In Vietnam, the new year can begin with a visit to a fortune teller. People usually arrive with questions about love, health, family, luck or their future. At the beginning of 2022, Viet Trinh Nguyen, instead of hearing an answer, received a question she found almost ridiculous at the time: did she have any plans to study abroad that year? Her answer was no.
“I remember saying no because I had already been accepted to a university. Why would I go abroad?” recalls Viet Trinh.
Within months, however, that answer no longer matched her life. Unexpected family circumstances changed everything, and at 19, Viet Trinh left Vietnam for Italy.
“I was 19 when I arrived in Italy, and I felt very lost. I didn’t have a long-term plan because no one was there to guide me,” says Viet Trinh.
Studying Abroad Encouraged to Travel Further
At first, Viet Trinh saw Italy as a temporary stop. She planned to finish her studies and eventually return to Vietnam. The first semester, however, was far from easy.
After the KTU interview, she decided on Kaunas.
In just two days, Viet Trinh prepared her application, collected the necessary signatures and submitted everything. She received the scholarship that made her internship in Kaunas possible.
Bringing Southern Italian Energy to Kaunas
Before coming to Lithuania, Viet Trinh knew little about the country and its people. From what she had seen online, she expected Lithuanians to be reserved, serious and less expressive with strangers, quite different from Italians.
“Southern Italy was full of sunshine, laughter and open communication,” she says.
Now, she says: “I think I brought some of that Southern Italian energy with me to Lithuania.”
During her internship at the KTU International Office, Viet Trinh has met students adapting to a new university and country. On registration days, she says, she immediately understood what many of them were going through.
“I could relate to them very quickly because I had experienced those feelings too,” she says.
The internship at KTU has also allowed her to see university life from a completely different perspective. One of the more unexpected discoveries was how many emails the International Office receives from students every day.
While studying in Italy, Viet Trinh remembers sending follow-up emails herself when replies did not arrive as quickly as she had hoped. Seeing what happens on the other side has changed her perspective. “I am a little embarrassed by my previous self,” she admits.
Learning About Personal Boundaries in Lithuania
“They may not always show friendliness in a very loud or immediate way, but their kindness is real. Much of this warmth came from my colleagues at the KTU International Office. Working alongside them made me feel genuinely supported and welcomed, helping me open my heart to Lithuania much faster than I had expected,” says Viet Trinh.
Living in three different countries has also changed how she sees herself. Viet Trinh says she remains the same person at her core, but each experience has made her more independent, open-minded and confident.
“Vietnam raised the version of me that was afraid to step outside her comfort zone. Italy taught me how to open up, and Lithuania is where I am learning to believe in my own direction,” says Viet Trinh.
When her internship ends in December, Viet Trinh hopes to leave Kaunas with more than professional experience. The people, conversations, and small moments that made a new country feel familiar are just as important to her: “KTU has shown me that I don’t just want to work in an international environment. I want to contribute to one.”
