Day 40

Art class was interesting today. We wandered around Bonn and checked out some of the local buildings a little more closely. It was interesting to learn that the University building is an old palace and to check out the architecture a little more closely.

We also visited the church in Munster platz. It was very beautiful inside. I can see why church was so powerful in Europe’s history. I almost want to go back for a mass one of these days. I think that would be interesting.

We learned a lot about the structure of the church and I really enjoyed learning in the church because I could put images to the terms not just drawings.

I’m meeting up with Emma and Ruslan tonight in Köln for some drinks. Should be fun!! J

It sucks we don’t have Internet but since I have plans who cares!

Tschüß!!

Day 39- Last Day in Brühl

Tschüß VR Bank Rhein Erft!! Today was the last day in Brühl, very bitter sweet. L

I spent most of the day with Herr Reich and attended a couple of meetings. As usual there was more learning. J My favorite part of the day was when I got to sit in on an appointment with a client who wanted to organize his portfolio before vacation. A lot of current events were discussed and I was very excited because I understood what was going on and was able to give a little input. (Thank you Professor Kotaro Yoshida!!!!)

I also received a letter from Herr Reich and the bank listing all of the things I did and what they thought of me. I couldn’t believe what an impression I made! I am very thankful for this opportunity.

Overall my time with the bank was very enriching. I am very lucky to have had the opportunity to learn so much, meet so many people and be apart of everyday operations. J

Tomorrow I have another art class. Should be fun!

Tschüß!!

Day 38

I’m pretty exhausted after today. I did so much thinking!!  I worked with Herr Richter all day and man was it a mental workout! Though I have to say I was really lucky to work with such an important part of the bank so closely. Herr Richter treated me just like a student and took the time to explain a lot of concepts and even gave me some small tasks to perform.

I felt like I was taking an accounting course again. I had to relearn everything because I didn’t know the translations for some words. Most of the time I find it easier to just learn the meaning in German and forget what the translation would be but I understand the concepts in German, which can sometimes make things a little confusing but its all part of the learning process.

Tomorrow is my last day at Brühl. I’m going to miss VR Bank but I’m also excited for the new opportunity to learn something new. J

Tschüß!!

Day 37

Man was I nervous taking the train today. This was the first time on my own heading out of the city to somewhere other than Köln. Everything turned out right but I was still worried about being late, going the wrong way, and missing the station, since the train would be right on time for when I needed to be in Brühl.

I spent the work day with Herr Reich’s team and did some work with the mail and a couple of excel files. I really enjoyed talking with Herr Ballman and Herr Pommer (two men in Herr Reich’s team). They were very funny and had lots to tell about Germany. I also tried the German equivalent to a Twinkie!! I think it was more of a mix between a HOHO and a Twinkie making it extra delicious! Haha.

During lunch I walked around Brühl and just took in the city. It’s nice there but not really my style.

Tomorrow I’ll be working with Herr Richter, the controller for VR Bank. I’m very excited since this means accounting work.

Tschüß!!

Day 36

Today was GORGEOUS!!! I couldn’t stay inside and do homework so instead I took my bike and rode into the city and did homework outside in front of the University. Sitting in the sun made doing homework so much better. Surprisingly, I actually got a lot done. As a reward I went to the beer garden near the Rhein and had German pizza with a cold Becks. (Sounds absolutely terrible doesn’t it??? Haha).

I also managed to do a little grocery shopping and planned a trip to Amsterdam and Prag, before class. I bought a couple bottles of wine at the grocery store since it’s so cheap to buy wine here and I plan on trying it this week with some pasta. J

Class was really interesting. I really think I’m going to enjoy this course. Most of our learning will never be in the classroom and we are going to go to a couple of cities outside Germany too. Next Monday we’re going to Aachen, a small city in Germany, and this Friday we’re going to check out Bonn and the art in the city.

Today was a pretty productive day and tomorrow I’ll be going to Brühl for another day with VR-Bank Rhein Erft.

Tschüß!!

Day 35

Well I did end up going out last night with the interns. It was really a lot of fun. I feel so old though, since I’m always tired by 10 and ready for bed! Hopefully that’ll change soon J. Five of us met up in the bar, Brigitte (from Holand), Tara (from India/England), A girl from Bangladesh/Scotland whose name I will butcher if I try to spell it, and the brother of one of the interns who didn’t come, Ruslan.

