Voices from Abroad: Carolina Baione

Carolina working in Cambodia

Phnom Penh (Cambodia), Internship Abroad, StarAsia
Shanghai (China), Double Degree

I've always been a planner. Actually, a good one.
When to study, when to have fun, when to travel, when to meet people.
Last year taught me that once in a lifetime opportunities cannot be planned, but have to be seized.

I had planned an Exchange Program for my third year, and I didn't make it. I didn't get into the universities I had always dreamt of, and, even worse, I had no plan B.
That's when the wind to the East started blowing.

Applying for the International Internship in Cambodia happened by chance, as often happens with life changes.
It is not actually your life that turns into something different, it is you. You are different, developing more interests and needs.
The internship in Cambodia, after years of hard studying, made me realize that the time spent in the library was not wasted. I strongly disagree with people who say "studying and working are two totally different things". What I had studied came out, when I needed it the most.
Cambodia, moreover, has been a human experience, giving me the chance to network and to volunteer.
Once I came back I understood that I had "jumped" and I had to keep going.

Shanghai skyline

The Double Degree in International Management turned out to be the most appropriate program to enable me to see new places, new lifestyles and to keep my mind open.
From Cambodia to China I moved from the "easy life" to "crazy town". In Shanghai I have the feeling of being in the right place at the right time. China's economy is very fascinating, but to understand it you have to be " on the field", and that is exactly what I am doing.

Being in Asia means for me growing, day by day, traveling, widening my perspectives and expectations.
And there is no better feeling than curiosity, curiosity for what's next.