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carlthompson-deactivated2013012 asked: Nice site, Dylan! Hope it's a blast!

Specifically, what kind of work are you doing over there, and what does it all entail? Also, do you have any set goals, or things you want to accomplish/learn etc.?

Again, nice site.

Hey Carl,

Sorry for the late response. I haven’t given this blog due attention.

I’m not doing work per se. The program is based on cultural exchange in the university and in the workplace. I’m spending this semester attending university. From February till when I return (August), I’ll be an intern in the German construction industry. 

Getting the internship is one of my goals, as I have to seek out a position and apply to it. Working for a German-speaking firm will be a challenge, but I feel the work will bring rewarding experience.

Naturally, one of my main goals here is to become fluent in the German language and to have a quality exchange of culture and ideas. 

Alongside my normal construction engineering studies, I’m taking some of my free time to learn about architecture, business, and corporate design. The goal there is to be able to speak intelligently to people at all levels of my industry.

I hope all is well in MN!

I finished language courses in Bremen at the end of September. On the 1^st of October I lugged my suitcase and backpacks via train to Konstanz, Germany. Konstanz lies on the Bodensee in the south of the state of Baden-Württemburg. The Bodensee is a massive lake sharing shores with Germany Switzlerland, and Austria.

The place is beautiful. The lake and town lie in a thick fog in the morning and a fine mist at mid-day. My dorm and university stand a stone-throw from the Rhein. If the afternoon is clear, I can see the Bodensee and the Swiss Alps from the top of my building.

I attend class at the university of applied science that lies a short walk down the road from where I live. I’m taking courses in German, so I am learning the language while I learn about marketing, investing, project management, and about the German construction industry.  I’m also getting hands-on design experience by taking part in the Solar Decathalon Europe 2012. Our university team is called Ecolar. I enjoy it - I’m practicing skills I learned last semester.

My living setup is a spacy dorm room in a 6-story building. The place is chalked for a facelift, but it’s homey. I share a floor with 27 folks studying at one or the other of the two universities in town. I’m making friends, and enjoying slowly making my room a home away from home. I’m growing a small in-door garden and started it with an American Wintergreen plant. I’ve been watching the leaves slowly turning into a palate of yellow, purple, red, and brown. I’ll be happy to have greenery through winter.

From Bremen, Germany:

I will spend the next year living in Germany as part of an exchange for young professionals. The program is made possible by funding from the US Congress and the German Bundestag. Each year, 75 students are chosen from both nations, and all 150 move abroad to study, work, and participate in cultural exchange.

Since 2003 I have been studying German language and culture. This spring I completed my minor in German language, and I can’t think of a better way to celebrate seven years of study than realizing my dream of living and working here amongst the Germans.

I will post my whereabouts and what I’m up to. I encourage your curiosity, and I invite you to ask questions of me here on my page. Nothing is taboo, and I’ll answer to the best of my ability. Simply click “It’s just a question”, above.