• Week 1: New experience, delicious food and networking event

Day 1

The first day of my internship was like an orientation day; I had a tour around my new workplace, settled down, and met the team. Everyone was sweet and welcoming and they introduced me to the beautiful turtles known for running away when they find the front door open. Then we had lunch with the CEO and the sales team at a Mediterranean restaurant. The food was exceptional and I really liked the vibes there.

It was a great day and I’m looking forward to making the most of this opportunity.

Day 2

The second day of my internship started with a quick introduction to Hubspot then we had the daily sales meeting where each one shared their daily tasks, progress, feedback, and suggestions. Then my whole day compromised of looking for potential contacts who may be interested in our solution and adding people on LinkedIn. 

For lunch, I tried Chinese food for the first time and it was foreign to my tongue but it was cool to experience. After work, I went to a networking event with my colleagues. We had so much fun, we took many pictures, and met amazing people.

Day 3

I was finally getting used to the office, the team, and the position. I started the day with a coffee prepared by a colleague and then I had the daily sales meeting. My daily tasks included adding potential contacts to HubSpot, drafting emails, and translating some emails to French.

The highlight of my day was celebrating the birthday of a colleague. She made the most delicious homemade cake I’ve ever tasted. Then we had traditional Serbian food for lunch and I really loved the restaurant because it has many vegan/vegetarian options.

Day 4

Time was flying, it was already my 4th day. I started my morning by checking my email, Google calendar, and WhatsApp for messages, and meeting notifications. Afterwards, we had the daily sales meeting where we summarized what we did during the week, tried to look for other potential clients and contacted them, and because it was Friday, we left early to welcome the weekend.

I had completed my first week and I already met a lot of wonderful people and challenged myself to go out of my comfort zone.

• Week 2: Booking my first demo, getting used to work, and important meetings

Day 5

Same old routine as always this morning; checked my email, had the daily sales meeting, and went through the daily tasks. I completed the pending matters from the previous week, looked for NGOs in France, added them to Hubspot, and contacted them. At 3 pm, we had a meeting with one of our competitors and it was very interesting to attend because I got a better idea about our competitive advantages and what differentiates us from others.

I was beyond excited because I booked my first demo with a Tunisian investor and a managing partner of a law firm and we had a meeting with him at 5 pm where we presented more of what we do. He was very impressed by the idea behind the business and he gave us few contacts he thought they might be interested in metaversing their events.

Day 6

To start the day, I got my boost of caffeine then we had the daily sales meeting just like every morning. My supervisor provided me with the tasks of the day and I figured out what I would be doing. The rest of the day I kept looking for French and Tunisian NGOs and contacted them.

Working in sales is exciting but slightly disappointing as I was sending a tone of emails yet getting no responses but I am really grateful for this opportunity because it gave me the chance to meet extremely caring and supportive colleagues. 

Later that night I went out with my best friend and two girls from the dorm we’re staying in to have dinner and we spent the whole night talking about our traditions and cultures while enjoying our ice cream. It was a very interesting and mind opening night. 

Day 7

This day was supposed to be a demo practice day, I tried to brainstorm and prepare some bullet points the other night. I was feeling very nervous on my way to the office and I was tricking my mind into thinking that it would be a great exercise to go out from my comfort zone and learn something new (as the whole purpose of an internship is just that), but I ended up not doing it because the company was preparing for an important meeting that day and we helped them with that. My task was looking for competitors of the company and conducting a competitive analysis as well as revising some financial documents.

Doing an internship here is a reminder that I’m not bound by my comfort zone. I get to engage with people from all over the world and try new things that make me happy and ignite my spark.

Day 8

As more days go by, I started building a routine; having a coffee, attending the sales meeting, checking my emails and my google calendar, and asking my supervisor to provide me with my daily tasks. Since the workload was very manageable, I usually complete my tasks while listening to music because it can lift my mood. I accidentally listened to a song named “Ana Negm”, it was truly a mesmerizing song and I have never connected to a song more than I have with this one. I guess this is going to be the song that will remind me of my trip to Belgrade.

