For three months, students of Mariupol State University underwent internships at hotel and restaurant complexes in Italy. The international internship took place thanks to a bilateral partnership agreement signed in March between MSU and the U.C.M. – "Mediterranean Union of Chefs – Italy".

The internship brought together young people from different parts of Ukraine to develop their professional skills, learn about Italian culture and improve their knowledge of the Italian language. Students Anna Stotska (majoring in Tourism), Yulia Bodalova (majoring in Management) and Olena Ivlieva (majoring in Translation and Interpreting (Italian)) went from Mariupol State University to the country of Southern Europe.

The girls underwent an internship in the region of Puglia, in the province of Foggia, which on the map is the "spur" of the Italian boot. Olena worked in a hotel in the resort town of Vieste, Anna and Julia – in a hotel on the Adriatic coast, which washes the shores of Peschici.

During the internship, students talked to hotel visitors, prepared national dishes in the kitchen of restaurants, got acquainted with the local flavor. For better language adaptation in a foreign country, the girls took online Italian courses before the trip. However, it was communication with native speakers that contributed to the development of communication skills and overcoming the language barrier.

I got into a team that I liked from the first minutes. The general atmosphere of the holiday, music and dancing did not give a chance for sadness. The crystal clear sea ten steps from the house and the bright sun made us to focus on the positive. And a week later I started to understood Italian and tried to speak it clearly, and a month later I was fluent in the workplace and a little bit in everyday life,

– Anna Stotska. 

Thanks to a more mastered language skills, Olena Ivlieva was made the main intern from Ukraine. The MSU student was also entrusted with the implementation of more difficult tasks, and after the first month of internship her scholarship was increased.

Since my major is related to the study of Italian at a professional level, during my internship I gained a lot of experience in using the language, including improved theoretical and practical knowledge. In addition, solving a variety of tasks contributed to the development of communication skills and the improvement of spoken Italian,

–  Olena Ivlieva.

In their free time, the girls walked along the old streets of Italian cities and the promenade of the Adriatic Sea, got acquainted with local cultural monuments and gastronomic traditions.

I tried many very unusual products for us, such as cactus and black truffle. And delicious Italian ice cream – gelato – is now forever in my heart! Gelaterias attracted us with the variety of assortment and tenderness of tastes, and the incredible beauty of the landscapes of Italian cities further whetted the appetite,

– Anna Stotska.

International internships are useful not only for expanding your worldview, but also for meeting new people. In a few months spent together, people from all over the world became one friendly family.

During the practice we celebrated three birthdays. And no matter who was the birthday boy – the mayor, a girl from Ukraine, an Italian chef – we always had a party and greeted the whole team. We were together as one big family. Everyone was so attached to each other that there were a lot of tears when we had to say goodbye. When you see a person for more than 10 hours a day, work together, have lunch, spend free time, rejoice and be sad, you will no longer be able to forget each other,

–  Olena Ivlieva.

Due to the desire to learn something new and the ability to apply the acquired knowledge in practice, students of Mariupol State University received positive feedback about their work, as well as certificates from the organizers of the internship.