I will be working in the online marketplace industry with the company Carvago. However, I will be working on the data team for Carvago, so in that aspect, I will be working in the tech industry. Technician skills will be necessary to be successful in this industry. Specifically, the company works in the coding language Python on the Steamlit application. I know Python but I have not worked with this application before, so I will have to adjust the skills I already have to fit the needs of this company. The company also uses SQL to manage its database. I do not know SQL but I would love to learn how to write SQL queries during the course of this internship. Hopefully my experience with other coding languages will help with learning a new language. As with all tech jobs, good problem-solving skills and being able to adjust on the fly will be crucial for this internship. I do not know what tasks I will be given, so I will need to be flexible and willing to do whatever I am assigned. I will need to take what I already know about coding and apply it to this professional setting

A specific competency I need to have to be successful in this industry is an understanding of the European car market. I believe I will be helping the data team with their machine learning model that reads advertisements across Europe and compiles them onto their website. Since I will be working alongside this team, I will need to understand car advertisements from different countries and also what Carvago classifies as a good car listing that they would like to add to their own website. Additionally, I know how to code Python in English, but I am uncertain if they code in English here. Python is an English-based coding language so I assume that a majority of the commands would be in English, but after searching online about coding in the Czech Republic, it seems that they sometimes use Latin symbols and accents. If Carvago does this, I will need to adapt to this.

I recently had a meeting with the head of HR and the head of the Data Team this week. They took me out to lunch and showed me around the office. They were both super friendly and I am excited to work with them throughout the summer. They seem eager to have me as an intern and I think this internship will be a good fit. I was also told that there will be another intern coming to Carvago in July from Oxford, so I am looking forward to that.

The rest of this week has been about exploring Prague with other students in this program and also on my own. On Wednesday, we did a walking tour of Prague and it was absolutely beautiful. We got to see the Prague Castle and gardens, the Charles Bridge, and the Old Town Square. It was a tiring day but I am glad I got to see the most famous parts of the city. I have been back to the Old Town Square a lot and I think it is my favorite section of the city. I love how much there is to do and see there. I also love how walkable Prague is and how useful the public transit is. It is extremely easy to get around and anything you need is right around the corner. I also have really enjoyed walking around on my own. I have a goal of going to every local coffee shop and park near the apartment and I have already gotten to a lot of them. So far my favorite coffee shop has to be Letterpress, especially because of their flat white coffee, and my favorite park is Folimanka because its elevation makes for a great view of the city. I recently tried to go to the Národní Muzeum, but unfortunately it was closed. I plan on going there once it opens up again. There is a lot to explore and I am looking forward to seeing all of it.

Overall, my first impression of Prague is a great one. The city is beautiful and everyone I have met is super friendly. It’s been pretty easy to get adjusted to living here. I am looking forward to seeing what the rest of this summer will look like. I believe I will learn a lot from both my internship and also just living alone in Prague.