Internship in Iceland

David Gilly decided to do an internship in Iceland and lucky for us, he chose Midgard. He is twenty years old and comes from Switzerland. We asked him to answer a few questions about being an intern in Iceland.

Are you interested in an internship at Midgard? Send an email to stefan@midgard.is including your CV, a short introduction about you and why you would like to be an intern at Midgard.

Iceland is a pretty wild country for a internship – how come you chose our island for your time abroad?

I have always been fascinated by the northern countries in Europe, however I never got the opportunity to visit them as my family‘s prefered holiday destinations lied in the southern hemisphere. I wanted to do a part of my internship abroad and when the possibility of applying in Iceland occured, I immidiately took it. Iceland, the land of fire and ice, has been on my bucket list for a while. The raw nature and unique geological situation with its volcanoes have always fascinated me. It is a place like no other in the world. With its booming tourism I also consiered it a very fitting place to do the internship, as my studies starting in September lie in this field.

Tell us about your life back home. Where are you from? How is life there, how do you think your life at home prepared you for a temporary life in Iceland?

I am from a small village in the southeastern part of Switzerland called Maloja, situated on 1815 meters above the sea level. It is located in the italian-speaking part, as it takes thirty minutes to get to the Italian border. Twenty minutes in the other direction is St. Moritz, famous for its skiing resort and beautiful landscape from the Engadin valley. Being from a small village in a remote tourisitc area is something that has prepared me for my Internship at Midgard, although the setting is completely different, the situation is similar. An old saying says that in the Engadin valley winter reigns 8 months and the cold rules the remaining 4. Therefore I believe that from a climate perspective Iceland in summer shouldn‘t be a massive problem.

What are your expectations for your time in Iceland? What do you want to learn? What to experience?

During my time in Iceland, I would like to learn about the management of a company like Midgard Base Camp, and work in several fields in order to gain experience in the tourism industry. On the other hand, I would like to travel the country of Iceland and explore it as much as possible. I am keen on discovering a new culture and learn about their way of life.

Anything you are a bit nervous about? Something that you look forward to?

I am a bit nervous about living on my own for few months in a foreign country that I have never been to before. It is a completely new experience for me, so naturally I am a bit nervous, but in a good way. I look forward to visit Iceland, and getting to know new people from all over the world through the Midgard Base Camp. I can‘t wait to explore the area and meeting new friends along the way.

You have been with us now for a bit more than a week tell us what you have experienced so far? The good, the bad, everything! 🙂

In my first one and a half week in Iceland I have had nothing but great experiences. I received a warm welcome from the Midgard-Team and I settled in nicely in the village of Hvolsvöllur. I had the opportunity to participate in events like the beach cleaning and the treeplanting, which was a great way to explore the area and at the same time do something beneficial for the environment. In addition, I got sent on the Þórsmörk Super Jeep Tour and on a glacier walk, which also allowed me to connect with the area and the parts which make it so unique.

Any similarities or big differences to Switzerland that you have found so far? Any culture shock in any way? ing with kids?

The main difference is the envirmonment. In Maloja, you have a valley with big mountains, forests and lakes. In Hvolsvöllur, everything is flat and there is no other town in sight. In general the remote and untouched nature is what struck me the most so far, in a positive way. A culture shock for me is that everyone still actively uses Facebook. In Switzerland it is not a very popular application anymore, at least not in my age group :). Another thing I didn‘t knew was how popular Hot Dogs and Hamburgers are, something I am fully going to take advantage of, as I also enjoy that kind of food. In addition, I was always convinced that I live in a remote place in Switzerland, but once I found out that from Hvolsvöllur the bus only leaves a few times a day, I am tempted to give it another thought. Last but not least, I noticed that lots of people are on the phone while driving, something that you rarely see in Switzerland.

Thank you David for your interesting answers! We wish you an amazing summer at Midgard!

Would you like to be an intern at Midgard?

Send us an email to stefan@midgard.is including your CV, a short introduction about yourself and tell us why you would like to be part of the Midgard team.