Tonight I have been relaxing at Basel's roof-top 'city beach' but now I have some time to write this week's post.
At the start of the week my project supervisor asked me what I'd thought of my internship so far and if there was anything I'd like to be different for the second half. One thing that has really struck me about the internship so far is that I am actually making a contribution to the business. I am very grateful for the amount of trust and confidence my colleagues have placed in me. They have never made me felt like 'just an intern', I am always asked what I think about things and have really been included as a member of the team. It's always really exciting when something I have been working on is then sent out to other parts of the business or used to help to make a decision. It's a pity I can't tell you more about the work I'm doing because of the confidentiality agreement, but it's actually really interesting (I think so anyway!).
Everything is still going really well and work continues to be both enjoyable and challenging. Only 4 short weeks ago, I had my first day at Syngenta and I didn't really know much about Finance or Business. I'm still learning new things every day, but looking back I can see how much progress I've made. When I started I felt a bit 'thrown in at the deep end', but on reflection it was really for the best. It meant that my skills (especially my excel skills!) quickly developed as I learned how to find the information I need and overcome difficulties.
This past week my department has been doing the month end closure for July and I have been able to get involved which has been really interesting. I have been doing data analysis and some commentary for the report of the monthly performance figures which will then be released to the company.
On Tuesday morning I made a presentation about an area that I had done a lot of work on during the first weeks of my internship. I hadn't done a formal presentation in quite a while but I think I was able to explain my work clearly and then answer questions. Doing the presentation was a really good experience as thinking about how to explain the topic to others really increased my overall understanding. I'm really glad I got to do the presentation and when I had settled in to it I actually quite enjoyed it! Now I feel much more prepared for the presentations that will be involved in my course next semester.
I met with 4 other interns for lunch on Wednesday to discuss holding events for the 35 interns at Syngenta's Rosental site. The idea is to create a network of interns who will meet regularly to make useful contacts in other departments, exchange advice, welcome new interns and do social things in Basel! It turns out that the first meeting might not be able to be held until the middle of September, after I have left Basel, but I am still more than happy to be involved in making plans and arrangements. Hopefully it will be all set up so that if Syngenta have another Saltire intern next year they will be able to be part of this. I have also started a side project in which I am compiling an 'Intern Handbook' for future interns in my department. I intend for this to be a good basis for the next intern in the department, especially if they also don't have a financial background. So far, I have included overviews of the structure of the company, some advice about living in Basel and also a long list that I have been compiling of all the acronyms I've come across!
I think this weekend has been my favourite so far! On Saturday I went to Lucerne for the day and went up Mount Pilatus. It was such a good day! I got the train to Lucerne in the morning, and the train journey in itself was brilliant. I had taken my book, but on the way there I think I only read 12 pages and instead looked out at the beautiful Swiss countryside. I then went from Lucerne to Alpnachstad where I got on the steepest cog railway in the world to take me to Pilatus Kulm. I couldn't believe how steep the train went, it was actually a little scary!! The journey up took around 30 mins and the views were incredible. I was able to take lots of photographs as we rose up through the clouds! At the top there is a Hotel, restaurants and an amazing view of Lucerne and the surrounding lakes! For a while I enjoyed relaxing on a deck chair taking it all in. The lakes and towns beneath me and in the distance more snow covered mountains of the Alps. I took a cable car back down the other side of the mountain and arrived back in the centre of Lucerne late afternoon. I then just had a few hours to spend in the city before my train to Basel. I really wish I could have stayed longer though - Lucerne has been my favourite city so far! Then on Sunday I travelled to Strasbourg in France to meet with Iain, another Saltire intern. We had a great day sightseeing and wandering around the city, enjoying regular stops on pavement cafes for ice cream, drinks and crepes. The city is really beautiful and we got to go to a service in Strasbourg Cathedral. I have really been enjoying being able to do so much travelling at the weekends and I'm excited to have a few more trips planned for the coming weeks!
Week 5 has got off to a great start and I'm looking forward to telling you about it next week!
Rhona