I currently attend Vienna Business School, a commercial college in Moedling, Austria.

There I‘ve been given the chance to do an internship abroad - sponsored by ERASMUS+.

As I‘d see myself as a very open-minded person with the willingness to face new challenges I applied for this project and - surprise, surprise - I‘ve been selected.

So, together with 6 other pupils from my school, I‘ll spend the next 3 weeks on the beautiful island Malta. The perfect opportunity to bite the bullet, travel more or less alone, gain work experience and meet completely new people with different origins.

That‘s a lot. It sounds like so much and overwhelming but i can promise:
I will make the best of it and it will be worth it. :)

Right after our last school day before summer break I’ve packed my suitcase and headed to the airport - nervous and full of anticipation.

There I’ve met the other interns. From the very first minute of the trip we‘ve had to cope with inconveniences: endless queues and more than 3 hours flight delay.

Nevertheless we’ve made it to Malta, arrival time: 11:30 pm.

A shuttle has collected us and has taken us to our apartments where we‘ve met Claire, our contact on-site. She has shown us our apartments, where we‘ve only dumped our luggage. 

In the meantime it has been 1 am and we‘ve gone out to seek for food and water. After some bars and clubs we’ve finally found a food stand. 

Now, at 3 am, all desires are satisfied and we can go to bed -in an apartment that feels like a sauna.

We'll see what exciting things the next 3 weeks will bring,
the journey has  just begun.

While the others were having breakfast at an irish pub or have done some grocery shopping I‘ve managed to get 9 hours of sleep and woke up at noon. 

Shorty after we‘ve had our first self-cooked meal: good old classic spaghetti bolognese.

Together with the other girls I’ve gone to the beach were we’ve met the boys who have done some sports before.

The sea has been a dream - clear water, a water ball and a lot of fun.

But the absolut highlight of the day has been when we’ve found out that other ERASMUS-Interns live in the same apartment building as we do. They are from Portugal and approximately the same age.
After talking to them we've gone out to Paceville, the "party-district". As we haven't found any good bar or club, we've ended up eating some pizza slices at the beach.

P. S.: We’ve recognised that we don’t have any warm water. Luckily it doesn’t bother me at all, it’s too warm here to take a hot shower anyways.

Then, Simon has pitched us the importance of understanding and working with the Facebook-algorithm because we‘ll work in the Social Media Marketing Department for the next weeks.

His talk has last until noon, so we haven‘t been able to start with „proper“ work before lunch.

A big advantage of our workplace is that we get warm, fresh cooked meals in the lunch break for free everyday. The woman who does the cleaning and the cooking is very friendly and talkative. Lara and I have chatted with her, she is polish and has been living on Malta for 20 years.

After the break we‘ve started with our tasks.

On our way home we‘ve done some grocery shopping. We’ve only brought the goods to the apartment and have gone swimming with Chiara. The sea is so wonderful and clear but since Chiara got  stung by a jellyfish on our first day in Malta, I‘m a bit afraid of it. We‘ve still had a lot of fun in the water and finished our day with a great dinner at a restaurant with sea view.

Nothing special that is worth mentioning has happened at work. We‘ve just done our daily tasks regarding social media marketing and have got to know the other interns even better.

After work Lara and I have done some grocery shopping for dinner.

At home we‘ve tidied up the apartment, have done the dishes and have tried to do the laundry where we‘ve both struggled.

While waiting for Chiara to wake up so we could ask her for help, we‘ve visited the boys apartment. There we‘ve watched some episodes of „How I met your mother“ and have chatted with Mario.

At approximately 6 pm we’ve got back and Chiara told us how to operate a washing machine (to be fair it looks very different than ours at home^^).

After that I’ve started preparing dinner while Lara has taken a shower and Chiara has went back to sleep.

Anna has returned from work at around 8 pm which has been timed perfect as our wraps have been ready a few minutes later.

