Hello world! I got the contract for my job in Germany so I feel comfortable blogging about it now!
I included a little disclaimer in the side-bar, but just to make it clear: any opinions I write on here are completely my own and do not reflect the views/beliefs of Landor.
Alright, so back to Germany...
I AM MOVING TO GERMANY FOR SIX MONTHS!
I am excited, nervous, thrilled, antsy, terrified, ecstatic and all other types of things. My feeling is overloaded.
I currently work at Landor Associates in downtown Cincinnati. I have completed two separate three month internships there and have worked part time throughout school during class quarters. Landor has a whole bunch (21) of offices worldwide and I contacted Cincinnati's HR dept. (thanks Therese!) to talk about the possibility of completing my six-month internship in one of the other offices. (the six-month internship is possible because the University of Cincinnati is switching from Quarters to Semesters and my final two Co-Ops will be combined 1 (smallish) quarter + 1 semester = six months of German glory)
The Hamburg, Germany office seemed interested in the possibility of hiring me as an intern and after a few rounds of phone interviews and Skype interviews, the job was mine! I start at the end of June and will be in Hamburg through the end of December. Summer, Fall, and Winter. Packing nightmare.
This past Summer, when Amy and I gallivanted around Europe for three months, the weather was fairly consistent, a little colder in Amsterdam, England, and Ireland, but for the most part it was warm. I'm not sure how I am going to pack Summer clothes and Winter boots, scarves and jackets. It will be a little easier because I will have suitcases *shudder* which for some reason seem very real and annoying but I understand they are a necessity to be a real person. I will also need to buy some more normal/casual jeans, because I can't really wear leopard print jeans multiple days in a row, people might notice.
Some things about the job: I will be joining Landor Hamburg as a Brand Identity intern working on a team that needs to speak English to international clients. Apparently this team works on a lot of cross-office projects and some global P&G things. (This all could be wrong, I'll do an update when I get there) There are a few other interns currently at the office, from Portugal, Austria and the US(also possibly wrong, stay tuned for updates) so I should have a few people in a similar situation who can help me out when I look confused/lost. There is also a Landor Cincinnati employee currently in Hamburg on a 2 year assignment, so I will have one person that I recognize.
I am working on learning German, it is tough with school and work right now, and I think that fully immersing myself in the German once I get there will help. I am going to try to find a sublet with a few German speaking roommates which will be a cool experience.
I think my only real concern right now is what to do when I first arrive. I have been investigating some hostels near the main train station and some near work. I think I will feel more comfortable when I arrive if I have someplace to go, so I think I'll book a hostel. That way when I get there, I have something to do other than just stand around feeling lost, tired and overwhelmed with German.
I will have lappy with me which should be easier for blogging and keeping in touch with people than last summer with the iPad, and I also got a kindle for reading books! I already love him, I named him Ramon. It will be nice to have things to read without having to scour the hostels/English bookstores for books.
Other things I am still working out/will have to set up when I arrive:
Housing
Phone plan(bringing a smart phone so I have access to maps/apps/email/German translations
German bank account(need an address to get a bank account, so this will have to wait)
Plane ticket, need to figure out dates
Need to finish my information card set. I am making a set of cards with translations and helpful information for Germany as a class project. Really looking forward to having a list of meat items that I should try to avoid on menus. So great.
This six-month thing is a loooooong time and I will probably have to miss a few important events which I feel bad about, but I will send my thoughts and cards and messages from Germany!
Also, my friend Morgen is in Germany and will be there for a couple months after I get there! Can't wait to do German things together and take pictures with lion statues.
I'll post more information when I have it!
Auf Wiedersehen
soooo tricky
