Coming into Prague, I was really nervous about the unknown. I’ve always been good at navigating new situations, but this was a completely different beast. Not just a new city, not a new state, but a completely different country, culture, and way of life than anything I’d experienced before. Another thing I struggled with was…
Author: jtl121
Sandals in the Office
I honestly couldn’t really give a real definition of success for the Czech Republic. Their model of success is more about affording a fulfilling life by whatever means necessary. One common theme I’ve noticed across Europe as a whole, is that work isn’t the main thing people care about. It’s something that they take pride…
Filling in the Blanks
My host country uses a range of communication styles depending on context. For ambiguous tasks or projects, my boss tends to give a lot less context and wants me to figure it out on my own to create the best possible solution. When it comes to more specific tasks, work that is mechanical and needs…
Ambiguous Leadership
Before this experience, my leadership style was mainly focused around being a good example. The way I look at leadership is that to lead a group of people it’s best to lead by example, along with clear communication on how to do certain things. Whether that’s a group project, or on a team, I like…
Waves of Reflection
Being my own advocate. Since my first day at my internship, for example, when I had my induction meeting at Carvago, after my bosses explained how the data team works and what I would be working on during my time there, I knew I would have to speak up for myself. After doing plenty of…
A Measured Adjustment
Coming into Prague, I did as much research on cultural norms as I could, knowing that no amount of reading fully prevents culture shock from setting in. Being from the Northeast, where keeping social interactions brief is just the norm, I didn’t think Prague could feel much colder than what I’m used to at home….
Clarity in Kraków
As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, my internship is built around two main projects. The first is looser and research-based: I’m testing out a theory for an internal AI system the company might use. The second is far more structured and code-heavy — a project broken into tickets, where I complete one element at a…
The Routine That Got Me to Budapest
After the week of orientation and having a set plan from an external source fade away, suddenly everything got more real. The train system wasn’t confusing, I started using Google Maps less to get to and from my apartment, and the city just started to make sense. A similar thing can be said for my…
Czech-ing this Prague out
Already a week down. I genuinely can’t believe how much has happened in such a short amount of time. Between battling jet lag and figuring out the metro system, it’s safe to say the adjustment has been real. I came in with one goal for the first week: make the unfamiliar feel familiar. That meant…
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