Midterm check-in with interns in Prague.

People in Need was more like Me in the Need by Abigail Sholar.

I have never had an internship. I have never spoken Czech. I have never done non-profit work. I have never had to use a tram.
Here, I am, on my first ever solo tram ride on the way to my interview, looking out the windows, and paying zero attention to the stop I needed. Missed it. Perfect. I hop off at the next stop, panic for a few seconds, order an Uber and show up to my interview ten minutes late, all while trying to calm myself down by remembering what we had been taught, “the Czech people aren’t very concerned about punctuality.” My fingers were crossed that this was true.

So, I show to the interview with my, soon to be, boss, who luckily, didn’t even notice my tardiness. He was interviewing me, asking me questions with broken English, introducing me to (my soon to be) coworkers, who all spoke little to no English. Panic has pretty much taken over me, although I am also very intrigued by the work of the company, as well as curious if Non-profit work could be something I could be interested in.

I get the e-mail a few days later that People in Need has extended an internship offer to me, and as excited as I was, I was also anxious and nervous beyond belief. I walked in on the first day and was instantly put to work. Through the broken English and my lack of Czech, my boss and I finally understood one another on what kind of work I was mostly interested, which was social media and advertising. He told me to research the company, find some helpful insights on social media posts, and by the second week I had been granted pretty much full reigns on the social media posts. This was something I had never done for a company, so to have this much freedom and the little confidence that I did, I didn’t relly know what to expect when I present my first post, and to my surprise they loved it! A translated from English to Czech post for International Women’s Day, turned out to be a huge hit and I felt like I got a grasp for what the company wanted, and gained some confidence through the whole experience.

I am now very comfortable at PiN, walk in knowing I have work to be done and having an exciting drive to do it! Below I have posted my first social media post for PiN.

With every challenge comes a new reward by Gabrielle Roth.

With every new internship comes new and unique experiences, lessons learned, and skills gained. Typically I am prepared for what a new internship will bring to my skill set and to my resume. Yet as an intern in a new city, a new country, and an entirely new culture I was not sure what to expect from an internship in Prague. Just a few weeks into this journey, so far I am more than happy and thankful for what this experience has offered me and what it will mean to me at the end of the semester.
My current internship is with The Prague Visitor, a magazine based in Prague which highlights the best things to do and see in Prague each month. What makes this magazine so unique is that it is geared towards an authentic Prague experience, not just emphasizing what to do as a tourist, but what to do as a traveler to this city. My specific duty as an intern is to establish the Prague Visitor’s music presence in the city and help plan events for the magazine.

One particularly unique part of my experience has been learning to take the initiative with my own projects at this internship. In previous jobs in the US, I have been given exact tasks and specific due dates on projects or assignments given to me by my bosses. With this internship, I have been given the freedom to find and create my own work which I find interesting that will benefit the company as a whole. I have found this freedom to be both challenging and rewarding as I am learning to manage my own time and work better than I have ever experienced before. At the leas this new learned skill is something that I am more than excited to bring back to the US with me and utilize in my future internships.

Another unique gain from interning here in Prague has been learning to interact and work with people of other cultures. While I am working alongside other American students and my internship mentor is American, it has been an interesting experience to work with Czech people as well. Their culture has a variety of differences to those in the US, yet I have found it
incredibly useful to learn how to work with people of different backgrounds while here in Prague. Though we are only about half way through this experience, I feel I have already gained so much from interning here in Prague and will have an abundance of new knowledge and skills at the end of this semester.

Enjoying My Liberty’s at Radio Free Europe by Breon Perry.

The best way to describe my life in Prague is: walking on a cloud. The sheer beauty of a european major city has had me mesmerized from the beginning. The breathtaking architecture I see, the consistent smell of trdelnik (fried sugar dough with ice cream) wafting in the air, and the sound of cobblestone against my vans are just some of the wonderful things that my senses engage with on a daily basis. The amount of new things I am exposed to on a daily basis is truly refreshing. The small cafe’s that align each street corner make living in the city so refreshing. If a day starts to feel long or very stressful, I always have the option to pop into one of these cafes and relax with a nice latte, or if I feeling real stressed sometimes a beer.

