AN INTERNSHIP IN GERMANY- All ‘Business’ And ‘Pleasure’ In 60 Days! [/b]
I am not insanely smart nor am I an inordinate dullard, I prefer to plan my contingencies and surge ahead. But the machinations of the universe outsmarts all, and I concede that when, one fateful eve, I decided to send in my application for an internship abroad (you might want to remember this, it’s kind of important), I had absolutely no clue what I was getting into.
Not to worry, this is neither the prologue to a suspense thriller nor is it meant to be an itinerary. This article, penned down in a few hours and after quite some brain wracking (or is it racking?....as Sheldon Cooper of Big Bang Theory fame would famously say ‘Bazzinga, I don’t care’!), attempts to summarise the odyssey of discovery by and the vagaries of an archetypal Bong (Bengali if you will!) on foreign shores.
The application procedure for the internship (I told you this was important!) was somewhat tedious but generously rewarding as well. It took me several days (and sleepless nights), a couple of swollen fingers (from typing numerous mails to the institutes offering courses pertinent to my field of study) and stupendous patience to finally receive an invitation to pursue a working internship in Hannover, Germany.
Germany. Der Bundesrepublik Deutschland; home to many influential scientists and inventors, the hub of research and technology......(wait, who am I kidding?).......the land of bread and beer, Beckenbauer, and das auto; some of the many motivational factors that egged me to bag the opportunity.
So exactly how did this opportunity come about?
Alas, here I was, tactfully eschewing the Herculean task of explaining the whole procedure and you had to ask that, didn’t you? But with great power comes great responsibility and the privileged must oblige, so I shall, only if you give me your word that you will go through the entire article, including the ‘more emotional and less informative’ content that is about to follow.
Forget Red Bull, the German Academic Exchange Service, or more popularly DAAD (it’s not ‘daad’, nor is it ‘dad’, it’s one syllable at a time. Make sure to remember that, if you wish to enjoy their grade A scholarship services), is the organisation that gives you wings, literally! Not only do the DAAD scholars get a handsome stipend that covers accommodation and other living expenses in most parts of Germany (I had the rare good fortune to stay and work in Hannover, one of the less expensive places), but also other pecuniary perks such as travel subsidies as well! You might want to visit their novice-friendly website for additional details and start applying pronto. Having an invitation from any reputed Technical University in Germany at your disposal enhances the odds of bagging the prestigious scholarship 2-1, but here’s some unsolicited advise- the undisclosed yet indispensable criteria for selection is a pretty smug CGP- the north of nine, that is. The rest involves mundane paper work, almost ‘devotional’ watchfulness over emails and the whole drill that tags along with any such standard application procedure.
What was your field of work there?
Well my research was entitled ‘Impact of layer strain/lattice deformation on the dielectric properties of rare earth oxides epitaxially grown on Silicon (111) reconstructed surface’........now that made a smooth tangent to your grey matter did it not? In my defense, you asked for it! Okay, okay, I know I am not supposed to scare the living daylight out of prospective scholars so here’s my indemnification- the internship provided a newbie like me all the hands-on experience of working with semiconductor technology, growing silicon wafers for IC fabrication, performing electrical characterisation on the grown products and more. I can proudly proclaim to the world or anyone who would care to lend an ear to the complacent outburst of a mere undergraduate in this macrocosm of information (rest assured, the expression is addressed to myself),that I have managed to acquire such practical skill in a mere window of two months! (Thank you, thank you, hold your applause!)
How would you describe your experience in Germany?
Ah finally! Thank the gods for small mercies; I thought you would never ask. Remember the tales your wet nurses would tell you as a kid, of a kupamanduka –the proverbial frog in the well? Born and brought up in the metropolitan wilderness of Kolkata, educated in the cities’ finest schools, dined and clothed modestly in the contemporary tastes and fashion alike, this headstrong, adept lady was at her wits end when she finally got to savour the world outside her comfortable ‘well’ and the known-unknown dichotomy became all too apparent.
