To keep this self-study unit lively and readable, we have omitted monstrous words like "Leser/-innen" and ambiguous spellings like "LeserInnen". Instead, we have chosen the grammatically masculine form in a neutral sense. Please understand our approach, dear reader. You are just as important to us and, of course, we also mean the same"
Me 2003. At/for Volkswagen (VW) and I got a happy "OK"!
On it goes: "This teaching material is part of the self-study units for the university program "Master of Science in Technical Communication," which will provide you with knowledge and skills in the most important key competencies in technical communication."
... in theory...
And Ingo tells me how women (his Mom) go through "menopause". In my family that was "a secret".
fK popped by and "rescued" me from the study-nonsense. So many hugs, am I glad I can handle this now! She tries to take care of that "training", too.
Me: "maybe I was slack with that?" > "No you asked very early, all will be fine!"
Germany goes down the drain, I hope ESE will not.
The "f-word" fell often. We are some women, are we... On the street, too....
Talked to Bro.He wants me to "darn, take the Steinweg!!!" - @Ingo... and now?
Seesen is the town where Steinweg (not Steinway) was built and I learned to play on it.
Learned. Past tense. Can´t do it no more and neighbors´d KILL me if I tried!
Wednesday: The Knacker is here!!!! Don´t tell my BIL!!!!
It was a nut-cracker at The Simpsons.
Ingo told me way too much about his Brother (his Brother and I are kinda one age, were at the same kindy, but in different groups).
His Brother put his right index-finger in the cracker´s mouth and turned down the other end, the neck, with his left hand and had no clue why it hurt and got worse and everybody laughed.
And I married his older Brother. Meep. F"r"ears".... huh.... they have ears...
Like my little Brother.... some need time to speak correctly. "Knacker" was too difficult, so it became "Nacker".... My Brother yelled "Eierabend!!" instead of Feie....
Thursday: fK revealed some secrets. She´d waited so long till it was good enough to talk about.
mM - long story - new company still wants me back!!!
Back to Christmas 2024 - ESE. mM booked the cinema in Wolfenbüttel, jumped on the little stage, pointed at me (I was "out of ESE" already) and said he will not lose anybody!
He payed cinema and Döner-Man - from his private money. Just saying.
Do something wrong - he tells you. And has a solution.
I only "witnessed" this once. Was the reason in the end he had to go because a woman .....(CEO) could not take it.
I was... sad.
I want to be told when (not if) I fail and get a solution!
Friday: After calming down wrote to mM.
And, will you guess. ESE called me - they want me back. Said sorry it took so long.
What to do???? Meeting on Wednesday, said yes.
Nothing from mM.
Heart attack is near.
I want to join mM and his new team!
Am to "stay calm" and wait. Me..... wait.
I BURN. Hello menopause. Not funny.
Weekend. Saturday: Galileo (nearly docu-series): American woman laughing yells: "GET OUTTTT 🤣" to the German reporter. Gets translated to German with "Wirklich?!" (> really?!), - see why I hate that?
You hear the original and then the translator blabbers in with something totally different.
Yes, the context is maybe correct. A "normal" German would leave the room 😅...
But those who know get a headache... #Golden Girls, as an example....
Got a pressie from Ingo. A green fly-swatter, ahhhh.. romance ...
Sunday: Doorbell. ?! "Someone here owning a white VW up! ?".
THAT neighbor does. But I said, "no idea".
"That neighbor" who goes against W and "reserves" the best parking lot since two years, not driving, who refused to help Ingo... me: clever or dumb?
Munchy...
I saw a docu where they said vegan costs more money than meat.
Duisburg's Landscape Park was once an iron and steelworks, established in 1901. When demand for steel declined, the plant was abandoned after 84 years of operation. The ominous metalworks creaked abandoned in the wind until someone came up with the idea of renovating the site and transforming it into a unique urban park.
At night, the intricate shapes and fascinating angles of the industrial complex are now illuminated by neon lights. The Landscape Park, where you can see blast furnaces, bunkers, and other sights, is open year-round.
Duisburg's Landscape Park was once an iron and steelworks, established in 1901. When demand for steel declined, the plant was abandoned after 84 years of operation. The ominous metalworks creaked abandoned in the wind until someone came up with the idea of renovating the site and transforming it into a unique urban park.
