To say this internship was outside of my comfort zone would be the understatement of the century. It was my first time out of the country alone– my second time at all. It was a month spent doing some of the most consistently difficult work I have ever had the opportunity to do; it demanded the most of everyone, but the lessons it gave in return were invaluable. The most impactful lesson that I learned and will carry with me is the importance of teamwork and a healthy working dynamic. Almost all day everyday was spent with other people. At the beginning of week two, each person was assigned to a team of five to six people. Though these were the groups we worked the most closely with, all St. Olaf students worked in the same area, and thus had to function like one large team. Weekdays from 5:30 a.m. -2:00 p.m. were spent on-site doing slow, deliberate sweeps of our assigned unit, leveling the ground, removing rock, evaluating finds, and articulating walls. Off-site, weeknights and weekends were spent at group dinners, collaborating to fill out official notebooks documenting our work, exploring the city, shopping and eating local, and, in general, resting and recharging in whatever way the moment called for. We worked hard, we relaxed hard, and we did it all together.
Teamwork was the only thing that made the experience possible. I learned, though, that teamwork isn’t just “let’s move this heavy rock together;” it’s putting in consistent, daily effort to live, learn and experience with a small group of people. Teamwork is physical, but is also mental and emotional work. We had to work to practice patience; everyday, each person had to commit to being patient with others, themselves, and the process of our work. With time and effort, we all got better at practicing patience, and eventually became more trusting, respectful, and productive. Tied closely to patience was adaptability. We had to learn to take what– and who– we were given and to make the best out of it. I realize that’s far easier said than done, and we definitely had a rough go at it, but I think we managed to pull it together and adapt in the ways that mattered. We would not have been able to function as a team without each person taking personal responsibility to practice patience and adapt.
One important component of teamwork that I’d say my team, and myself, struggled with was honesty and straightforward communication. In a way, I’m glad we struggled– being on a team to which that did not come easily taught me how crucial honest communication is. Emily Dickinson said “tell all the truth but tell it slant”– my time in Turkey showed me just how important that is. It means tell the truth, be honest, but do it in a way that isn’t hurtful or demeaning. When you keep frustrations about, for example, a teammate’s attitude to yourself, it can and will fester. That won’t do any good for anyone. Policing and nitpicking is unproductive, but I’ve seen that offering honest and straightforward feedback from a place of mutual trust and respect is vital.
Far and away one of the biggest lessons I picked up in Turkey was the importance of appreciation as a foundation of teamwork– appreciation for yourself, your team, the progress that has been made, and appreciation of the importance of your work. It is good to acknowledge the progress yet to be made, but it is also necessary to actively look to celebrate whenever and whatever you can. You can’t do any good if you’re only focused on what you perceive to be the bad. My experience in Turkey was not easy in the slightest, but I am incredibly appreciative for the opportunity, my wonderful team, and for the lessons that I learned and will carry with me into the future.