I can’t believe our first week has passed! A whole week ago, I was boarding a plane with a sense of uncertainty, and now I am here learning and exploring, and it is a reality. I am finally getting used to the time difference. All the activities we did during our orientation week helped me with the jetlag. I am so glad that we had an orientation week. Britta was a fantastic guide and such a great person to have. We were so lucky; she ensured we were safe, having fun, and recommended places. It was great to see so many places around Berlin and learn about the history and other things in Berlin. Even though we only took three two-hour German classes, getting basic phrases and other things down was still beneficial, but I still need to practice. It is so nice that mostly everyone speaks English, but I still want to create my intercultural skills and immerse myself in the culture. It will be helpful to still learn more Deutsch, but I have learned that it is tough, but practice makes perfect!
This past orientation week, we got up to many activities, saw so much of Berlin, and learned a lot. Berlin is such a fantastic city. There is so much to do and explore. I am so excited! It’s overwhelming because I have so much on my bucket list.
The first day we landed was a long day. We took a whole tour of Berlin and got dinner. I think I was up for more than 24 hours; it felt crazy. On other days we took a cool tour of some buildings and a palace. It is great to meet and hang out with the other Pitt students in the group and the others from the other colleges. Everyone is so friendly and open-minded, so learning and adventuring is great with them.
One of the things I love about Berlin right now is that the city has so many green spaces. I want to explore more of the parks since it’s so cool that the city is so clean and environmentally driven. Also, seeing the amazon tower was cool. It was such a tall building, and the view was great. Of course, we had to wear hard hats and steel boots since it was still being built, so it was a very exclusive opportunity.
It is also nice to have a long weekend since it’s a holiday weekend here in Germany. Today (May 29th) is my birthday, so it’s been nice to celebrate and be here for it. This weekend was amazing because it was sunny and beautiful. We attended the Carnival of the Cultures, which 2 million people attended. It was crazy busy, but such a cool thing to see and experience. We watched the parade, which had music, dancers, and floats from every country, and it went on all day on Sunday.
So far, some of my favorite parts are the food markets and other outdoor activities.
We went to an indoor food market with many options and amazing food on Thursday. I tried a Turkish meal called Manti; It was amazing. We also checked out the park, which is a park near our place of stay that had Thai food everywhere.
Tomorrow is the first day of work. I am excited to have a schedule and be organized. I learned the ways of transportation, which is great. I am a little nervous about starting tomorrow, but I know the company I am working for is going to be great and welcoming. They have sent me my itinerary for my first week with onboarding, training, and other meetings so I can learn more about the company Impact Hub. Impact Hub is open to more than one industry because various organizations and sectors use its innovative coworking spaces and ecosystems to connect start-ups and entrepreneurs. However, they do focus their community and resources on social impact and sustainability through sustainable development, social entrepreneurship, and nonprofits. Some key skills and strengths necessary to succeed are being open-minded and passionate about social impact and change. Other strengths include inclusion, adaptability, and being able to colorate and network. Strong communication will go a long way to ensure success because the industry has a lot of networking.
Competencies to be successful and unique to working in my industry in Germany include cultural sensitivity and understanding of some laws and policies, and ethics to be familiar with the local regulations and attitudes. For example, knowing the social climate views of different individuals here, especially regarding sustainability and the environment. Germany is the most ecologically driven country, so undertaking sustainability practices within the economy and conservation knowledge is essential.
Being able to speak German would be beneficial. Although many professionals speak English, it would be good to communicate in the German business culture because there would be a broader range of opportunities. I do not need to speak German within my industry, but it would, of course, be helpful. I am excited to experience the industry that my internship offers.