Okay, maybe that was a bit too dramatic; it wasn’t all that bad, onus my garrulous and amicable (and an elitist erudite to boot) professor at the Leibniz Universität Hannover, in the federal state of Lower Saxony. The institute campus and faculty, the locale and the people in general superseded anything I had ever seen or hoped to see; and before I knew it, what started as an apprehensive quest, magically metamorphosed into something I would painfully regret leaving behind. The highlights of this protracted excursion (if you look past the internship of course!) included my commodious apartment overlooking a picture postcard view, the eight lane roads in their ‘cinematic’ grandeur speckled with the ubiquitous extravagance of Mazdas and BMWs, Mercs and Volkswagens, Volvos and..( you get the picture),the delicatessen shops with their plethora of delectable platter that would leave any gourmet amazed and craving for more.
The best part? An all-expenses-paid Eurotrip(unofficial of course, the stipend is for the internship. #winksandgrins); the namesake being not as screwed up but equally memorable and eventful as the 2004 movie.
So did you do it?
Huh? What in the blazes is that supposed to mean? Now then, I want you to listen closely, I have absolutely no desire to interpret the myriad possibilities you may be hinting at here, but I do have a confession or two to make.
As you may be well aware, the Euro championships was in full swing (hosted in Poland and Ukraine-neighbours of Germany) and for a person who swears by football (pick me!), the euphoria was surreally manic.......I got you there didn’t I? Ha Ha...you see, in a layman’s parlance, the atmosphere was intoxicating, the air like beer. Watching Germany play with the Germans in Germany (inadvertent tongue twister!) on their giant screens in public viewing arenas, proved to be both educational and fun- learning the German dialect to the point of cusses and other expletives was a cinch! It was here that I not only relished my unchaperoned share of liquor but also coaxed my system to seasoned beef and pork, the tunes of the American rock band R.E.M.’s ‘Losing My Religion’ summing up my blasphemous deed.
So all said and done, I present my confessions in the name of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit; am I really in the wrong if I succumbed to a little bit of temptation and went out of my way to acclimatise to the phoren ambience? Es war süchtig! (It was addictive!)
The Gods are good....so any tips for the journey and back?
Tips you say? Now this I have in surplus, who would pass up a chance to engage in discoursing pertinent gyan once in a while?
“Friends, students, budding scholars, to me your eyes and ears you must lend,
For wise words once spoken, have strong repercussions till the end....”
( Don’t worry about its authenticity, I totally made that up!)
Germany Survival Tips :
1)Keep the jam/butter you get in the flight. They come in handy in the first few days when you are jetlagged and don’t feel like preparing your food.
2)Don’t run about looking for an aqua guard/water purifier. There aren’t any. Accept it and fill your bottle/glass from the kitchen basin. You won’t get sick. Believe me.
3) Make it a point to carry your room keys everywhere. Remember once the door closes behind you it is locked for good.
4)Don’t be alarmed if you open the giant window in your room and see it almost falling on you. It opens both ways- one-the normal way, the other opens from the top.
5) Refrain from stepping onto the track bordered by red lines on the pavement. Of course you may choose to ignore the warning. The worst thing that may happen is that you get run over by a bike.
6) Don’t get all uptight if the tram door does not open for you at the station. Look for the button near the door, the door opens as soon as you press it. Make sure to remember that!
7)There are no ceiling fans here. None whatsoever, unless you buy one. There is the dryer in the laundry room for which you have to cough up a Euro or more every time you use it. And there is the room heater. Both dry stuff pretty quick. You decide!
8)Its a "give me some sunshine, give me some rain" scenario out here. Keep an umbrella/raincoat with you. At all times.
9)Don’t confuse between the 50 cent and 1 euro coins. The 1 euro may be comparatively smaller but its worth is (of course) greater!
10)Plaster a smile on your face every time you step outside. The Germans are a friendly lot. Inclusion of "Danke" (thank you)in your vocabulary is mandatory!
