It’s hard to believe, but I’m already halfway through my Outreachy internship — time really flew by! I wanted to take a moment to share how the journey has been so far: what I’ve worked on, what I’ve learned, and what I’m excited about for the remaining weeks.

Starting off strong 💻

Since I had already set up the project locally before the internship officially began, I was able to start contributing right from the first week. That early familiarity definitely helped me settle in quickly.

In the beginning, I started with a few beginner-friendly tasks — things like fixing small UI bugs or making minor improvements. These were perfect for helping me get comfortable with the codebase and understand the project’s structure and workflow.

Picking up the pace 🚀

After the first couple of weeks, I slowly started picking up more challenging issues — the kind that required deeper debugging and reading through multiple files. I’ve worked on:

• Fixing - Default description language, Skip image upload to Wikidata (nearby -> green pins)

• Debugging- SPARQL query( Nearby for super-popular item)

• Communicating regularly with mentors for feedback and guidance

It’s been exciting to see my own growth — tasks that felt intimidating a few weeks ago now feel way more manageable.

Lessons I’ve learned so far 📚

This internship has taught me a lot more than just technical skills. Some of my biggest takeaways so far:

• You don’t need to know everything to contribute — just the willingness to learn.

• Reading code patiently is as important as writing it.

• Communicating clearly (even when you’re stuck!) is a big part of open-source.

• Small, consistent progress adds up over time.

Also, I’ve become a lot more comfortable with Git, version control — all things I used to find confusing at first.

What's next? ✨

For the second half of the internship, I plan to:

• Continue working on mid-level tasks and gradually take on more complex ones

• Possibly explore areas of the project I haven’t touched yet

• Help other newcomers in the community when I can

A quick thank you 💛

I’m genuinely grateful for this experience. Outreachy has given me a space to learn, grow, and contribute meaningfully. A huge thanks to my mentors who have been super patient and supportive, and to the community that’s made this feel like a collaborative adventure.

Excited to keep going and see what the next few weeks bring!

Until next time,
-Sonal 🌸