Week one is officially done and a lot of progress has been made. This orientation week was jam-packed with adventure and was a great introduction to the city. Today, I began my internship with Kühne + Nagel, a logistics company in the freight-forwarding business. I plan to be working alongside the financial sector, providing me with a broad range of tasks such as financial planning and accounting. There is no set job description as I was informed today that a lot of my work will be open-ended, meaning I will not have the same assignments everyday but rather given work they see fit. Today’s agenda was more of a meet and greet as IT had not finished setting up my pc, so I had a sit down meeting with the HR Director and a guided tour of the office. Being ranked #1 in the Czech Republic for sea freight-forwarding, my office location has a more heavy involvement employee wise with the import and export of sea logistics. The office tour was a nice preview of the work culture as I was introduced to every department and their corresponding directors. At the conclusion of my meeting, I realized there are some necessary skills to be successful in this industry. Open communication is key when working on assignments with my team. The office houses about 50-60 in person employees with my team specifically being women that have been around for over 20-30 years. While the majority of the office can speak English, there is still a language barrier as my colleagues will not be as confident to communicate with me in a foreign language. It is imperative that I seek out the help I need by asking questions or communicating what needs to be done. Also, understanding that a lot of the material will be new to me so keeping an open perspective will help me excel immensely. Another skill is to keep a disciplined mindset when it comes to work. The work schedule is very flexible with no requirement for me to clock in/clock out. It is my duty that when I am in the office, there is no time to waste in taking breaks as time is limited. Due to my assignments being open-ended, there are no necessary deadlines I am required to hit, so it’s my responsibility to build a routined schedule

While working in Prague, there are a unique set of competencies that are necessary for success. The most important one on my end is adaptability. The HR Director informed me that they have never had an intern as Czech students are not obligated to have internships before joining the workforce. In essence, while this opportunity is new to me it is also new to the company. Everyday will bring new tasks and I must learn how to stay quick on my feet and comply with these new changes. Also, I feel that it is my due diligence in trying to learn common Czech phrases used in the office as I know that it will be somewhat difficult for my colleagues to communicate with me. Adapting to this new work environment will not be easy but I am up for the challenge. 

On a more personal level, this first week in Prague has been an unreal experience. On Wednesday, we participated in a walking tour which was great to see all the main tourist attractions in one full sweep. We visited Prague Castle, St. Vitus Cathedral, Wallenstein Gardens, Charles Bridge, and Old Town Square. The architecture of these buildings and panoramic views made it feel like a movie. We also participated in an excursion to Kutna Hora this Saturday that really had us dive deep into Czech culture. My favorite landmark of this excursion was the bone church that used real human bones of 40,000 to 70,000 people for decorations. It was definitely unsettling to witness at first as the graveyard surrounding the church intensified the eeriness. Throughout this first week, I have grown a seemingly unbreakable bond with my roommate and suitemates. Being the only guy from Pitt on this program, I received random roommates from different universities on this program. We have had a lot of fun this past week, enjoying the various activities Prague has to offer, and look forward to weekend trips around Europe.

I am excited to begin working with Kühne + Nagel and cannot wait to interact with the team in the workplace, and on a personal level. My time here is flying by and I want to make sure I enjoy every minute of it. There is so much growth to embrace, people to meet, and memories to make. I can’t wait to see where this program takes me these next seven weeks.