I would say it is undeniable that being an intern—or rather, a Chief Problem Solver—at Kaffie is a whole new experience for me. However, why would I say that it’s undeniable, other than the fact this is my first long internship? Or other than the fact that I am barely a marketeer and still am interning at a marketing agency? I could even start about how there are two other interns (sorry; Chief Problem Solvers) joining the crew with me, so we are all in it together. But those are not quite the reasons as to why I would say that this experience has been undeniably new for me.
When I arrived at the ship, it had already been a week since the other Chief Problem Solvers had come aboard. That meant I was the latecomer, and that I had missed about seven days during which my crew could already have bonded and sailed without me. Did that make me a little nervous? Yes. We will get back to that later. Aside from that, it also made me aware that I was going to have to seriously catch up. After all, my phone had been blowing up because of the group chat during that whole week. That did make me wonder just how far I had fallen behind.
The first day I actually set sail, the worries about fitting in vanished. We went straight to the meeting room and one lengthy introductory meeting later, we were ready to go. We had to get to know each other on a rather unusual level; we discussed our personality types, our strengths and our weaknesses, what we are good at and what we maybe are not so good at. Our hobbies, girlfriends, boyfriends and what music we listened to all came later.
At first glance that might seem a little odd. However, teamwork is essential at Kaffie. Yes, it is interesting to know what kind of coffee my crewmembers like or what tunes they jam out to, but when you work together five days a week it is surely equally if not more important to understand how we complement each other while navigating the seas, not just when we are docked. After all, one of the ways the crew defines failure is if you fail to acknowledge said crew, and by not realising that you are never sailing alone.
However, like I mentioned before, I felt quite out of my depth the first few days. Usually I do not feel that way; I am quite comfortable with being thrust into new and exciting adventures, whether that be with a crew I already knew or not. But this felt a little realer, a little more intimidating, and it also felt as though I had to prove myself somehow. But prove what? And why was it realer than anything else I had ever embarked on before? Why did it feel more intimidating? I was not quite sure.
It felt as though my crewmembers just had so much more experience, or more knowledge about what they were doing. They came across more confident, more comfortable in their shoes. In no way am I trying to glorify my fellow Chief Problem Solvers, although it would be severely unfair not to acknowledge just how talented and hard-working they are. I was a little afraid I was not going to be able to contribute something; I usually always feel as though I am the first to open my mouth with something to say.
So yes, sailing at Kaffie is a new experience for me. Not just for the idea that every experience, in one way or another, is a new one, or not even because I have simply never been a Chief Problem Solver. It is new for me because I was faced with an adventure in which I severely doubted myself and what I could bring to the table.
Feeling out of place is not how people know me. If my friends had to describe me, they would not describe me as someone not confident in their own skills, own talents, or own voice. If anything, they would say the exact opposite, sometimes they might even describe me as someone a little too confident. Perhaps that is my downfall. But perhaps that is also my first lesson at Kaffie.
I had to tell myself that we were all sailing this ship for the first time and that I was allowed to make mistakes. It was not as if we were going to sink right away, right? Besides, I had only spent a couple days on this journey. And that is what brought me back to my senses: there is still a whole adventure ahead of me. An adventure which I am not undertaking by myself.
But how am I feeling now, almost three weeks later?
Much better. It is still undeniable that being a Chief Problem Solver at Kaffie is a whole new experience for me, but for different reasons now.
Yes, I am well aware that I can still get lost every now and then. But that does not bother me as much anymore. I am sure that at some point, I will even enjoy getting lost, just so I can see how I can get back on track. I have always been ready to take on challenges, so why on earth did I lose confidence in facing this one?
Now I can look at the future ahead of me and feel, well, relaxed. Surely there will be days where the sea will still be stormy and it will be cold and windy and I will be exhausted. But there will also be days where we will sit on the deck with the sun in our face and enjoy being on this ship together.
I have a crew that is learning alongside me. That is what mostly puts me at ease. There is no wheel to be steered alone, no wave to be surfed alone. It gives me peace of mind—something we are not to sacrifice on this ship—to know we are in this together. Navigating together, braving obstacles together, enjoying this journey together.
After all, Kaffie is better when it’s shared, right?