Very interesting to live in a city that's older than the country I normally live in. The subtle differences showcase themselves in the obvious ways such as architecture and infrastructure. But also the role that different governing systems have had an effect on the people and the way they treat foreigners like myself. I have the luxury of working at an important company for the part of the world that doesn’t have media freedom: Radio Free Europe. RFE has been apart of my daily routine in Prague. Even though I don’t have a very prominent role, the fact that I get to go into a building with the such history like RFE is a great opportunity. Most people don’t get the opportunity to work for a company that’s main effort to help those in need. The role the media plays in communicating in the free world is unmeasurable. Seeing that happen on a daily basis is truly a humbling experience. Prague is the place for me and the fact that I’m going on two months left is a sad thought.

Delivery day by Corey Cronin.

I awoke with excitement like a kid on Christmas morning. Except, it wasn’t Christmas morning. However, there’s only one day almost as exciting as the day we both give and receive (and I’m not talking about my birthday). I’m talking about DELIVERY DAY!

As interns at The Prague Visitor Magazine, once a month we all gather together to load and unload that month’s edition. We load hundreds of magazines into Eva’s little blue car, stacking them all the way up to the roof just to unload them as we fill our wheelie mail carts to drag around the city. With over 300 local businesses waiting for their magazines, it is best if we all split up into pairs. This month was my first month helping out with delivery day as I only recently joined The Prague Visitor in early February. I finished my first and only class that Thursday around 1030am, just in time to join the gang at Café Slavia for a quick cup of joe before heading out on the town for the day. Sitting around the table we assigned groups and discussed the game plan of which sections of town each group would hit. My group consisted of myself, my roommate Madison, and our mentor Chris. We called ourselves, “HardCore Mad.”

We left the café and began delivering magazines to restaurants, hotels, bars and the little cafes between them. It was not long before Chris grew hungry (as he is usually always hungry) and we had to make a pit stop. We stopped at one of the restaurants he delivers to known as the Sad Man’s Tongue. As soon as we sat down, the owner approached our table and asked where in the US we were from. It turned out he had spent time in both Colorado, where Madison is from, and Virginia, where I am from.

The more time I spend in Prague I realize what a small world it truly is after all. It seems that although it is Czechs’ culture to keep to oneself, often times when that wall is broken down, there tend to be commonalities between two people who always thought they were so different. We left the restaurant and continued delivery magazines, and more magazines, and even more magazines. Although we spent the entire day delivering, it never felt like we were working. The three of us enjoyed getting lost in the city, lost in the sun as it was setting over the tall colorful buildings, and lost in the little moments that made up our entire day. At the end of delivering Chris took the two of us out to dinner to celebrate a long day’s work. While our legs ached underneath the table, the three of us raised our glasses to cheers, not only to completing all of the deliveries, but to making lasting memories and connections while doing so.

When I arrived in Prague in late January I never would have thought that I would continuously see so much of the city in such a way while learning about the media industry I hope to break into one day. Even on non-delivery days I still see more of Prague then I ever would have seen on my own whether that be through the photo shoots at the best local cafes, or the magazine articles I proofread, or even the video projects I create for tourists to watch before they too travel here. The tasks, the environment and the people at The Prague Visitor are what make it so special and make delivery days an unforgettable experience.

The Perfect Place for an Engineer by Caroline Coulter.

I have never seen a building like the National Technical Library in Prague in my entire life. From the outside, it is an oval building covered in glass panels with the building measurements, name, and door numbers displayed on it. On the inside, it is a rectangular building with 5 floors, each very different and covered in over 200 “comic-style” drawings on the concrete walls. Every time I enter NTK, I make a point to look at a different drawing or doodle on the stairs to take in another part of the building. The floors are painted to show the general deflection of every point in the plane of the floor. Even the stairs show the possible speed you can reach on them or how many calories you burn going up a certain number of stairs. Video games line every floor giving students a chance to take their mind off school and keep their minds working. It truly is the perfect library for engineers.

