Welcome Abigail!
We are happy to introduce to you our new Region Coordinator colleague Abigail Angay!
Tell us, who is Abigail?
My name is Abigail Angay, 24 years old, born and raised in the Philippines. I grew up in a small province then later moved to a big city to study college. I graduated with a Bachelor’s degree major in Business Entrepreneurship. During my 3rd year, I was required to do an internship either local or international. I was someone who’s always been afraid to try something new, but then I realized it’s time for me to get out of my comfort zone, so I decided to do my training abroad. I did my 1st and 2nd internship in NYC with the help of Stage-USA and it was honestly an amazing experience. Doing an internship in a country where you have no idea how the culture is, how the people are and how their daily lives work is just scary to me at first, but I have learned so much lesson after living in a place that is far from home. I used to be shy and I never thought I could do more in terms of work, I discovered so much of my skills and never knew I have the capabilities to do such things. I was definitely challenged not only in the workplace but also as a person. NYC can be tough sometimes, but that’s where we learn from, right? Now I came back in the Philippines after my internship and currently working in my family’s business and besides that, I am now also part of the team at Stage-USA which I am very proud of since they have helped me reach my dream to be abroad and I really want to spread the message to all students how amazing the experience was through Vlogs on my Youtube Channel.
What have you seen of the world so far and which country is on top of you bucket list?
I have been to a lot of different states in the USA like, NYC, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Washington D.C. Florida, I also been to Japan and Hongkong. It was a great visit, but for me Turkey is the best, it is on the top of my bucket list which I finally got a chance to visit this year. I just came back few days ago from that trip and I am still amazed of what I’ve seen in this country. I’ve been to different cities in Turkey for 12 days, and I am proud to say, I booked everything myself without inquiring from a travel agency. Out of all the places I’ve visited, this is the most unforgettable one so far. The next on my list is Havana, Cuba, I heard its beautiful there too and I can’t wait to see it!
What has been your most remarkable experience abroad?
That would be when I went to Cappadocia in Turkey, because that’s where you would wake up with a bunch of Hot air balloons surrounding your hotel, I thought I was dreaming looking at it. I used to see it on Social media, and I finally saw it with my own eyes. I got to see some of the historical places too in different towns which I think is really cool. Not only that, I love the people, the food and also their culture. Everyone is so nice and accommodating, although not a lot of them speak english, it was really fun to learn a new language. They smirk when I speak Turkish, they think it's cute. Apart from that, I am thankful to have done my internship abroad because if it wasn’t from those experiences, I wouldn’t have the guts to travel to a different country by myself. There’s a saying “New York City: If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere” and I totally agree to that!