At night, the intricate shapes and fascinating angles of the industrial complex are now illuminated by neon lights. The Landscape Park, where you can see blast furnaces, bunkers, and other sights, is open year-round."
September 1st I NEED to start my training - I heard not a thing of fE, the new teamlead after mM had to leave..
Too late to ask another company - everybody at ESE said YES, we want you back.
I trusted them.
Tomorrow fK has her first work-day after her holiday and promised to talk to fE.
Taxes... I am willing to pay and gave all my stuff to a so-called professional.
Dumb questions came back. have to take care.
Another Telekurs starts, too.
Have still heard nothing from the last one.
My left monitor died.
Ingo took care! Two new ones for me and two new ones are in the "hall" (we call it "Flur" and it´s tiny).
Ingo buys me flowers and puts them in that pretty glass, getting rid of the old gherkins I didn´t manage for weeks with all the shit#y studying.
Ingo does so much!!!
Just not see the new doc and really, I think I´ll return to the old one, too.
I need vitamin E on a high dose due to my sun-allergy - I have to "bring time" to get the prescription. Hello what?!
Yet I think Ingo needs new medication!!!
Either way.
I can work hard. I worked 10+ hours for VW and drove home some 40km afterwards.
I was.... "IT". It was HTML, CSS, JavaScript, the "Baby-languages" I learned by myself. It was Photoshop and coordinating a "team". I was young.
Same for SIEMENS mobility as Bid-Manager and Admin, all new stuff, minus the driving, thanks to Covid. We luckily lost the bid and next was ESE, yippeee...
So same for ALSTOM - why always everything on the last dot?
Now as documentation and translation manager (these days we are all "managers"). At least I got payed properly, as Dipl.-Ing. (which, after all, took me 8 semesters where I did not earn money!).
Same for DB.
Meanwhile I packed advent-calenders... ha-ha---bleh.
NOW: Since February ... I lost count ... 22+ NEW stuff in units. I am 53 years old!!!
No holiday. Learning new stuff, new stuff, new stuff...
Tests etc etc.
Ingo: King in his jungle.
A job he, and apart from him... no one (?) knows.
He is clever.
I plan a post on all the stuff he did here!
I know how that is!!!! To work hard in a job YOU KNOW. You never stop learning but you have the basics -right?
At VW and DB I had no one else. Just me (no train so far derailed in Norway, just saying! I must´ve done my job OK, but it was scary. I put MY NAME and said, these trains are SAFE.
Have you ever done that? I felt sick and followed the news.
We speak of refurbished trains here. Older than me, still smoking areas on.
I think it was all too much and Ingo just says, "Go away".
I must be a pain.
I am a pain. In my head, in my heart.
I offered and did go grocery shopping with Ingo as his back is still in pain.
Took a ticket at the butcher and stood waiting (I could´ve wandered around, too, ticket, right. But then ... Germans. They queue. They pile up. Leave the queue, fight.....no...)
Then he needed a container for butter. Endless search. Endless and no container found, I got frustrated also because:
a) forgot to take my cam
b) there was the coolest wine-thingy in the world!!! (I am no fan of wine, but, this was cool!!!!)
A pic would´ve been enough but I then just wanted to buy it. €12 is not cheap but....
Ingo said "no". Who am I to ... maybe he was right. My money? Is it mine? His? We are married.
But... last I saw a pub from the inside was in Perth 2024, a cinema... 2010 (Head Full of Honey - great movie - and my boss´d payed for the two of us)..
You see.... FINALLY the Aussie-concept for wine came over AND it had a maritime-theme.
Cash-out, Ingo jumping around where you are the "fastest".
No!!!!
I do not wait endlessly till you find out there is NOT the butter-thingy you look for and then flip here!
Yes! There was an elderly in front and it took longer.
Just wait and WE will be "the elderly"!
I kept quiet but somehow...
I must be so negative... so overwhelmed.Ingo does not want to see me.
I try to understand and "master" studies, taxes and all that.
And see the flowers.....
Henry is too sad today. I keep on fighting.
My left eye makes funny sounds since three days - but try to see a doc, hahaha...
