ACOPIA Reflection (5 months) – Romana Bartonova

My name is Romana Bartonova and I am from the Czech Republic. After I finished my university studies in the United Kingdom, I was not sure what exactly I wanted to do and therefore decided to follow my gut and try something more creative and out of my comfort zone. After little bit of searching on the internet, I found ACOPIA’s website and decided to apply.

At first, after I arrived, the orientation made the internship sound intense because of how many duties were discussed, however, once I settled in, it became clear that both the workplace environment and the position itself are fairly laid-back. One of the biggest advantages of being an intern is the flexibility – you are encouraged to focus on projects that match your strengths and interests, whether that’s graphic design, social media, video editing, marketing, or language skills. While much of the work involves starting projects connected to your home country, it is not difficult so much as it is detailed and requires patience.

Looking back on my experience, one of the first things that stood out to me was how many of my coworkers were Japanese. At the time, this caught me off guard, but I later learned that ACOPIA began as a Japanese organization before expanding into South Korea. While it was interesting to work in such an international environment, it also brought unexpected challenges. Communicating across languages proved to be more difficult than I anticipated, and the constant language barrier added an extra layer of stress.

When I first joined the office, nearly all of the staff and interns were either Japanese or Korean, with very few English speakers. Because I did not speak either language and they were not fluent in English, our interactions often relied on translation apps or simple gestures. As a result, building deeper connections was challenging, and many of our relationships remained surface-level. Despite these obstacles, I still found myself enjoying the internship overall, especially because the work aligned closely with my creative interests.

The initial weeks and months were particularly challenging, as the communication difficulties extended into my tasks as well. Explaining ideas or understanding instructions through a translator was slow and sometimes frustrating. However, after a couple of months, I became more comfortable with my responsibilities and was able to work more independently. Over the course of the five months, there were also a few opportunities for interns to connect socially, including group lunches with the director. These moments helped ease some of the distance between us and made the experience feel more collaborative and welcoming.

I am grateful to gain such a creative new experience and to meet so many people from different countries, and I will be remembering my time in ACOPIA fondly.