We all met up again,today, to visit Drakenfels. Ruslan lives in Bonn and offered to take us and show us around. It’s part of the seven mountains in Bonn where legend has it a king slayed a dragon. Thankfully we had wonderful weather since we were hiking most of the day. It was gorgeous! We didn’t go to the castle but we saw it along the way and man oh man what a sight. I’ll have to go back since it’s not far from where I live J. We had to hike quite a ways up so on our way down we rewarded ourselves with some ice cream. I also picked up some shot glasses. J

It was a wonderful day.

Tomorrow is my first day with my art professor. I am really looking forward to seeing what this class is going to be like.

Tschüß!!

Day 34

 Welp I didn’t take the flight. I’m still really bummed out that I made that mistake but oh well. I met a new girl in our apartment who is interning at the United Nations and we made plans to go out tonight to an Irish pub with some other interns. Should be really interesting!

Until then, I’m just going to do some reading, look up some flights and take it easy. J

Tschüß!!

Day 33

For having the day off I sure kept myself busy!

For starters… yesterday night I managed to book a trip to Rome!!! December 3^rd to the 6^th.  THREE WHOLE DAYS!! Ahhhh I’m so excited. J

However I also made a mistake and tried to do a blind booking… I booked a flight for tomorrow to Friedrichschafen but I can’t seem to find a hotel that doesn’t cost 70 euros, so I think I’m going to miss the flight. Word of advice, when booking a blind date with Germanwings,  do it in advance and don’t be afraid to pay the 5 extra Euros to eliminate a few destinations it’s still cheaper than booking the flight directly. Also make sure you are willing to fly out at any time on both days you pick because flights can be anywhere from 6 in the morning to midnight. I was really bummed that I made the mistake but at least now I know for next time.

After all of that drama I ventured out into Bonn to visit the Rheinland museum. I walked the Rhein and then through the city to get to the museum. It was a pleasant walk though I think I’m going a little crazy not having someone to talk to, text or call along the way. It’s not terrible but sometimes it’s a little lonely.

The Rheinland museum was really interesting. Its composed of history from all along the Rhein. I feel like I’m really getting to know where I’m living, which will make it that much harder to leave.

The museum had a special exhibit on the Renaissance  along the Rhein. I was so excited because I love the Renaissance. J I was a true tourist and took pictures in a restricted area… no big deal. Haha.  I was such a dork and took pictures of such minor details but in doing so I found some art work in which on the priest's clothing were swastikas. I thought it was really neat to see that their since before the Nazis swastikas were symbols of good luck (thank you wikipedia!! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swastika) 

There were also men and women scattered throughout the museum which scared the heck out of me every time I turned the corner. 

These "people" are memorials to famous people who come from the Rheinland. like this guy!

My favorite part of my visit was my discussion with one of the security guards. He explained to me that the random people were memorials to famous people who came from the Rheinland. Must have been fate because he took me straight to a Jewish woman who survived the Holocaust who was from the Rheinland. He also showed me a small room dedicated to the destroyed cities along the Rhein. It was really well put together. There was also a hallway he took me through which had pictures from the war and concentration camps. The pictures were behind what looked like a steel wall and through bared windows one could see the pictures. I noticed this was similar to the exhibit in Haus der Geschischte. . I proceeded to ask him why the exhibits were designed in such a way that the information seemed hidden. His response was because very complex and detailed. He explained that this museum was specifically for the Rheinland and the Second World War was just a small piece of that history. He made it clear that he wanted me to understand the importance of remembering such a time but that the newer generations of Germany don’t need to bear the blame for what their parents or grandparents may or not have taken part in. I immediately concurred and saw the similarities in America with slavery.  We must have talked for a half hour or so but it was really nice to get a new perspective on things and more information on how history is depicted in a foreign country. J

 

After the museum I headed home, but first stopped at the train station to see if I could plan a trip to see Neuschwanstein and travel into Austria to see Mauthausen. Since I didn’t have specific dates I needed to go home, get some information and come back. On my way back I met some guys on the subway who were doing an internship near Heussallee. I almost went to Köln with them for a night of partying but decided not to since I’m still debating about taking the flight and it leaves at 6:45.  I hope I can meet up with them some other time and finally make some younger connections! Only time will tell. For now I’m off to bed to see what tomorrow will bring.

