Jannis Acbard has always been fascinated with the design process and exploring new countries. While pursuing a degree in landscape and garden architecture, New York always stood out as the perfect place to gain work experience in a new and fast-paced environment. Thanks to his exchange program, Jannis was able to live in New York while interning with Joanna Pertz Landscape Architecture (JPLA).
During his internship, he worked on a variety of tasks, including drafting landscape plans, writing maintenance and planting reports, and assisting with on-site planting and installation. JPLA allowed Jannis to be part of a design team, improve his English, and gain skills necessary to further his studies and career in landscape architecture.
We recently caught up with Jannis to hear more about his internship and his time in New York!
What impact has your exchange experience had on your life and your career?
I gained a lot of experience working at JPLA working with the most familiar programs (Photoshop, InDesign, AutoCAD) to me. This made me better and faster at working with these programs. It also gave me a nice life experience of living by myself and living in another country.
What is your favorite memory from your exchange program?
Living in an entire new city outside of Europe. Getting to experience a totally different lifestyle and pace of life. It has been a really nice time getting to explore everything that NYC had to offer and I never had enough of it.
What was your favorite cultural activity to do in New York?
I enjoyed visiting museums and architectural landmarks. Besides that I always enjoyed just walking and discovering new things in my neighborhood or in another part of the city.
What advice can you offer to future exchange visitors coming to the United States?
If you are going to the United States, be sure to plan everything way ahead and have a second plan in case anything doesn’t go as planned. If you come from Europe, it will be quite the opposite for you when visiting but everything is so nice there!
What does cultural exchange mean to you?
It means getting to experience a different culture of an entire new city and country. Discovering the way of living, the way people are and live, and tasting the food and culture.