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Internship at Czech Childrens Hospice

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.

A tale of two cities

I’m arriving at the end of my time here in Buenos Aires, and I’ve been taking advantage of these final few weeks by traveling. Last weekend some friends and I flew to Bariloche, which is one of the northernmost cities in Patagonia, the southern part of the country known for glaciers and chocolate shops. And also Nazis, unfortunately. We were too far north for glaciers and – luckily – saw no vestiges of Nazism, but we certainly hit the chocolate shops. Bariloche is a city nestled in the foothills of the Andes and adjacent to several long, deep blue lakes. The main lake, Lago Nahuel Haupi, was so enormous I was sure it must be the sea. The landscape was absolutely stunning, perfect enough to be a painting, and for the first time since being in Argentina, I felt like I was well and truly outside

We stayed in a large house at the top of a hill, although we didn’t spend much time there. We made the most of our three days by walking many many kilometers. We hiked a mountain and discovered snow, as well as some guys from Buenos Aires who offered us a trial mix and travel recommendations. We strolled through the cobblestoned city center, stopping every few meters to take advantage of free chocolate samples at each little shop. One day we even did a chocolate history tour at Havanna, one of Argentina’s favorite chocolate shops. Some other highlights: a lovely midday doze on the rocky shore of the lake, a trek through a forest of arrayanes (see photo), and an accidental but wonderful 10-mile hike when we lost phone service and missed the bus home. 

To date, Bariloche is my favorite place I’ve visited in Argentina. The sky was huge and humbling and the mountains put me at ease. I’m already dreaming of a backpacking trip through the rest of Patagonia. 

And this weekend, I visited Mar del Plata! As I write this, I’m on the 5-hour bus ride home. Mar del Plata (Silver Sea) is a city south of Buenos Aires that juts into the beautiful Atlantic Ocean. My friends and I were picturing a beach vacation, but the weather didn’t agree. It was chilly and windy, plus a few of us forgot our swimsuits, so in the end, we gave up the whole lounging-in-the-sand dream. Instead, we walked several different beaches and dipped our toes in the water, and our pants if we looked away for too long. Following the recommendations of a Mar del Plata woman I’d met on the bus in Bariloche, we also spent hours meandering down the town’s main avenue. We attempted to window shop but ended up spending most of our cash on pretty things. 

It’s finals season so we allowed ourselves some much-needed rest and relaxation at our Airbnb. It was in the boonies, but it was a beautiful home situated in the forest, so we walked through our verdant neighborhood and petted stray dogs. We discovered a literal cabin in the woods that turned out to be a teahouse, and we whiled away an afternoon sipping fancy teas in what could have been the grandma’s house in Hansel and Gretel. 

It was quite the tranquil girl’s trip. I do wish it had been swimming weather, but I had a great time anyway. Next week I go to Iguazu – huge waterfalls, lush jungle – and then I’m officially done traveling through Argentina. My main goal for Iguazu is to control my urge to pick up random rocks and shove them in my pockets. After these last two weekends, and with limited luggage space, it’s time for some self-discipline.