A dream for cheese lovers, but a nightmare for those who can't stand sharing food: In the 1970s, fondue was a hit among gourmets. But the days of dipping bread were numbered as the majority turned to healthy options. The good news is that cheese fondue is now enjoying a small comeback in specialty fondue restaurants and eateries with retro menus."
My fav Aunt lives in Switzerland and yet.... I never in my life had cheese fondue!!!!
But. Each and every ending of the year Mom heated fat in a huge meat-fondue bowl that then went over a real flame, fat dripping down.
I was ALWAYS on the run.
And for hell NO, I would not put anything in there, I might BURN!!!!
I lived all year and now again this!
And as deco paper right above.
See why I married a firefighter????
Dad had to put my food in the pot and ALWAYS (nearly) lost the mushrooms.
Spain, Greece, Turkey... they burn, they suffer of heat and us?
With this cherry-water I join Elizabeth´s T and pretend it is at least warm here...
Really. I cannot remember a summer that "bad", that "rainy". I love rain, but.... at one point, with the cold... ack.
The journal (not that this is better!):
Monday: Dortmund. Hot shower, WASA-mini brekkie, managed to find the seminar - it was a pain, see here, if you like... Back to hotel ASAP, rain, rain, rain.
Really. If I worked in a hotel I´d had a map to give for free when there is no cell-service available... Right???
Not everybody has a car! Some WALK!
Tuesday: Dortmund. Got lost again, mobiles get no data in that jungle hence no one could really help!
But I learned to ask and 100% friendly people (if not helpful).
Left early to catch the loudest train on Mother Earth. Nice fellow student to talk to before leaving (he had the same opinion I had).
LOUD. Did I mention it was not quiet on the train? 5 hours in NOISE! With one bad ear.
Wednesday: Knackered. Day off.
Ingo made a yummy dish and had fresh mushrooms left - so I prepared the tofu-mushroom-dish with sweet Adriano on the BOSE. Just what I needed. I mean... my Dad´s age.
Oh, the song about Pinocchio and all the "ridere" sure threw me back again to Lucca, where Pinocchio was "born" and where I got shelter from heavy rain (is rain a theme right now???) from our tour guide - glad again for being small! She was not that taller than me! No idea where Ingo was, I was safe and dry.
Yummy REAL Italian pizza afterwards in....
To die for. If you ever get the chance: San Gimignano. On the market place. A small hut with a looooooong queue.
Pile up.
So worth it!
Man, I´m drooling...
See why I love rain? Brings back memories...
Thursday: Telekurs on... booooring.
Friday: "Die unternehmenseigene Informationserfassung ist zu kombinieren mit dem gezielten Auswerten des technischen Schrifttums als gezielte systematische Beobachtung der Entwicklung des Standes der Technik" - have fun!
WHAT am I "studying"????? And I have but ONE monitor.
And I have Ingo. He fixed it all!!! 🥰
HEAVY RAIN!!
A good life!!
Weekend: Saturday: Watching "The Woman In The Yard". For some reason I have subtitles.
"The woman grunts - Charlie is barking."
"The Woman" is the Mama here! At least Charlie (the dog) gets treated properly, calling him by his name....
A scary movie about.... oneself!!!!
I am that women. You are her. Or maybe it´s a man in your case.
This is our fear. "She" comes closer. Slowly. You can talk to her.
It was an eye-opener.
A coincidence. ??? Yes?
I made SUCH PROGRESS in Dortmund.
Ingo not there, I HAVE to help myself. And I can. "More or less"...
Help yourself, that is what this movie is about (@Ingo... computer-stuff stays yours? Please).
Sunday: Chernobyl-DVD. Why again do I do that to myself?
To tell myself how lucky I am.
We are so close... picking mushrooms in the woods - NO! Forbidden in the 70´s.
That´s why I am so small (kidding). You know... my wood-strawberries that survive since 1974 and get taller by the year.
Die deutschen Puppen starben....TRuppen, not Puppen. (History-channel)
See. No matter how miserable, I find something to "laugh" about.
Puppen > dolls. Truppen > troops.
I want to grab my right, near-deaf ear and shake it, really...
To a better week? Today I will lie.
I am not Siemens, Bill Gates or such.
