And it’s done.

Since these summer holidays are most likely the last ones in my life, I decided not to waste time and enjoy every moment of them. I had planned activities from the very first day of holidays. I started with the Summer School on Development Cooperation in Olomouc. I already participated at this summer school last September. This session was a continuation focused on the topic of immigration. We were lectured by governmental professionals, representatives of NGOs and academics who presented their theories on varyingly statistically possible scenarios of European immigration development.

After finishing the summer school I started an internship in the Senate of Parliament of Czech Republic. I have never before worked in a governmental body before, I only tried NGOs and private companies of different kinds and sizes. Everything thus seemed surprising to me there – mostly the peaceful atmosphere. It seemed that everyone was friends and that there was enough time for everything. The refectory with prices of vegetarian meals of around 40 crowns was also a constant source of happiness. During my internship I visited different departments of the Senate. I started in the economic department where I was shown the accounting systems of state organs and I also saw how the state Treasury works and how different institutions make transactions together. The next department I visited was the one for European Affairs, where I wrote annotations for new recommendations from the European Commission – for example the one on increment of the sale limit of powdered milk (just to illustrate the specific nature of the recommendations). I played the role of a photographer when I was in the Information department and there were three shootings of events including the arrival of the Marshal of the Polish Senate in the one day I spent there. I was choosing the pictures for the Annual Report when I worked in the Organization Department and after visiting the plenary meeting of the Senators I also helped to edit the amendments to the changed laws. Overall the internship was immensely interesting, since it changed how I perceive state institutions.

I started a part time job for the DofE foundation after my internship in Senate ended, working as a PR and marketing assistant. My role is to edit, write and translate articles. I am truly grateful for this job, since I am very close to the foundation, as I completed all the three levels of their award when I was in high school, which made me know the organization from both sides.

Originally I intended to write about my outrage on the UK leaving the EU, however when I start thinking about it, I always get an uncontrollable headache, just like the one I got early in the morning on the 23rd June when the early referendum results indicated the results. I feel sorry for the UK leaving, since I perceived it as an important part of Europe, that intellectually, economically and politically influenced the functioning of the Union, which might well now become different.

Despite the situation in England being somewhat unstable and unpredictable now, I still don’t give up my hope that I will be able to start my master’s course at the London School of Economics in September. It has just been announced that I will be in the very first and also the last cohort of European students who will be able to access the postgraduate student loan, which made me apply instantly. However even with the £10,000 from the student loan I will still need more finance to cover the costs of the degree. I therefore pray everyday that at least one of my applications for scholarships from Czech foundations will be successful, because studying at LSE is my dream built on many years of hard work.

No matter what will happen with my master’s degree, I would sincerely like to thank to the Kellner Family Foundation for enabling me to study a bachelor’s degree in Economics and Politics at Exeter University. I honestly appreciate the financial and moral support I was given and I hope I will be able to use it to mine and other’s benefit in the coming years. I would like to thank the foundation for the very most valuable gift of education.