Ever since arriving in Prague, I am constantly surrounded by history. The city has an older, historic, and preserved feeling. NTK is one of the few places that is not historic, but futuristic. Coming here twice a week breaks up my surroundings and gives me a little taste of San Francisco and the techie bubble it has come to be.

Working there has been nothing but pleasant, interesting, and fun. The staff are all very nice and there to help me and the other interns. When I am there, I do not feel like just an intern, but a working member of the staff. To beginning social media campaigns, revamping videos, and editing articles, myself and the other interns are given true responsibility at NTK.

I cannot wait to keep on exploring this internship and the incredible, environment-minded building that comes along with it. Every day brings a new challenge, and a new doodle on the wall.

We are travellers, not tourists! by Kylie Naughton.

If you’re looking for a guide to the best Prague experience possible, look no further than this monthly issued magazine. The Prague Visitor provides you with the ultimate information on the city, the do’s and don’ts, and everything in between. As a traveller myself, the magazine has been extremely beneficial to me, and my hope is that in return, I can benefit other travelers like myself.

Embarking on this new and exciting opportunity, I was pretty unsure of where I would fit in. Instantaneously, I was very impressed by the success of the magazine, and all of the work and expertise that my boss, Chris, has put in to establish it. Finding out that I was chosen for a position as a writer was very exciting, but I was still a bit nervous.

Beginning the internship, I was intimidated. Intimidated by Prague, the immensity of its culture, the success of the magazine, and so on. How would I know what to write about? How would I know that I’m giving the right advice? How would I guide travellers when I still feel like a traveller myself? All of these questions circulated through my thoughts.

After only a few weeks of working for Chris as a member of the magazine, I have felt more inspiration and confidence than I could have ever imagined. Working for the magazine has introduced me to endless places, people, and events – so much that it is almost overwhelming! All in all, I have a deep respect for this magazine, and for all of those who contribute to it. The Prague Visitor is more than just traveller’s advice, but it truly gives you a taste of Czech culture; but the rest is up to you to explore!

Is this all a dream? by Colleen Patty.

To describe my life at the moment feels like describing a dream I have been having. This dream starts off with me living in Prague as a twenty-one-year-old with some of the greatest friends a girl could make. Not only am I studying in Prague but interning at my dream job. On the weekends, I get to travel the world and eat exotic foods. Coming back to Prague always feels like coming home but there is never a dip in excitement.

This dream is flying by but it feels as if it has just started. This dream is my reality. I would tell you about a typical day on the job but every time I work I do something different and meet new people within the company. I intern at an advertising agency called Nydrle. They have some pretty big name clients such as Dove for Men and a Czech grocery store, Billa. A lot of times I will do social media research on competitors of their current clients or research on how to boost followers. One huge thing that differs from a normal job and mine is that I am expected to be on social media sites at work. But that’s just what comes with being a social media intern! One of my favorite elements of the office space is the openness and the roaming of dogs. Any employee can bring in their dog any day and all day. They are always playing with each other or coming to have a sniff of your belongings and to say hello. In a workplace having a dog around to pet reduces so much stress and boosts my work experience! Sometimes while I am in the office I sit back and watch the people around me. There is always laughter and no one ever sits still for long. The efforts of the group outweigh the individual and I truly see it here. Everyone’s energy stays up and ideas flow more freely. This experience to work for an advertising agency in a different country has been so beneficial for my professional career as well as myself as a person who is about to graduate college in a year. What a life that I am living in. Dreams can be reality.

Behind the camera by Madison Smith.

Arriving in Prague was definitely a culture shock for someone who has never been to Europe before. Coming into town on a cold, foggy day was not what I had expected. I thought this city that was supposed to be filled with history and beauty. When it was snowy and cloudy for the next few days I was less then pleased.
It wasn’t until the first day of interviews when I was sitting in the Dancing House interviewing for the Prague Visitor that the sun came out for the first time.

I now find myself happily in my fourth week at the Prague Visitor. I’m learning more about video production and how to work in the Czech culture. My main focus is being the woman on camera for tourist videos. The video crew is, myself, my boss Chris, and two other interns Corey and Vanessa.

