Ahoj and Happy Independence Day to the Americans and happy bank holiday to the Czechs! There were lots of celebrations this past week – from sporting the red white and blue for America’s independence to sporting the red white and blue for Czechia, this week was a good one. I even got to sport the red white and blue for Croatia as that is where I had the opportunity to travel to over this past long weekend.

This past week, I went on a hike, watched the Euros, and EUSA (the internship placement team that helped students find their internships and in-country experience) held a 4^th of July barbecue. Not only was this past week the Fourth, but in Czechia there were two bank holidays, their national holidays, where the country shuts down and celebrates. I asked my coworkers, and they educated me on these national holidays – July 5^th is the Saints Cyril and Methodius Day and July 6^th is Jan Hus Day. Saints Cyril and Methodius Day celebrates the two monks and brothers Cyril and Methodius when they came to the Czech lands to preach the gospel back in 800 C.E. in the Slavic language. They were the first to bring the bible and translated it into their newly created language while writing and dispersing Slavic literature.

The next day on July 6^th, Jan Hus Day is celebrated honoring Jan Hus from the 15^th century, a theologian and scholar who advocated for church reform and was consequently excommunicated for insubordination and burned at the stake for heresy. It is interesting that the two back-to-back national holidays are almost antitheses of one another and reflect the history of the Czech Republic very well. One reflecting the introduction of religion and Slavonic language to limit the expansion and influence of the Germanic kingdom, and the other symbolizing the reformation of religion to limit the influence of the Catholic Church and he has become a powerful symbol for an independent Czech national identity. Learning about the history, significance, and impact on their culture is something I have really appreciated about this experience in the Czech Republic and Central Europe. The United States education system does not typically focus on the long and complex European history, so it is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience to learn about their history in country and from a first-hand perspective.

The technical and “hard” skills that I have gained at my internship through PSA BDP have been more application-based and applying the specific supply chain and logistics lessons that I have learned in class. There have been a few technical skills that I am very excited that I now know about the industry, specifically about dangerous goods and how to sustainably transport them around the world. Another skill that I now have in my toolkit is the knowledge of major ports in countries around the world, the major cities that handle transportation, and other logistic service coordinator knowledge.

Beyond personal learning and growth, I have had growth in my transferable soft skills and professional competencies by interning at PSA BDP and in Prague, particularly in skills and areas such as cross-cultural collaboration, communication, problem-solving, and adaptability. Something I have written about previously is my goal to continue to grow my ability of listening and really hearing what other people are saying. A few life lessons that I have learned, funnily enough many of which come from books and movies as well as my own life experiences, include:

1. Most people do not listen to understand and hear what people are saying, they are just thinking about their response and waiting for their turn to talk.
2. The loudest person in the room is not listened to and is often the weakest one in the room as they have the potential to bulldoze over those who are not as willing to speak loudly. Lifting up those who are quieter to hear what they have to say as learning when to be silent can be more important than speaking all the time.
3. The problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place, as the most important thing is to hear what is not being said and uncovering the root cause and what is underneath.

This has been one of my main goals this summer is to heed these life lessons and act on them by being intentionally aware of when and how I am communicating and most importantly, knowing when to remain quiet to really listen, hear, and to observe their verbal language and non-verbal language. It is something I am continually trying to get better at which this experience has allowed me to develop and grow as a person.

With Love,

Eliana Goodman