Again they ask I install stuff on my PC and NO. NO MORE! Install heckdeheck for 3 days? No!
And I really want to learn this! But "my" company likely does not have ST4. so... pffft.
First off: Seminar means you have to attend in person whereas Webinars you attend via Zoom or teams from your lovely home. In PJ´s for example.
You have two monitors, you can make screenshots etc etc.
You can roll your eyes upon stupid and you can use headphones to hear as if you were a "normal" person.
There is also Telekurs where you are on your own, have tests and.... ack. Hard work.
Since February I´m doing this, non-stop and I feel I can no more.
Dortmund-Seminar: Lecturer spoke very weak, guys behind me talked - I had a real problem, I just could not hear. (He said I did well, I think he´s lying)
My right ear is near to gone. And with the stress tinnitus got REAL loud.
I had a real problem.
To top it: Lecturer wanted us to perform with him, yet he kept making mistakes and corrected so quick those of us who were new to the program (ST4) could not follow.
It was a useless pain. To be there in person, that is!
At one point I informed the lecturer about my problems and said I will NOT perform with him but instead concentrate on the correct moves.
Way to where the Flixbus starts - behind the train station, one-hour-walk.
Rain. Heavy rain, more heavy, no Flixbus.
Braunschweig bus opens door. "You can come in for shelter!"
More waiting.
Bus driver: "Sorry need to go, run over there for shelter".
Wet. Completedly.
Dortmund.
Subway? Where?
Took a taxi.
Still wet and cold.
Dortmund.
Popo, the butt. Way outside the city was my darn, freaky hotel-room - "nearest" to the seminar. Insert ironic laughter (but I met such nice people!!!! Really, sooo many, helpless people).
Freaky? Sent a pic to fK - she assumed I´m part of a "family-room" and the door opened in my direction. The man in the other was loud, so loud the second night I had to call for help.
A sweet Italian sung to me he´ll help and he did.
Ahhh, Italian is such a sweet language their Italian accent keeps the sweetness!
At least I found this to warm me up:
Note... it is (supposed to be) summer!
Will THIS get my sorrow-wrinkles go away? I was at least warm and dry. 5 frickin' hours being wet. Even the jeans - wet. Everything. Cold and wet. My documents!!!! I sheltered them as good as I could and managed.
Yes, I had a brolly! But the rain was so sudden and hard, as if someone emptied a bucket upon you. No time for brolly!
We all were in the same "boat"...
And of course next morno as mobiles/cells, whatever you call them in German they are called "Handy" didn´t get data I got lost.
Yes. We call those thingies "Handy". And for public screens when soccer or such is on we say ... hold on.... take a deep breath... "public viewing"!
Yes! Germans, can or bottle of beer in hand... public viewing (screens bringing on the game).
Other...men wear smokings (#tuxedo) and we have Beamers (#not BMW) for watching powerpoint and such.. sorry, this always takes me away.
Same as when Aussie friends first asked me if me wanna "meet this Arvo" and I thought...????
Bip?!!!!! What did I miss, who is this Arvo? It was just the two of us yesterday!!!! I am SURE!
Aussie: Arvo >>> Afternoon. I could go on. Sorry for the excursion. Languages are living things.
Had to ask three times for the way, made it way too early but the seminar dude was, as said, a pain.
I made it through the first day. And... it´s an area where your fuc#ing mobile service does.not.work!!!!
I met a couple with baby and huge dog. They tried to help but... no service on their phone, either, my battery was already counting down (my smartphone is from 2017 - reckon I need a new one?).
The man assumed the way, but was wrong.
FINALLY - industrial area - a man came out of a building.
I waved for help (hey, I get really good at this, gone is the introvert!).
He mentioned most are already on their way home, working day is long over... Freaked me out - empty buildings all around!
To my BIGGEST surprise (pun intended) - the man was as small as me. Really.
This "couple-man" grabbed the other´s smart phone, thinking it was mine, it was complete chaos!
FRIENDLY chaos!!!! Everybody wanted to help me!!!
>>> people in Dortmund are nice (but their city is without internet service in a huge part).
In the end the small man walked me to the subway and called a taxi for me (my phone was dead by that time).
Oh, did I mention the constant rain?
I mean, I love rain but at some point...
To say I was exhausted does not really describe the situation....
