The internship was held during the last week of school, before the holidays. My interest in this internship first developed through my dad, who is a Public Affairs Officer in the German Armed Forces, stationed in Poland. In addition, this job is very different from “normal” ones, and as an outsider you do not really know what the tasks of a NATO press office actually are. Spoiler - these go much further than "just taking a few photos".
I was able to collect a lot of impressions and experiences that I have never had before because it is simply something completely different, something you do not know or are used to. I was even able to do a lot of tasks by myself. Soldiers of 25 different nations work in the Baltic Barracks, this is quite impressive. The common language here is of course English, but all soldiers give it their own regional touch, very interesting, but sometimes very challenging to understand. It was very interesting to learn about the "everyday office life", the soldiers call it a battlerhythm.
Initially, I took photos with a professional camera. In addition, I was allowed to watch and help during video shoots for national holidays of different nations. I was also introduced to the various social media platforms that NATO uses, such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or FLICKR. Impressive, how many followers read the posts on a daily basis. Later I was even allowed to support and prepare tweets for Twitter and posts for Instagram.
I was also shown how to research an article, later post it on a website, and then publish it, which I found really interesting. I was allowed to try out a lot myself and I was given help and suggestions for improvement, which has helped me significantly. My personal highlight was the visit to the shooting range with the German soldiers, where I was able to experience first hand, how heavy a protective vest and a helmet is. Of course I wasn’t allowed to shoot by myself, but I took photos there myself and helped with the drone flight. What an exciting day.
All in all, I was able to collect a lot of new impressions that very few could see or experience so far.
I am very grateful that I was able to experience everyday life there. I have learned a lot and would recommend such an internship and such an opportunity to anyone.
(* "Hello" in Polish)