11) Remember, out here, trash earns you cash! The cans , tins and bottles have a security deposit (Pfand) on them , so it’s advisable not to dispose them off. On return to the supermarket, they fetch you as much as 25 to 50 cents! Considering you get chocolates at lesser rates, its’ quite the snip!
12) Oh and don’t let your passion for photography carry you away. Avoid taking pictures of punks or goths on the streets, you may have to shell out money for the snap! I learnt that the hard way.... fortunately I got away with a ‘fine’ (what a joke!) of one Euro only!
Mankind is truly an extraordinary species. Consider my case (Oh come on! I am entitled to brag a bit here, I am the protagonist after all!), the flight to Germany was enervating yet enthralling, lonely yet lively, the pangs of a protracted separation from the known faces consoled by the giddy delight of embarking into the unknown. The flight back had me grappling with that inexorable ambivalent feeling. Surprising isn’t it? Or would you say it is rather expected? This is exactly what makes us surpass the threshold of the ordinary.
Holy Smokes! I got distracted a bit there, didn’t I? You see, on my return to India, I was still swimming in firangi (pardon my language!) waters. It was a particular comment from my very Bangali mashi (aunt) that made me gulp down so much water that I could have actually drowned in my make-believe ocean of lifestyle. ‘’Saheb der moto hoye ge6e. Or jonno Bangali bor pabo toh”? (She behaves exactly like a foreigner. Will we even get a Bengali husband for her now?) It was the first part of the sentence that jolted me to my senses. Really. (As for the second part...hang on, why do I even need to discuss that?)
So, just so you are not heckled by such nuances, I would suggest you to consult the following inventory- (Caution: these are bound to give you a culture shock, one of the many aspects the following tips send out.)
‘Back to India’ Survival Tips:
1)There is almost always no toilet paper in the lavatories...the holders are merely showpieces. So it’s back to the quintessential "lota" or "mug" I guess.
2)Refrain from confidently gulping down the water from the washbasin.....ensure the drinking water is "sedimented, filtrated and disinfected ". Not if you want 'instant diarrhoea' of course.
3)Purchase a ticket in the local transport vehicles...in my experience, there are people who 'always' check . We call them conductors!
4)There is no point waiting routinely for the traffic/pedestrian lights. When the road is clear ('if' more precisely), just make a dash for it. Or be late to work.
5)To be on the safe side, refrain from "FB'ing in your Professor's room, something you have been pampering yourself to, while abroad. Of course you are welcome to hoodwink him and continue.
6)And before I forget, please DO NOT utter "tschus"(pronounced 'chus' ,meaning goodbye in German) to any random person(especially Hindi-speaking) back home. For obvious reasons.
So,in a nutshell, while in India,it is emphatically recommended to go back to 'doing what we Indians do' !
One final question....do summarise the memories you brought back from the internship?
You mean the good, the bad and the ugly? If you have read this article attentively, you are surely aware of all the ‘goods’ (pun intended!) I was endowed with. DAAD specially organised the WISE-Scholars’ Meet- a free two-day trip in and around Berlin for the scholars from India; we lived, ate, shopped and travelled like royals. This includes the official Manchester United football club merchandise I got as a farewell gift.
Did I happen to mention how I got pooped on by a seagull (uh gross!) on the shores of the Baltic Sea? How my luggage was whisked away by Interpol on grounds of ‘suspicious’ (whoa, I am only a hapless student!) and was this close to coughing up a penal fine of 1000 Euros to reclaim it? But in the end, the joyous triumphed over the not so joyous and I returned to my homeland- richer, fatter and happier- in more ways than one!
This internship opportunity really gave me more than I could ever have expected, an exciting trip coupled with a brilliant research project that resulted in a successful conclusion. I distinctly remember the time when the handsome gent behind the boarding pass counter at the airport terminal had asked me if the trip was for work or pleasure, and I had answered him, in all my cockiness: ‘Both’. Truly, how apropos it seems now!
