Frederica in Curaçao
Participant
Frederica
Programme
Internship
Country
🇨🇼 Curaçao
Duration
6 weeks
Studies
CIOS
Age at the time
19 years old
Worked with
Primary schools, athletics, football
Short bio
I’m 19 years old. At the time I was studying at CIOS, which fitted in perfectly with this! I’ve now finished CIOS and look back on it with a good and satisfied feeling. I’m now studying physiotherapy and still often think back to my time in Curaçao. I met lots of lovely new people there. It’s a very rewarding and fun internship placement and I really learnt a lot there too.
How satisfied were you with the support from Holland?
My support back in Holland was really good! I was helped straight away whenever something wasn’t clear. Communication was great and they made sure everything was well organised, so you could set off for Curaçao feeling good.
My story
“What has stayed with me most is how grateful people were for the moments when we came together to play sport and get moving.”
Frederica · internship in Curaçao
I took the Sport, Recreation and Tourism elective during my course at CIOS. Thanks to this elective I got the special opportunity to go to Curaçao and gain practical experience there.
During my time in Curaçao I ran sports activities at various places. I gave PE lessons at primary schools, led athletics and football training sessions and gave sports lessons at an addiction clinic. This was quite challenging at first, because I found myself in a new environment and had to deal with different target groups and situations. But that’s exactly why I learnt so much, both in terms of teaching and on a personal level.
What has stayed with me most is how grateful people were for the moments when we came together to play sport and get moving. It gave me a really lovely, grateful feeling to see what sport can mean to people. Because of this I felt more and more at home and noticed how much I enjoyed working with different groups.
So I look back on my time in Curaçao with a big smile. It was an incredibly beautiful and educational experience that I won’t forget any time soon. Not only did I gain lots of new experiences, I also grew as a person and as a future sports professional.
I would definitely recommend this experience to everyone!
What advice would you like to give future interns and volunteers?
Above all, enjoy the time you have there and make unforgettable memories! It won’t always be easy, but remember that the people there are incredibly grateful to you.
Frederica’s photos
