Animation student

Is it just me or is it really that hard to get an internship abroad? I just wonder if others are also facing /or had faced the same troubles in their student lifetime.

Well, in my case it's like this:
I currently just became a 3rd year animation student in the Utrecht School of Arts in The Netherlands. All the students here must face an internship (about 3 - 5 months) in their 3rd year to get experience and earn school credits. So it is wise to already search for companies and make preparations for about a year beforehand, the sooner the better. The internship period usually starts at the 2nd half year during the study, whereas the 1st half year is meant to write a thesis and working in projects with other fellow students.

Well, as I just became a 3rd year student, I should still have plenty of time searching for a company since the internship won't start until Jan. 07.
But unfortunately a few months earlier the school decided to change this and placed the internship period at the beginning of the 3rd year, which means I must start at September now. So the time span and searching for opportunities has been drastically shortened. While most of my friends didn't have an interest or have already given up to find an internship abroad I kept on searching. I've always believed and entrusted myself that there must be a place somewhere out there where someone can fill in the gap.

So for a past few months I've been searching like crazy for animation companies to find an internship. Up till now I've searched everywhere and sent out my letters, portfo & cv to about 80 companies everywhere around the world, because I have always wanted to study/work abroad. Most didn't need anyone, are already full or usually don't answer.
Then after a few months searching, my internship quest seems to become a slightly fruitful. There were a few who replied and showed some interest, and told me to wait for a definite answer in August...like when they have done the selection procedure. It's great that there's finally some answer, so I hopefully waited for this.
But there is no certainty that these companies will choose me, and I will also have to make preparations (like accomodations/visa/etc) withing a short time in a month to come over, so if it were possible I would like to know as fast as possible. And what if I've waited for nothing and lost all the precious li'l time that I still had? So while waiting I also went on to search for some more and the results is that untill now I still haven't got any answer from anyone at all...and I must start next month at September too, which makes me stuck in a middle of nowhere...and still, I hope to find one very badly tho it's kinda stressing knowing the time will be coming very soon...waiting and waiting is actually kinda hard...I told and explained to them to give me a sooner answer because of my current situation, but still no answer yet.
Does it really have to take that long or is it really that hard to simply give a "No" or a "Yes"? Making others waite when they're in a hurry (for a hopeful answer) and turning it into a hopeless result is even worse.

I just can't believe that it's impossible. It can't be impossible if you put your mind and heart into it, right? And hopes, thou shall have...where would we be without it? =P

So is it really that hard to get in? Has anyone also encountered the same difficulties and if, by any hopeful chance, does someone here know a place for an internship? Anywhere? I just can't believe that it's impossible, but it's kinda distressing to see that the chances for an animation internship is smaller than 1/80 (well, for me it certainly is)...uhm, no wait...a friend of mine has searched for some 70 places so this makes it even smaller than 1/150. Let alone getting a real job...
Sometimes I even wonder whether I'm really that bad, since no one seems to be interested. You tell me... T_T

~[COLOR=Magenta]Art is the only way to run away without leaving home.[/COLOR]