Sharmili Adhikari
DAAD WISE Scholar 2012
Leibniz Universität Hannover
I am not insanely smart nor am I an inordinate dullard, I prefer to plan my contingencies and surge ahead. But the machinations of the universe outsmarts all, and I concede that when, one fateful eve, I decided to send in my application for an internship abroad (you might want to remember this, it’s kind of important), I had absolutely no clue what I was getting into.
Not to worry, this is neither the prologue to a suspense thriller nor is it meant to be an itinerary. This article, penned down in a few hours and after quite some brain wracking (or is it racking?....as Sheldon Cooper of Big Bang Theory fame would famously say ‘Bazzinga, I don’t care’!), attempts to summarise the odyssey of discovery by and the vagaries of an archetypal Bong (Bengali if you will!) on foreign shores.
The application procedure for the internship (I told you this was important!) was somewhat tedious but generously rewarding as well. It took me several days (and sleepless nights), a couple of swollen fingers (from typing numerous mails to the institutes offering courses pertinent to my field of study) and stupendous patience to finally receive an invitation to pursue a working internship in Hannover, Germany.
Germany. Der Bundesrepublik Deutschland; home to many influential scientists and inventors, the hub of research and technology......(wait, who am I kidding?).......the land of bread and beer, Beckenbauer, and das auto; some of the many motivational factors that egged me to bag the opportunity.
So exactly how did this opportunity come about?
Alas, here I was, tactfully eschewing the Herculean task of explaining the whole procedure and you had to ask that, didn’t you? But with great power comes great responsibility and the privileged must oblige, so I shall, only if you give me your word that you will go through the entire article, including the ‘more emotional and less informative’ content that is about to follow.
Forget Red Bull, the German Academic Exchange Service, or more popularly DAAD (it’s not ‘daad’, nor is it ‘dad’, it’s one syllable at a time. Make sure to remember that, if you wish to enjoy their grade A scholarship services), is the organisation that gives you wings, literally! Not only do the DAAD scholars get a handsome stipend that covers accommodation and other living expenses in most parts of Germany (I had the rare good fortune to stay and work in Hannover, one of the less expensive places), but also other pecuniary perks such as travel subsidies as well! You might want to visit their novice-friendly website for additional details and start applying pronto. Having an invitation from any reputed Technical University in Germany at your disposal enhances the odds of bagging the prestigious scholarship 2-1, but here’s some unsolicited advise- the undisclosed yet indispensable criteria for selection is a pretty smug CGP- the north of nine, that is. The rest involves mundane paper work, almost ‘devotional’ watchfulness over emails and the whole drill that tags along with any such standard application procedure.
What was your field of work there?
Well my research was entitled ‘Impact of layer strain/lattice deformation on the dielectric properties of rare earth oxides epitaxially grown on Silicon (111) reconstructed surface’........now that made a smooth tangent to your grey matter did it not? In my defense, you asked for it! Okay, okay, I know I am not supposed to scare the living daylight out of prospective scholars so here’s my indemnification- the internship provided a newbie like me all the hands-on experience of working with semiconductor technology, growing silicon wafers for IC fabrication, performing electrical characterisation on the grown products and more. I can proudly proclaim to the world or anyone who would care to lend an ear to the complacent outburst of a mere undergraduate in this macrocosm of information (rest assured, the expression is addressed to myself),that I have managed to acquire such practical skill in a mere window of two months! (Thank you, thank you, hold your applause!)
How would you describe your experience in Germany?
Ah finally! Thank the gods for small mercies; I thought you would never ask. Remember the tales your wet nurses would tell you as a kid, of a kupamanduka –the proverbial frog in the well? Born and brought up in the metropolitan wilderness of Kolkata, educated in the cities’ finest schools, dined and clothed modestly in the contemporary tastes and fashion alike, this headstrong, adept lady was at her wits end when she finally got to savour the world outside her comfortable ‘well’ and the known-unknown dichotomy became all too apparent.
