Internship abroad at YOGA HUSET Aalborg

“You have to dare to do something”

With this sentence in mind and a suitcase full of courage, I traveled to Aalborg, Denmark – for an internship abroad, organized by the “Erasmus+ funding program” in the third year of my training as an event manager.

When I was offered the opportunity to do a one-month internship abroad about a year ago, I knew right away that I would take it – even if it meant embarking on a completely new adventure alone, far from home, with very limited English skills and without knowing what to expect. I was ready to leave my comfort zone and embrace whatever this month would bring.

What followed were small and big challenges, surprises, and moments that allowed me to surpass myself. Here, I share my experiences, thoughts, and feelings—week by week—and take you along on my journey between yoga mats, Danish hygge, and personal “aha” moments.

My first days in Aalborg – Jumping in at the deep end

“You have to dare to do something.” That was the phrase that kept running through my head when I decided to do my internship abroad in Aalborg, Denmark. I am in my third year of training as an event manager in Germany and had never lived away from home for any length of time – let alone on my own. To be honest, I didn't give it too much thought beforehand. I just wanted to get out, experience something new, see how I would cope. I was aware that my English was far from perfect. Let me put it this way: my teacher in 10th grade had even advised me to drop the subject – that's how bad I was, apparently. 🥲 Nevertheless, I thought: “YOLO. What's the worst that could happen?”

During the application process and even up to about a month before the internship started, I didn't know what kind of company I would be working for or what my duties would be. If someone had told me at the time that I would end up doing my internship abroad in a yoga studio, I probably would have just laughed – what does yoga have to do with events (?!) and me? Yoga? I've never done it before. But somehow that's exactly what appealed to me. I wanted to see what would happen if I just let everything come my way.

The next challenge: English in everyday life. The first few days showed me how much language determines self-confidence. Ordering coffee? No big deal. Suddenly working in English all day at the office? Um... I noticed that I was constantly searching for words and at the same time felt ashamed when I couldn't think of something. But my colleagues here are friendly—really friendly. They smile, wait patiently, and help when you get stuck. That gave me the courage to just start talking, regardless of whether it was grammatically perfect or not. Afterwards, I had to imagine the—probably stupid—face of my English teacher and said to myself, “Well, you wouldn't have thought so, would you?”

Heat, humor, happy ending

Incidentally, my first day at YOGA Huset also coincided with my first yoga class, and to top it all off, it was a hot yoga class. When I first entered the heated room, it felt like stepping into a mixture of a sauna and a summer vacation—except that I was about to exercise in it. The thermometer read 35 degrees, the air was slightly humid, and the question in my head was, “How am I supposed to do yoga here for an hour without passing out?” Not only were the various yoga poses completely new and slightly bizarre (the “dragon cry” 😶), but the heat was also a completely new experience for me. After the first few exercises, I was a little embarrassed because, in addition to the many sweat stains, my head had turned completely red and I must have looked like a tomato after the first 20 minutes. But I didn't let that deter me and continued to give it a go.

What I didn't know before: the heat not only promotes flexibility, it also increases blood flow and gets the circulation going. At the same time, you sweat as if you were running a marathon in the desert – which, surprisingly, feels not only physically liberating but also mentally cleansing.

After the class, I was completely drenched in sweat, but at the same time relaxed, as if I had just returned from a long vacation. My skin felt fresh and my thoughts were clear.

If you want to try it: Go in with an open mind, listen to your body, and don't forget that sweat is not a by-product here, but part of the process.

So I got through the first week day by day, took part in (hot) yoga classes – some of them even in Danish (WTF) – and mastered various tasks in the office. Until, after a week, I suddenly received terrible news from home.

A stroke of fate in the midst of a new beginning

On the fifth day, I received news that knocked me off my feet: my childhood dog had died.

I had just come back from my first “Arial Yoga” class and reached for my cell phone to record a voice memo for my family group to tell them about my funny experience, when I suddenly saw the message “Everyone think hard about Alana ♥️” along with a text describing how her health had deteriorated rapidly overnight, that they were on their way to the vet, and that she was about to be put down. Admittedly, the dog was already 16 years old and had had a tumor in her stomach for over a year, but for me it never really occurred to me that she would suddenly no longer be there. She was always there. She was like another sister to me.

And yet, I was hundreds of miles away from home, without my family, without the familiar surroundings that usually provide comfort in such moments. The pain was intense, and at the same time, everything felt so surreal—as if my body was here in Denmark, but my heart was stuck in Germany.

Of course, at first I was completely overwhelmed by the situation. Tears spread across my face and I took the rest of the day off work. I drove alone to a nearby beach – here I felt a little more connected to my dog, as she loved being on the beach and rolling around in the sand. Now I sat there all alone on the beach in Denmark and... breathed. In. And. Out. Just as I had been taught in yoga class the days before.

Courage grows quietly

It was during this time that yoga took on a new meaning for me. It wasn't just part of my new job, but a place of refuge. Between the calm sounds of the music and the flowing movements of the yogis, I realized that I could just breathe for an hour. No pressure, no expectations—just being.

Within a few days, yoga showed me that I can trust myself more than I thought. I started to see small challenges not as threats, but as opportunities to practice. The first conversations in English no longer felt like tests, but like opportunities. And even though I thought at the beginning that I would just muddle through somehow, I realize now that I can flourish here.

My conclusion after week 1

I have arrived in Aalborg – not just with my suitcase, but also with my head. I don't know yet how the rest of the internship will go. I also don't know if I'll ever speak perfect English or if I'll ever be able to do the downward dog pose the way it's supposed to be done. But I know that I'm here, that I've taken the first step, and that courage isn't always loud. Sometimes courage is simply continuing anyway.