The first day at the office
I remember how nervous I was the first time I walked into the office of a small startup that builds logistics management software. Everyone spoke English with different accents, the team was made up of people from Portugal, Brazil, and Italy, and I felt like I'd walked into a party where I didn't know anyone.
But on that very first day, my mentor said something I didn't expect: "Nobody here expects you to know everything. We expect you to ask questions."
That took a huge weight off my shoulders.
When code stopped being just code
I worked on part of the app meant to make shipment tracking easier for smaller companies. The first two weeks I mostly listened and learned how the team operated, how bug reports were written, what a real code review looked like.
Then I was given my first task that was truly mine. I remember spending the whole weekend thinking about the solution, even while walking along the Tagus river. When I presented the solution to the team on Monday and saw it get accepted, I felt a kind of pride no grade at university had ever given me.
Life outside the office
What I dreaded most before leaving was the thought of being alone in a new city. But the AIESEC community in Lisbon quickly showed me that wasn't true. On weekends we explored Alfama, ate pastel de nata on every corner, and took trips to Sintra with other interns from all over Europe.
There were hard moments too. I celebrated a birthday away from my family for the first time, and that evening I really missed home. But that very feeling showed me how much I'd actually built in those few weeks, because I had people around me who made that evening special, even though they hadn't known me for more than two months.
What I brought back to Serbia
I came back with a lot more than a line on my CV. I came back with a clear picture of what it's like to work on an international team, with friendships that still last, and with the confidence that I can find my footing in any environment.
If you're thinking about going on an internship, and the thought of being alone in an unfamiliar city scares you, I'll tell you what I needed to hear back then: you won't be alone. You'll just meet people you don't know yet.
