itttttaly!

Everything went very smoothly with checking out of Magdeburg.  I went to Berlin to pick up Andrea, we toured Berlin, and came back to Magdeburg.  She was pretty out of it – who can blame her.  We woke up, cleaned my room and had the meeting with the Hausmeister.   Then we headed to the train station in Sylvias car and I said my final farewell to Magdeburg.  I’m really glad Andrea was there, it would have been harder to leave all alone.

So we made it to Frankfurt, I checked my huge bag at the airport for the week.  Our flight to Milan was on time.  Dianes friend picked us up from the airport in Milan, and we went back to their house to spend the night.  They were incredibly gracious.  Today we are going into Milan and then heading to Venice by train!

So excited! Except for the fact that we are going to stick out like sore thumbs in the Fashion Capital of the world today. Hah.

Peace and Love!

finished.

I sit down and am exhausted writing this entry.  I am in the middle of packing, but out of fear that I would procrastinate, I am giving an update now.

I had my presentation yesterday.  In the meeting were Herr Ball, Frau Westermann (Sylvia), Professor Neumann, Herr Fischbeck (Head of MWG), and this other guy from the MWG.  And Me.  So it was a small audience, but every important person from my summer was there!  I was pretty, oh I don’t know, not really nervous, but just antsy.   It was a 20 slide presenation, that when I had practiced it took me about 30 mins to get through.  So I had practiced it about 4 times… but that is almost two hours of non-stop talking!! I have never given a presentation for that long.  I was frustrated going into the presentation because I knew I would have to rely on my notes more than I would like.  All the technical words just aren’t fully in my vocabulary yet, like I know them when I read or write them, but to just think of them on the spot is harder.

We got all set up in the conference room at the MWG headquarters.  Herr Ball and Professor Neumann were both a little late, and after a few technical difficulties we were up in business.  I felt very comfortable with everyone in the room, the german word I would use is ‘sympathisch’.  I don’t really know how to translate it appropriately… But I really like all 3 people, Slyvia, Herr Ball and Professor Neumann, and I’m pretty sure the feeling is mutual.

I guess presentations are done differently here, because I stood in the back of the room with the computer.  No one looked at me the entire time I was talking.  I had printed handouts, so they were looking at them and the big screen.  But after a few slides of me trying to be all animated like I would be in America, I just started plain reading what I had written in my notes to say.  So HORRIBLE presentation in my opinion, but no one seemed to care.  Cultural differences.

After I was done, they talked for about an hour about what the next steps would be.  It was soooo cool to be a part of this meeting.  And understanding everything in German!  To watch them bicker back and forth, explain different things from engineer to business man, reason things out, and project a plan was really interesting.  I liked watching Sylvia, because she was the only woman, and so to see her battling right in there with the guys was great.   (I asked her about it afterwards, and she said that one of the frustrating things about being a woman engineer is that, for example, when she goes to meetings with Herr Ball, people just assume she is his secretary.)

After they came to a conclusion, the spotlight turned on me for 20 mins.  Herr Fischbeck, from MWG, started drilling me.  On personal issues… like if I siblings, what my future plans were, why I like engineering, what I thought of the American health care system, about Calvin College… It was kinda cool, everyone seem genuinely interested in what I had to say.  And the best part was, that I just spoke.  I mean yea, I stumbled and said things wrong, but I was embarrassed or worried of what they would think when I made these mistakes.

So we then took ANOTHER picture… haha, in front of the MWG building, in the exact spot that I took one with Herr Fischbeck earlier in the summer.  I can’t wait to get a hold of that picture – I made Herr Fischbeck promise to make sure I would get it. 🙂

Then Sylvia and went and got Ice Cream.

Then I went back and did laundry, went to the train station 2 times to say goodbye to people.  There are only a few people left here that I know, all my close friends are gone.  So perfect time for me to be distracted with the responsibilities with leaving.

Today is Wednesday.  It was my last day of work.  I went in, got everything organized, made a binder of everything I did and then was done.  I said quick goodbyes to everyone in the office.  As I was saying goodbye, it felt like I had only just arrived.  When I walking to the train station to come back to Magdeburg, I just had to talk to someone.  I didn’t know why… so I used my German cell phone to call my mom.  I started bawling right there on the street.  Walking, crying, talking in English… lets just say I got a few stares.  I was sad to be leaving, but at the same time glad to be done.  I guess I didn’t know how to handle the conflict- all of a sudden I was just over come and bawling!

Then I had to go and un-register in the city of Magdeburg at the Bürgerbüro.  So that I wont be getting mail anymore at Walther Rathenau 19, Zi. 528. No loose ends left in Germany.

I have been slowly packing and cleaning… very slowly.

My foot is huge.  It has really ballooned up.  I’m a little worried about the heat and all the walking Im going to be doing in Italy.

Which brings me to Italy!! Tomorrow, I’m going to pick up my dear friend Andrea Beukema in Berlin, because she is coming to Italy with me and Diane.  We will spend the afternoon in Berlin and then head back to Magdeburg. On Friday, we will get up early, and gut this room clean for my meeting with the Hausmeister [emmm.. Resident Director?] at 9am.  Then we will head to Frankfurt to catch our flight on Friday night to Milan, Italy.  Diane, Andrea and I will be conquering Italy until Aug 16.

Soooo after tomorrow morning, I won’t have internet.  So this is the last post for a week or so!