It’s crazy to believe how week two has already come to an end. My days have been full of exciting new journeys and have not been taken for granted. This week was all about balance as I finally started my internship on Monday. It was very easy to grow accustomed to as my work schedule is very flexible. Being able to start my work day at 10 AM was a game changer to the 9-5 work life I am used to back in the United States. This week was pretty textbook when working with a major corporation. It involved a lot of onboarding training which I was required to complete before moving forward with any assignments. These training modules took about 45 minutes each with a test at the end. All ten of these modules were mostly about cyber security, health and safety, but one that stood out was about trading/import and export regulations. With my workday usually ending around 3 PM, as my supervisor will inform me to take the afternoon to explore the city, these modules took me the whole week. I was given one assignment at the end of the week which was nice to get my feet wet. They had recently opened a new warehouse in the Czech Republic and I was instructed to pull data from a lease agreement, create some calculations regarding rent, and convert from euros to korunas. Very simple admin work, but was nice to be seen as a resource to mitigate the workload for others. Thursday and Friday were super informative work days as I had sit down meetings with the main finance supervisor. These meetings consisted of him giving me a run through of the company’s operations regarding business and function units. I learned so much in regards to how the business model is structured on an international level and it was cool to see it put in practice in different countries as he showed me examples. He gave me some homework which was to look over all the charts of accounts the company uses and see how it’s put into practice with a p/l statement from the prior year. I have grown to appreciate all the knowledge bestowed upon me by my coworkers instead of being given busy work when I have no background information to apply to it.
Managing my time has been very simple at my internship thus far. I have assimilated myself very well with the routine of my coworkers which makes me feel more efficient. I have gone to lunch with my department everyday at the same time which was a great start to formulating a routine. After lunch, everyone usually has coffee or tea back at the office together which is refreshing to see the work environment be so casual. With that, all the other times in between are strictly for work which is fine as there are little interruptions. With everyone doing breaks at the same time, nobody ever misses a beat when it is time to work. Time goes by much faster this way as nobody is waiting on anybody to get back in order to move forward. I have become very efficient with my time and have adapted to the work schedule with ease. Moreover, outside of work, I have learned how to prioritize the tasks I want to get done. There is so much to experience, and almost every night I want to go out with my new friends and explore the city. I understand that some things, especially living responsibilities, come first before having fun. If you know me personally, there is no surprise that I barely know how to cook. The biggest change for me when it came to prioritizing was figuring out a system of when I should grocery shop during the week to have enough food to get by on the meals I don’t eat out. This was definitely challenging at first as I usually just ate out for every meal when I first arrived, but have now cheffed up some great meals that are much more affordable in the long run.
On another note, this weekend was very surreal as my roommates and I took a trip to Munich, Germany. The city was packed as Germany is currently hosting the Euro Leagues which is a soccer tournament for all of the European countries. Lucky for us, Germany played Scotland Friday night and the energy was unreal after their big win. Streets were flooded with partygoers all night and was a great introduction to the culture. The rest of the weekend was electric, roaming the city and admiring all the beautiful architecture. It was well-worth the five hour bus drive to get there and I would go back in a heart-beat. Life in Prague has been treating me well and I can’t wait to see where this Euro Summer takes me next.
