Hi everyone! This week I had a calmer work week than my prior work weeks. I decided to use one of my vacation days on Friday, and Thursday ended up being a remote day for me. The two biggest things I did this week outside of work were going to the fan mile for Germany vs Spain and then going to the ZZtop concert.
On Friday with the extra time from not having work, I was able to go with a couple of others to the fan mile to watch Germany vs Spain in the semi-finals of the Euro Cup. As mentioned in my prior post the fan mile is a massive watch party at the Brandenburg Gate to watch the Euros Games. This game we were not as close to the Gate as we were the last time, but the atmosphere was still electric. When Germany scored a last-minute goal to take the game to overtime, the entire fan mile erupted in cheers and chants. Everyone was jumping, screaming, yelling, and hugging. It was a chaos of passion and joy. We were right next to a massive group of Spanish fans, so it felt super cool to hear both the German and Spanish chants/cheers. The experience was super cool and unique. Even though Germany ended up losing in extra time, it was amazing.
On Saturday I went to a ZZtop concert. ZZtop has been a band that I have enjoyed ever since I was a child. I have very fond memories of my dad playing the Eliminator CD on our stereo when I was a kid. So when I saw they were playing in Berlin, I knew I had to go. I got there super early to try and get as close to the stage as I could. I ended up waiting in line for over and hour in the rain. While I did not get as close as possible, I got very close to the stage! The concert itself was in an old Citadel converted to a concert venue– it was so cool! I loved every minute of the concert and got to hear almost every single one of my favorite songs from them. Waiting in the rain was definitely worth it. It was very funny, however, I think I was about 30/40 years younger than the median age of fans there.
The biggest difference in communication that I can think of between America and Germany is directness. In Germany, most communication is expected to be direct and to the point. I find this different than America where communication can often be very flowery and long. The best example I can think to explain this is the very simple low-context question “How are you doing”. In Germany, a simple “gut” or “ok” will do. In America, if you ask this question you can expect to be told someone’s entire life story. While I have gotten used to this German standard, I prefer the American way. I think that being so direct has both positives and negatives. On the positive end, expectations are often very clear; however, on the negative end, sometimes important supporting details can be lost in directness. That being said, in my experience, most Germans are very willing to explain any unclarity (as long as it is not repetitive).
I have definitely encountered miscommunication issues and that has been the biggest challenge in the hybrid work environment. My work day is at this point 99% in German. I am confident in my German skills, and I am competent with them in the work environment. This does not mean, however, that mistakes don’t happen. Sometimes I use the wrong word or misunderstand what someone is saying. This was more of a problem at the beginning of my time at Kenbi when I was less confident in my German skills and less confident around my coworkers. At this point, if I have any feeling that a miscommunication has happened, I ask for clarification. This has not been an issue with my coworkers, as I think they appreciate the extra effort it takes for me to do everything in German rather than English. With each day, using German in the workplace has gotten more and more natural. My time at Kenbi is coming to an end, but by the end of it, I’m sure it will almost feel completely natural.
It feels very weird that this is my second to last work week, and my time in Germany is almost at an end. It has been a great experience, and I am excited to write about how my final weeks here go!