I’m sure this is going to sound like a broken record, but it was HOT this week/weekend in Berlin. The minute I saw triple digits on the weather app, I was stunned. I didn’t know I’d see temperatures like that in my lifetime. I found a pretty unique way to beat the heat, and I’ll talk about that with you in the blog. Here’s also a recap of my week, and how my leadership skills have navigated me through my internship!
My week started out pretty great! It wasn’t that hot out yet, so I decided to do some outdoor exploration. On Monday, I took the U8 after work to the Berlin Wall Memorial at Bernauer Straße. This has been something that has always been on my bucket list since coming to Berlin. We learned about the Berlin Wall a lot in middle/high school, especially when we learned about WWII and Post-War era. I actually read A Night Divided by Jennifer Nielsen in middle school and it was one of my favorite books. So, I knew I had to stop here. It was so interesting to see a deeper look into the history of the wall, and actually getting to see it in person was very eye opening. It was a lot taller than I imagined, and I can’t believe people use to casually walk along the wall wondering what was going on on the other side. It was alos interesting seeing the faces of people who died trying to cross, whether to see family or hope for a better life. This was definitely an experience I’ll never forget.
The next day, I decided to lighten the mood with my next activity. I took a trip to the Charlottenburg Palace after work, and it was truly one of the most gorgeous pieces of architecture and gardens I’ve ever seen. The front unfortunately didn’t look the best because it was under construction, but when I walked around the back, I saw the most beautiful gardens I’ve ever seen. It was a huge open field filled with plants, a fountain in the middle, and gorgeous lake in the back. I honestly just sat there and took it all in. That definitely is a place where I can go to clear my mind at the end of a stressful day.
As it started to get hot, I traded my outdoor exploration with trying to beat the heat. I ending up calling my mom (which I do weekly!), and telling her about my week and the heatwave. I had also mentioned I might want to visit my sister while I was here because she’s studying abroad in London. My mom was fully on board! My sister was actually going to Edinburgh that weekend with some friends, and she said that I should join them! And, the best part, other than seeing my sister who I missed, was that it was going to be significantly cooler in Scotland than it was going to be in Berlin. So, I bought a plane ticket the night before and flew up to London!
I landed there Friday night, got a tour of my sisters flat, grabbed dinner and explored London before we headed to some local pubs. That night was unforgettable, and it made me feel like I made the correct decision with traveling there for the weekend. The next morning, we hopped on the train for Edinburgh. While we were there, we got coffee (a lot lol), explored Old Town, saw beautiful architecture, hiked Arthur’s Seat, and much more! It was truly an unforgettable weekend for sure! I got to see my sister, and cross another country off my list! OH. And I met Robert Irwin. I definetly peaked this past weekend. Here’s some photos from the trip!
Back in the office, this were going just as normal. I will say, I did start getting some more specific tasks this week to sell on of our products we are launching to the market. I was asked to make social media posts, make flyers, conduct market research, and draft emails to send to potential clients. Although I was given these tasks by my supervisor, I still had to come up with the timelines myself and what I thought was appropriate. This honestly helped strengthen my time management and personal leadership skills this week!
Before coming to Berlin, I would say I had pretty strong leadership skills coming in. I was VP of Recruitment for my fraternity, Librarian for my on-campus choir, and an ambassador (Pitt Pathfinder) for the University of Pittsburgh. I was already very confident with event planning, delegating tasks, and taking control of a room. Although these experiences strengthened my leadership with others, this internship is strengthening my personal leadership (leadership of one’s self I’d call it). The off-hands approach at my internship has shown me self-discipline to get tasks done efficiently and to the best of my ability. I am believer that you need to be able to take leadership of yourself before you can lead others. It’s important to be self-disciplined, have excellent time management skills, and be able to regulate your emotions during stressful times. I have definitely encountered this during my internship, and I am happy to take these skills home with me to become an even better leader.
Week 6 is for the books! Tune in next week where I’ll talk about communication differences between here and home. Bye for now! Tschau!