Our goal is to complete one video a week but with moving locations we have gotten a little behind. So for the next few weeks were really kicking it into high gear and all putting in team work to finish more then one video a week.
These videos will appear on social media and the Prague Visitors website. Subjects like what the best views in Prague are or important places you will need to know, like the 24-hour Lekarna or where the best place to exchange cash is.
Corey is the woman behind the camera who shoots all the videos that I will be featured in. Vanessa has an eye for B-Roll footage and capturing life around us. Together I find that we make a good team because we all bring many different aspects to the table.

Through this experience I have learned how to work with new faces and also to work along different work styles. We all come from many different backgrounds so meeting up in Prague and working together can sometimes be difficult.
Although it isn’t common to go study abroad and work, I’m thankful I have an internship. It teaches me valuable lessons like how to work with many different people from different backgrounds, new skills that I might not have learned back in America and more.

Unintentionally SOFFA by Daisy Ford.

As a newcomer to Prague, everything seemed magical. I was in a new city and along with that came new opportunities. As I had submitted my credentials for the internship upon coming to Prague - I knew that I would be greeted with a few interviews.

SOFFA was my first interview, and naturally I was nervous but I immediately felt at home with my gracious interviewer in the spacious and industrious office. With SOFFA in mind I interviewed at another business.

To be honest SOFFA was not my number one choice, I originally put another business first for future career reasons. But I was elated and somewhat relieved when I heard that SOFFA Magazine wanted to extend an internship offer to me.

My journey at SOFFA began. I quickly started to create content and take hold of their social media accounts. From here I started having weekly meetings at the SOFFA office to discuss my progress as an intern, SOFFAs goals, and tasks needing completion in the upcoming week.

Working here has allowed me to think unconventionally. My creativity has flourished through my freedom to photograph inspirational things around town for the blog. I have learned how to take better photographs at better angles with better lighting.

I recently attended a Douglas make up photo shoot where, I took my own behind the scene photographs for the SOFFA blog.

Interning in general can be intimidating, let alone in another country. I was hesitant to reach out to my mentor at SOFFA to tell him I wanted to create more content in Photoshop so that I could have something concrete to add to my portfolio. But I did it anyway and the outcome was worth; he gave me the okay and I’m now experimenting with photo shop!

First-time Visitor by Hannah Burns.

Right off the bat, I knew I NEEDED to land this internship. It was exactly want I wanted out of my academic experience in Prague: a writing position at a magazine (specifically feature writing, which would be a healthy shift from the abundance of hard news writing I’d being doing back in Rhode Island). The simple concept of the Prague Visitor had me intrigued before I even landed here in Prague. Upon doing research for my upcoming trip, in the months prior to my departure, I’d stumbled upon the Visitor’s website. The website was professional, but it’s style kept casual, which (I feel) is vital to their success. They address their audience like an old friend, and this allows for the trust of readers, which is well deserved by the Visitor for offering HONEST and REAL recommendations, steering travelers away from the tourist traps that infest this wonderful city.
One of my first tasks was writing a story for the March Issue.

“So, basically - we are doing a story on the surviving establishments of Cafe Society, or specifically a listicle of four or five of the old school cafes that exist in Prague,” Chris, my boss, and publisher of the magazine, messaged me.
So, I did ample research, and wrote my first story, listicle style, for the Visitor in my first week as an intern. It was a bit surreal that it ended up in the March issue, which we distributed to over 300 locations over the first few days of the month. Speaking of distribution, it was a blast. We split up into teams of 2 or 3, chugging from hotel to café to bar with trollies full of magazines. Our task that day, besides magazine distribution, was to document the process on the Visitor’s Instagram. We had fun with it, and ended up with a pretty cool Instagram story by the end of the day.
More to learn, more to see, more to write, more to experience here in Prague… I’m anxious to see where the Prague Visitor takes me by the end of my time here.

My internship in Fulbright - the only time of the week that I find myself surrounded by only Czech people by Kai Armstrong. 

It has taken a few minutes for me to wrap my head around the fact I am actually abroad, and that this will be my life for the semester. Although I am a world away from the US, and everyone and everything I consider home, I find myself surrounded by Americans most days and meeting other Americans who make me feel very much at home all the way in Prague. The first time I felt not quite at home was my first day at my internship at Fulbright.

