Peace & Upheaval in Europe
After graduating university, I did a communication internship with fischer group, a stainless steel manufacturing company, at their head office in Achern, Germany.
Starting in October 2015, I corresponded between the North American office in Waterloo, the head office, and an American developing company hired to build new plants for fischer in North America.
My biggest challenges were the differences in culture and language. The peaceful and reserved mountain village I was living in was quite different from the rambunctious and neighbourly Eastern Canadian city I had just spent four years in.
In Achern, I had to know German. After a seven year hiatus from speaking the little bit of German I knew, I threw myself into a predominantly German place. I’m proud to say I call myself proficient in conversational (Schwabisch!) German.
Small village near Achern, Germany, where I lived.
After leaving Germany in February 2016, I took the next couple months to see Europe. To understand just how close the countries are to each other. To have hope restored in flawless public transit systems. To eat dumplings, meatballs and waffles. I met up with a couple of friends, but for the most part, I was traveling alone.
It was a fascinating (albeit melancholic) time to be in Europe. I was living 25 kilometers from France when the Paris attacks happened. There was an attack in Belgium almost every day when I was traveling. My flight home departed from the Brussels airport a mere 25 hours before the airport bombing took place. Europe was in the balance between mourning and perseverance. It’s fortunate I left when I did, but witnessing this world changing time up-close is an experience I’ll hold on to.
Upheaval
Peace
