal development. Not only do the entrepreneurial women impress me every day, but the commitment and love of the volunteers that show up every morning at 8am inspire me. Connect-123 allows me to feel and be independent. I have the strength and the freedom to be on my own, experiencing my own journey that has never before been lived. At the same time, Connect offers me the support when I need it: someone to bounce my reflections off of, someone to call when I need to go to the hospital. I feel safe and supported, but I am independent. That is the best gift anyone can ask for when living and working abroad.

Alisha Webber

Interning abroad in Dublin taught me more than I ever thought or hoped going into the experience. Not only did I learn so many new things about my field in social work at my internship, but I learned a lot about myself and many other cultures. I got the opportunity to meet and live with people from different countries and made lifelong friends in the process. I come from a small town and learning about how other people live around the world was so fascinating to me. I thought going into this I would only learn more about social work from a different aspect but I never thought I would learn so much about myself and I never imagined making as many amazing people along the way. It was truly a life changing experience and I will always be thankful for Connect-123 for helping me make this step forward in my life and future career! Thanks Connect-123!

Kin yi (Celine) Tsui

Before going to Buenos Aires, I had two main goals: to do well at my placement and improve my Spanish. After 3.5 months in Buenos Aires, I was able to accomplish those two goals and a whole lot more. My placement in a rehabilitation clinic allowed me to work along with occupational therapists and physical therapists. While being fairly proficient in Spanish, Argentina's Castellano surely challenged me throughout my time there. Nevertheless, I quickly learned the many slang words that the porteños (locals) use and build many new relationships inside and outside of my internship. I still keep in contact via email with one of the lovely patient I met there! Buenos Aires is truly a beautiful city filled with wonderful food, parks, artisan and food markets, museums, endless cafes to linger around, and let me mention, more FOOD! Be careful of how much empanadas, dulce de leche or medialunas you eat because I surely gained a few pounds leaving BA. You'll meet people from all over the world, but do your best to meet the locals! One of my favorite experience there was joining a dance studio and being able to perform at one of the theaters with the locals. They surely made a difference during my time there. Connect-123 provides you with all the information and help for your internship and your life abroad. You have everything you need at hand and it's surely up to you to make your time abroad unforgettable!

Dylan Rhinehart

Working in Dublin was truly a wonderful experience. The staff of Connect-123 really go out of their way to set you up with an internship that meets your desires and are very helpful. From day one upon your arrival, they make sure that you are comfortable and are immersed in your new home. Dublin is truly a fun and vibrant city. The locals are friendly and welcoming and know how to enjoy themselves. The placement the team found me was also amazing. My experience working in a well known recruitment agency throughout Ireland was greatly beneficial to my professional growth and my employment opportunities in the future. My supervisors were of great help and were patient with my development throughout my time with the company. It is an experience that I am truly thankful for and will never forget. I would recommend to anyone else, especially students, to give Connect-123 a chance, they will not regret it.

Kristen Nuttall

My internship experience in Cape Town was the best five months of my life. As a nursing student, I worked in a pediatric orthopedic hospital and learned more than I thought possible. I was able to work with the children and learn nursing skills in the wards. Additionally, I went on ward rounds with doctors, participated in a club foot clinic, and worked in surgery two days a week. The doctors and nurses I worked with were incredibly kind and went out of their way to teach me so many things. Not a day at work went by without me learning or doing something new. Outside of work, I had the most wonderful time exploring Cape Town. It is a beautiful city with an endless amount of things to do. I hiked mountains, went to an infinite amount of food and shopping markets, visited incredible beaches, went to wine farms, surfed…the list could go on forever. I also had the opportunity to fly up to Zambia and see Victoria Falls. Best of all, I made amazing friends who I know will be my friends for life. The staff at Connect-123 was very helpful anytime that I needed them! I felt like I could always pop up to their office if I needed questions or advice. The activities that they did for us also helped me meet other interns and explore the city. I would not trade this experience in Cape Town for anything. I am grateful beyond words for the most amazing five months that I have ever had.

Olivia Tornelli

"We are a constant experiment with unpredictable results". This sentence is from the design agency where I did my internship and describes exactly how my six months in Barcelona was. I was given a lot of responsibilities, attended meetings with clients, events outside the city and was able to improve my Spanish. Barcelona is amazing! I enjoyed the museums, beautiful buildings and streets, beaches, restaurants, bars, parties and very good public transportation (you can go walking everywhere!). Barcelona is truly a city that never sleeps, especially during the summer. In one day you can meet people from all over the world! I can definitely recommend Connect-123's internship program and I don't have any complaints about it! It's not easy to find a job in Spain, but they found me some nice opportunities in my area in a short period of time. I had the best six months of my life, and the most unpredictable ones too! A huge thank you to Connect-123 and my program coordinator for this amazing experience. Hasta pronto, Barcelona!