When I first came to the Fulbright Center in Prague, I sat at the table pictured below and was told all about the mission and what Fulbright’s role is. Little did I know that this would turn into an opportunity to really immerse myself in Prague, in a more authentic way than my experiences thus far. My internship at Fulbright allows me to leave the American bubble that I have found myself to be part of because my internship is the only time of the week that I find myself surrounded by only Czech people and no other Americans. While this can be intimidating, especially when no one around me is speaking English, it has allowed me to further immerse myself in the Czech culture and really experience Prague.

Fulbright has given me the opportunity to understand more about how Americans are perceived by other countries-specifically the Czech Republic. I am truly grateful for this experience and opportunity which is why I included this picture of the desk as my blog photo. To some it’s a table and chairs, but to others, including myself this desk represents opportunity. What I mean by this is that out of all the people who sit there each and every day, interviewing and planning their futures as Fulbright scholars and teachers, roughly hundreds of opportunities, some of which they don’t even know about yet arise for each and every one of them. As I continue my semester abroad, I look forward to taking in every new opportunity possible.

Agency Experience Internship by Lindsey Moor.

Prior to coming to Prague and interviewing for the internships, I knew I was interested in working for an agency. When I arrived and was informed that I would be interviewing with two agencies I was stoked! After I interviewed with both of them I was faced with the decision of choosing which one I would prefer to work for. One company was international and had a strong presence in the advertising world, and one was a Prague based creative agency that I felt good vibes in the office. I struggled with picking between one that would look good on a resume, and one that I would enjoy the work more. I ended up choosing the second one because I decided that enjoying my internship was more important than looking good on paper.
It is interesting, because even though I am working for an agency, I am actually working in the human resources department and am focusing on internal communications. Even though I’m not actually completing agency work, being in the agency environment is exactly what I was looking for.

Now, five weeks into my internship I have completed a few assignments and see the potential in the remainder of the semester. My favorite and most recent project has been to shoot a behind the scenes video of the making of the shooting of an advertisement. I liked this project because I was able to be creative, go to a new part of the office for the day, and experience a new side of advertising I had never seen before.

An other assignment I have worked on included doing research on what other advertising agencies in the United States choose to feature on social media, and the events they hold. I also am looking into fun, cute, or silly signs to post around the office and create good vibes for the employees. 

I had no idea what to expect by Sydney O’Tapi.

Just one stop from Vysherad’s metro station sits FleishmanHillard, a worldwide marketing agency with hundreds of offices across the Americas, Europe, Africa and Asia Pacific.

Before arriving to Prague to join the CMNJ program, I couldn’t imagine what opportunities would lay ahead. The list of internships available seemed abundant, but amongst the extensive list of outstanding companies, one in particular stood out to me. As a journalism major focusing on communications and digital media, I knew I wanted to intern for a marketing agency that would give me client experience in a variety of different industries. FleishmanHillard seemed like the perfect fit, and their global reputation attracted me further.

One month later, I joined the consumer, digital and public affairs team as an assistant account executive intern. My roles include content production for several different clients such as P&G, Nestle, Comedy Central, and Braun. I also assist in administrative duties and work closely with other account executives and client managers to edit monthly reports and prepare for brainstorming sessions.

I had no idea what to expect. While FleishmanHillard isn’t my first corporate experience, I was overcome with anxiety and fear of what working for a Czech company would be like. I had grown accustomed to American work environments, and the thought of a Czech company made me fear how I could fit in.

Fortunately, my initial experience challenged my expectations. The work environment was comfortable; everyone was very friendly and excited that I was there. They were intrigued by my background and were eager to integrate me into the company. I received meaningful assignments right away and I never hesitated to ask for help. I was pleased to realize how heavily FleishmanHillard focuses on professional development and learning through their internship program. My monthly expectations and itinerary included, “What You Will Learn”, and through each task I have completed I’ve learned invaluable skills that have not only enriched my professional growth, but have strengthened my passion for the marketing industry.

