Guten Abend! 

I had a great week this week. Work was good and I got to experience one of my first classes with my internship. This was a circuit class, and it was a lot harder than I expected. Not only that, but I also couldn’t feel my legs all weekend. I thought that taking one of these classes before the weekend would be a good idea, but I was terribly wrong. My friend and I decided to get out of Germany and head to Prague. Little did we know the struggles we were going to face. 32,000 steps later, a lost ID and cards, 2 missed buses, and uncharged phones; we had quite the weekend. For reference, we both got out of work and headed straight to the bus station. Not one stop, but 3 stops later we realized we were going in the completely wrong direction of the bus stop and missed our bus. On our way back, with no ID and photocopies allowed, we almost thought we were stranded in Prague. We were stuck in the bus station for over 4 hours, but we managed to get passed the borders back into Germany. Overall, a hectic weekend, but the gorgeous city makes up for the travel mishap. I think for the next trip, we will be planning a lot more efficiently. Even with all this happening, we still managed to see Prague Castle, city center, the Astronomical Clock, the Karluv Most, and the Dancing House! The place I was most excited about was the Mexican restaurant we went to. After craving Mexican food since I have landed, this was quite the reward. And there was live music which made it even better. 

Now back to work as if I wasn’t almost stuck in the Czech Republic. I have found that in the office, they expect me to do things more independently. When I get to work, they assume that I have done certain tasks without being asked. Although it took some adjusting to, it has become part of my daily routine in the morning. I check my emails, look through new invoices, update the class charts, and then work on the excel sheet that I have been making.  

I expected little to no work, but as a startup company, I am the only person doing accounting here. At first it stressed me out as I was given multiple tasks at once or was assumed to do things when I wasn’t told. After 3 weeks, it became common sense for me to do certain tasks and how things are handled in the office. Maybe it was uncertainty at first, but I know what to do now. If another task were to arise, then I would be told to do so.  

I think communication is key at my office. Especially with emails, they are sent to me, my boss, and his assistant. We always make sure we CC each other to emails and always ensure that any important files are sent to our auditing team. This is a startup company, so double checking all our work has been important to make sure we are not messing up numbers. For instance, we have had invoices sent wrong or taxes done incorrectly. Not only do I have to check them, but we always make sure someone else calculates it too to make sure I am also doing them right.  

Whenever I have uncertainty, I always ask right away to make sure I do not continue to do something wrong or miss anything. The assistant and I typically talk a lot about the organization of the spreadsheet I am preparing and how to make it the most efficient once someone else takes over my position. When I am not sure what direction to go with a certain tab, I always ask for other’s opinions. Some days, I find myself a little less busy and I begin working with the head of events with preparation for the new products we are presenting to our members.  

Overall, I do not think there has been as much uncertainty as I thought there would be. When working at an open office, it is easy to communicate and find things to do. I am curious what other tasks I will be doing in the future and if ambiguity will arise once my spreadsheet is complete.  

With the UEFA beginning, I am getting more and more excited for the games to begin this Friday! See you next week and go Team Germany!