***Flawless in Frankfurt

These past three weeks have felt like a crashing wave....

Realizing that Weihnachtspause was coming to an end and then trying to adjust from having so much fun and escaping responsibilities, to coming back to face them kind of made reality hit just a little bit harder. The next phase of the program is the Praktikum phase. By the end of January all of the participants are required to have found and secured an internship within a German company. I began my search in late Oktober or early November and had not gotten any positive responses from companies. So once I got back from Prague I continued my search for internships within a 50km radius. As time progressed it got closer and closer to the point where I wanted to just give up. Frustration really was getting the best of me. Plus the Zwischenseminar (Mid-year Seminar) was steadily approaching, and what would I say once I met the program coordinators in person? 

About two weeks ago I received a call from a company asking me to come in for an interview. I was thrilled and nervous at the same time. The interview was on the morning I was leaving heading to Frankfurt for the seminar. I interviewed with the manager (who is a really great guy) talked over a few details, and he won me over. By the end of the interview I had an internship with a start date well on the way!

Now it was time to head to Frankfurt and meet up with the other PPPler's. The week-long seminar consisted of various trips and discussions on how we have dealt with the program up til this point. The first day we did an overall critique of the program and it's components. That night we went to a Neujahrskonzert at the Opera House in downtown Frankfurt. The GIZ sponsored this trip plus I've never been to an opera before so it was a real treat. Unfortunately we couldn't take any photos or video of the actual show, but I will say it was incredible seeing such talent and hearing amazing voices. You can tell that the Opera singers were experienced and had spent years strengthening their diaphragms. Their voices were so full and well rounded.

a little Black Excellence before the Opera

Alex and I after the opera/concert. photo courtesy of: http://alexbuscaglia.tumblr.com/

That wednesday we took a trip to Point Alpha which is a historical site in the central German state of Thüringen. Frankfurt is in the state of Hessen which borders Thüringen and is also where the border of East and West Germany once was. We spent the day touring the grounds and hearing stories from when the guarded gates between East & West Germany were still up. Some of the stories were horrendous. There were so many people who attempted to escape to either side for freedom, or to be with their loved ones they were separated from. Each time they were met with either gunfire, electrified fences, dogs trained to kill, or even a full bed of landmines. 

Later we talked with former residents of East Germany during communism, at that time it was known as the DDR or the Deutsche Demokratische Republik. 


Thursday was the last full day we all had together and it was spent at the GIZ headquarters in Eschborn. THE ENTIRE DAY. We had speakers from the Chamber of Commerce, John Deere, and a current Foreign Service Officer who told us of her experiences and overall life in the Foreign Service and as a Consultant. The stories she told us of her past experiences were so incredible.. This woman has been all over the world! Plus she was really straightforward when it came to answering some of the other participants questions, which I found hilarious. Later that afternoon we wrapped things up with a presentation by some of the participants who were apart of the Model UN conference that was held in Bonn. Each table in the audience were split into groups that played the role as different countries apart of the United Nations. We did a scenario where we had to handle a hypothetical situation that we all needed to come to a consensus and agree upon. After a much heated debate between countries (shoutout to "China" for their comments haha), we ended with some of the participants discussing their Ehrenamt (volunteer work) during the course of the last 4 months. We returned to the hostel in Frankfurt ready for dinner and to get our nights started.

The theme for that night was

 

Since it was our last night together before we were scattered throughout Germany once more, we decided to find a club or somewhere to have some fun. It took us about an hour and some change to figure out just where the hell we were going. The first place we had in mind was over an hour away on foot, and with the curfew being 2am we were not taking ANY chances (otherwise we would be locked out of the hostel until 6am that morning). 

The end result was this cool spot I found online called Velvet Club that was surprisingly having a Single's party. It was one of the best nights I think any of us had since the new year started.

an awesome night with my favorite people

At one point that night I ripped my favorite pair of jeans. This happened after being there 30 minutes or so. I didn't want to go back to the hostel super early after ripping them, because I mean... I paid 8€ to get in and we had only been there for like 30 minutes! So I just stayed and continued to dance the night away. Unfortunately that made the small rip grow even more, and I ended up leaving the club in my latest fashion creation.

it was totally worth it

That next morning we "woke up lik dis..."

We finished packing, made it to breakfast, and then discussed with the coordinators Wichtige Hinweise zur Praktikumsphase (Important information for the Internship phase). Some important questions were asked, most of them seemed to be specific to whichever company you may be working for. Although we did learn that our final seminar will be sometime in late May in Berlin. So I suppose I will get to explore that vast city once more. Also, we learned of the date when we will return back to the U.S.

July 16th, 2014

By 11am were completely done with the seminar and everyone was saying their heartfelt goodbyes. It was a little depressing to have only spent a short time with everyone. Some of us couldn't say our wholehearted goodbyes just yet though. A group of us decided to have lunch at the most American restaurant in Frankfurt.

CHIPOTLE!

Last meal before departing. I was really going HAM on that burrito.

I have to admit that I'm not the biggest fan of Chipotle, but being able to enjoy it around amazing people somehow made my burrito taste 100x better. One by one people started to leave and head towards their destinations. I stuck around a little longer and talked to some of the others who were living nearby and chatted with them for a bit. Then headed to the train station and said goodbye one last time. A few hours later I was back in Reutlingen sore and trying my best to soak in everything that occurred that past week.

Now it's the beginning of a new month and things seem to be moving even faster. I can't believe I've officially been in Germany for 6 months! Where did the time go? 

How are we already starting the 2nd month of 2014? Good grief.

I start my internship with my German company on the 10th of February which gives me roughly 8-9 days to mentally prepare before beginning this next crazy phase of my life. Although no matter what happens these next few weeks, I know that I can always look back to that one Thursday night in Frankfurt. Of how I was surrounded by some of the people I've grown to love. Smile to myself, and remember that it was.....

FLAWLESS