jillianec516

As a first-generation student, every experience I’ve had in upper education has been different from what I thought would be my life after high school. Freshman year at DU, I would walk around full of gratitude over the fact that I made it out of my hometown and did something more. When I returned after the harder parts of cancer, it was unreal to be back on campus. Having my own apartment in Denver feels like such a major accomplishment. Now, being in Brno, those feelings of gratefulness and pride are especially beaming.

I wasn’t necessarily taught about internships and what they do for you. In high school, I associated internships with opportunities mostly for students whose parents had a connection to some large company that would set them up with a job once they graduate. I wasn’t taught that some people get new internships every year or semester to expand their resume. I didn’t even consider doing one until this past year when I noticed everyone around me wasn’t working a part-time job anymore, but interning before they graduate. Doing an internship while studying abroad seems like it would add more stress to an experience you plan on enjoying, but it doesn’t. Most of my stress came before I started working- not being aware of hours, expectations, and nerves over joining a work environment in a language I had never heard out loud.

@ the dum — Posing in front of the office sign of Dum Pro Julii in Brno, Czech Republic. This NGO is currently building the first hospice building for children in the Czech Republic, set to open end of summer 2024.

I am privileged to be interning for communications and fundraising at Dům pro Julii, the first children’s hospice in the Czech Republic. As a cancer survivor, NGOs like Dům pro Julii have quickly taken precedence in my heart. Serious illness and death are sensitive topics for many people, it’s scary, traumatic, depressing, and hurtful. Especially when children are the ones being focused on. The first couple of weeks my supervisors were focused on teaching me about the importance of respite care and how their NGO functions, fundraises, and provides support for families under their care. The end of life deserves to be treated with compassion, and hospice doesn’t mean immediate death, there is still life to be loved and cared for after diagnosis of terminal illness.

The organization’s motto is “At to Maji Lehci” which translates to “let them have it easier.” This means to try and help make the lives of parents and children easier while dealing with one of life’s toughest challenges. Parents and families of children with serious illnesses are heavily affected by the situation and take up the role of being a 24/7 caretaker nursing their child. It’s exhausting being stuck in that situation all day, every day, so care nurses and hospice workers help relieve that exhaustion by taking over for a few hours a day or week.

I think working my first internship here in Brno is such a major step towards my professional goals. I want to be able to work for and advocate for patients across cultures and starting in a completely different country is a huge step towards that. It’s so valuable to me to work in an environment that is dedicated to helping others, and also keeps a positive attitude towards the world they’re doing despite the topic being one that’s taboo and depressing.

Having an internship here in the Czech Republic (let alone studying abroad) was never something that was on my radar. More opportunities have found their way to me in the last couple of years and I do feel blessed. Doing an internship hasn’t negatively affected my ability to have free time to explore or study, and it has allowed me to be immersed in the local community more than I would by just going to school. I hope that over the remaining weeks, I get to learn more from Dům Pro Julii, and in the end feel like I have a strong connection to the work I did.

It’s not that I’m a super materialistic person, but there are some things I truly miss from home. Like a drying machine that actually dries my clothes or actual AC and heating in my room. It’s “little” things in the U.S. that I take for granted and find myself missing. My laundry had been hanging over shelves and a drying rack for 3 days and still not fully dry. And since it’s getting colder now, I try to keep the window closed so it isn’t humid feeling in the room but they take longer to dry and leave a wet smell in the room. It’s truly painful. I visited my roommate’s hometown, Skarszewy, Poland, and in her home, I was amazed at how their washing room looked. There were lines that you could pull down and string back up to maximize hanging space. But still, I would rather have a drying machine from Samsung that sings to me when the load is finished.

I will say though, I live for the way some people decorate their homes here and some common features in some houses. I become wide-eyed astonished looking at some stuff because I’m jealous I’ve never seen it or it’s not as common in the U.S. as should be.

my list of things from homes in the EU:

-drying line contraption
-heated flooring in bathrooms and tiled rooms
-front yard gardens
-steel grating entrance doormat
-fridges hidden in cabinets
-In-unit trash chute
-the way windows open
-electric bikes/car adapters

*bonus* hand dryers at the sides of the sink faucet

I think most people can agree that the United States needs to invest in better public transport. Denver is definitely one of the better cities for transport, but it still doesn’t truly live up to the train, tram, and bus system that’s set up in European countries. El Paso’s public transport is practically non-existent, really only with city buses that not many people take, and the city is too large to make your way around on foot. Brno itself is walkable, but the buses & trams and the way they are scheduled make everything feel organized and like a short journey. I don’t miss the RTD as much as I will miss the tram here. I do feel though that I will go back to using public transport more in Denver like when I first moved there until it becomes inconvenient. I say inconvenient because half the time I would ride the RTD before it usually makes me late even if I left earlier or just be uncomfortable due to other riders. Also, most people know how to behave on public transport here, they aren’t intoxicated beyond belief or indecently exposing themselves. I have witnessed an older gentleman get pickpocketed on a bus, which was super sad, but I think it just made me feel like I needed to watch my belongings more than making me feel uneasy.

brno public transport — Walking to a tram and bus stop close to the city center. The walk from Vinarska Dorms to the Center is about 30 minutes, while the tram is less than 10 minutes.

My love for the consistency in public transportation here has probably had more of an effect on my sense of urgency than I realize. I’m sure that my internship and school schedule feel more laid-back than what I am used to in the U.S. also does that. It’s not that I’m not busy, but with the approach, everyone has around professional-personal life balance- the personal gets more time. I feel like usually I’m a rushed person, between my many things to do, travel times between places and always trying to keep my word on plans I’ve made with others. I grew up always feeling immense guilt when I’m running late and still can’t manage to make it on time sometimes due to traffic, parking, or Uber wait times. Here, I still feel my internal guilt and rushing but not as heavy. My schedule feels full but there are times for many breaks and the transportation around the city lessens travel time between classes, home, work, and fun.

Grocery shopping has become a part of my semi-daily schedule, stopping by one of the many grocery stores on the way home from school, hanging out with friends, or after eating out. Produce here tastes so much better, but goes bad much faster so I’ve stuck to only grabbing a couple items at a time that will last a day or two. I’m starting to recognize brands way better and the Czech words for some products, but the first couple of weeks I would be standing in the aisles for a while longer than others who were able to just grab and go. I still take my time, in case I find something new but usually don’t want to look “too American” carrying out too many things. The snack sections are smaller, less spicy, and less sugary, but still with plenty to try. When I think about the snacks here, I truly just wish they had chips that were actually hot. The hottest flavor of potato chips I’ve found has been paprika and it feels like a weak BBQ chip.

poland grocery — Grocery shopping in Poland with my roommate, Oliwia. Most grocery trips with around 5-10 items take less than 10 USD from my wallet.

There are things from the United States I miss, like the drying machine that I take for granted and hot chips, that if I had here would make leaving next month harder. But there are so many things here I wish I could just pack up and take with me. The remaining time I have in Brno I will spend appreciating the little things that I’ll be missing when I’m back home. Obviously, public transportation isn’t a little thing, but I’ll soon be missing the ease of how it functions here heavily. I’ll also miss the ease of how “Czech” time functions as well and how that makes me calmer while still productive. I just won’t miss the amount of time it takes my clothes to dry.

Author: jillianec516

Internship at Czech Childrens Hospice

A Thing or Two