Nine months have passed since I returned to Kosovo from one of the best, if not the best experience in my life.
I am Lirim Maliqi, a Civil Engineering student from Kosovo and I did my internship at FUCHS Europoles GmbH in Neumarkt.
It all started with finding out about the Internship Programme of German Business two days before the application deadline. As usual, it happens for me to try and do everything at the last minute, all the paperwork and documents (spoiler: a lot of that in Germany), applying 1 hour before the deadline, not seeing the invitation email for the interview until the last day. I was already off to a bad start and pessimistic about the whole journey, but let me tell you something, I’ve never been more wrong in my life.
Enough of that, let’s get to the real GOOD stuff. If this is your first job experience and the first time going abroad like mine, you might be feeling a little nervous about it, and that is understandable, but as soon as I stepped out of the plane when I arrived in Germany, I was guided by the amazing team of the Internship Programme of German Business for the Countries of the Western Balkans. You get to meet everybody in the first week – the so-called introductory week and all of you will learn a lot about what to expect about life and work in Germany, and all that, thanks to the hard work and dedication of the team of the Internship Programme. In the meantime, you will be making friends for life and bonding over fun and struggles with each other.
Work life in Germany was such a transformative experience for me, and like nothing
else. As soon as I arrived at my workplace, all the doubts and uncertainties
were gone thanks to the huge support from everyone there. Quickly, I got to
deal with real world projects. It was a very specific construction industry,
which I didn’t get the chance to deal with beforehand, but the support that I
received from my mentor and everyone at the company, made it easy for me to ask
questions and get the knowledge that I needed. Consulting with professionals in
the field gave me the opportunity to learn a lot and gave me the much-needed
confidence for my future career. I am truly thankful to FUCHS Europoles for giving
me the opportunity and for making it so easy for me to integrate and be part of
that amazing team.
While living in Germany, I developed a routine and became way more organised. You
kind of have to adjust to a whole different culture, which is not that easy, but
having a routine and a plan makes it less challenging.
I had to wake up every day quite early to get the train to my workplace, which contributed to me being more punctual. After coming back from work, at times I had to go and get some groceries, cook some food for myself and prepare something for lunch tomorrow at work, which contributed to my managing and organising skills. In the evenings, I explored the city I lived in, Nuremberg, or I would try to improve my German, which also contributed on making daily tasks easier at times. As I mentioned before, I was the type of guy who would opt out on doing things at the last minute, but dealing with all this stuff, as painful as it can be at times, truly changed me into a better and more organized person.
Let me get back to the thing I mentioned before, cooking. It can be quite expensive eating out in Germany, and while I was totally unexperienced in cooking, I would never have thought this would turn out to be one of my favorite hobbies, to the point of enjoying it, no matter how tired I was. A skill that I developed and surprised everyone back home.
Traveling, visiting and getting to know the German culture is one of the fun parts of being part of this Internship Programme of German Business. You will get to visit places you may have dreamed of visiting, or you’ve never been before. Train rides will hold a special place in my heart, with all the delays and cancellations, which can be frustrating at that moment, but believe, you are going to miss those too.
A big part of being in Germany and a part of this Internship Program, is the friends you make and the network you form. You might hold back when you first meet everybody, but you will realize very fast that the people that you are surrounded by will be your friends for life. Not only the good memories, but what also makes good friends are the same struggles that you go through and the support you give each other whenever you need it. I am very thankful for all the amazing people I’ve met, that in one way or another, became my very good friends and made long-lasting memories together.
Finally, a big thank you to the Zoran Djindjic Internship Program of German Business and its dedicated team. Being part of this program was an incredible honor, and those six months were truly unforgettable. It’s been an experience that’s shaped me profoundly, both personally and professionally. I intend on contributing to this Programme as a part of the alumni network and helping students and the next generation of interns.
Thank you,
Lirim Maliqi