Because Anna has come home so late and Chiara is a bit sick we haven’t gone to Paveville as planned after dinner but instead we’ve had a relaxed evening with the boys.

Simon has been late today so we’ve done our usual tasks until he has arrived. We’ve talked to him and since he can’t remember any of the interns names, he just calls me “scout” because I once told him that I’m one in Austria.

When we’ve finished work, Lara and I have driven to Valletta to meet Anna there. We’ve gone to a cute little café where I’ve had a cappuccino and an orange cake. It was very tasty :).

Chiara has also joined us and we’ve went “strandeln” (we’ve strolled through the alleys of Valletta, have looked into shop windows and have went into some stores). Unfortunately I haven’t found anything for me but Chiara has bought some jewellery.

Then we’ve gone to a pub because today has been the F1 qualifying in Spielberg. They haven’t streamed the race though but instead the semi finals of Wimbledon which I’ve really enjoyed as I played tennis when I was younger.

Sadly we haven’t been able to watch the match until the end because we’ve had to drive home to get ready for the evening.

At home I‘ve prepared a salat for me and Lara with rocket leaves, feta cheese, tomatoes and aprocots.

After dinner I‘ve met the boys at their apartment. We‘ve played a few games and have driven to Paceville afterwords. There we‘ve met some guys from Ireland who have told us, we should go cliff jumping and I‘m definitely into that.

The rest of the night has been pretty calm.

We’ve had a quick breakfast and have got ready. As we are a pure girls apartment, we haven’t been on time so we’ve missed our bus and have had to go by foot.

We’ve met the boys on the boat and have got one of the last seats on the roof.

The boat has taken off at 9 am and has got us to “Blue Lagoon”. The water has been so clear and beautiful that we’ve been able to see everything even some little jellyfish.

We’ve had 2 options there:

While the other girls have chosen option 2, the boys and I have got to Victoria, the capital of Gozo. There we’ve gone “strandeln” again and have got some delicious Indian food.

At 2 pm the boat has collected us again and  has driven to “Crystal Lagoon”, a little place in the sea with huge rocks. There we’ve been able to jump from the boat into the water or take a slide which has been installed to the boat.

In my opinion, Crystal Lagoon has been the most wonderful place in Malta so far. We’ve had a lot of fun jumping from the boat’s roof into the sea and climbing some small rocks at the bay.

Even though I‘ve been a bit sea sick, I‘ve enjoyed the trip a lot.

At home we‘ve all taken a shower and have done a powernap because the heat and the swimming has been very exhausting.

We‘ve woken up, eaten dinner and got ready at around 8 pm.

Then, all together we‘ve driven to a foam party which our Portugiese neighbours have recommended us. I‘ve had a lot of fun but unfortunately it hasn‘t been that huge as I‘ve thought.

Together with Lara I’ve gone to “Café del Mar”, a beach club only 15 minutes away from our apartments. We’ve met Anna and Chiara there who have been at the pools since 10 am. We’ve slept a little bit, have gone swimming and I’ve checked the current score of the Wimbledon finals. (Unfortunately, Kyrgios lost the match.)

In the evening, we’ve gone home and got ready because there’ll be a beach party later at Café del Mar.

Lara, Chiara and I have got some awesome street food on our way back to the beach club. 

Already from far we’ve heard good music and have seen a lot of people.

At the bar we’ve met our boys and have gone dancing. It has been the best clubbing on Malta by now. 

The event has ended at midnight, so we’ve gone home to get enough sleep for our workday tomorrow.

At work, Lara and I are literally freezing, so I’ve taken my sweater with me.

Sadly, the other interns haven’t been here today, so Lara and I have had to do all tasks on our own.

When we’ve got home I’ve taken a pleasant 3-hour-nap and have woken up very relaxed at 7:30 pm.

Because of the beautiful sky we’ve decided to go for a walk and watch the sunset. We’ve sat down at the beach, have chatted until 9:30 pm and have discussed a rough plan for the rest of the week.