Erin Ellis

How can I even begin to describe my time spent in Dublin? I learned so much from my internship in Ireland in just 3 short months. I was lucky enough to work for a sports organization in Ireland, and there I had the pleasure of meeting the most wonderful people, who taught me an amazing amount about the industry that I will take with me forever. Connect-123 really made this a seamless process, and was there for me every step of the way. I had reservations at first, since it was a big step, and my first time out of the United States. However, Connect-123 made me feel very welcome and right at home. Ireland is a place I will never forget, everyone told me that the people in Ireland would be the friendliest people I would ever meet, and I assumed that was an exaggeration. I am happy to say though, I was wrong. Everyone you meet here truly wants to help you have the best experience. I will definitely leave part of my heart in Ireland, but I will take the lessons I have learned professionally, as well as socially, with me for the rest of my days. I can honestly say I had the greatest adventure of my life, and I wouldn’t change a thing.

Alicia Harris

It felt like it was just yesterday I was getting off of the plane, going through immigrations/customs and feasting my eyes on the beautiful Buenos Aires, Argentina for the first time, but it was not just yesterday. Two months ago I took a chance in a city I knew nothing about and a language I could barely understand, but none of that bothered me at all. When I got here I had a fear of getting lost, not knowing where things would be or even getting robbed, but thanks to my Connect-123 coordinator, my host mother, my fellow Connect-123 housemates and my internship supervisors, I felt at ease and welcomed. It really did get easier once I learned the standard greetings and the names of streets. I became a pro at navigating my way through the city on the local buses and the subway. 

Aside from my fears, I wrote goals down with my Connect-123 coordinator before I actually started my internship. I wanted to set the standard and be the best intern my host organization would ever work with, make long lasting relationships with my internship supervisors, network, and have a long lasting relationship with my fellow Connect-123 colleagues. To be honest I can actually say I have demolished all of the goals I set. I learned a great deal working at this filming and photography location, where big and small companies come to do photoshoots, film or shoot commercials for upcoming projects. I witnessed world-famous brands shoot commercials here. I even networked within the city and got a chance to take pictures for a famous clothing line at the Malba Museum for Micaela Tinelli, daughter of Marcelo Tinelli. It was really cool being able to shadow my supervisors because they are two hardworking women in a male dominant industry. From watching them I learned how to talk to potential clients, prepare contracts, keep up with the books for the company accountant, cater to clients when productions were happening & I even learned how to stand firm and be bold with people. In the production or entertainment industry you have to be bold, if not people will walk all over you.

I can´t begin to explain everything I did otherwise I could write like 22 pages, but truth is I will never forget the memories, the people, the places & things I have experienced here. Buenos Aires is forever embedded into my heart and in my mind. I will take these moments with me wherever I go.

Hanna Hard

What to say about my experience in Dublin? Honestly, I was scared to write this testimonial because it isn't possible to convey in words how magical my summer was. Upon my arrival in Dublin, I was nervous: what would my roommates be like? Would my job be hard? Too easy? How is the food? Would I get homesick? -- All of the questions you'd imagine having in a new country, I had. My worries quickly vanished. The people I met while living in the Connect-123 accommodation are now some of my dearest friends. We explored together, ate together, drank together, and laughed together every single day.

Being in a foreign city can be intimidating, but when you're surrounded by people going through the same experience, strong bonds form and nothing is scary anymore. My internship connected me with people from around the world, and everyone was very welcoming! I walked through one of the world's most beautiful universities every day, and I worked on science that I was truly interested in. It gave me valuable work experience that now feeds my success back at school. The community I joined when I embarked on my Connect-123 journey is a community of adventure. When adventurous people come together, lasting friendships are sure to be made. That is exactly what happened for me. Dublin will always hold a special, golden place in my heart.”

Tess Freydberg

After graduating college, I knew that I wanted to travel and gain more life and work experience before finding a full time job. I’ve done a lot of traveling but chose Cape Town because it seemed so different from everywhere else I’ve been. Connect-123 helped set me up with the perfect internship and made sure I felt comfortable while I was here. I worked at a Women’s Education and Training Trust and it completely opened my eyes to the struggles that many women in Cape Town face. I got to see and learn so much and am forever grateful for the experience! When I wasn’t working I was always busy! Connect-123 plans a lot of excursions and you can meet a lot of people if you want to. I never felt bored or lonely! Cape Town is an amazing city with such a different culture than anywhere I’ve visited. I love that there was so much to do; hike the mountains, relax by the beaches, shop, eat great food, go clubbing, endless excursions, etc. You will not get bored! I will definitely miss Cape Town and everyone I have met!

