The Life of an Intern

Today I reached a small milestone on my path to learning what I consider to be a difficult second language--German. The German law requires all new residents to register with the local Bürgeramt within a week of moving into a new place and since today marks my first week here, I decided to go before work this morning. The building serves as a city hall and when you walk in, you have to take a number and wait for it to show on an electronic board before you walk to the appropriate cubicle, much like a bank. The man who helped me didn't speak any English, but I was still able to successfully answer demographic and psychographic questions so that he could complete my registration on the computer. I was probably only there for 10 minutes, but knowing that I could actually be understood gave me the confidence boost I've needed.

My internship has been going well so far! I am working at earthfaves and the office is only a 4 minute walk from my flat, which is really convenient. The company is a small startup that is on the brink of launching its website later this year. There are other international interns that I work with-- Ludivine & Frédéric (from France), Raafi (from India), Diego, Jesus, & Carles (from Spain), and Guy (from Cameroon). We are kind of a random bunch, working on either development or marketing. At almost any time of the day you can hear four different languages being spoken all at once (German, English, Spanish, & French). And since I am the only native English speaker, I've become the go-to expert for all questions regarding the language. I sometimes have to look up definitions when I am asked to explain the meaning of everyday words (such as the difference between may and might) The website is in English, so I will probably have the opportunity to do a lot of writing this summer.

The work environment is great. Everyone has a good sense of humor, so we joke around a lot. Today I learned how to play the Spanish, German, & French versions of Rock Paper Scissors. Tonight we had an interns night out at a diskothek called Kufa and even though there was not a lot of people there, we took over the dance floor. I must say-- the earthfaves team has some pretty crazy dancers!

this song is really big over here-- I hear it everyday.