Growing up, I was very close with my family. My cousins lived right next door and my grandparents lived just five minutes away. I loved hanging out with them, and they were all I needed, until I got older of course. As soon as I turned 16, I had just about sprinted out of my parents' lives to hang out with my friends as much as I could. I would never make plans with my family and I would laugh at them when they asked me to do something with them. When I got to college, I simply moved away and never visited. After my freshman year, I was sad that I had to move back home with my family because of COVID-19. But now, I am a 20-year-old who wants nothing more than to hang out back home with my family. Being a virtual global intern with CEA Study Abroad allows me to create my own work schedule. I spend my mornings talking to my team via emails and Zoom meetings. Then, I start working on my weekly assignments and tasks. After that, I am free to do whatever I want – all I have to do is shut my laptop. Back when I was 16, I would've used this time to hang out with friends, but now, I use this time to visit my grandparents, my cousins, and my niece. I can work virtually from wherever I want. 
When I was away at college, my brother and his wife had their first baby, named Braelynn. I never got to see her because I was attending classes on campus and never made the trip home. Now, I get to tuck my niece into bed every night and catch up on all of the lost time I had as an Auntie. I love the freedom that I have been given to be working from wherever I choose. I have a lot of time to work on other projects, classes, or hobbies. This internship has helped me find myself and allow my creative thoughts and ideas to be pronounced. I have worked from a boat, I have worked while on a beach, and I have attended virtual meetings while babysitting. It is amazing how this internship abroad program encourages me to travel internationally but also has made me closer to my family at home. Although I do still plan on studying abroad in 2022, I will never take this summer for granted. I spent the whole summer being completely immersed into a new culture while never feeling homesick. Interning virtually has many different perks, but flexibility is so important to me. I am blessed to have this opportunity to create my very own work schedule, and I look forward to seeing what the rest of my internship has in store for me!
Riley Mihm is a Summer 2021 CEA Content Contributor and a virtual intern for an organization in Prague, Czech Republic. She is currently a student at the University of Iowa.