Final Thoughts and Highlights from my Time Abroad

Way back when (May 8^th to be exact) I left my house in Washington Crossing Pennsylvania to begin the adventure of a lifetime. With 2 overweight suitcases, a chuffed duffel bag and a mind full of uncertainty I arrived in Berlin, Germany.

The first week abroad I couldn’t help but marvel at how different everything around me seemed. Everything from the elegant streets of Ku’Damm, to the trendy architecture of East Berlin, the lunchtime staple “currywurst,” to the techno music radiating from clubs on Weekday afternoons, felt sophisticated, refined and inherently more glamorous than any city I’ve experienced before. Even buying a simple bottle of shampoo from Rossmans ( Germany’s equivalent to Walgreens) seemed exciting, as if it was innately more dignified coming from Berlin.

Starting my 10 week internship in Kleinmachnow ( a suburb of Berlin) only intensified my curiosity and wonder for Berlin. The building I worked in had a rooftop pool, full length glass windows, a replica of the Brandenburger Tor, and countless Perfumes lining the walls of each room. The ability to to work on a variety of projects and to observe numerous aspects of product development and marketing in such a posh environment was incredible and it was a very valuable experience to participate in the processes, strategies, and decision making involved in the launch of a new Perfume Brand for the German beauty market.

As the weeks went buy, I found that this country that had once seemed so foreign to me began to feel like home. During my time in Berlin, I battled jet lag, sickness, delayed flights, shut down railways, cultural mishaps, miscommunications and countless challenges, but along the way this city never lost its marvel. While I have had the opportunity to travel to international cities like Paris, Rome, Lido, Venice, Wroclaw, Lucerne, Zürich, and Prague—cities that many would consider much more beautiful and captivating— Berlin will always be my favorite city in Europe.

I can’t believe its almost time to leave this city and return to the U.S. Looking back I have so many wonderful memories of my Summer in Berlin. Some of the highlights of my time here and things that I will truly miss are:

Escape Room in Berlin- it was my first time doing an escape room and it was truly a cool experience
Tian Phu Chinese Resturuant on Uhlandstraße- best Chinese food i’ve ever had
Badeschiff, Zeitlose, Monkey Bar, Watergate, KitKat and all the other trendy bars and clubs
Getting birscher Müsle and fresh watermelon/pineapple from “Zeit für Brot” and “Vitaminschen” EVERY MORNING before work.
Charlottenburg Schloss – going for a run through the gardens, or just sitting and reading a book
KaDeWe- amazing shopping.. need i say more…
Berlin Mitte and Museum Island’s hip atmosphere and stunning architecture
Going to get dinner and drinks with pals from the IIP group – theres so many delicious restaurants
Making delicious Cappuccinos with the coffee machine at work
Chatting with locals in German about how angry we are that the bus/train is so late
The Berlin ZOO- seriously the best zoo i’ve ever been to and probably one of the best days of this whole trip
Britta and the Intrax team
And of course my trips to Poland, Prague, Venice, and Switzerland!