I had planned my practical training experience for almost a year. I had everything prepared-found an amazing work place in Vienna, Austria, singed the agreement, had a place to live for the summer, made plans where to travel during the weekends and then a world pandemic happened and my plans took another turn. The company stated they would be working remotely and so my practical training there was postponed. I was disappointed that my hard work to organize the internship in the best way possible was ruined.
Anyway, I had to act accordingly, so I started looking for a new place. Ironically, I found one 20 minutes away from my home town in Plovdiv, Bulgaria.
The interview went well and had the opportunity to start immediately. Naturally the first few days were a bit odd, but I still felt like I was at the right place.
My practical training took place in a very hospitable company called Eco Resolve LTD. It is a consultancy company and expert in environmental management with expertise in many spheres including environmental impact assessment, safety work conditions and grassing and planting. The training was in total 2 month during which I had to get used to the atmosphere, to the work habits, had to process a big amount of information and work on tasks assigned to me. One would think that two month is a very short period to get used to a new work environment and I could not agree more but this was a summer experience I will remember for life.
Every day I was crossing the most beautiful part of Plovdiv, the heart of the city-the Old town. With its paved streets, lovely old houses and street artist preparing for their busy days it made my days start with a big smile and blissful heart. *
At work I was reading a lot of documents containing vocabulary I hardly knew but I was absorbing every word and luckily there were my friendly colleagues who were helping me with everything they could. Some days were different to the others. We were not spending all the days in the office buried in documentation but also going on-site to talk with the clients and the views on the way to the sites were stunning. *
In my free time I was traveling with friends to the seaside, hiking in the mountains, attending festivals and other cultural events.
Open sky cinema and a festival in Plovdiv. *
Hiking sites in the Rhodopes.*
I can say I am could not be happier how my “failed” summer developed. The countless new friendships and connections, memorable events and valuable knowledge made this experience one in a lifetime.
*All photos taken by author
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