Name: Anne Scheijgrond
Age: 25
Nationality: Dutch
Education: Bachelor of Nursing  
Internship: March 2016 – June 2016

I was in my third year of my bachelor of Nursing, and went to New Zealand for an internship abroad. I always wanted to go there, because, well, have you ever heard a bad story about New Zealand? So, together with a fellow Dutch student I got in touch with Mia from White Cloud Internships. She gave us a warm welcome and showed us everything we needed to know about Auckland. She also provided us with our house on Hill Street, where we lived together with some awesome students from Denmark, Germany and the US. Mia also offered us the guidance and supervision we needed for our internships, and she was there for us on a personal level. She really made us feel at home. I came to work at a respite house for children with intellectual disabilities, who came for a night or two and were offered professional guidance and support in their daily lives, outings and a lot of fun and activities.

The work place was great, people there were thankful and pretty amazing, and I really started to love all the sweet children I came to know. Sometimes, it was challenging too but I got a good understanding of offering good care and support for people with disabilities. With the right support, they can be empowered and get the opportunities to live their lives to the fullest.

Of course, New Zealand was amazing as well. It is the most beautiful and friendly country I have ever visited, and it offers everything you need: the most beautiful nature, mountains, lakes and oceans, welcoming people, good food and a great opportunity to travel around. The 3-hour flight to Fiji is also definitely a plus. Overall, my internship in New Zealand was the best time of my entire studies, and I would recommend anyone to go for it. It expands your horizon, it offers you challenges which you will not have at home, and it will make you excited for more…