Niezapomniane wspomnienia – przeczytajcie, o Marcie z Łotwy, która właśnie skończyła u nas staż
Niezapomniane wspomnienia – przeczytajcie, o Marcie z Łotwy, która właśnie skończyła u nas staż
PL/ENG
IB Polska Foundation was my first ERASMUS+ internship experience and I can confidently say that this was a wonderful and ecstatic journey. The foundation has a safe and free environment; I always felt at ease when working at the office. The space is comfortable. Our colleagues were kind and understanding, they made sure we felt welcomed and included in the workplace.
First impressions – reflections of home
Before getting familiar with the foundation, I was nervous I wouldn’t have the chance to express myself since I was working at an office. I feared that everything would have to be professional. It was rather quickly that I learned I was wrong. My fashion and personality were accepted, even encouraged. It pushed me to try new looks and experiment with my appearance more than I usually do.
On the first day, we were introduced to the workplace, the foundation, and our colleagues. My first impression of the building was highly positive; it reminded me of my school’s interior, so I instantly felt calm. After meeting my supervisor, my first thought was: “What a fun guy! I could see him working at my school.” Needless to say, I felt at home at the foundation because of the open atmosphere and similarities to my usual surroundings.
Colleagues? More like companions!
I seriously cannot stress this enough: the people that I was surrounded by during my internship made the experience ten times more enjoyable than anything else. Everyone had such a unique personality; they were individuals with morals I could stand by any day. I never expected to develop such a bond with them in such a short time. I was also pleasantly surprised at how many similarities I noticed between them and myself. I had such meaningful and deep conversations with them – the impact they left on me will stay for the rest of my life. The people I was surrounded with were that push I needed to take another step outside of my box and the step forward to become a better version of myself. My supervisor kept pushing me to stimulate my creativity. His most common phrase for me was “Chill!”. Thank you for that.
Given quests to stimulate improvement
The tasks given were new to me, I had never edited videos for social media before but my supervisors were patient and willing to calmly explain the mistakes and how to improve. There was just the right amount of workload, not enough to stress me out and just enough to not be bored.
My tasks mostly included creating video material for the foundation. At first, I was nervous I would do a horrendous job at it due to my lack of practice with creating videos. The first one I made needed a lot of fixing and touch-ups, however, instead of feeling hopeless, it motivated me to do a better job next time. I am grateful for the helpfulness of my supervisors; it made the learning process much easier. I felt ten times more confident completing my tasks, knowing I could always turn to my colleagues for advice.
A bit more about the given tasks: I had to film workshops and short informational videos about the foundation. For example, the road from the tram stop to the informational office or a video that invited others to join a certain workshop.
Exploration of Krakow
During my internship, my supervisors also ensured I got to experience the city’s beauty. This was my first time in Krakow; I am grateful I got to see breathtaking sights and visit handfuls of historical places as well as museums. The place that sticks out to me is the modern art museum. While the installations were rather underwhelming, my group and I ended up creating joyful memories by finding our own installations in the electricity sockets and posing for funny pictures.
We had an activity in a school where we could practice the use of the English language with Polish students. I saw many students who radiated creativity and potential. Seeing people who are brave enough to express themselves and their values gave me faith that the future of our world will move forward to become a better place for everyone.
My absolute favorite part of being in Krakow was wandering the streets. As an artist with a passion for character design and differences in human appearance and personality, I adore big cities because I can observe people. Where I’m from – most people look similar, their appearance alone tells me nothing about who they could be. In Krakow, I saw so many individuals who left an impression on me simply by the way they looked. It was inspirational to simply go into the city center.
Conclusion
Overall, Krakow impressed me with the breathtaking architecture and the amount of pleasant memories I collected throughout these two weeks. The impressions, lessons, and skills I gained in only two weeks have granted me insight into who I am and what I want for myself. Working at the foundation gave me an insight into work life and a baseline for what I can expect in the future. It was an unforgettable opportunity to meet those wonderful people, and I’m forever grateful I had the chance to call them my colleagues.

















