I am Matthew, and in the summer of 2018 I went on an internship in Istanbul, Turkey thanks to IAESTE. It was one of the greatest experiences of my life. Before I arrived in the country I was welcomed by the members of IAESTE Turkey and throughout my stay, they helped me constantly with anything I needed.

Work was unexpected but in a good way. I went to Turkey expecting to have somewhat of a remedial job but it turned out the contrary. I was trained and worked on new projects on my own command in a very professional and satisfying way. The lab members were really nice, they immediately welcomed me as one of their own and I joined them for lunch every day and also was invited for dinner and drinks at a few of their houses. We became so close in the span of two months that I have already been invited back for future internships and even work on a masters thesis in their prestige University

Finally, the best part of the experience was without a doubt what I saw, the people I met and the new friends I made. Some of these people are the best I have ever met and even though we came from very different cultures it was very easy to create such a bond. To a point that our houses are open to each other and plans have been made to meet each other in countries such as Pakistan, Slovakia, Spain, and Ireland to just mention a few.

Every countries’ sites are different but the hardest part for me was to grasp the vastness of the country. A country I may never have gone otherwise was so rich with culture, scenery, and history that depicts centuries of tragedy and blessings. I saw only half the country in the span of 2 months and the only thing I regret was not being able to see more and it was all thanks to this internship. Without it, I would not be the person I am now.