Category Archives: Elisabeth

Reasons to love Munich

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It is hard to imagine that I only have one month left in Germany. I’m not ready to leave-it seems like just once I’ve settled in here, I’m moving on to the next place.

Copenhagen is looming over me, and the last days of summer are nearing. Just a few days ago, I got a package in the mail with some basic Danish sentences, but I’m not sure I’m yet able to pronounce any of them! Living in a country where I do not know the language will be a new experience for me. But while I am excited for the new challenges and adventures ahead, I know I see myself returning to Munich after college, and working here.

Here are some reasons why:

  1.  The people here are generally friendly and open. In comparison to Americans, Germans like to keep a close group of friends, making it hard to break in as an outsider. However, I’ve found it easy to make friends in Munich, because the people are more willing to open their circles. Even strangers sometimes talk to each other here-a rare sight in the big city.
  2. Surfers. Where else do you find surfers in the middle of a city?? (And I don’t mean in the ocean!)
  3. There are over 400 publishing houses in Munich. Some say it is the New York of Germany, in that respect. Even though I do not want to stay in the fashion realm, I know there are plenty of other options for me.
  4. I have fallen in love with the traditional culture here. Not in every city in Germany will you see lederhosen on an almost daily basis, but in Munich, they have it all. It is the home of Oktoberfest, after all. I’ve worn my dirndl at least twice since being here! It’s nice to know that a modern city can keep its charm and traditions.
  5. I have family in Germany, and keeping my German roots active is important to me. I loved growing up bilingual, and now I can fully enjoy the benefits of that by living abroad, and also visiting family.
  6. Munich is also a green city. As someone who is minoring in Environmental Analysis, this gives me the option to further explore all of my interests in Munich, as well as to enjoy the lovely parks and lakes in and around the city.
  7. Munich is consistently rated a top city for quality of life.

On Making Mistakes

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Today, I was called into a meeting along with another intern, to speak with two of our managers. The past two weeks, I have been helping to organize contestants for a modeling contest for women over 40. However, due to the overload of submissions, on top of my other tasks here at work (which have been expanding rapidly ever since one of the assistants got promoted, leaving us with less staff for the same amount of work), I hadn’t been able to finish updating the list of contestants before Friday afternoon.

Little did I know that a head manager looked at the list and was not amused (oops!) at how it looked. Even though the official deadline for finishing the list was Monday afternoon, and even though I knew what I was doing with organizing the list, I ended up looking unprepared and disorganized.

My managers were concerned that the other intern and I could not handle the daunting task of organizing the contest, due to a misunderstanding and lack of communication. Because the other intern and I were both absent on Friday afternoon, the situation quickly escalated with no one to explain the list.

So, what did I learn after my first mistake?

  1. Communicate thoroughly with your managers or bosses about the status of your work.
  2. Ask for more time to work on one project when you need it (rather than being overloaded by multiple tasks).
  3. Continue to work hard, to not only promote the image of being a good worker, but also to be a good worker.
  4. Hope that hard work pays off, and that your managers know they can depend on you and trust your work, especially in stressful, tight situations.

This is the first time something like this has happened during my internship, and I hope it will be the last. Do you have any experiences making mistakes at work? How did you deal with it?

Worked Up, Winding Down

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Working full time this summer has been a humbling experience–and I finally understand why my parents are always so tired when they return from work. Work can be draining. I find that after sitting in an office all day, I have little energy when I come home. Sometimes I am moody, even if I don’t know why. This can be harmful to relationships, especially when I want to spend time with my boyfriend and friends after work.

I thought that college was tiring enough–but now I miss the long breaks between classes, the days I had no classes, and the time I had for myself apart from school work (not to say I don’t like school!).

I enjoy my college classes to the degree that some people might call me a bit of a nerd, but when there is too little balance between work and social life, it becomes stressful. Moreover, when the atmosphere at work is occasionally cold, it does not make the work environment comfortable, and further contributes to my stress load.