At home I’ve again prepared a salat for Lara and me. After dinner Chiara, Lara and I have had a lot of fun talking about what has been happening in the past few days. Because Anna is a bit sick, she has gone to bed quite early. We’ve really tried to not wake her up with our laugher but it hasn’t worked so well.

Oh, update:

We do have warm water at our apartment, we just haven’t been aware of that we must turn the boiler on.

Since Monday an Italian group of 20 people has entered the bus in the morning, so Lara and I really have had to fight our way trough to get out.

Work hasn’t been thrilling at all. We’ve just done our daily tasks and have chatted a lot with the other interns. Simon has arrived late today but has invited all employees (including us) to a BBQ in the evening.

In the afternoon Lara, Chiara and I have taken a bus to Mellieha Beach, one of the few sand beaches on Malta. We’ve gone swimming there and the 2 girls have taken some photos.

After going home and getting ready, we’ve taken a taxi to Simon because we’ve been late again. (Yes, Lara and I should definitely work on our time management.)

Simon has served us wonderful food. Self made chips, tomatoes with mozzarella, chicken, steak, sausages and a lot of ice cream for dessert.

We’ve talked a lot (mainly Simon, he has a huge knowledge and wants to share all of it) and have had a lot of fun. 

Lara and I’ve got home at midnight and I’ve realised that my bed has been repaired. I’ve almost forgotten that I’ve told Claire about the incident. She has contacted the owner of our apartment who has sent someone to fix my bed as it seems.

Now I can go to sleep in a normal bed again. It feels a bit strange not to lay on the floor anymore. ;)

As usual, Lara and I have been really tired in the morning and have had to run to get our bus but it hasn’t come (although we’ve been on time so there is no chance we’ve missed it) so we’ve had to get another one.

Surprisingly, we haven’t been late for work at all.

The woman who always cooks lunch for us is on vacation for the next week, so Simon has already warned us that we’ll have to prepare food the next days. Today he has made something Maltese with mince which was really tasty.

After work I’ve done a “quick” power nap to be rested for Mellieha Beach again.

Neither my alarm nor the other girls have woken me up, so we’ve missed 2 busses. The boys already start to get angry with us because we’re always late (I totally understand them, our time management doesn’t really exist at all).

At the beach we’ve gone swimming and have climbed some obstacles at a waterpark. There we’ve met some Italian boys and have “fought” for one object. It has been a lot of fun but unfortunately I’ve got tons of water in my ears.

When we’ve got home, we’ve had dinner and Lara and I have met our boys at their apartment. We’ve played some card games and waited until midnight to celebrate my birthday. 

Lara and I have woken up so tired that we’ve decided we don’t run to get our bus but take a later one. We’ve arrived at the same time as the other interns and have started our daily tasks. Lara has told Simon that it’s my birthday today, so he has gone “Doughnut hunting” with us in the lunch break. Apparently, it is common that common that food trucks with specific meals or snacks cruise around in Malta and that there is one with doughnuts in the neighbourhood. Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to find it but instead Simon has bought a cake at a store.

I’ve been a bit overwhelmed when the employees have begun to sing “Happy Birthday” and Lara has given a short toast. It has been a very lovely gesture.

At home I’ve taken a power nap and and have sadly overslept that we’ve wanted to drive jet ski. Probably it has been better not to go anyways, because I’ve really been tired. But I’m  looking forward to catch up with it.

In the evening we’ve got ready and have had dinner all together at a traditional Maltese restaurant. I’ve ordered extremely good baby-calamari. 

To finish off the day, we’ve gone clubbing to Café del Mar again afterwords. We’ve only stayed there until 1 am to be well-rested for Anna’s, Chiara’s und Lara’s last work day tomorrow.

In sum, it has been a very nice birthday with much fun. I really enjoyed it a lot.

That’s a pity because I’ve really got on well with both, especially Lara.

At work we’ve chatted a lot with the other interns as usual and took one last picture all together. 

