I spent the entirety of this week in Berlin so I got to explore a bit more as well as visit some places that I had on my list. I finally finished the book I brought along with me at the beginning of this trip so I went around to a few bookshops that sold English books. I found this really small bookstore that was run by an older English lady, so I had a small chat with her and she was able to recommend a few more spots. From the books I got, I took some time to sit outside in a park to read them. I then did some shopping at a few vintage stores around Berlin. They had some really interesting items to pick from and I did pick up some things. At one of them, they had a Chris Brown tour short from 2019. I found it a bit amusing that they would have that here, so I sent it to one of my friends who then responded that she had actually attended that tour. After that, I went to an ice cream place that I had seen online. I did not know what to expect when I first arrived so I was shocked when I saw that there was a line out the door and around the corner. I stood in line for about 30 minutes until I got to the front. In the end, the ice cream was good, but I do not think I would wait that long again. 

This week was also the first time that it rained quite hard here in Berlin. I had to go out and buy an umbrella as my rain jacket was not enough. I also found out the hard way that some trains are canceled or delayed when the weather is bad enough in Germany. The first few trains that I would normally take back to Berlin from work were canceled and I had to wait for another one to come through. Then due to the weather, the trains were taking caution and going slow so the route home took a bit longer. 

I also started a new project at work this week. I am working with a new coworker to develop an English version of the current company website. I translated it during my first week of work but now I am actually editing the website and putting in the text, editing the pictures and forms, and inputting new documents. My favorite part about this project is that even when I leave Berlin, I will be able to look back at this website that will be up forever and say that it was something I helped create. 

When it comes to the time so far at my internship, I have picked up and improved upon some skills. As for soft skills, my communication has definitely improved. From communicating with my supervisors in person or with coworkers over a call, it has been a change from what I am used to. Back in America, the people I work with are usually my age so there is a certain way that I communicate with them. The setting there is also not as professional. The environment here was a big change so I have had to learn new communication styles and have also picked up on some things here that have helped me improve my skills. My adaptability has also improved. As stated earlier, this setting is new to me so every day I am adapting to new situations within the office. Whether it is because of the language or a new task I have been assigned, I make sure to change my way of doing things to make sure that it gets done. As for hard skills, I have gotten more work with Excel, in another language as well. It was nice to see all the stuff I have done in class apply to the real world. With the new project I started recently, I was taught a bit of coding on the website platform they use. I have a couple of friends who study computer science at Pitt so it was interesting to see what stuff they might be doing. My language is the last hard skill that has improved. While my work is mainly in English, everyone in the office speaks German. When my supervisor takes phone calls, they are all in German so through listening, I pick up on new vocab and phrases that are specific to my field. My work computer is also all in German so I have picked up on words there. Being here in general has been a massive help. I went from having zero practical use for my German besides in class to now using it every day. My global competencies have also helped me navigate cross-cultural situations. By being able to communicate with others in both English and German, I have been able to pick up knowledge that if I did not know German, I would not have known, and then apply it to unfamiliar situations.