It feels unreal to think that this past week was my first full week at HEYL. It seems like I have been in Germany for months, yet somehow at the same time, I feel like I only arrived a few days ago. This week was so busy that I had to look back in my camera roll to remember everything I did! It was an exciting week at the office for me, with the highlight of a 2 day business trip. I joined a colleague in Hannover, Germany to attend INTERSCHUTZ 2026, a trade show that only occurs every 5 years. It was such an interesting experience because there were so many topics being explored, such as climate change, civil protection, sustainability, and AI in use. HEYL is a leader in chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear medical countermeasures, so it was fascinating to see how valued their products are to military groups, hospitals, and civil protection groups like firefighters. As I mentioned previously, this event only takes place once every 5 years, meaning that it was packed. There were business people, fire fighters, and families all attending INTERSCHUTZ, so I had a lot of fun talking to people from a wide range of backgrounds. On occasion it was my job to stand at the booth alone and discuss the products with whoever was interested. This was nerve wracking because sometimes important potential customers would approach me. I have an understanding of the products, but the technical chemical details can be hard to remember on the spot sometimes. I had directions of what to say, but it was sometimes an uncertain situation based on when exactly I was talking to (some people were more interested in our free pens than the products). My way of handling this was to treat everyone like the most important customer in the world. I gave the same explanation to everybody, even if it was a young kid.

Traveling on Monday and Wednesday made me pretty exhausted, but I still found time to explore! There were plenty of standout moments. I had the best donut I have ever had in my life at a small place my roommate found. I have been talking about this donut all week it was that good. A couple of us went to a freiluftkino (outdoor cinema) which was a fun evening activity. We saw Little Miss Sunshine, mostly because it was in English, and it turned out to be a cute movie that was totally worth getting lost in the woods on the way to theater. Another after work adventure was a quick trip to Charlottenburg Palace. Despite being under construction, it is a beautiful palace with so much detail on the exterior. The outside includes a very pretty garden with a park and a small pond. Thursday might have included my favorite stop of the week, Markthalle Neun. Every week there is a street food market with a large variety of vendors selling everything from Turkish and Korean food to German and Italian cuisine.

This weekend was one to remember. We planned a trip to Hamburg late Thursday afternoon, and managed to plan a great 24 hours. We tried authentic foods, saw the beautiful city hall, and rode the ferry for some great views of the city. Hamburg is a different feeling from Berlin in that Berlin feels like every neighborhood is its own city. I think that is why I have loved being here so much. Pittsburgh is absolutely miniscule compared to Berlin, so it is new experience having a new place to go everyday after work. Hamburg was a fun city to visit, and I am glad my coworkers recommended that I go! Despite some Flixbus / train delays we still managed to see everything we wanted to (and of course hit up a photo booth).

Overall, this week gave me a great balance of work, travel, and new experiences. I am starting to feel more comfortable navigating life here while still being constantly surprised by everything around me in the best way possible. I am excited for what is ahead as I get more settled into my internships and continue discovering more places to explore. Next week I look forward to finding indoor activities, as it is predicted to rain quite a few days!