Hello! So far my time in Germany has been amazing both in the workplace and out of the workplace. So far at Kenbi, I have had a great time getting to know everyone and learning a lot. Right off the bat, they gave me a work computer and a work phone. I felt extremely professional in that moment even though “2 Phones” by Kevin Gates kept playing in my head. My favorite experience there so far was going to a finance meeting between all the region leads that was held completely in German. It was a lot of mental work for me to understand everything, but it was truly a great experience. I also started to use PowerBI this week which I had a lot of fun with. I was using it to analyze invoices/invoices paid in addition to planned/real sales. It was very interesting.
Outside of work, I decided to go to Dresden on Saturday. I used my Deutschland ticket to take a train there in the morning. Dresden is a city that has been on my bucket list for the longest time. As soon as I got there I was stunned by the beauty of the city– it was truly remarkable. From the Zwinger Palace to the Frauenkirche it felt like I was in a movie. On all sides, I was surrounded by some of the most beautiful buildings I had ever seen. In addition to the beauty of the city, I was also struck by the Elbe River. Its currents cut through the city, dividing the new and old city. It is a truly impressive river. I greatly enjoyed walking around it and soaking in its natural beauty. I also went to the German Military Museum which was very interesting. It hosted a variety of artifacts from the HRE all the way to modern-day Germany. Even with the day I spent there, I feel like there is so much more there for me to do and I would love to go back!
It was not all sunshine and rainbows in Dresden, as the title implies. I made a costly mistake on my journey back that cost me around 90 dollars and a lot of stress. When I was leaving Dresden, my phone battery was at 6% and I did not have a charger. I was in a rush and ended up on the wrong train, heading the completely other direction. On top of that it was a high-speed rail train which my ticket did not cover, so I had to pay around 70 dollars for a ticket. I would have been fined even more but the conductor was very understanding of my situation. So I got off that train in Leipzig with a ticket back to Berlin, but my phone was dead and I needed it to show the ticket to the conductor on the next train. I then went to a local store to buy a charging cable and block which set me back about 20 dollars. Thankfully once I got on the train to Berlin everything went smoothly and made it back, but it was quite a stressful journey.
At my internship so far I have not had a problem with time management. I have to work 40 hours a week and can choose how I allocate my hours in the week. So far I have chosen to go in for 8/9 and then work 8 hours. I am then given the task for me to do for the day. I have found at the office I do not have any problem focusing and managing my time. I am able to lock in there and typically get my work done early. I did work remotely, however, on Friday. I found it then extremely hard to manage my time well compared to when I was in the office. I think in the future to keep managing my time well I will work in the office as much as I can. I also find that motivating myself with little things like checking my phone are good methods for me to lock in and get a lot of work done. By making my phone a reward I avoid it distracting me. I also found that the best way I have at prioritizing important tasks is to just get started at it right away. The more slack I give myself, the more likely I am to slack off and not get something done. As such I make it a point to be strict with myself and getting started on important tasks promptly.
Overall, I have been loving Germany and learning a lot. I cant wait to see what else Germany and Kenbi has to offer. I will also make sure to always bring a charger on future trips…