Column | Abroad Again: Going back to international work | Columnists Abroad | Opinion

The first time I interned abroad, I ended up in the mountains. Deep in the Carpathians, I hiked into the world of lost information about soldiers from World War I. After filming two documentaries, I’m going back to work again. 

Working abroad lets you see the industry from a different angle, focus your time, pursue new passions and get comfortable with imperfections.

A Different Type of Exposure

When I first came to the Czech Republic, I had no major experience with public transit. I had ridden the bus a total of two times in my life and had no idea how to navigate the system, but now I had to commute to work. 

Once you’re in a work environment, the type of world you see is different from what may be seen by a tourist. You start commuting, grocery shopping and learning how an industry works in a different nation. 

The work environment, the culture and even the way your job is done may be vastly different from what you experience at home. 

For me, I learned about the museum industry, the documentary filmmaking process, the military history community and the television industry. Every experience is a unique takeaway that can change how you view work in the future.

Soon, I was comfortably commuting to different towns and was happy to use the train system to meet others outside the city. 

Work-Life Balance

Following our internships, we would often go to the reservoir. We’d ride the tram in swimsuits and end up by the water, jumping off the dock. Interning abroad creates the environment of solo-focus, where everything you have in your life is focused around one project, and one thing to complete. 

I was so busy, but I was only busy with one thing – my work. I had nothing else going on,so I had the opportunity to enjoy time with others because I had a singular focus. The chance to have such a singular project is something I look forward to again. 

Sitting with Imperfections

For this one, I’ll have to cue the electric fence. 

While hiking up a hillside to a soldier’s grave, we ended up between two cow pastures and two hot wires enclosing them. While the cows looked onward, my supervisor announced the wires were live. 

I nodded, clear and simple. Approximately two minutes later, in front of the family that was with us, I leaned down into the wire. 

You will make mistakes. Through my internship abroad, I made a lot of them. I got things wrong. I misunderstood what was happening. I accidentally took the hotel’s key and then they called my supervisor while we were in the middle of the mountains, asking where it was. 

However, putting myself in that environment made me comfortable with failure, awkward situations and the ability to realize that we can pull ourselves out of them, and still be successful. 

I despise the awkward, especially in work moments, but working abroad made me learn not to take myself too seriously. It’s an important reminder to appreciate your own imperfections and laugh about just being human.

Chasing a Passion

One of the first things I counted in the cemeteries were the butterflies. They were everywhere. They fly in between the soldiers’ graves, now covered in wildflowers. Every time we’d trek up a hill looking for missing graves, they’d dart in front of us.

I even kept a tally on my phone. 

My internship in the Czech Republic was one of my favorite things I’ve ever done. I connected with families and a community of historians. For the Austro-Hungarian World War I soldiers, I’ve held their death records and watched their great-grandsons tie their photos to a cross. 

When I got back to the United States, I looked for a work purpose like that again. Initially, I figured that it was just something that would exist as a once-in-a-lifetime tale I’d tell to my grandchildren. I needed to get back to work at school, because that was more realistic. 

Then, I gave up and decided to go see more butterflies. 

Interning abroad gave me a passion that I will carry with me long into the future. 

Going to work in a different country is a big leap. But I’m taking it again because doing the unexpected may unlock another adventure. 

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