My American Internship: Riccardo C. of France

Our "My American Internship" series features CIEE BridgeUSA participants who submitted entries to our photo essay contest. Riccardo C. of France served as a neuroengineering intern at Blackrock Neurotech in Salt Lake City, Utah.

I'm a 23-year-old French-Italian master's student who came to Salt Lake City for a four-month internship. I had no expectations about Salt Lake City or the USA, and I can honestly say I’ve been incredibly surprised and happy with this experience.

When I arrived, I met my housemate and all of his friends – most of them in their 30s and 40s – and less than 24 hours later, I found myself at a monster truck show. A week later, I was skiing, and a month after that, I was on a five-day river trip through the canyons of Utah, sleeping in the red rock desert or going to check out bison on Antelope Island.

This experience has been life changing in so many ways. I’ve met amazing people both at work and outside of it, and I’ve spent most of my time outdoors – hiking, biking, skiing, or rafting. Salt Lake City has a beautiful, long winter and a spring full of blooming flowers and trails perfect for running and biking.

Four months was nowhere near enough to experience everything the city and its surroundings have to offer. I’ll definitely be back to see the friends I’ve made – and hopefully live here for a few years in the future.

I also had the chance to travel to Banff, Canada, from Salt Lake City and go to San Francisco to visit other friends. Every weekend has been an adventure!