So how do I wind down after work?

I’m still trying to figure that one out. I find that listening to music while I ride the subway home helps. Sometimes I read, or even just rest my eyes. When I get home, I like to enjoy a cup of tea to de-stress as well. I try to keep my social life active, and meet regularly with friends. And each day, I start over again. I am definitely grateful for my experience this summer, because I feel like I have a taste of the real world. I’m just not sure I like it.

Do you have any tips for de-stressing after work?

Internship with Benefits

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I realize that some of my recent posts have focused on some challenges I’ve experienced, and so today I will divulge some of the benefits of working abroad, and at a fashion magazine.

1. Free magazines.
Need I say more? I don’t ever think I will look at magazines I see on sales racks the same way again. (And I will definitely be sad when my internship ends, and I have to return to getting magazines the old-fashioned way!)

2. Making connections.
I am in contact with people in high positions, who could be useful as I continue my career path.

3. Goodies.
Magazines have goodies, or free gifts they like to send customers. Not only are these fun to look at and organize, but when there are older goodies that need to be thrown away, people are welcome to have them.

4. Access to a gourmet cafeteria.
This may sound average, but it is definitely not. The cafeteria at the publishing house serves the best cafeteria food I have ever eaten (sorry Scripps!), and is practically a five star restaurant.

5. Language improvement.
Each day I am forced to practice my German, a skill that will be needed should I decide to work abroad.

6. A paid internship.
This is something you rarely see in the U.S., especially at a fashion magazine. I actually thought I was not going to be paid until I saw my contract.

7. Weekend travel.
Munich is in close proximity to many other popular destinations, allowing for fun, affordable weekend trips. Last weekend, for instance, I got to enjoy Prague.

8. Knowing the trends ahead of time.
Even though I would never call myself a fashionista, it is funny to be able to read the editorial plan for the next 6 months, and to learn which colors will be in fashion in December.

9. Learning about myself.
Through my internship this summer, I have learned more about what aspects of my job I like, and what aspects I would like to avoid in the future. I know I want to work in media, but not as someone’s assistant. My work needs to be creative, rather than one that involves mostly putting together excel sheets. I can work a 9 to 6 hour job and keep a social life, but I’m not sure if I want to in the future. It has been an interesting summer so far, and I am excited to see what I will learn in the second half of my time here.

Work for your life, or live for your work?

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This summer I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about my career post-Scripps, and what kind of job I would like. I wanted to try working at a publishing house this summer, to see what it is really like. While some aspects of my job are fascinating and interesting, other aspects are not always so great.
Watching my colleagues overwork themselves by not taking lunch breaks and working overtime everyday is not always the most encouraging when it comes to feeling good about my future career.
I see how stressed many colleagues are at work, and the toll it can take on their personal lives. On the other hand, I like getting dressed up for the office. I also enjoy working in an office setting, because it gives me the opportunity to constantly be in contact with different people.
I know I don’t want to be someone else’s assistant–I like to be independent with my work and think creatively on my own, rather than having someone else dictate my tasks, how long I need to work, or even when I can eat lunch. And yet, I’m starting to think that making your way up in the ranks is the only way to gain some control of this, if at all. There is a very clear hierarchy here, with interns and assistants at the bottom. But does it get much better on top?
The managers here spend their time going from one meeting to the next, or flying from one event in Paris to the next in Milan, and while it sounds glamorous and exciting, I’m not sure if the stress of having four meetings at once, or having never-ending phone calls, is worth it.
I know I want to be flexible, so I can spend time with my family, and also maintain somewhat of a social life. While in Germany, I am working in brand management; however, I think I would like the opportunities available to writers–because the work is more creative, and I would even have the opportunity to freelance, if that is the path I choose.
The trade-off?
I probably won’t get to go to so many different meetings, and the pay is probably worse. Instead, I will gain happiness and satisfaction through my work–two qualities I believe to be priceless.