Tuesday this past week was the first day of my internship, and everyone was so welcoming. At first, I was nervous but then excited. However, I still wasn’t sure exactly what to expect when arriving. So I made sure to give myself lots of extra time in the morning to find the building, which was good because I got a little lost finding where I was going.
They had a welcome breakfast for me (the delicious strawberries and chocolate croissants are all I’ve been eating for breakfast here), and I got lunch outside with the others on my team. I had an itinerary for my first week. I had a week of onboarding where I met many people and learned about the company, including the different teams and the community. I got their programming set up on my laptop and learned what tasks I needed to do and start on. Everyone was friendly, always smiling, and interested in understanding why and who I was there.
The work-life balance here is excellent; they prioritize mental health and support each other over everything. Before each meeting I have had so far, we take one mindful minute with check-in questions. They are big on maintaining a work-life balance that is not stressful. Also, I may dress however I like at work.
My managers and coworkers urged me to take breaks and ensure my work is quality rather than quantity (they even have a nap room here). The layout of my building is a co-working space. It’s open and green, and you can work in many different spots, which is cool! I can work 1-2 days remotely, but I enjoy coming into the building because it keeps me on task. Impact Hub has employees from all over Europe with different backgrounds who are young, flexible, understanding, and want to help everyone.
Wednesday was the community lunch, a weekly event I helped set up and work on because it was a good time for me to meet other community members (the community is member organizations that have office space and work within Impact Hub Berlin). In addition, I stayed till 7ish to see an event hosted here with presentations and networking called “Meet the Change Makers.”
Starting this week, I am technically really starting my tasks and projects. I am excited to be doing work and seeing what a marketing and communications team may look like and I am put to work instead of sitting around. I want to learn about this industry, so it will be a helpful experience when I graduate in 2024. I could see myself working for a company like this so far because they are actually making a change, and I can see that within my first week. Everyone is so passionate and impactful. Impact Hub only hosts startups and entrepreneurs that are sustainable or working towards more effective sustainability in the industry.
At my internship, my manager tells me what tasks are urgent and non-urgent. We use an app called Asana where there are sections in my inbox and profile of “to do, in progress, under review, and done” This helps me to prioritize my tasks. This allows me to set and meet deadlines and see my whole schedule. The company also uses Google Calendar to plan out time. I prioritize my tasks by reading everything I need to do and thinking about how long it will take me while giving myself extra time. For example, this week, I have short tasks due by Friday and other long tasks due later, but I looked at all the tasks the week before to ensure I have enough time. I also try not to multitask while managing my time and practicing prioritizing my tasks with communication and collaboration as my team and supervisors help me. I haven’t had any issues managing my time or approaching anyone here, even if I make mistakes. I practice all of this by checking my emails and slack and staying up to date on communication.
When I am not at my internship, I continue to explore and see Berlin. The parks here are beautiful. I went to one Friday evening called the Tiergarten, and I went to Viktoria Park on Saturday. Everyone is out and about at these parks enjoying the sun. My coworkers told me that the winters are so harsh and sad in Berlin, so in the summer, everyone tries to be outside as much as possible (especially during our lunch break everyone sits in the sun).
I am trying different foods. I have had some good gelato, doner kebab and currywurst. Sunday is a big day for flea markets, so I spent the day exploring; we went to one of the biggest flea markets in Berlin. It was huge and so fun to see all the vintage things—overall it was a good first week at work. I feel more settled in and confident in my internship because the environment is excellent, and my supervisors and coworkers are clear and straightforward with what needs to be done. I am also used to balancing jobs, school work, and extracurriculars, so I feel confident here.
