The photo I used is a park we found after wandering around during the Carnival of Cultures. It had a stand for drinks and had great seating!

Now that I have gone through my first week of work and started to understand my role at the company, I think that I have a unique opportunity. The majority of my work is independent and based on what I am interested in. Due to this, there are no deadlines or time crunches that force me to complete things in a specific amount of time. This can be both a blessing and a curse at the same time. Because there is no deadline, making sure that the tasks get done at a reasonable time is difficult to gauge and have the motivation to do it. I struggled with my last internship which was very independent as well because I didn’t quite know how to pace myself. In this past internship, I was tasked with coming up with my own independent project and figuring out how to make it happen myself. Finding what my project should be was a major crossroad that required lots of research and consideration. It took a long time, and I mismanaged my time by taking so long to decide. It put my entire project behind and I was just playing catch up the rest of the time. Since I learned from this last internship, I know that a key element to time management is to come in with a plan and a good understanding of how you work. For example, I know I work well in the mornings, need short often breaks, and can only read consistently for 2-3 hours before needing a change. Then, I need to know what projects I have in store for myself. 

My first day at the office was very nerve racking, but went smoothly. My manager met me at the hotel and we walked to a public water fountain before going to work. At work, she gave me a tour and started to explain what I could do at the organization. But, I felt that her explanation wasn’t super clear and I was too shy to ask for more specifics just yet. The office is super nice with tons of natural light and plants. Many other sustainability oriented organizations work in the same building, so it is unique opportunity to be surrounded by similar minded people. The backyard also has a chicken coop that is very cute. During my first two days, I felt really lost because my boss had me reading literature about water, the government, and plastics with no expectations of any deliverables. But, I kept reading and taking notes in the hopes to find something significant that I could contribute to within the company. After I felt content with my understanding of these topics and the organization itself, I went to my boss and asked to talk about what exactly I could provide for the organization. Having this conversation cleared up a lot of my uneasiness and we were able to decide on 2 major projects to do along with an open-ended project that I can interpret into whatever I want. Now that I have my goals identified, I need to make a weekly plan on what exactly I want to achieve every week. When I did this with my last internship, my work got way more efficient and the quality went up as well. The first project I want to work on is shorter and has a definite end. This way, I can get it out of the way early and get it published on the website. I guess that this project will take 1-2 weeks and will be a good way to warm up to the company and see how my boss responds to my work. Then I will take on the other project which is creating posts for the Instagram/website based on topics about water and advocacy. I have a significant interest in policy work and using the law to find the best ways to solve a problem. I would like to tailor these Instagram posts to be based on how individuals can change the plastic and tap water problem in Berlin. I will start by researching these topics thoroughly and asking people around the office to get opinions to develop it. Then, I need to organize the information into a way that communicates the message in an understanding and effective way to maximize outreach.