February in Review

Sorry for not posting in so long. This blog thing goes in spurts and I'm not always so keen on updating it.

February has come and gone and I can say that it was probably the worst month so far while in Germany. Not only did I have to heal and get better from my collar bone injury, but the weather has also been horrendous. Luckily February also had a lot of firsts, like starting to work at Lufthansa, and getting my first real pay check.

I'm now settled in the rhythm of getting to work in the mornings. I take the train and it takes about 50 minutes from door to door. Not at all bad. I feel proud walking about at the terminal with my Lufthansa badge. It feels good to be part of such a great airline, and even though Lufthansa has its oddities, like the high percentage of interns doing the work, it's still a great company for all employees.

This month has been turbulent for Lufthansa, as we've been dealing with a lot of front page issues such as our 1 but 4 day Pilot strike, and our negotiations with Fraport, the airport operator in Frankfurt, have been stressful. However, all is in the past, and hopefully the upcoming months will be markedly positive.

I also have recovered from my collar bone injury. I have a pretty large bump on my collar bone as the break has not heeled smoothly together, and one of my bones is higher than the other. I'm more anxious now than ever since I fear that I will break my collar bone again since it sticks out much more prominently now than before. I still have isolated pain, and cannot lift heavy objects. My last appointment is on Wednesday with my orthopedic doctor, and hopefully the x-rays will show improvement.

I celebrated Karnival, a big party most celebrated in Köln but also celebrated in Baden-Würtermberg and Bavaria called Fasching or Fastnacht there. It's celebrated right before the beginning of lent. Paczki's are also eaten here but their called Berliner instead. I went to Düsseldorf and visited with Till.

Lastly the best part of February is all the new friends I've made. After this year I will have new contacts in so many countries. Frankfurt is great in this respect as it is the most multi-cultural city in Germany.

I'm starting to apply for jobs back in the United States for my return. I would ultimately consider staying here as well, and I will have to think carefully. I do think it will be difficult to get permanent work permission in Germany though as one has to jump through a bunch of hoops to get it her or your employer has to vouch for you. We'll see how that goes though.

The weather has surprisingly become much warmer and better, except for the freak storm Europe is experiencing today with gusts of wind over 100mph. This has been quite problematic for Germany as major roads were closed today because of fallen trees and powerlines. Trains are not running and the airport was closed. I do have to say it was incredibly windy and that it was hard to walk outside.

That's about it for me now, but I do hope to keep everyone better updated in March and beyond. If you see any job postings in the aviation industry, pass them on to me.

Collarbone Update

Today I went back to my sports medicine orthopedic doctor, and I had more x-rays taken of my collar bone. Unfortunately no progress has been made in healing. It's still very much broken, and I have lost sensitivity in my right chest area. I cannot feel there.

Anyways, the Dr. reassured me and he told me to continue wearing this bandage tight as it holds my shoulder back and allows my collar bone to heal correctly. They took a 3rd x-ray with me wearing the bandage, and you can see the better position of my bones. I will take his advice and wear it non-stop. It's good that it's hardly visible under my clothes.

Next week I will find out whether my collarbone can he heal under 'conservative' treatment, i.e. meaning just this bandage. Otherwise I will have to have surgery and have a metal plate connected to my collarbone for it to heal correctly, and then will have to have it later removed.

Wish me luck and keep me in your prayers. I want to just get better.

Impressions: Working for DLH

Today was my first day of work at Lufthansa. Detlev, drove me this morning to his work where I easily hopped on the train and got to the Hauptbahnhof (Main Railway Station) within in 5 minutes. From there, all it takes is a connection onto the S8 or S9 to Wiesbaden. The travel time is only 11 minutes from the Hauptbahnhof to the Regional Bahnhof at the airport.

I wasn't scheduled to arrive at Tor 21 (Gate 21) until 10am, but I had gotten to the airport extra early, 9:15 just to make sure that I was punctual. It feels really good to be all dressed up, wearing a tie, shoes the click when you walk, and a fancy coat with scarf to make the look all come together. As I walked through the airport, I had the air of "very important person". For this reason alone, I suggest that anyone just dress up in order to feel more important and lift their confidence.

I decided to eat something at the airport before I began my first working day in who knows how long. I ate some Yogurt and bought a ham and cheese sandwich roll. After breakfast in the terminal, I proceeded back outside and towards Lufthansa's headquarters. The compound is quite large, and there are a lot of well dressed people. On the way to Tor 21, I passed the First-Class Dedicated Check-In area, which allows first class passengers to check in at a remote dedicated building, and wait in their own building until it's time to board their flight, at which point they are driven in black Porsche Panamera's directly to the plane. All the license plates of the cars are F : LH (for Lufthansa) XXXX. It's quite impressive and a level of service that not many airlines provide.

I got to gate 21 and enter the guard house, which is quite large and able to hold several people. I literally checked-in with a Lufthansa Customer Service Agent, who gave me my new Lufthansa ID and I was met by the current intern in my department.

The intern, J-, showed me around the compound but complained that I brought the snowy weather. I saw the cafeteria, at which point I uploaded 20€ onto my ID card so I could pay for lunch and snacks. (Since we're located at the airport, we have our own dedicated cafeteria which is quite good.)

Finally I was shown the Corporate HQ building, where I work. It's the tallest building on the airport grounds, with 7 floors. On the main floor, all flight attendants, pilots and pursors go through this building to get briefed and prepare before their flights.

Since there is another intern currently working in my department, I have not been set up with a computer account, but that luckily means I'll have my own personal account, and not the generic intern@dlh.de for instance. The people in my department are very friendly and were impressed with my german, saying that at first they didn't even realize I wasn't in German!

I work in an open room environment with cubicles (see picture) but it's not like in the US. We have natural light and plants, which are cared for even by a dedicated plant lady. Almost everyone has a plane on their desk as well, so I'll be bringing mine tomorrow. Hopefully tomorrow I will get my computer account.