On my first day I met with the company manager for a brief introduction to the company, which included their history, values and mission. What amazed me about FleishmanHillard was their commitment to genuine client-relationships. They believe in the work they do and value each client they work with. They describe it as, “the power of true”. It guides their process and it was something I truly resonated with.

After meeting with the manager I was introduced to the rest of the office. They were extremely welcoming. It definitely helped having a very small staff with only 25 people working within the office.

After working at FleishmanHillard for almost a month now, I have learned so much about the company, and most importantly, I have learned how I can contribute to amazing projects and the incredible work they do every day.

Lights! Camera! Wait…. by Tara Doherty.

Not yet! Before we get to the show, there is a ton of work to be done. The past few weeks as a Fringe Festival intern, I have learned that in the field of production, there is so much work that has to be done before the show is released. Networking, advertising, editing… editing again, etc.
Everyday as hundreds of people are walking along the streets of Prague, they are passing by tons of flyers, pictures, or posters. Something I have been doing as an intern is editing the show photos for the 2017 Fringe Festival of Prague. My advisor has taught me the exact measurements we need the pictures to be and exactly where to put our logo on the show pictures.
At first I didn’t feel like I was making a difference, just editing pictures. However, after doing multiple rounds of edits, I came to enjoy the art of editing and realized how much energy and perfection goes into all the signs and posters I see everyday on my way to the metro. Not only are my final products representing the Fringe Festival, but the talented performers participating in our event.

One of the key components that I value at my internship is teamwork. Myself along with my advisors and fellow interns all work individually to collaborate on a single end goal- the festival. Just a few weeks of working for the Fringe Festival has taught me the importance of working together off of other’s ideas. I appreciate how my colleagues value my opinions and take my thoughts into consideration. Comparing American and Czech Culture I feel that this is a shared assets in the business world. I am fortunate that my internship experience has showed me this value and hopeful that my future career in the United States is similar.
 

Gaining an Old Appreciation by Cecilia Thomas.

At first, the abandoned looking warehouse on the other side of the tracks took me aback. I couldn’t figure out the vibe MeetFactory had when I first walked through the door. It was unlike anywhere I’d ever worked before and I genuinely started to second-guess my internship experience before it even began. What I didn’t know though, was that it would help me to realize just how much I missed working in a creative field. I’ve always considered myself a creative person, and throughout my life my creativity has changed with me. When I was five I was painting with my grandfather, at ten I was playing piano, and at fifteen I was dancing during football game halftime shows.

By the time I got to college though, my creativity was focused solely in my schoolwork. I got further and further away from the things that I loved as a kid because I didn’t have the time. It never occurred to me that my future career could have an artistic outlet until I started my internship at Urban Space Epics here in Prague.

The first couple of weeks weren’t really anything to write home about. I went through an orientation, learned how the studio functioned, and helped run the communication aspects of the studio, which included editing web content. It was relevant to what I was studying, but I wasn’t excited about what I was doing. My mentality totally changed once I got to document the Open Studios event. This event is where MeetFactory opens their doors to the public to experience what the artists in the studios are working on, present new installations, and view experimental concerts. It was by far the liveliest, funkiest, and most eye opening experience I’d had so far in Prague. The feelings of appreciation I’d had for art when I was younger, the wonder and need to create something of my own, bubbled back up. I realized that art can take on many different forms and that I could easily incorporate it into my career. I’d have never considered working in an art gallery before, but my internship has helped me see that it really isn’t so different from what I want to do. I could have a career where I’m exposed to art every day, and still work within the world of communication and business.

Getting out of my comfort zone, and working at a place that I would never have considered before helped me to realize that there are many paths that lead to the same place. I don’t have to choose a career where I paint, play an instrument, or perform to feel like I am participating in an artistic way. Even though the exterior is a little rough, Urban Space Epics has already helped me gain back the appreciation I had for art as a kid and I can’t wait to see what the next few months have in store.

Coworking in Prague – Bringing together an International Community by Shannon Keirsey.

