In a couple of weeks will be the start of month three at my internship in the "Unternehmensansiedlung" (company settlement) department. My first two months have been filled with translating power points, researching companies, databases, writing English sales letters, more German to English power points, attending long meetings that have a distinct protocol, and spending lots of time on the internet researching places to travel to in my downtime. Here is the thing about my downtime, it's really down. For three days I did much of nothing besides surf the internet, listen to house music and drink coffee (as my friend Alex likes to put it) and then all of a sudden today - I am responsible for this huge project involving getting the Mayor of Berlin appointments in Boston?
My co-intern wrote her closing internship report, and in so many words, her last paragraph involved feeling more like an administrative assistant than an actual involved contributer to projects. I wanted to say to her, "Have you ever done an internship before?" because that is how it always is. Doing an internship does not involve you making major strategic decisions for the company, more of a watch and learn situation - involving lots of excel lists. I kept my mouth shut due to the coffee I am constantly sipping. She turns to me and says, "You must feel really undervalued because of your previous experience." (Thank you German bluntness for that revelation.) In all actuality though, I don't necessarily - because I knew pretty much what I would be doing for the most part - and it definitely wouldn't involve strategic decisions. All I am looking at in this point of time, is the experience that I've worked in another country. If that means some calls to the US and their need for a native speaker, I am quite okay with that if it means future success to my career.
Yes, the eating. No one eats lunch as far as I know. Between the hours of 11:00 and 1:00 p.m. I am constantly on the look out for sandwiches on the desk, bottles of soda, a bag of chips even? Don't count on it. I feel like I am the only on that eats lunch out of the 50 or so people on my side of the building. No lunches in the fridge (except for mine) and when they do leave for lunch, it's quick - even though we are on the Ku'damm there are not a whole lot of places to pick up a quick bit to eat. Maybe I am being judgmental when I feel a bratwurst or schnitzel in bread does not a lunch make. Some days I could really kill for a deli, namely a nice turkey sandwich on rye with yellow mustard and a bag of baked lays. Mostly it's a belegte brotchen (see previous post) or whatever I managed to grab out of my fridge when I leave in the morning.
I have a lot of career ideas swimming in my head right now for my return, which I can't go into here - but let's just say it validates a lot of serious thought. Let's just say there are many things I am interested in, and attempting to roll them all into one is going to be a challenge.
Overall: Feeling happy at my internship and also busy (most of the time) which makes for short days and a good mood.
My co-intern wrote her closing internship report, and in so many words, her last paragraph involved feeling more like an administrative assistant than an actual involved contributer to projects. I wanted to say to her, "Have you ever done an internship before?" because that is how it always is. Doing an internship does not involve you making major strategic decisions for the company, more of a watch and learn situation - involving lots of excel lists. I kept my mouth shut due to the coffee I am constantly sipping. She turns to me and says, "You must feel really undervalued because of your previous experience." (Thank you German bluntness for that revelation.) In all actuality though, I don't necessarily - because I knew pretty much what I would be doing for the most part - and it definitely wouldn't involve strategic decisions. All I am looking at in this point of time, is the experience that I've worked in another country. If that means some calls to the US and their need for a native speaker, I am quite okay with that if it means future success to my career.
Yes, the eating. No one eats lunch as far as I know. Between the hours of 11:00 and 1:00 p.m. I am constantly on the look out for sandwiches on the desk, bottles of soda, a bag of chips even? Don't count on it. I feel like I am the only on that eats lunch out of the 50 or so people on my side of the building. No lunches in the fridge (except for mine) and when they do leave for lunch, it's quick - even though we are on the Ku'damm there are not a whole lot of places to pick up a quick bit to eat. Maybe I am being judgmental when I feel a bratwurst or schnitzel in bread does not a lunch make. Some days I could really kill for a deli, namely a nice turkey sandwich on rye with yellow mustard and a bag of baked lays. Mostly it's a belegte brotchen (see previous post) or whatever I managed to grab out of my fridge when I leave in the morning.
I have a lot of career ideas swimming in my head right now for my return, which I can't go into here - but let's just say it validates a lot of serious thought. Let's just say there are many things I am interested in, and attempting to roll them all into one is going to be a challenge.
Overall: Feeling happy at my internship and also busy (most of the time) which makes for short days and a good mood.
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