As I wrap up my third week in Prague, it’s finally starting to feel like home. When I come back from traveling on the weekends, I am happy to be back in a (relatively) familiar place. While these three weeks of adjusting and exploring have helped me become more accustomed to the culture and the geographical area, there are definitely still some areas of uncertainty I am facing in my day-to-day life. 

I work for a start-up company, so the office is simultaneously super quiet and extremely busy every day. There are maybe three other people with me in the office, and there have been many occurrences where I am the only person there. My coworkers are very committed to the company and care a lot about the work they do. They all have so many tasks to complete and are usually running in and out of the office. Because of this, as an intern only immersing myself in the company for seven weeks, I find myself with many question marks as I try to complete my assigned work. My supervisor encourages me to ask questions when I run into a topic I don’t know about or need some clarification, but because of their busy day-to-day life, it is hard for them to find a moment to talk to me. Usually, when I ask questions, I am told to wait a moment, and they will get back to me when they have the time. This stunts my work and slows down my productivity, but I also understand that they are busy and have bigger issues to address. 

Because of this work environment, I have had to answer a lot of the questions I have myself. I usually go about this by doing my own research online or sometimes asking other coworkers who might know the answer or at least half of the answer. To be honest, it’s a bit frustrating at times, and I’m still trying to figure out the best way to navigate ambiguity. Especially in a startup and the work I have been doing, there are so many different topics and specific tasks I have to remember while completing a large project, so usually, any time I do get my questions answered or receive any detail from my supervisors, I immediately write it down somewhere so I can reference it later. This has helped me be a little more organized in my work and make sure I am doing what I asked of me in a correct manner. 

Another issue I have run into that has caused ambiguity is a lack of feedback. I have really only had one “feedback session,” which did help me progress, but I have worked on multiple things so far with much detail, so I would like to receive feedback on everything I have done, but the issue of time with my supervisors arises again. I usually just continue to move forward with what I am doing and trust myself that my work is substantial. I hope to have more feedback sessions as I have only been working for two weeks now and as I continue to progress in the level and intensity of work I am completing. 

Besides working, I have been traveling to the unknown, which also causes a lot of ambiguity. I am already having to adjust to Prague’s daily culture and lifestyle, and then when I travel on weekends, I have to adapt to an entirely new language and culture. It is stressful sometimes, but I have always been confident in using my resources and my common sense to navigate my way through new areas. Special shoutout to Google Maps, Google Translate, and some Duolingo; I’m not sure where I would be without you. Yet, there have been times when I don’t have service or access to those easy resources and have to resort to communicating with locals, reading actual paper maps, or just trusting my gut and hoping I end up in the right place. So far, it has all worked out for me, except over the weekend, I did get on the wrong train and delayed my beach day by two hours. Speaking of the unknown, I came to the realization that I had not seen anyone that I knew prior to my trips abroad in about two months. That was quite a lonely realization, and I am glad I have made friends along the way, but it was very refreshing to have the opportunity to visit my college friends this weekend who were also abroad. I think seeing them grounded me and will better help me navigate the unknowns that are still to come.