Just about two months ago I came to Prague to begin my study abroad and, of course, internship experience. I am interning at Locus Workspace and could not be happier with how it has added to my time studying here in Prague. Locus is an English speaking international coworking space. This means basically that people who are independently employed, but still want to have a space to call their office and people to call their co-workers can get a membership and be a part of the Locus workspace community. That is where my job comes in. I am a community event intern, so I help to organize, promote, and facilitate different community events within the workspace to improve the overall quality coworking. I have worked on events like “Embodied Leadership,” “Negotiate Like a Pro,” and “IT/IP Business Operation – Legal Aspects.” At each of these events a professional speaker on the topic came in to hold a professional development type seminar to refine skills within their topic. Other types of events include “Weekly Coffee Break,” “Hump Day Pump Night” and “Locus Mafia Night.”

It is at these get togethers that members have an opportunity to get to know one another on a more personal and fun level. I’m grateful for the opportunity to work behind the scenes as well as participate on all of these events. Working with other professionals is both interesting and beneficial to me as a business major. Having the chance to meet and talk with the members, each of which has a distinct international personal story and entrepreneurial spirit, is a huge perk of the job. I think that much of the cultural perspective and true immersion I am getting here in Prague comes from working and talking with the different Locus members. I’ve learned a lot in this position already and look forward to continuing to implement best practices around community event planning and expanding relationships with the uniquely interesting businessmen at Locus.

Exhibitions and blogging by Marilyn Santos.

Studying and living in Prague has been a great, life changing experience so far. Living in another country than my own and meeting new people wherever I go is something I always wanted to do and I have not been disappointed! What has made my stay in Prague in even better is working for Archip, an architectural school catering to many students from all over the world. This internship has thought me a lot and enhanced my experience in Prague, by making me see things from a different point of view- an architectural one.

My internship consists of going to interesting monuments, buildings, museums, exhibitions and blogging about them on the Archip blog. This has allowed me to learn a lot about architecture and what it entails- to the outlines that are made, the scale models, the math that goes into everything and making it look as perfect as it can be. I have always loved and been interested in art but have mostly bee familiar with painting as an art form so discovering art through architecture has been very knowledgeable and worthwhile for me! I also get the opportunity to meet students and professors studying at Archip and talk to them about what they like about Prague, what they are working on, and what they enjoy about the school. Talking to and interviewing people who are well acquainted with the subject of architecture is very interesting to me and allows me to learn so much more about it and all the work that goes into it. I am so glad, that in a city like Prague, that is full history and breathtaking architecture, that I am able to learn more about something that makes the city what it is. I feel very lucky to be able to experience this city through a point of view that I would not have originally been able to if I had not had the opportunity that this internship at Archip has given me!

Studying abroad in Prague has been a blast by William Avery.

Just a year back I was in my junior year at Rutgers when I started to get the idea that I should study abroad before my time in college runs out. I am not the classic study abroad student who if just starting college looking for a good time. I actually have a connection to this country as my mother was born in the Czech Republic and I have visited the town of Boskovice every summer since I can remember.

Let me say that Prague is much different than the rest of the Czech Republic. What I knew from my grandma’s small town about this country totally changed when I got to Prague. I was shocked to hear so many different languages walking through Wenceslas Square. The metro and trams also took some time getting used to. But within a few weeks of checking out the coolest pubs and sights you get used to it and it quickly feels like home.

The internship was one of my main reasons for studying abroad. I definitely wanted something I could put on my resume that would stand out and I am glad to say that is what I found this semester with the Institute of International Relations. Going into the interviews I have to admit that I was a bit nervous, but I am happy how it turned out. The IIR is the best place I could have chosen to intern at due to its collaborative, enthusiastic and international atmosphere. With interns from Pakistan, France, Finland and other countries it is great to interact and hear stories from exciting people. In my last internship I was unfortunately the only intern at the company and things got a bit boring at times. Certainly not at the IIR! The researchers we work with keep us busy with translations, proofreading and other research tasks on international topics from around the globe. Actually tonight I attended an event about Cyberwarfare and Cybersecutiry in the Internet Age, a topic that has been hotly discussed.  Prague is a city like no other. As of so far, I could not have asked for a better study abroad experience.