Simon hasn’t been here today, so we haven’t eaten at work. At home I’ve again prepared a salat again to stay healthy ;). (Yes, I eat a lot of salat. Thanks to my mum, I know many good recipes.)

While the 2 girls have packed their stuff, I’ve discussed our plans for the rest of the day with the boys. Then I’ve helped cleaning our apartment a bit and we’ve tried to figure out which food has gone bad. (Life lesson: bread doesn’t survive 2 weeks in a breadbox.) 

We’ve helped Lara and Chiara to carry their suitcases downstairs and while we’ve waited for their shuttle, we’ve said good bye and took a group photo (unfortunately without Christian because we hasn’t been at home). 

The plan has been to go to Mellieha again but it has been so late that we’ve just gone “strandeln” and ate ice cream. 

For dinner I’ve prepared Zaziki and have eaten it with bread and spreads together with Mario and Matteo. In the meantime we’ve watched the last episodes of “How I met your mother”.

The rest of the evening was pretty relaxed and I’ve gone to bed quite early at around 11 pm.

Today is Anna’s last day, she has to go to the airport tomorrow at 4:15 am.

Since I’d be alone from then on, I’ll move to the boy’s apartment who have one spare bed left.

Anna and I have had some breakfast and while she has started packing, I’ve begun to carry some stuff upstairs.

We’ve again made a plan for today but due to our bad time management we haven’t been able to realise it. (We’ll probably never learn from our mistakes and will continue to plan too tight.

We haven’t managed to go sightseeing to another city, again.)

Nevertheless, the rest of our day has been pretty great. 

Anna has gone to the beach to enjoy the sun in Malta one last time, the boys has done some sports and I’ve gone “strandeln” again. Unfortunately I haven’t found anything yet but I’ll try my best to fly home with some cute new outfits.

We’ve all met again at 3:40 pm (agreed on was 3 pm) to finally get jet skis. We’ve had to wait for another hour but it has been so worth it.

Anna and I have shared one jet ski. I’ve felt so free and have had so much adrenaline in my veins that I couldn’t stop screaming. Half an hour has felt like 10 minutes, max. That has totally been a highlight of our trip.

Afterwords we’ve wanted to go to Sliema but it has got so late in the meantime that we’ve just stayed in St. Paul’s Bay and have got an ice cream again.

We’ve done some grocery shopping and have prepared food together as I’m moving to the boy’s apartment tomorrow anyways.

My biggest fear is that I have to eat Spaghetti and watch “How I met your mother” every day from now on but luckily we’ve had some wraps and started the series “The office”.

To finish off Anna’s trip worthy, we’ve gone to Paceville again. We’ve danced and I’ve had a lot of fun meeting some Germans and Swiss. Unfortunately, we’ve had to leave at 2:30 am so Anna won’t be late for her shuttle to the airport.

I’ve stayed up with her until 4:15 am to say good bye.

Now, I’ve one silent night alone at the apartment before I’ll move to the boy’s.

Then I’ve got informed that Christian is going to have a date later the day. He met her in Paceville last week and since then they’ve already had 2 dates. She’s from Korea, so she took him to a Korean restaurant yesterday. In return, Christian has wanted to cook “Schnitzel”, the probably most famous Austrian dish, for her.

As I’ve the keys for my “old” apartment until evening, we’ve planned that the 2 can spend the afternoon there to be undisturbed.

Christian has got 2 hours left to prepare everything. He has cleaned the apartment (therefore I haven’t had to do it which I really appreciate) and I’ve helped him with grocery shopping and cooking. He has taken a shower and I’ve done the dishes and together we’ve nailed it that everything is ready on time.

While Christian has enjoyed his evening with the Korean girl, the other 2 boys and I have had dinner and Matteo and I have gone to Café del Mar. As it hasn’t been that impressive as the last time, we’ve already left at 10:30 pm.

Christian has also been home by then so we’ve chatted about his appointment until 1 am.

