Hello! It has been a great first week of orientation. I had a blast exploring the city and visiting such amazing places as the Brandenburg Gate or the Altes Museum. Berlin is truly an amazing city and I am very grateful to be here for 8 weeks! Some of my favorite places were the Altes and Neus Museums. Both have such an extraordinary collection of artifacts from the Romans, Egyptians, Greeks, and other ancient civilizations. I was particularly amazed when I walked into the room holding the famed bust of Nefertiti– it somehow is even more impressive than photos do it justice.

One of my favorite things we did this past week was a hike on the outskirts of Berlin. We went to this very beautiful small rural town and hiked to a lake. It was a short hike, but the countryside was beautiful. It was a nice break from the city as well to reconnect with nature for a short bit. The lake looked extremely pristine and was so tempting to go swimming in; however, we sadly did not go swimming. To me it was amazing that such a beautiful place of nature was so close to the city, it felt surreal. I definitely plan to go on more hikes in the future while I am here.

In addition to experiencing the beauty of Berlin, I would say I learned a lot about Germans and German culture. The culture here is very different than America in many ways. For one people seem a lot more mellow than Americans. Oddly that seems to be one of the things I miss most about America– how expressive everyone is. It is definitely something that will take some getting used to. Also as the age-old stereotype says Germans are punctual. Punctuality is something that seems very important to Germans, so I will make sure to be punctual!

Tomorrow morning I will be starting my first day at my internship at Kenbi. Kenbi operates in the healthcare industry. While I have never worked in healthcare before I believe through research I have a solid understanding of it. I think one of the biggest skills one can have in this industry is persistence. In an industry like this situations can often go against you. Healthcare is an industry with a lot of ups and downs and it is important to be able to keep pushing no matter what setbacks you are given. I think it is also important in healthcare to have an eye for detail. When dealing with an industry such as healthcare there are mountains of laws, regulations, and overall paperwork. One misstep in these areas could cause great trouble for the firm so it is vital to have an eye for detail.

One of the things that appealed to me about this internship is perhaps one of the things that makes it very unique compared to America. It is a healthcare firm in Germany, not America. German and American healthcare companies operate under two completely different systems. This fascinated me from the start to have the ability to not just try and understand, but to be in the middle of a healthcare system that is so different than our own. I believe this may help to give me a more worldly perspective on the matter of healthcare and where America stands in regard to the world. Because the healthcare systems of Germany and America are so different an entirely different set of competencies are required to be successful in the German healthcare vs American healthcare industry. While yes many core aspects of the industry may be the same there are so many parts of the industry that are drastically different. For example, America operates under a fundamentally privatized medical system while Germany has universal healthcare. This is completely different and changes how the industries are run in these two countries. So firstly the laws and regulations one would need to understand are completely different. Also, I believe it requires a bit of a different outlook. The outlook that I would naturally have growing up in America is that of the system dominated by privatization. I believe it will take some time for me to understand and get used to the outlook of the German system. I am very excited about this, as I believe the American healthcare system is extremely flawed, and maybe understanding the German system can help me see some of the flaws in our system.

I can not wait to start and learn as much as I can about finance and German healthcare this week. I believe it will be a challenge, but one I am 100% ready to take. I am also very excited to keep exploring Berlin and Germany as a whole. Sometime soon I would like to take a trip to Dresden! Until next time!