Internship in Germany- story of a kid, a student transforming into an individual, a man!
An internship abroad is like a dream come true. This article is written by a student who recently visited Germany and had the most exciting experiences of his life.
About Author: Akhilesh Gannavarapu, presently in his final year of B.Tech(Electrical and Electronics Engineering) from Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University shares his Internship experience in Germany.
As I got down the plane in Hamburg, everything was new. From the moment I boarded the train to go to the city where I should work soon, I felt different. But the people were calm, typically unusual to the Germans I’d heard about. They weren’t scary looking, and if anything, they helped me a lot. I met some great characters, people from all over the Globe. I learnt to cook, which used to be great when I was alone, but abysmal when I cooked for others. I saw a German girl try to eat some spicy stuff, and with one bite, her whole face turned red.
Work was fun when my colleagues were around. They were students who used to work part time for the company. We would sometimes indulge in conversations about the difference in culture, and I never missed a chance to scare the hell out of them with “If you kiss an Indian girl, you have to marry her” stories, which were said just for our amusement. I learnt to do things which I would never do in India, which made me believe I could do anything. I became good friends with a lot of people, tried alcohol for the first time, drank many things at a time, only to have an upset stomach for the next 3 days, but the fun of walking on the road at 2 in the morning, drunk as a sailor and laughing with friends is something that I won’t forget for a while.
I went to different places, and co-incidence was my friend. When I went to Berlin, it was Berlinale, the week of International film festival, and I had the chance to meet, shake hands with, and talk to Farhan Akhtar, and get a smile and a wave from Priyanka Chopra which made it memorable. The trip to Cologne during the Carnival, seeing people get drunk, trying to dance when it was painfully obvious they couldn’t… it was party time.
Without noticing, three months passed by. A week before I had to leave, I was a little upset, as I knew I would miss the excitement, the adventures I had, the new friends I made, the times I laughed when I heard my colleagues try to say my full name, and so on. A small dinner with a few close friends before I left, the jokes we shared, one last hurrah, one last “Greek alcohol that would make me feel better”… those are something I won’t forget for a while.
So now, I’m back, with lots of memories, and lots of new friends. I went to Germany as a student, a kid, and returned as an individual, a man. That’s what made it more special.
If you have had a similar Internship experience(in India or abroad) and would like to share it with all of us, please send an email to editor@internshala.com. Every published experience would win a limited edition Internshala t-shirt. Share and let the world know of your achievements !