-No, just kidding, my time management is probably worse than her‘s, I‘ve just been awake since 6:30 am when Mario‘s alarm has rung. I could have slept for another hour :(.

But, at least I‘ve been on time at the bus station which hasn‘t made any difference because my bus haven‘t arrived at all.

However I‘ve taken the next one and have made it to work only with an 5 minutes delay.

I‘m very glad that I get along pretty well with the other interns, so I can chat with them during work especially since Lara isn‘t here anymore.

Nobody has cooked in the lunch break, so they girls and I have gone for some sushi.

When I‘ve come home from work, Christian has still been in his nightwear because he works in the afternoon every few days.

We‘ve relaxed a bit and when Matteo has arrived, we‘ve started cooking „Palatschinken“ stuffed with spinach. We‘ve put them with some cheese in the oven and the hole apartment has started to heat up. The food has been amazing but we‘ve had to eat in a 35 degrees room.

At around 5 pm we‘ve driven do Mdina (it took quite a while to convince Mario and Matteo to go there).

The city is very clean and beautiful but so small that we‘ve been trough it after a 10 minutes walk. We haven‘t stayed longer than 1 hour in Mdina until we’ve searched for a bus home. Unfortunately, you can‘t trust the arrival times on the boards at the stations, so we had to wait for 50 minutes.

The heat has been so exhausting that we‘ve just watched a series when we‘ve come home. 

I‘ve got up 45 minutes earlier than usual to take a shower, put some make-up on and choose wisely which outfit I can wear to work but also afterwords.

We‘ve stayed at work until 3 pm and have done our usual tasks regarding social media marketing (we‘re kind of setting up a Facebook-page, posting property and interacting with potential clients). Today has been the first day, where we‘ve had to cook on our own. We‘ve prepared some Ciabattas which have turned out really good.

After work, the other Austrian interns and I have driven to Valetta for the “Isle of MTV”-festival. We’ve queued up to get inside and have met some of the girl’s friends there. They’re all so lovely and kind. I’ve really had a lot of fun although I’m rather introverted when meeting new people.

I’ve also met my boys there and we’ve enjoyed the festival all together. The best act has been Marshmallo. We’ve managed to get in the front of the stage where the hole crowd has been a pure vibe.

I’m very thankful for my aunt recommending me the festival. It has had free entry and the artists have been quite popular.

We’ve got home at 1 am, have taken a quick shower and have just fallen into bed.

I‘ve lost time in the morning eaten breakfast and waiting until my coffee cools down.

But, I‘ve still caught the bus (in fact, it‘s very surprising that I‘ve literally always been early enough to not miss the bus).

I‘ve got to work on time and since Simon hasn‘t been here today, we‘ve only done some administrative tasks.

After work I‘ve met Christian in Sliema to go shopping. The bus ride, which usually takes 30 minutes, has taken me more than 2 hours because my bus would‘t arrive for 1 hour and I‘ve had to take another one and had to change in Msida.

I lost my headphones at the beginning of the trip, so waiting for the bus is literally pure horror. Luckily, a Columbian boy has also waited at the station, so we‘ve started chatting and he has turned out quite nice. We‘ve talked about what to do in Malta, Music and the „Isle of MTV“-festival yesterday. It has been a pleasant time killer while waiting.

I‘ve made it to Sliema with more than an hour delay but it hasn‘t seemed that it has bothered Christian at all. We‘ve started shopping and I‘ve finally found a lovely new bikini (I‘ve been searching for one since our first day here). Christian has bought a new shirt (for his next date ;) - no, just kidding) and he has had a wrap at a restaurant called „Salat box“.

I haven‘t eaten anything there because I‘ve prepared my own salat when we‘ve got home. Much cheaper and at least as tasty as at the restaurant.

We‘ve finished the day at our common beach bar and have gone for a midnight-swim in the sea.

Simon felt sick and wasn‘t at work yesterday, so we‘ve had to catch up with our tasks.