Okay, maybe that was a bit too dramatic; it wasn’t all that bad, onus my garrulous and amicable (and an elitist erudite to boot) professor at the Leibniz Universität Hannover, in the federal state of Lower Saxony. The institute campus and faculty, the locale and the people in general superseded anything I had ever seen or hoped to see; and before I knew it, what started as an apprehensive quest, magically metamorphosed into something I would painfully regret leaving behind. The highlights of this protracted excursion (if you look past the internship of course!) included my commodious apartment overlooking a picture postcard view, the eight lane roads in their ‘cinematic’ grandeur speckled with the ubiquitous extravagance of Mazdas and BMWs, Mercs and Volkswagens, Volvos and..( you get the picture),the delicatessen shops with their plethora of delectable platter that would leave any gourmet amazed and craving for more.
The best part? An all-expenses-paid Eurotrip(unofficial of course, the stipend is for the internship. #winksandgrins); the namesake being not as screwed up but equally memorable and eventful as the 2004 movie.
So did you do it?
Huh? What in the blazes is that supposed to mean? Now then, I want you to listen closely, I have absolutely no desire to interpret the myriad possibilities you may be hinting at here, but I do have a confession or two to make.
As you may be well aware, the Euro championships was in full swing (hosted in Poland and Ukraine-neighbours of Germany) and for a person who swears by football (pick me!), the euphoria was surreally manic.......I got you there didn’t I? Ha Ha...you see, in a layman’s parlance, the atmosphere was intoxicating, the air like beer. Watching Germany play with the Germans in Germany (inadvertent tongue twister!) on their giant screens in public viewing arenas, proved to be both educational and fun- learning the German dialect to the point of cusses and other expletives was a cinch! It was here that I not only relished my unchaperoned share of liquor but also coaxed my system to seasoned beef and pork, the tunes of the American rock band R.E.M.’s ‘Losing My Religion’ summing up my blasphemous deed.
So all said and done, I present my confessions in the name of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit; am I really in the wrong if I succumbed to a little bit of temptation and went out of my way to acclimatise to the phoren ambience? Es war süchtig! (It was addictive!)
The Gods are good....so any tips for the journey and back?
Tips you say? Now this I have in surplus, who would pass up a chance to engage in discoursing pertinent gyan once in a while?
“Friends, students, budding scholars, to me your eyes and ears you must lend,
For wise words once spoken, have strong repercussions till the end....”
( Don’t worry about its authenticity, I totally made that up!)
Germany Survival Tips :
1)Keep the jam/butter you get in the flight. They come in handy in the first few days when you are jetlagged and don’t feel like preparing your food.
2)Don’t run about looking for an aqua guard/water purifier. There aren’t any. Accept it and fill your bottle/glass from the kitchen basin. You won’t get sick. Believe me.
3) Make it a point to carry your room keys everywhere. Remember once the door closes behind you it is locked for good.
4)Don’t be alarmed if you open the giant window in your room and see it almost falling on you. It opens both ways- one-the normal way, the other opens from the top.
5) Refrain from stepping onto the track bordered by red lines on the pavement. Of course you may choose to ignore the warning. The worst thing that may happen is that you get run over by a bike.
6) Don’t get all uptight if the tram door does not open for you at the station. Look for the button near the door, the door opens as soon as you press it. Make sure to remember that!
7)There are no ceiling fans here. None whatsoever, unless you buy one. There is the dryer in the laundry room for which you have to cough up a Euro or more every time you use it. And there is the room heater. Both dry stuff pretty quick. You decide!
8)Its a "give me some sunshine, give me some rain" scenario out here. Keep an umbrella/raincoat with you. At all times.
9)Don’t confuse between the 50 cent and 1 euro coins. The 1 euro may be comparatively smaller but its worth is (of course) greater!
10)Plaster a smile on your face every time you step outside. The Germans are a friendly lot. Inclusion of "Danke" (thank you)in your vocabulary is mandatory!
