Having a full-time job really takes a lot out of a person. As much as I want to just sleep for hours, I also have this desire to go explore more and more of the city before I have to leave. This week was definitely calmer than others. My friend and I did go to the Adidas watch area to watch Team Germany play. We were both so tired, but we were glad we went. I found a Mexican food truck and I was very excited to finally find a quesadilla here! As someone whose comfort meal is a quesadilla, finding a place to get one in Berlin has been nearly impossible.  

We also went to Potsdam to see all the castles this weekend. In Potsdam there are 19 castles, but with all the walking to each, we unfortunately only made it to 4. My favorite part was getting to be out of the city life and getting to see lots of nature. The few castles we saw were gorgeous and I am glad we decided to go at the last minute. Definitely worth the hour train! 

I got my nails done this week too! Considering this is week 5 here, my nails were extremely grown out. I was very proud of myself because I managed to make the appointment in German and talk to them during the appointment all in German too. Most places just immediately switch to English, but I was glad I finally was able to try to use my German skills to communicate with someone for a longer period of time. I do think I can understand more now than before I left because I am starting to pick up what people are talking about at work. At first, it was hard to pick up what people were saying in sporadic conversations, but I think I am getting the hang of the German language!  

While getting to improve my German language skills, I think the biggest skill I have optimized while being here has been improving my time management. I always felt like this was a strong characteristic of mine, but traveling does throw it off. I have had quite the same routine at work, and out of work. Every day is different, but I try to do something fun after work as we do only have such limited time here. For example, get food, go to a Biergarten, go shopping, or even go grab ice cream from the shop across the street. I think this also goes hand in hand with independence. Although I was independent at school and at home, there was still a sense of security knowing all your closest friends were only a few minutes away. Being independent in a city you know is much different than in a city you never visited before. But after some time here, I have grown to enjoy wandering around the streets by my internship and going for walks around town. I feel as though I have gained my independence back, although I do enjoy spending time with everyone on this program as well!  

While I am at my internship, I have been given many tasks so far. Something that has stuck with me has been learning how to do invoices. I never knew how to calculate the taxes let alone understand what anything meant since it was in German. Now, I can properly prepare an invoice and ensure that all the data is correctly presented before having it sent out. At first, it took a while to get tasks done as I was constantly on a translation app learning what all the business terms meant in English. With some time, I truly think I understand everything along with business email exchanges with those that do not speak English.  

While I have been trying to understand the conversations my coworkers have in German, they all speak to me in English. While this is nice, I have noticed that I have been simplifying my English and slowing down so that they can understand me better. I want to make sure my message is interpreted as well as possible therefore I have made a much bigger effort when communicating with others. When speaking with my coworkers, I also want to learn more about themselves and the culture, not just business talk. I learn about their own skincare brands and even learned that German schools get 7 weeks off in the winter for skiing! Effective communication in every aspect has led me to more effective interactions with those around me.  

It was great catching up, see you all next week!