Wow what an experience. I cannot believe that this program is officially over. I truly never imagined myself seeing Berlin as a second home, but I was proven wrong. I fell in love with the city, the people, my job, and the long hours of daylight. As I write this back in the USA, I have begun to reflect on what I got to experience in the 2 months that I was there. I sit here and I feel like a whole new person. I so quickly adapted to Berlin, and I somehow felt so at ease there. Not having to drive my car to get somewhere, grocery stores being so cheap, and the efficiency of the whole city. They make Berlin so accessible, and it makes the city so much more enjoyable.  

I got to experience the Fan Mile at Brandenburger Tor, go to the Berlin Zoo, see Charlottenburg Palace, run through Tiergarten, eat authentic German food, take a boxing class, and more. The list could go on and on. The city of Berlin is full of amazing architecture, great opportunities, and the ability to just be yourself. I truly think I found myself here.   

Throughout my 2 months in Berlin, I have proven myself wrong in so many ways. I was able to adapt, I was able to communicate in German to natives, and I was able to properly execute accounting tasks at my internship. I am so proud of myself for being able to communicate in German even if it was just ordering food at a restaurant or asking for directions. I have a new appreciation for my coworkers and many other natives who went out of their way to speak in their second language. I also have a greater knowledge and understanding of the German culture and business etiquette. It almost gave me a new set of confidence that I never had before. Just by performing accounting tasks on my own or even wandering around Berlin without a map gave me such a high boost of confidence that I never experienced before.  

I was given so many great opportunities at my internship, I have nothing but such wonderful things to say about the company. From learning how to do invoices, to reviewing documents, and be given the opportunity to organize all their data – it was such an amazing way to see what my life could look like post-graduation. Even by observing my boss and the responsibilities he had, it showed me what makes someone a good boss. The determination and resilience one must have to start your own company is unbeatable. I was so lucky to be able to learn from someone with such high ambitions. I had the ability to ask so many questions and get amazing feedback. This experience was one-of-a-kind and an experience I will forever be grateful for. I believe this internship will give me an opening to a whole new set of opportunities and prove that I can work in multi-cultural environments which I believe is a valuable skillset to have.  

I feel as though I can use this experience as a leverage in the future and better enhance my academics at school as well. I think this better prepared me for next semester as an upcoming senior, and I can contribute to more conversations about accounting practices. Specifically, international accounting practices and the global perspective on the business world. It deepened my understanding of accounting concepts in general too. Even as I was doing accounting concepts, I noticed how well prepared I was because of Pitt. Although I may not have noticed how important certain sections in class were, I truly see now how they are used in real world situations. It gave me a greater sense of accounting, and I think I can reverse this by bringing back things I learned through this internship to the classroom.  

I truly never imagined that I would ever be able to live in Berlin. I am so glad Pitt led me to here and opened me to a whole new world of opportunities. I met so many great people and I am so glad that I was able to meet such kind people on this trip. I hope to be able to go back to Berlin soon as I do not think I am ready to truly say goodbye to Berlin.  

I hope you all enjoyed getting to see Berlin through my eyes and am excited to be back at Pitt in the next few weeks!