Working at Carvago has been my first internship experience. I have never worked 40 hours a week, 9-5 before, so this job is definitely an adjustment. They have me coding a lot here, so a majority of my day is spent at my desk. Originally, I felt awkward getting up from my desk and taking breaks. I work right next to my coworkers so I thought they would think I was slacking off. However, throughout the week I have been taking more breaks around the office and just getting up once an hour makes the time at my desk more productive and less draining.
Right now, they have me working on one task where they want me to recreate Google Sheets but with a different interface. They currently use Google Sheets but do not like how someone can edit it without other users knowing. They want me to build an application with the same functions as Google Sheets, with the addition of a notification that tells users when something has been updated, as well as a temporary table where these changes go to wait to be approved by an admin. Before this internship, I had never worked with Streamlit, Snowflake, or in SQL before. Therefore, I have been learning a lot as I go. I enjoy coding, but sometimes it can be hard to sit and code for hours on end, especially when I get stuck on a certain problem. For example, yesterday I was working on the filter system for my application for hours. My advisor asked how it was coming along, and once I explained my issue, he told me to start focusing on creating the temporary table that changes will be pushed to. Just switching up my goal made the work day go faster after that. So although working in an office from 9-5 is not ideal, there are different ways to make the day go by faster.
I think the best part of my job has to be the park right near by. I told my coworker that I really enjoyed going on walks, and she recommended the park Stromovka nearby. It is so beautiful. It is the biggest park I have been in so far and it has a ton of lakes in it. I have only been once so far, but I predict that I will be visiting that park after work a lot. As for before work, there are a ton of coffee shops right by my office. I do get free coffee at work which is nice, but I really enjoy the vibe of a coffee shop. So for the past few days I have been getting up a bit early to sit in a coffee shop and read before work. Starting off my day like this makes working in an office not so bad. Additionally, a few of my coworkers and I go out to lunch each day. This is a nice break in the workday where I get to take my mind off coding for a bit and learn more about their experiences in the Czech Republic.
After my first work week, I will be taking a large break by visiting Berlin this weekend! It will be a quick trip- I’ll be there for less than 48 hours, but I am still excited. One of the reasons I chose to study in Prague was because of its proximity to other countries, so I am excited to explore other parts of Europe. It is really nice that I do not even need to take a flight to visit because it is only a short train ride away. I really enjoy the public transit here and I know this is something I will miss when I go back to the States.
Although this is not work related, I felt like I should mention a beautiful park I have visited a lot so far. It is called Folimanka and it is right by the apartments. I visited the other day and found an old wall that spans about a mile. There were stairs to the top but unfortunately they were closed. I assumed they were closed all the time but I went back on Monday and they were open. I saw the most beautiful sunset there and I know I will be back there all the time this summer. My favorite thing when it comes to exploring somewhere new is walking around so I am glad that there are multiple parks that I can visit. So far, my first work week has been a success!
