This past week I found myself thinking about how little time I have left in Berlin! It has been increasingly harder to stay in the moment when I know that I now only have 2 weeks in Germany. It is crazy to think “wait this is probably our last time here” when we visit our favorite parks and restaurants. Nonetheless, I have not let the sadness of leaving stop me from seeing everything I want to. This week was just as packed as every other!

I spent the beginning of this week with my mom, brother, and sister. We ventured to the top of the Berliner Dom, watched Germany lose against Paraguay, tried some fantastic restaurants recommended to me by my coworkers. On their last day I was able to visit Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp. It was a very informative experience, and although it was heartbreaking to view the place that so many innocent people were murdered, I am glad I was able to educate myself on such an important topic. Germany is a good example of a country that uses its history as a way to educate people. It holds itself accountable and there are many opportunities to learn about the past.

Sadly, my family can’t stay forever. When I got back to work I continued with my Excel based projects. It has been shockingly fun working on my skills and implementing what I have learned at Pitt to analyze real life data. It has also been interesting learning new ways to present data. Genuinely the hours have been flying by, and before I know it my work day is over.

I have expressed how much I love the company I work at, and the main part of the is because of how kind and welcoming my coworkers have been. When I was preparing for Berlin I expected my coworkers to be polite, but they have gone above and beyond to make me feel like a part of HEYL. During orientation I was under the impression that discussing anything other than work would not be tolerated, and everything is incredibly strict. From my very first day, everyone has been supportive and approachable. 

Before starting, I was under the impression that the office would be extremely formal. My takeaway from orientation was that conversations would be strictly work related and that discussing anything else would not be normal. My assumption was that there would be little room for being casual.

Don’t get me wrong, my office is a very professional place. Everyone takes their work seriously and is committed to being a good employee. What I have discovered is how easily professionalism and friendliness coexist at work. Chatting about weekend plans and restaurant recommendations is completely normal. Those types of conversations have had a huge impact on my experience, and allowed me to feel very included in the office culture.

As we enter the second to last week I continue to remind myself to live in the moment. I have no idea when I will be back in Berlin, and I need to make the absolute most of my time here.