Day 9/10

The company had a 2-days meeting so everyone was very busy. I looked for potential clients and I focused on event agencies and private educational institutions in Tunisia and France. To my surprise I got a positive response from the director of a prestigious private university in Tunisia. I was extremely happy and I had a good feeling about that because he was very interested in Metaverse. My best friend, who happened to be the other intern, also received a positive response from the CEO of a French event agency. 

During these two days, I had the chance to engage with colleagues from the delivery team and I got to know them better. They were very sweet and friendly and I really enjoyed their company.

It’s going to be hard to say goodbye to this place.

• Week 3: New intern, workshop, and celebrating Eid

Day 11

I spent the day looking for Tech events the startup can attend. This included researching contacts, prices and details such as when and where. 

It was then lunch time; we went to a traditional Serbian restaurant known for its variety of homemade meals.  After getting back in the office, we had a demo with the CEO of a French event agency. The meeting was successful and I think that we will build a solid foundation for a long-term and mutually beneficial relationship with the agency.

Day 12

Another day, another demo: Today we had a demo with the director of a prestigious private university in Tunisia. We had a successful meeting where we identified potential areas of cooperation and he invited us to attend a hybrid panel discussion on “Metaverse in Education”. I think attending important client meeting while I may not necessarily contribute to the meeting was a chance for me to learn what this process looks like.

That day the company received a new intern from Italy but I didn't seize the chance to talk with her.

Day 13

I was beyond excited because the company had a training workshop for some of their clients. The workshop was about preparing a plan to launch a new community or refresh an existing one. The CEO covered the steps for building an online community from scratch. The training was super interesting because I had the chance to get new perspective from other attendees and to grow, we must be open to new ideas, and new ways of thinking.

After work, I went out with Nesrine and Carolina to try Knedle. It was very tasty and we really liked it. We went to Kalemegdan to catch the sunset and then we passed by the republic square to find a dance competition holding place there where groups of dancers from all around the world come together for the purpose of showcasing their cultures. It was mind blowing. Witnessing all these people from around the world coming together to give us a show was a great way to end my day.

Day 14

It was the second day of the workshop. I had a deep insight of how things work. I joined attendees wanting to refresh an existing online community and I shared my thoughts and ideas with them. Then we had lunch in the garden while enjoying the sunlight. I wish I could sit there all summer.

Our colleague brought her little doggie to the office and it was the main highlight for me that day. He was so adorable and a joy to be around. I faced my fear of dogs and touched his silky and smooth fur. I’m proud of myself, I think Belgrade is changing me. 

Day 15: Eid away from home for the first time

Before coming here, I was worried about celebrating Eid in a non-Muslim country without my extended family. I thought that I was going to feel lonely and kind of alienated but on Eid day, my colleagues wanted to celebrate this day with me and my other Muslim friend. This was a very meaningful gesture as it shows understanding and support. We went out to eat in a traditional Serbian restaurant. The food and vibes were immaculate. My colleagues listened intently as I explained the concept of Eid to them, they also took us to the only mosque in Belgrade and then we walked around the city while enjoying our ice cream and iced coffee. 

Later that day, we attended an event taking place in The National Assembly as our company was receiving an award. I was really impressed by the phenomenal architecture of the building from the inside and I was grateful that I had the chance to be there. We went out for a drink after the event. The cool air, magical sunset, and lovely people I was hanging out with made my evening marvelous.

This day has given me so many happy memories that will remain with me forever. 

• Week 4: Reflections and saying goodbye to my best friend

Day 16

Startups are known for having an innovative and nontraditional work environment. It’s worth considering joining a startup if you’re looking for less structure and more freedom at work. I think what I like the most about this internship is the people; the environment is really amazing. I also really like how much you learn in such a short amount of time and I feel like I’ve accomplished so much, I learnt something new each passing day at Collectivibe and I got to build relationships with my teammates outside of work too, which is the best part. 

