This past week was the 3rd week here in Berlin and my second week working at atip:tap. I think that the central theme of the week was learning how to create a strong work-life balance. Now that I have got a more stable understanding of my role at work, I had more time to focus on what I want to experience outside of work and how I wanted to fill my downtime.
Before I get to the life portion of work-life, my work has been going really well! I have completed my first project and it was very satisfying to do so. I wrote a page on the company’s website about all things to know about water if someone were to come to visit Berlin for the first time. It was a nice way to warm up to the topic and get a good lay of the land of Berlin’s situation with water. But prior to this, I felt lost in what I was supposed to do in this internship. So, after I completed this first project, I went to my manager and asked for clarification on what I can do with the remaining time here. I told my manager that I had a passion for policy and asked if there was anyone within the company that was involved with policy. Luckily, she told me there was a policy project that I can work on. It is to assist in developing a European database on each country’s laws on plastics in response to the EU’s new restrictions on PFAS concentrations in water. I am going to start working on this project this week, and I am very excited. I think the best thing to do when you are uncertain about what to do at a job is to ask for clarification. It shows that you want to do the best job possible, not that you are incapable. Obviously, asking your manager about every little thing is not a smart choice, but if you are completely lost, it is important to not waste your time. When I started to work on my first project, I did have further questions about what exactly my manager wanted me to do. Instead of asking her every time I wanted clarification, I had to remind myself that they chose me to be in this position and that it was up to my discretion on how to complete the assignment. I think that trusting yourself is a major part of being successful in a job and life in general.
During the first week at work, I felt a little unstable in my ability to balance work and my life outside of work. I oftentimes came home exhausted from work and not wanting to do anything else for the rest of the day. But, this past week, I realized that part of life is continuously putting yourself out there. So, I made it my focus to do something small after every day of work. For example, on Monday, I made sure to go on a walk around Tiergarten after work. It was a gorgeous, sunny day and it felt great to spend the evening surrounded by nature. Tiergarten is a huge park in Berlin that has many different fountains, monuments, and sitting areas throughout the park. On Tuesday, I had a work event that went on till 6 PM so I was feeling extra tired. But, I still walked around the area the event was in and bought myself a pastry. Thursday and Wednesday, I met up with people in the IIP program for food in a different area within Berlin. Finally, on Friday, I got all my work done and was able to take a day trip to Potsdam. Potsdam is a smaller city outside of Berlin that is home to some of the most beautiful palaces. The Neus Palace and Sanssouci Palace were gorgeous! Doing small things after every day at work made the week not as monotonous as it felt last week. Not only was I having more fun, but it made me feel like this internship is truly worth it. Not just from an academic/professional stance, but from a personal one as well. I want to continue this goal every week here and continue to experience new things. Berlin is truly a city with endless things to do, and I want to make a dent in it by the time I leave.