Next morno... round #2. Got lost! Made it in time. In one break a fellow student came over and confessed he has the same problems I have. THAT was a relief. And he could hear properly...
And when I had to ask for help again (before giving up for good) - three other students piled up behind me cause they got lost as well.
For lunch I went with the lecturer and 3 other students to a nice place (signs for Tom on Wednesday).
I´d spotted it on the way already.
The male student.
On the way to Salzgitter! That´s where Ingo works. Small world, huh? (He was there by motor-bike, so no option).
Lecturer: The quiche is good, but way too small.
Made two meals for me. Means, I took the leftover and asked nicely to get it packed up - it was outstanding yummy!
It has some beauty!
Left seminar early to really catch my train.
Just walk down the road, turn right, there is the subway.
No subway. At the lunch-spot they were cleaning, but still open and the lady remembered me.
"I think... maybe...?"... "No, can you call me a taxi, please?" Maybe in that situation is not good enough.
Dortmund and public transport is.... forget it!!!!
Was there super-early, got a crispy burger at KFC - was yummy.
Way too early after asking security where Flixtrain takes off (not a good Idea to ask DB for that).
#9. Good, thank you. Suddenly, "Hey, you here, too?!" Fellow student! Said he thought it was "brave and good" to just leave early, I missed nothing, and I made a point (introvert must be gone for good) - he, too, was lost and it was a waste to come all the way from Munich for this!
And now back!
Me 4, him 6 hours!
What.The.Hmhmhm.For?!
#10 - a Flixbus rolls in.
??? Didn´t they say #9???? Another man saw my confusion, without me even asking got out his smartphone for a very quick research. #10 seemed right, so I said my thanks and good bye (we stay in contact, fellow student and I) and ran over.
In Germany it is perfectly normal to see people running in train stations, just saying.
Punctual? Correct? Not in Railway.
Next surprise: No one left, doors on the way to close... two young Turkish teenagers see me running, keep the door open and assure me it goes to Hanover!
Turkish + Teenagers.... prejudices!!!
They were correct. 🥰 Be still, my heart, I was in. But still in doubt.
And I felt SO SORRY!!!!But, truth be told, I was attacked by Turkish/Muslim teenagers...
NEVER keep prejudices or...???
How about you?
A lady asked me to see my ticket - she was a passenger, too, confirmed I am in the correct train but wrong wagon.
Made my way to where I belong, opened the door.
No.
No!!!!
The train was rolling and screaming and it looked not safe.
A man got up and lead me over.
Ya know.... being small sometimes does pay off.
The train screamed, yelled.. here is a video, I think that thing was "broken":
This is NOT normal.
As you know I work(ed) in railway and know technical details.
Not normal! Scary.
More than once I thought we derail.
Lady to my right in row front had two water-bottles LYING on the seat - they shot through the room.
Hanover.
Train was to enter #I forgot and arrived on another.
WHAT THE HECK if you are handicapped - HOW make it in time...
I made it, kept standing in the "silent" train of DB.
Finally, my Löwenstadt 🦁, my Braunschweig 😍😘🥰!
As the tram does not run, asked for the bus. Bus took another route due to the construction site, too.
I hopped off and walked the rest. No rain.
It was some fight! (Ringer > Wrestling)
If your eyes are super-mega-outstandingly perfect you may spot Henry´s butt in the distance.
09:30 pm or such, I open the door, Ingo "What are you doing here?!!!!"
I was tempted to answer, "I live here, too?!!!"
Ingo thought I´ll be back on Wednesday...
The next day I slept in and did NOTHING.
No yippeee. I have to come back to Dortmund to present my work come November.
So: Thanks everybody for wishing me well.
The people in Dortmund are great. (But just the people)
Remember the days when mushrooms were a staple on appetizer menus everywhere, from pubs to fine dining? Whether it was mushrooms swimming in garlic butter or breaded and fried mushrooms with a creamy garlic dip, half of every table ordered at least some version."
Braunschweig´s Christmas Market.... You find this. With LOOOOADS of garlic, so... not for me. Sadly! They also have this with cauliflower.
... and... tons of... garlic.
I´m not afraid of Vampires so... Hey Henry 🦁.. a "love-bite"?