 Tschüß!!

Day 32

What a long day!!! Today was the last day I rode with Herr Küpper. L

I’m really going to miss our morning conversations, but he invited me to dinner with his girlfriend and to a soccer game! He lives in Bonn, so maybe we can discuss the team meeting on a weekend.

Things were a little chaotic in Brühl because at 3 in the morning someone set off the alarm by trying to break in through the parking garage.  I would never imagine something like that in such a small city! Then again who ever did it knew what they were doing because they took everything that would have had fingerprints with them and Brühl is the main bank for VR-Bank Rhein Erft.

Today was really different because I spent time behind the scenes of the bank instead of on the floor with clients. I attended a meeting with Herr Reich (my new supervisor) with a potential business partner to market house saving plans to clients. At first I misunderstood what was being discussed since I was still in the mind frame of selling products to clients, not looking to buy a product. It will be interesting to see the marketing techniques of a bank.

After that I spent the day with Herr Reich. We discussed the bank’s history, principals and the differences between the American business culture and the German culture. Overall, a very productive and interesting day.

 I also received a small project. Though it’s not really business related its still something! I need to write a synopsis about my experience with the VR, which will be displayed on the website. This gives me something to do over the weekend!

Thursdays are long workdays with VR. We work till 6:30, that meant with my walk on the Rhein that I wasn’t home till 7:30. Now it’s bed time.

Tschüß!!

Day 31

Today was the big meeting. Though I was lost at some parts I really enjoyed the experience. Really liked how the meeting was conducted and was very interested in what was being discussed and how everyone had some sort of input. It was a very productive meeting. I can’t wait to go over the notes I took with Herr Küpper to learn more about certain topics. The best part of this experience has to be using and improving my German. I love asking questions and finding out I understood more than I thought, it makes me feel like German is becoming less foreign to me.  J

The meeting was held in another city other than Weilerswist (but wasn’t more than 15 minutes away) and lasted from 9:00 to about 1:30. We spent the rest of the afternoon in Weilerswist. A colleague made lunch for everyone to celebrate her birthday last week. She made this amazing beef, onion soup, I can’t wait to try and make it!

Today was a little bitter-sweet since it was my last day. I’m a little nervous for Brühl tomorrow but I’d have to say I’m more excited for something new. J

Tschüß!!!

Day 30

Another day in Weilerswist. The manager in Brühl is out of the office for today and Wednesday so that means more time in Weilerswist. J

Today was just another work day, I tried to find more things to do by consistently asking for tasks and volunteering to make copies, get coffee, anything. It helps move the day along too when I ask questions.

Herr Küpper went over the last part of the Teamsitztung with me today. I really enjoyed it since it had to do with the figures behind the bank (accounting mambo-jumbo J)

Tomorrow Herr Küpper and I are going to a very important meeting.  All of the bank managers for the Erft region are meeting with Herr Leurs to discuss ways to improve bank progress. I can’t really say much more but I do believe it will be a great learning experience!

Since I had to buy the tickets to Brühl I decided not to pay for a monthly pass to use the local transportation (bike solution). So today I walked along the Rhein to get home from the central station.  Though it took me a half hour there was absolutely nothing to complain about, I don’t think I’ll get sick of taking that way home. J

Tschüß!!

Day 29

Today I met Hartwig in Köln to discuss my plans while I am here and how I will travel in the last week. There are so many things I want to accomplish!!! Hartwig is helping me set up a meeting with a specialist on my topic in Köln. I really can’t wait!

We had a lot to discuss so we decided to do it over some lunch. J I had pig’s ankles, a traditional Bavarian dish.  It was actually really good!

Over lunch we talked about possible places for me to visit in Germany. As of right now the list is compromised of Freiburg (to see the black forest), München/Dachau (to see Dachau), Nuremburg, Dresden, Wittenburg(?), Hamburg and Bremen. I need to wait to plan the trip because time schedules for trains in December don’t come out till November. I’m finding it’s really hard to book things here because of all the minor details. Sometimes it’s cheaper to fly than to take a train. I’ve been looking at Germanwings, Ryanair, Airberlin and Billigefluge. Sometimes flights look good, sometimes not so much it’s really takes a lot of work. (I’ll write a separate post about traveling theres so much to say!)

