As my time in Prague is coming to a close, I am reflecting on the work I have done here and on my past jobs. Before this experience, I mostly worked in a leadership role at a summer camp and as an intern for a political campaign. In both of these positions, I was trusted with almost free reign to hold the position I saw fit (within reason, of course). Although I was in leadership in these positions, I was not in a corporate environment. At my job in Prague there has been a lot more I have needed to learn to be a successful intern. Working at a company with over 35 offices globally, there is a much larger chain of command and set of company laws I have needed to become accustomed to in order to be successful. When I first started at Ashoka, I waited for my supervisor to give me tasks in order to try and stay out of her way and follow directions. I quickly realized if I did not ask for tasks or take initiative, I would not be given any projects. I had to adapt to become a better communicator and learn how to politely insert myself into projects and help where I am needed.
Additionally, since my company is so global, most of the projects I have worked on have been under supervisors located in other countries outside of the Czech Republic. This added another layer to the language barrier as well as making communication limited to WhatsApp and Email. Learning what I did at the beginning of my experience about advocating for myself, I have had to take initiative within many of these projects. I have had to present my ideas over zoom and advocate for more frequent meetings with my supervisors. I think this internship has allowed me to become a more effective communicator and leader.
Outside of work, I traveled to Rome, Italy, this past weekend! Rome is one of my favorite cities in the world so I was happy I could return. My boyfriend’s first language was Italian so luckily I knew a few words to help us navigate the city. The first day we did a lot of sightseeing. We did a walking tour of the city making stops at the Coliseum, the Roman Forums, the Pantheon, and much more. It was super hot in Rome this weekend so luckily we did this in the morning before it got too hot. In the afternoon we did one of my favorite things I have ever done. We took a tour of the catacombs! There are so many catacombs on the outskirts of Rome that most tourists don’t even know about, and it’s the perfect place to beat the heat as the temperature never rises above 60 degrees Fahrenheit. We went with a guide, and he was very knowledgeable and entertaining. We got to see a fresco that was painted over 1600 years ago. It is truly amazing that it survived this long, and it was crazy to be standing near something so old! One funny thing we saw was some graffiti with people’s names that was dated to the 1600s! It is crazy to think about teenagers graffiting a wall like they do today, all those years ago.
Being in Italy we of course had to eat some amazing pizza and pasta. I had a funghi pizza for lunch which consisted of cheese and mushrooms, and carbonara pasta for dinner! Of course, we also made multiple stops for the world’s best gelato. In the evening, we ventured to Trastevere, a neighborhood across the Tiber river. We stumbled upon a square where musicians perform nightly and dance with a bunch of locals and tourists alike.
The next morning before our flight, we went to one of my favorite coffee shops in the world. Sant Eustachio Il Caffè which is the oldest coffee roaster in central rome. They use fresh water from the aqueducts to brew it. We all enjoyed cappuccinos and croissants before heading to the airport to catch our flight back to Prague.
The weekend fun didn’t stop there, because when we arrived back to Prague it was just in time for the Euro finals to begin! The Euros only happens every four years so the stakes were very high. It was a match between England and Spain, and all my friends and I were rooting for Spain. It was a very exciting match and luckily Spain came out on top! Next weekend we are going to Barcelona so it will be exciting to see if people are still celebrating the win when we visit.
Being in Europe I have had the opportunity to experience so many amazing things both at my job and in my free-time. I am dreading the experience coming to an end, but I am so grateful for everything I have been able to accomplish in these weeks.
