My first week on the job at Roche Diagnostics went kind of as I expected it: not good or bad, just kind of an uncomfortable and clueless feeling most of the time. I guess this is probably how most new jobs begin, but everything felt exacerbated because of my insufficient German skills. Everyone can speak English, but business and social interactions are all in German. This is a good thing (although difficult) because I will learn the language much faster, especially since I sit near some very talkative females who keep me posted on the latest news from Hollywood. My co-workers are very friendly, I am excited about the project I have been assigned to (sparing you the technical details for now), and the facilities and equipment is all very nice.
There was one particularly funny/surprising moment this week. I was sitting in a group meeting presentation about some of the latest lab results (yep in German, I could only understand about 25%). Towards the end of the meeting the presenter clicks a link to a web video and all of the sudden we are watching an ad for the Houston Rodeo. Everyone starts cracking up at the sight of men riding bulls and chasing cows. It was really funny to see how humorous this was to them. This goes on for about 20 seconds and then we are watching a Houston ABC 13 eyewitness news clip (I even recognized the anchors!). The story was about a new Stem Cell treatment that was used to relieve an injured pig of arthritis at the Houston Zoo. What a small world- Houston making news and laughs all the way in Penzberg, Germany.
Winter is in full swing here in Germany. There is lots of snow (for us) and cold weather lately (2-20 ° F, all week and the next). Here are some photos from some of our recent journeys out in the cold – check out Rita’s frozen fur in the fourth picture.
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