What an internship during Covid-19 looks like

The most common question I get is how my internship is going during these uncertain times. So I thought I'd give you all an update here on my blog.

We knew from the beginning that things can change quickly and that I might work from home for the first few weeks or that I even have to go home early. But we also hoped that things are going to open up continuously and that I'll be able to get into the library by october.

Unfortunately things are getting worse instead of getting better. Over here in Scotland Covid-19 restrictions got already much stricter during my quarantine compared to Switzerland. And they continue to get stricter.

So, what does this mean for me?

I'm still working from home. I haven't been able to get into the building and therefore haven't been able to meet any of my new colleagues in person. My internship is pretty much only happening online.

I am able to work two days per week for the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland on copyright and publications. On the other days I have videocalls with staff members of the research library to get a little insight in their work (thank god for the option to share screens!). This way they are able to show me what they are doing instead of just telling me how they do it. Of course this does never reach the level of showing me things in person. But I'll take what I can get :-)

Get an insight in my calendar where all my videocalls are organized:

Prepared for the next videocall: my laptop, notebook and most importantly a cuppa tea!

Not being able to enter the building makes it really hard to actually work though. So we had to decide how to organize the following weeks. Since I will not be able to access the office until the end of my internship and since it is a very big investment for the library staff to assign me tasks, we decided to shorten my stay. This means I am coming home at the end of this month (which happens to be at the end of this week)...

Despite not being able to access the library I am still learning new things. They might not always be related to work but to life in general. Being abroad during an international crisis really does teach you some life lessons.

Stay healthy and stay happy!