Hartwig and I also discussed possiblities for me to stay another semester by finding an internship! I realy want it to work out but it’s hard to say with all of the hoops to jump through if I get paid (which I need to :/) and I don’t know if it’s too late to look for next semester.

So much to do I don’t know where to begin!!

Tschüß!!

Days 24-28

I’ve really been slacking on this!!

Wednesday through Friday I was in Weilerswist. I worked an extra day so I could go to the Betriebsfest (company party) for Volk’s Bank.  I really like being at the bank.

Though it’s small I get to see a lot of different aspects each day. I still have the job of collecting the payment slips but other tasks are being added on, like making copies, making coffee, getting signatures and so on. It sounds like typical internship work but really it’s almost like a class. This is because in between all of these little tasks we’re meeting with clients and I get to observe what goes on and how the bank helps with their problems and concerns. Afterwards I get to ask all sorts of questions and even make suggestions, which is really neat. I don’t think I could have gotten this much one on one attention at a larger bank.

Friday, after work, Herr Küpper took me to the Betriebsfest. The fest was held at an old castle (go figure!!) I couldn’t get over how neat that was.

 At first I was very uncomfortable since this fest is in celebration of everyone’s hard work for the bank in the previous year and I wasn’t part of this group. I was also concerned about how I would be precieved, since at this fest a lot of the people would be drinking and I wasn’t sure if I should considering if I did it could be seen as an American indulgence or if I didn’t I wasn’t embracing the culture. This was all really silly looking back at myself. I did end up having a Kölsch (beer of the area) at dinner and enjoy a cocktail later in the evening and it wasn’t strange, I didn’t look foolish and everyone was too busy having a good time to worry about what it was I was doing. (It’s funny how hard it is to shake societal structure even when you’re out of the said society.)

The fest was a very casual version of the Gerstacker etiquette dinner.  There was Champaign to begin with some casual talking before we were ushered in to have a very nice dinner. ( I can’t get enough of the food here!!) Afterwards we went upstairs for cocktails, dancing and karaoke. I loved how involved everyone was and how much singing was done. It was a great experience.  The fest lasted almost to 1 or 2 in the morning but I left a little earlier.

I ended up going home that night with Emma and stayed at her house after meeting some of her friends.  It was nice to stay at her house since it had that homey feeling. J

The next morning I had breakfast with her family. It was really interesting because her parents are Russian not German. It was a little hard to understand their German but Emma helped clear things up when it was needed.  I love the breakfast’s here. Totally something dad and Uncle Jeff would enjoy with all of the meat and cheese and doughnuts and everything. (though I know they would miss their eggs and bacon!!)

Emma took me home and came over later that night with some of her friends. We watched the Simpsons and played Taboo (in German).  It’s a great way to practice German I think we should look into buying a game for the program at Albion.

Sunday was spent lying in bed and doing homework. Not too much to report.

I have two more days in Weilerswist next week and one in Brühl. Hopefully I won’t slack this time. Though I wonder a lot if anyone is really reading this. Especially since no one answered my candy question. L Oh well. J

Tschüß!!! 

Day 23

Another day at the office! I like the sound of that.

Frau Wassung, a coworker here, was needed at another branch. That meant that Emma had to pick up her tasks. This was good for me because I got to help her. J

I did a lot of work with accounts and adding monthly payments to an account. Its interesting how many uses the banks here have and how the accounts work. Online banking is relatively new here too, which is also hard to believe.

Emma really helped me out today with teaching me how to use the computers and inputting client information. I also gained a new task of collecting the payment slips. At the banks here clients can fill out what looks like deposit slips to pay bills and make other payments directly to other accounts by the people who work at the bank. It’s different.. but very interesting.

Herr Küpper and I also went over the team meeting again today. I really like this aspect of the bank. I get to see the numbers behind management and see where there needs to be improvement and what is going well. Though sometimes I wish I could do more hands on work, I’m really having a great experience.

Tschüß!!