AIESEC, the international youth-run organisation, facilitates 16,000 exchange experiences and organises 470 international, regional and national conferences each year. Four Maltese AIESEC members relate their experiences abroad.

Gail Baldacchino

Communication team member
AIESEC Malta

I had been longing to spend a couple of weeks away from Malta to experience a diverse culture and meet new people.

I recommend it to anyone looking for adventure away from home

In my opinion, AIESEC offers the perfect opportunity for university students who want to develop personally in a foreign country. I therefore signed up at the beginning of the scholastic year and kept an eye out for possible internships outside Europe.

There were a number of areas I could explore, ranging from business and management to teaching and developmental programmes. I applied to join a development internship in Mauritius based on the environmental concerns of the island, under the name of Lead Green Project. I was lucky enough to get a reply and made the necessary arrangements to spend seven weeks in paradise between July and August this year.

The Lead Green Project was an environmental initiative to raise awareness of the protection of the surrounding areas. At the start of the project we were required to attend workshops at the University of Mauritius to introduce us to the situation of flora and fauna, composting and water in Mauritius.

These workshops prepared us for the project’s activities which included promoting the protection of the environment among the locals, cleaning beaches, lagoons and designated areas in villages and towns.

During our stay, we were given free time to explore the area and tour the country as tourists. I had the opportunity to visit Lls aux Cerfs, an island renowned for its water sports; the capital city Port Louis for shopping and restaurants; Flic en Flac, a popular beach with tourists; Bras d’eau, in Flacq, for cave exploring and an adventure park in Chamarel.

I also went camping in Black River National Park and visited the north of Mauritius.

Arriving in a different continent, trying to settle in with 22 other interns from all over the world was undoubtedly difficult.

While I was trying to get used to the Mauritian lifestyle, I had to make that extra effort to be open to the views of youngsters from different backgrounds as I was the only Maltese participant.

Spending quite some time away from home helped me to be more independent, to tolerate people from different cultures by understanding their backgrounds and to become a more responsible adult.

The experience was not all plain sailing: I spent hours waiting for Mauritian people to arrive as they are always terribly late, I had to spend a night in a primitive hospital and I also saw a dead man in the street.

In some areas, it is advised to not go out alone in the evenings due to a fast-growing rape rate.

Having said that, overall, my stay in Mauritius was a lifetime experience that I would definitely do again.

I am grateful for the opportunity and would recommend it to anyone looking out for an adventure away from home.

All these opportunities were made possible thanks to AIESEC Malta. If you are a student at tertiary level and would like to experience such exchanges, please visit www.aiesecmalta.org or e-mail info.malta@aiesec.net.