Hello again, everyone!
This week has been packed as my internship has really started to get into full swing. After spending the first couple of weeks getting settled, meeting people, and learning about the company and my projects, I am now spending much more time actively working on tasks and contributing to the team. It has been a mix of learning new skills, experiencing new situations, and slowly finding my groove both at work and in Berlin.
Outside of work, I also had the opportunity to visit Prague this weekend. It was an amazing trip and a great reminder of how fortunate I am to be spending the summer in Europe. Prague is a beautiful city filled with history, unique architecture, and a culture that feels distinct from both Germany and the United States. Traveling there also reinforced something I have been learning throughout this experience: being in a new environment often means becoming comfortable with uncertainty.
I think uncertainty and ambiguity are unavoidable whenever you move to a new place or start a new job. Even when people are welcoming and supportive, there are still many things that cannot be learned from an orientation session or a handbook. One area where I have experienced this most is workplace culture. This is my first experience working in a professional office environment, so there has naturally been a learning curve. While everyone at the office has been incredibly kind and helpful, I have had to learn the unwritten rules of how things operate. Understanding how people communicate, how meetings are run, when it is appropriate to ask questions, and how colleagues interact with one another are all things that can only really be learned through observation and experience.
Another area where I have encountered ambiguity is within my project itself. The team I am working with operates in a fast-paced startup environment, which means priorities can shift quickly based on what is most important to the company at a given moment. As a result, project goals are not always completely fixed. Sometimes I begin working toward one objective only to find that the focus has changed as new information becomes available. At first, I found this challenging because I am used to academic assignments where expectations, deadlines, and deliverables are clearly defined from the start.
One of the biggest lessons I have learned this week has been understanding when to work independently and when to ask for help. My first instinct is usually to try to solve a problem on my own. I enjoy the challenge of figuring things out, and I want to demonstrate that I can be resourceful. However, after talking with my manager and working through a few challenges, I have realized that asking questions is not a sign of weakness or a lack of ability. In fact, it is often the more efficient option. A fresh set of eyes can catch something that I may have overlooked, and a quick conversation can sometimes save hours of work. In a professional setting, the goal is not simply to solve problems alone—it is to solve them effectively and contribute to the team’s success.
I have also noticed that cultural ambiguity can sometimes be the hardest type of uncertainty to navigate because there is always the possibility of unintentionally offending someone or misunderstanding a social norm. When technical instructions are unclear, there is usually documentation or someone you can ask. Cultural expectations can be more subtle. My approach has been to observe carefully, listen more than I speak when entering a new situation, and ask questions when I am unsure. So far, I have found that people are generally very understanding when they see that you are genuinely trying to learn and respect their culture.
Looking back, I think this week has taught me that dealing with uncertainty is a skill in itself. Whether it is adapting to a new workplace, navigating changing project requirements, or learning cultural norms, there is rarely a perfect set of instructions. Sometimes the best thing you can do is gather the information you have, make the best decision possible, and remain open to adjusting your approach as you learn more.
Overall, it has been a hectic but very rewarding week. My project is off to a strong start, I am learning something new every day, and I feel much more confident than I did when I first arrived in Berlin. There is still a lot to learn, but I am excited to continue growing and taking on new challenges in the weeks ahead.
That’s it for now—until next week!