Nicholas Hadjimichael

I took part in the Connect-123 Barcelona Internship Program for two months in order to have an immersive internship experience that would inform my career path, give me a true work experience, and allow me to practice my Spanish in a city that I love dearly — and let me say that I had the most amazing time! My internship was serving as a first year business analyst at a Management Consultancy. Although I was only there for two months, I was warmly received and was given the training and responsibility provided to any first year business analyst. I was initially worried about the commitment i had taken on, especially considering my very rusty Castilian and lack of real experience, I found the work to be incredibly worthwhile and useful. In addition to strengthening my use of the language, I learned much about business consulting, business tools and methods, strategic planning, and market research. These skills became incredibly valuable to me in my following internship in Lima doing consulting and strategic planning work for a NGO. In addition, I had the privilege of working occasionally in the headquarters, located in Casa de les Punxes, which is a breathtaking Modernist building — castle, really. Outside of work, I had the opportunity to truly get to know Barcelona and the surrounding area, having my fair share of Iberian Ham (great food is cheap there), boarding down to the beach, experiencing the awesome night-life, and exploring neighborhoods I had never been to during previous visits. The program perfectly walked the line between providing great programming and being overly structured (as many organized programs tend to be); I had the freedom to live on my own and schedule my own time outside of work, but also the ability to hang out with some of the other interns and to attend the superchulo events that my program coordinator planned. I would definitely do it again!

Roshni Bhat

This past summer, I had the wonderful opportunity to intern abroad in Barcelona at a pediatric hospital. Working at the hospital and living in Barcelona for two months has taught me so much about myself, my future goals, and life in general. I learned to live on my own in a breathtakingly beautiful, lively country while gaining first-hand clinical experience. While at the hospital, I would keep the patients occupied while they awaited their chemotherapy treatments, and during these times I was able to interact with the children and their families. Through our conversations, I learned so much about the European healthcare system, life in Barcelona, and beyond that, I learned what coping with cancer is like for these families.

During the internship, I improved my Spanish greatly. Due to the nature of the internship, my day-to-day schedule was entirely based around communicating and socializing with others, so Spanish was key. This experience has reinvigorated my drive and passion to become a pediatric doctor. Outside of the internship, I was able to travel on the weekends with friends from the program. I travelled to Milan, Genoa, Marrakech, Cinque Terre, Sevilla, Madrid, and Toledo. The experiences, the sights, the food, and the great company made for the best summer of my life. I will definitely be returning to Barcelona in the future!

Nicholas Portales

From start to finish, Connect-123 helped to make my internship more than enjoyable. I felt very comfortable throughout the entire process, and the placement process was smooth and controlled! I ended up finding two great internships to keep me busy for my two months in Barcelona. I have no doubt that they will both be very valuable experience to back up my CV in the future, and I learned a lot about the world of NGOs throughout my time with both of them.

I was also able to practice my Spanish extensively, and am now completely comfortable speaking in it after having studied it for so many years. If you want to gain the experience of an internship abroad and immerse yourself in Spanish (and Catalan, of course), you should definitely participate! On the social side, there was no lack of fun things to do… the first place I went upon my arrival was to a meet-up that our program coordinator had arranged! There is definitely a good feeling of community amongst all of the program participants, and you’ll never need to worry about feeling bored, especially in a place like Barcelona where there is always something different going on.

On the whole, I 100% recommend participation if you want to have a fun but constructive few months abroad as an intern!

Phillip Jenkins

I had a great experience with Connect-123 in Barcelona. My time working at a technology startup gave me a lot of insight into the way a growing international business operates. It was also a good opportunity to meet a lot of new people with different international backgrounds and expertise in different areas. Living and working in Barcelona for the summer was a really cool experience, the city is full of life and different cultures coming together and it was awesome to be a part of it. I also had the chance to make a bunch of new friends and we all bonded over this great experience. I'm definitely glad I did the summer internship with Connect-123 and grateful for the opportunity they provided!

Alexandra Fong

This past summer I was a social media and marketing intern at a shoe company that produces hand-made espadrilles. We were a small team of 3, but it was a great way for me to get some hands-on experience and really connect with my two bosses. They were the most supportive and understanding bosses I could’ve asked for, and they were always there to help me when I needed it. I definitely learned a lot from this internship, such as how to set up online store accounts, how to plan events, and most importantly, how to run a small fashion company. One thing that was especially fun was being able to attend so many special fashion events around the city. For instance, my bosses gave me tickets to go to a Barcelona Fashion Week show, which was totally unexpected but so much fun!