Another week in Prague is over. The time seems to be flying by now and it is hard to believe I only have three weeks remaining here. My days at the office are getting busier as we are approaching the date of the summit I am working to plan. Most of my days consist of organizing data into spreadsheets, sending emails, and creating marketing material for my company. Sometimes the days can be a bit lonely as I am usually working independently as the only intern. I think this has allowed me to develop skills like adaptability and communication. I have never worked in an environment without co-workers at my rank or around my age, so this has been an adjustment. I have to rely on myself a lot more and have been forced to practice effective communication with my bosses. Since they work remotely or are often on business calls/meetings my time with them is limited. This has forced me to be specific about what my questions are and make sure to clarify tasks in the moment.
In terms of hard skills, I have been tasked with doing a lot of the English marketing materials. As an economic student, I have never really learned about the marketing or design aspect of promoting an event. I have had to develop skills with resources like Canva and PowerPoint in order to develop visually pleasing and effective designs. Additionally, working in a co-working space there have been many times I have needed to converse with others in the building, and there is a significant language barrier. This has allowed me to develop my cross-cultural communication skills and effectively find ways to navigate these barriers while still completing my tasks.
As for the last week as a whole, I have had a very eventful time. Firstly, I had my first experience using the Pitt SOS system. I had a seemingly bad ear infection and wanted to see a doctor. The process was very easy, and they found me an appointment three hours after I called! Although I was really nervous at first about finding medical care in Prague, the SOS people were able to help me super effectively. The office was an international medical practice so the doctors mostly spoke English which made me much more comfortable seeking care abroad.
On top of this, last Friday was a bank holiday in Prague, so we all had the day off! Me and a couple of friends on the program took a trip to Split, Croatia. It was truly amazing. I have had the privilege of traveling to 12 countries and I can safely say Croatia is one of my favorites. We stayed in a cute apartment in Old Town Split just a 10 minute walk from all the main sights. And as a much appreciated bonus it had AC, something we miss dearly in Prague.
On our first full day, we took an 8-hour boat tour in which we visited some of the most beautiful beaches I’d ever seen! The rocks and the blue water were truly breathtaking. The first stop on the tour was the sight of a shipwreck and it was cool being able to see the ship up close. It was annoying I couldn’t go under the water though due to my ear infection but it was still nice to be in the water at all! The second stop was a gorgeous private beach in which they served lunch and we could sit and stare out at the scenery. Finally, we got dropped off on a quaint beachside village with little shops and secluded swimming areas. If I had all the money and time in the world I decided I would like to spend it off the grid in an oceanside house in a small Croatian village. It was so nice being by the ocean since Prague is landlocked. The food was also an interesting discovery. I didn’t know what to expect but I found it quite similar to Italian mixed with some Eastern European flare. (Think seafood risottos with the occasional beef stew on the same menu). The seafood was all super fresh and every dish we tried was really delicious.
We spent the morning before our flight soaking up the last few minutes of beach time before returning to our equally amazing reality here in Prague. It is so crazy to me as an American that an hour’s flight could lead to somewhere so beautiful! I hope to return to Croatia one day but until then, Prague will have to do.
