Living abroad

Porto is a beautiful city! I felt like I am on vacation because of the palms, different flowers, citizens spirit, orange juice, and overall atmosphere. It is a million inhabitants city and has a lot
to offer to everyone.
In the very beginning, I felt a cultural shock since Portugal is far different than Denmark. I didn’t like the bureaucracy and their system since it takes too long to get a tax number, open a bank account, receive a grant. The Portuguese are calm, and they always late (even the buses late), which drove me nuts sometimes; still, there is some beauty in all these differences. Sometimes we should all be relaxed, right?
The most significant benefit of spending time abroad is the people and relationships you build! During the period abroad you will meet a lot of people coming from all over the world, you got to know them, to share stories about different countries and cultures. In that manner, you are wealthier for one more person, one more story, one more culture, one more country. Isn’t it brilliant? I met friends from Portugal, Spain, France, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, Brazil, Angola, Curacao, The Netherlands, Lithuania, and many others. Because I am an extrovert, I enjoy living abroad. It brings such good times, adventure, memories, knowledge, and crazy parties, of course. Moreover, it boosts your confidence and develops you personally and professionally as well. You don’t know how far you can go until you live on your own in an unknown city. Therefore, every young should try to live abroad at least once in a lifetime. During this period in Portugal, I missed my family and friends; however, I tried to enjoy the moments with the people I had around. When I was out of the office, I went to the city center, discovering new streets and places (Harry Potter Library, Livraria Lello, etc.), drinking coffee,
trying traditional food. During the night, there would usually be some gatherings in the most popular bar called; Moreover, there were a lot of events and trips organized by COMAP or ESN, which I always enjoyed!

Internship

Finding an internship is not an easy task, especially if looking for something entirely related to marketing or sales in an international institution. Since the very beginning of my studies, I wanted to experience lifestyle and study abroad. Therefore, participating in an exchange semester in Denmark at UCL (University College Lillebaelt) and having a fantastic experience was an inspiration and motivation to continue in the same manner. For that reason, I chose to do an internship in the International Office at ISCAP (Porto Accounting and Business School) in Porto, Portugal. These experiences would not be possible if
IBC-M did not have a bilateral contract with the institutions, and I am grateful because of these opportunities for professional and personal development. This internship contributed immensely to my further career steps. The ISCAP, as an international institution, offers a lot to a student who is willing to engage in different extracurricular activities, study sections, and events. Moreover, the surroundings and the positive and easy-going atmosphere make a pleasurable feeling. Moreover, the ISCAPs staff and its approach to the interns were significant, which made working enjoyable. The daily feedback provided by supervisors and the individual work gave freedom to interns to show the capabilities and skills and bring to the world something else that was hidden deep inside. In that manner, the overall experience was knowledgeable, discovering, positive, and raised the level of confidence in work. I was engaged in the organization of the technical Communication Summer School 2020. My tasks were to provide the input into a marketing strategy to create the content for marketing campaigns (posters, flyers, the logo of the event), social media management, financial management, and other ad-hoc activities. This experience helped to bring to light my creativity, implement the theory, and develop new skills and competencies. The challenges during the internship period were all about meeting the expectations, learning new skills (graphic design), organizing and assuring that everything is going as planned. Moreover, the level of responsibility during the events and activities raised the capacity of my abilities.

The goal of this internship was to provide practical knowledge related to dissemination (marketing activities) of the event. Also, it was the perfect time to bring to light the creativity and implement graphic design skills using Photoshop and Canva.com. Moreover, this internship helped in understanding and experiencing different work cultures and to come into diversity. These marketing activities contributed a lot to my professional growth since I applied theoretical knowledge into practice. It helped in implementing content marketing and defining the target audience while using different techniques that were learned during the previous semesters. In this manner, the author discovered what marketing manager precisely should do, and on what one may be prepared for when doing a marketing campaign.
My opinion was appreciated when providing the inputs into marketing strategy, planning, and developing ideas, which was like a fuel for the upcoming engagements in different tasks and activities. Moreover, being responsible for everything because of the hands-on approach, I experienced individuality and appreciation while working. If one takes into consideration the placement of the internship, the International Office, which was always my wish to experience, the dynamic working environment is a perfect match for my abilities and personality. Moreover, the chance of being engaged in different activities and events helped in realizing which one I truly enjoy. Also, the uncovering of the graphic design skills and usage of Photoshop, which was an unknown field, identified my new interests. Moreover, the acquired competence in this and many other fields will be useful in the upcoming periods. As stated before, in the area of changing and challenging market, it is always appreciated to learn new skills and get competences in different things and fields. For these reasons, I genuinely believe that this internship experience helped in professional growth.