Prague week 1 is complete! This last week has been so jam-packed with activities I sometimes feel like I have been here for months. I finally begin my internship this Monday at Ashoka, and I am very excited to get started. On my first day in Prague, I walked to see the office, which is nestled just meters away from the astronomical clock in the Old Town. Ashoka is an NGO committed to fostering social change here in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. They work out of a neat co-working space in which many different companies share offices. I have never worked in an environment like this, but I am eager to learn and meet new people.
As for skills, my supervisors cautioned me that most of their employees are part-time, working as professors or for other NGOs in addition to Ashoka. Due to this, I think I will need to be self-sufficient with my work and really focus on taking direction when it is given since I might have to work in the office without my supervisor some days. Time management will also be a crucial skill for the same reasons. As for the industry as a whole, I think working in social change will require a certain balance of empathy and a business mindset. Although Ashoka aims to foster change, it cannot sponsor or support every project and it involves some selective decision-making to be successful.
Additionally, Understanding and respecting the cultural nuances and historical contexts is important for building trust and effective partnerships. This includes awareness of the language, customs, and social norms. This is particularly important in a co-working space like Ashoka’s, where there are opportunities for collaboration. Given that many employees at Ashoka work part-time and have other commitments, being self-sufficient and proactive is essential. This includes managing one’s time effectively and taking initiative when working independently.
Aside from work, I tried to do as much exploring as possible before my work life begins! Each day, I attempted to try one new restaurant and walk to one new sight! Wednesday, we started our day with an EUSA-led walking tour from the Prague castle, across the Charles Bridge, and down into the Old Town. Prague is full of beautiful architecture, and the picturesque landscape really makes me feel like I’m in a fairytale. They also utilize a mix of trams, buses, and metros to create a great public transit network. The trams are my favorite to ride as you see the sights of the city while riding in a quaint red trolley car, like out of a scene from a movie.
Thursday was a bit rainy, so some other students and I walked to the Museum of Torture, a gimmicky place with lots of spooky displays about different devices used in Prague’s darker history. We also did some shopping, as Prague has a great boulevard with many stores from the US, as well as local businesses.
Friday, I took a long walk to the “Idiom,” a column made of 8000 books located in Prague’s central library. The sculpture uses mirrors to create the illusion of an infinity stack and attracts many book-loving tourists like myself. I then trekked to the Lennon Wall, an active public art installation filled with John-Lennon-inspired graffiti. I saw many tourists adding to the wall with messages of peace and global causes. In the evening, Prague hosted a Noc kostelů, or night of churches, in which thousands of churches remained open late, allowing visitors exclusive access. Me and some friends went “church-hopping” if you will, to see all of the beautiful architecture and art tucked away inside.
Saturday morning, we woke up early to travel to Kutna Hora, a city famous for its Gothic Cathedral and bone church. This town had a much more lowkey feel than Prague and we enjoyed some Czech food overlooking the various gardens and vineyards nearby. After browsing a local bookstore and grabbing some gelato in the town square, we returned to Prague and enjoyed the rest of the evening. The Phillies are actually playing in London this weekend, so capping off Saturday and Sunday with some baseball in my time zone felt like the perfect cap to a great week.
Overall, this past week has felt like a dream! I really love the city and could see myself living here. I am excited and a bit nervous about starting my job tomorrow, but I hope this will allow me to learn about a new industry and experience Czech work-life. I hope throughout these seven weeks I will have time to explore the city further and immerse myself in the Czech way of life.