As tomorrow is my last workday, we‘ve  gone for a „Doughnut hunt“ at lunch break again. We‘ve been lucky finding the food truck just 2 streets away. We’ve bought some and have all eaten them before a proper meal because they‘ve looked far too mouth-watering. They‘ve really been delicious but have reminded me of “Krapfen” instead of doughnuts since they haven’t had a hole in it and a jam or chocolate filling inside.

After eating our desserts first, we’ve had some self made pasta afterwords.

In the afternoon Claire has stopped by to give me the “Mobility”-certificate. Simon has signed it together with the ERASMUS Learning-Agreement and has issued a reference letter as well. He has written a lot of nice things which I really appreciate.

After work I’ve met the boys in Valletta to go to a 5D-cinema about the history of Malta. Unfortunately, they’ve had technical problems so we haven’t been able to watch the show. Instead, we’ve just strolled around and have gone to “Hard Rock Café” where Mario has bought some drumsticks to extend his collection.

In the evening we’ve cooked a vegetable-lasagna and watched “Project X”, a hilarious teenage movie.

I must say, I really miss my own room at home and the ability to be alone so while the others have gone to bed after finishing the film, I’ve stayed up a little bit longer to enjoy the silence.

Christian and I are always the last who leave the apartment, so he has helped me choosing an outfit. We’ve decided on a lovely jumpsuit and as it has had wrinkles in it, he has offered to iron it while I take a shower. Christian is the only person in our apartment who knows how to iron properly and and really attaches importance to it.

So, after dressing and a coffee, which I’ve had to chug while it has been still hot, I’ve

stroke off to work.

The day has been very calm and since Simon hasn’t been here because he has felt a bit sick again, I’ve been able to leave a bit earlier than usual. I’ve said goodbye to my colleagues and especially to the 3 interns. I’m really going to miss them. We’ve had a great time the last weeks and I hope I’ll see them again in Austria.

It has been a bit weird knowing that it has been my last workday for a long time.

The bus for my way home has arrived so early that we haven’t been able to take a goodbye-photo. (Yes, that has probably been the first bus without a delay since we’ve arrived in Malta.)

At home, I’ve prepared my last salat of the trip and haven taken a power nap just like the boys afterwords.

In the evening we’ve gone for a quick swim and have bought some ice cream. Unfortunately, our usual store was out of ice cream so we’ve had to buy it somewhere else.

To make the best out of our last proper evening, we’ve gone to Paceville after dinner. We’ve went clubbing at “Havana Club” where we’ve had a great time.

It has been really relaxed without any stress. I’ve woken up at 2 pm very well rested and in a good mood. The others have already had breakfast, done some grocery shopping and prepared lunch. So when I‘ve got up, Chili Sin Carne (because Mario is a vegetarian) has been ready. We‘ve eaten and while Mario and Matteo have done some sports afterwords, I‘ve begun to pack my suitcase. 

The time has passed very fast and it has been evening in an instant. We‘ve had leftovers for dinner. We‘ve eaten everything imaginable. We‘ve started with scrambled eggs (made of at least 15 eggs), have moved on to frozen food like nuggets and fries and have finalised our 3-course menu with - of course -  some noodles with pesto.

After finishing our incredible weird dinner, we‘ve gone to our beach bar for one last time and have spent the rest of the evening there. We‘ve played some card games and have enjoyed the sea view.

We‘ve come home quite early, at around 11 pm, to get some sleep as we‘ll have to get up at 4 am tomorrow to go to the airport.

We‘ve had to wait for 2 hours at the airport, so Matteo and I have gone for some free breakfast at the Business Lounge. We‘ve reflected our hole trip and have eaten some Maltese specialities for one last time.

Our flight back home was very pleasant, I‘ve had a lot of space, could catch up with some sleep and have been served with another breakfast.

In Vienna, I‘ve said goodbye to the others and have got home so tired that I‘ve slept the hole day.