First week down! This past week has been both incredible and tiring. The first three days were activity packed with German lessons, sight seeing, attending museums, and exploring Berlin. Although it was exhausting at times, it was amazing to travel all around Berlin and experience all of its interesting culture and learn about its extensive history. The last day we went on a hike outside of the main city area in a more rural town. A lot of people who live in Berlin would go to the area on the weekends and bike and swim. It was nice to get out of the busy city for a little. My favorite activity from the week was definitely going to see the Berlin Wall that was covered in art, and then going to a beer garden.
Some important German culture differences/guidelines I’ve learned: Germans like to be punctual, so I will make sure to arrive early to my internship every day to make a good impression. It’s important to look presentable, even when going to the grocery store. I don’t think I saw one person in sweatpants or a hoodie. Grocery stores will be closed on Sunday, so make sure to do all grocery shopping on Saturday or during the week. Don’t cross the street if it’s a red light, always wait until green.
At the beginning of the week, we had Britta showing us around and navigating us through the public transportation system, as well as planning out our whole week for us (which she was great at), however that won’t be the case for the remainder of the trip. After we said goodbye to Britta on Friday, it hit me that we were now on our own, which is both frightening and exciting. I’m looking forward to navigating the city on my own, how ever uncomfortable or scary that might be. Finally, Germans are more blunt and straight to the point than Americans. In America, we tend to sugarcoat things to come off more polite, however in Germany it’s better to just say what you mean. It’s not meant to be taken personally, it’s just meant to be more straightforward and efficient.
Being able to spend time with the other students in the program and get to know them made this week all the more special. This experience will be intimidating and uncomfortable at times, so being surrounded by a good group of people who you can trust and depend on is crucial to not letting negative thoughts or feelings overcome you. Overall this first week has made me excited to see what the following weeks have in store for me.
The company I’m working at for the next 8 weeks is in the real estate industry. An important part of working at a company is knowing what specific skills and strengths are needed to be a successful and efficient employee. Specifically for Real Estate as it is very reliant on the state of the economy, it’s important to know about market conditions and trends. If the economy is in a downturn, there will be less demand for office spaces and other properties therefore it’s important to be able to predict these trends to be better prepared as it could have serious affects on the company.
Real estate is a very client focused industry, so it’s important to have good people skills and be able to maintain strong relationships with the tenant. I hope to build on my ability to build relationships with clients as it is common for accountants to work with them face to face. Additionally, it’s important to have at least a general knowledge of the industry-specific accounting rules and regulations. There are different rules for each industry in accounting, as well as different rules for different countries. Similarly, as I am working in a different country where GAAP is not used, knowing the international financial reporting standards will be a key competency that is unique to working abroad.
Working in a different country, there’s obvious cultural differences that are important to be aware of. It’s important for me to be aware of them so that I can prepare myself and not be surprised if there are certain business etiquettes that are different than what I’m used to. For example, if I make a mistake, in Germany it’s common for a supervisor to be straightforward and let the person know what they did wrong, unlike in the U.S. where usually it would be sugar coated. If I wasn’t aware of this difference in culture, I might have been surprised, whereas now I can be prepared and expect to be spoken to straightforwardly.