11) Remember, out here, trash earns you cash! The cans , tins and bottles have a security deposit (Pfand) on them , so it’s advisable not to dispose them off. On return to the supermarket, they fetch you as much as 25 to 50 cents! Considering you get chocolates at lesser rates, its’ quite the snip!
12) Oh and don’t let your passion for photography carry you away. Avoid taking pictures of punks or goths on the streets, you may have to shell out money for the snap! I learnt that the hard way.... fortunately I got away with a ‘fine’ (what a joke!) of one Euro only!
Mankind is truly an extraordinary species. Consider my case (Oh come on! I am entitled to brag a bit here, I am the protagonist after all!), the flight to Germany was enervating yet enthralling, lonely yet lively, the pangs of a protracted separation from the known faces consoled by the giddy delight of embarking into the unknown. The flight back had me grappling with that inexorable ambivalent feeling. Surprising isn’t it? Or would you say it is rather expected? This is exactly what makes us surpass the threshold of the ordinary.
Holy Smokes! I got distracted a bit there, didn’t I? You see, on my return to India, I was still swimming in firangi (pardon my language!) waters. It was a particular comment from my very Bangali mashi (aunt) that made me gulp down so much water that I could have actually drowned in my make-believe ocean of lifestyle. ‘’Saheb der moto hoye ge6e. Or jonno Bangali bor pabo toh”? (She behaves exactly like a foreigner. Will we even get a Bengali husband for her now?) It was the first part of the sentence that jolted me to my senses. Really. (As for the second part...hang on, why do I even need to discuss that?)
So, just so you are not heckled by such nuances, I would suggest you to consult the following inventory- (Caution: these are bound to give you a culture shock, one of the many aspects the following tips send out.)
‘Back to India’ Survival Tips:
1)There is almost always no toilet paper in the lavatories...the holders are merely showpieces. So it’s back to the quintessential "lota" or "mug" I guess.
2)Refrain from confidently gulping down the water from the washbasin.....ensure the drinking water is "sedimented, filtrated and disinfected ". Not if you want 'instant diarrhoea' of course.
3)Purchase a ticket in the local transport vehicles...in my experience, there are people who 'always' check . We call them conductors!
4)There is no point waiting routinely for the traffic/pedestrian lights. When the road is clear ('if' more precisely), just make a dash for it. Or be late to work.
5)To be on the safe side, refrain from "FB'ing in your Professor's room, something you have been pampering yourself to, while abroad. Of course you are welcome to hoodwink him and continue.
6)And before I forget, please DO NOT utter "tschus"(pronounced 'chus' ,meaning goodbye in German) to any random person(especially Hindi-speaking) back home. For obvious reasons.
So,in a nutshell, while in India,it is emphatically recommended to go back to 'doing what we Indians do' !
One final question....do summarise the memories you brought back from the internship?
You mean the good, the bad and the ugly? If you have read this article attentively, you are surely aware of all the ‘goods’ (pun intended!) I was endowed with. DAAD specially organised the WISE-Scholars’ Meet- a free two-day trip in and around Berlin for the scholars from India; we lived, ate, shopped and travelled like royals. This includes the official Manchester United football club merchandise I got as a farewell gift.
Did I happen to mention how I got pooped on by a seagull (uh gross!) on the shores of the Baltic Sea? How my luggage was whisked away by Interpol on grounds of ‘suspicious’ (whoa, I am only a hapless student!) and was this close to coughing up a penal fine of 1000 Euros to reclaim it? But in the end, the joyous triumphed over the not so joyous and I returned to my homeland- richer, fatter and happier- in more ways than one!
This internship opportunity really gave me more than I could ever have expected, an exciting trip coupled with a brilliant research project that resulted in a successful conclusion. I distinctly remember the time when the handsome gent behind the boarding pass counter at the airport terminal had asked me if the trip was for work or pleasure, and I had answered him, in all my cockiness: ‘Both’. Truly, how apropos it seems now!
Sharmili Adhikari
DAAD WISE Scholar 2012
Leibniz Universität Hannover