January 16, 2013

Day 3



It’s Day 3 and I’m still suffering from jetlag as I slept at 8pm Berlin time last night, and subsequently got up at 3am, 4am and 5am. Tried going back to sleep but I gave up in the end and went online instead. I can’t tell you how grateful I am for WIFI at home. I chatted with my sis for awhile then went back to sleep for about 2 hrs.

I got up, changed, ate a banana and my balance half sandwich from the day before, then it was off to the bus stop to meet my colleague Bibiana. We took the bus to work and then I had about a 1.5 hr meeting with Claudia, the person in charge here. We spoke about my work plan, our expectations etc. I also mentioned my fear of disappointing them in case I fell short of their expectations and that I don’t want that to happen; but I was reassured that they will not have exaggerated expectations of me as in the end, they want me to say that this opportunity was worth it. They also have very flexible working hours compared to Malaysia; and since I am not an employee, I can pretty much come and go as I please. I personally want to stick to a routine of 9.30/10am and leave by 5/530, but it will depend on whether there are gatherings or after office hours drinks. It gets dark early here but I still feel safer to be at home when it’s dark. They have trust in their employees that work will be done so they are not so regimented and fussy when it comes to work hours.

Right now, I have a lot to read and also a presentation to prepare for next week, so I am pretty occupied for the next few days. *deep breath* Let’s see how it goes.

I’m slowly learning my way from the apartment to the office and back; and hopefully soon, I’ll learn my way around a bit more. I’m not thinking of traveling to other countries yet. I’m sure there is a lot of stuff to do in Berlin itself. I especially want to see the Berlin Wall area and also maybe a few museums. But I need to find someone who is willing to follow me around. Right now, since most of the people here have stayed in Berlin for awhile, they don’t seem so willing to go. Hmmm….and I don’t intend to travel by myself no matter how safe it is.

By the way, I had sort of German lunch today as Claudia prepared something and shared with me. Some sort of dish with carrots, turnips, potatoes, some sort of Spanish rice/seeds and a sauce made of chick pea and curry (sort of like hummus). It was ok. Edible. J

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