Day 17

I was feeling very nervous on my way to work because I had a demo in French with someone from a French event agency. I spent the whole day preparing for that demo. Luckily my friend is the most supportive friend of all time, she helped me with the script and she bought me my favorite Serbian sweet “Jaffa” because she knows that food is the fastest way to relieve my stress. To my surprise, the demo was postponed for August so we left work early and we headed to the botanical garden. We checked out the Victorian-style greenhouse and we took the opportunity to learn more about the history of the Garden and the plant species growing there. It was a peaceful place to loiter under one of the shady trees and we took a moment to reflect on what happened during our trip since Nesrine only had few days left in Belgrade.

Later that night we went out with some friends from the dorm to celebrate the win of Djokovic. Thousands of Djokovic fans gathered outside the city hall, Djokovic emerged onto a balcony parading his trophy and tossing tennis balls into the crowd. It was a surreal celebration which included a concert and fireworks display. All of us were over the moon the whole night, which really was a once in a life time experience and would be embedded in our memory for a long time.

That day was well spent and memorable.

Day 18

Today I joined the delivery team. I had the chance to go through the delivery process and I had a greater sense of the challenges they might face in terms of deadlines and workload.  Learning what other departments do is a way to avoid losing sight of the company’s other moving parts. It was a very interesting experience because working with the delivery team is complementary to my typical work but different enough to give me new insights and vision into how the product is executed.

Day 19

It was the last day of work for Nesrine. I’m going to miss her because she made working here a fun and enjoyable experience. I am forever grateful because I got to travel with my best friend; we tried new things, saw different aspects of life, we got to be open to new cultures, food, architecture and so much more, and we made plenty of fondest memories which involve people we’ve met on the road. 

• Week 5: A countryside getaway

I spent the 5th week of my internship in Lučani which was only about a couple of hours drive from Belgrade. I was highly delighted to get such a place to visit as I heard many times from my colleagues that it is the best place to enjoy stunning view of nature while working remotely, far away from the hustle and bustle of city life.

I went there with Carolina to join three of our colleagues. We did many enjoyable things together. Attending a celebration in the church was the most exciting of them all because I got to meet locals and explore their traditions. Visiting families of my colleagues who were all really friendly and warm-hearted people, eating delicious food, strolling on the village streets and enjoying the calm nature, going to Požega ,wandering around residential streets in the city center, going to a Rock and Roll concert, listening to the most empowering music, swimming in the pool during extreme heat, stargazing and watching night sky were some unforgettable activities we did. I really enjoyed my week there because it brought me real close to a very peaceful environment, I was able to breathe some fresh air after a long time and it made me completely forget about the hectic city life. Besides, the quietness of that place, along with its stunning view of nature and the real voices of birds gave me real peace.

My days in Lučani exceeded my expectations by showing me the most wonderful time. I visited fascinating sights, walked through the breathtaking landscapes of green fields, ate even more delicious treats, I was treated to meals full of local and organically grown ingredients, I passed cherishable moments with my colleagues and I met incredible people their warm hospitality is something I can never forget.

• Week 6: Last week in Belgrade and final thoughts

During my last week, I worked from home the majority of the time because one of my colleagues got Covid. I tried to finish pending matters from the previous week, send some follow up emails and make sure that I’ve completed all tasks.

The highlight of the week was the last day of work because I got to see some of my colleagues, we went out for a coffee and we shared chocolate; such a perfect final day in Belgrade surrounded by such lovely people.

Afterwards, I cleared my personal information from the company computer, cleaned up my workspace and wrote a thank you letter to my colleagues because I really value their help and guidance during my time at the company and they were not only great workmates but great friends too. I was so overwhelmed by all the well wishes from them and I can’t thank them enough for being so awesome because they made me feel appreciated and cared about.

Dear colleagues,

Thank you for never letting me feel I was away from my family. I love you all.

Goodbye for now. I hope our paths cross again sometime in the future.