May 2019 marks me working 10 years for the company.

It has been an emotional ride at the beginning as I vividly recall the day I left.

The thought of moving away from TH to somewhere new for the first time. “Far away” (300km + apart).

I was so dependent on TH. Language wise, food wise, studying wise we were together almost 24/7 for the last 5 years.

To be honest, it freaked me out a little. Dragging my luggage and gotten on the train bound to Dortmund. I left Heidelberg for my first job in Germany. Without google map, the bus stopped at Hauptplatz and I drag the luggage to the hotel where I would stay for the next few months.

(Seriously, how did I find my way without a smart phone 15 years ago? )

I arrived in a room and I cried while talking to TH on the phone. We couldn’t talk too long because it was expensive on a prepaid card. (Those were the days… ???)

A simple room but there was a mini fridge, a tiny bathroom and a double bed. (No pictures of the room, because no smart phone)

I’m sorry if I sounded as if it was Stone Age…. ahhaa

The next day, I ate my breakfast at the hotel and walked to the company.

And for the next 3 months… I lived in the tiny room, ate the same breakfast everyday, cooked instant food with my rice cooker or eat take away.

On Friday after work, I would take the first “ride”(car pool) back to Heidelberg.

Then after probation, I got my own one bed room apartment in the city center and call it home for the next 5 years.

It is not easy to work in a German- german SME. My training started me learning from the lowest possible position- draftsman, then I started with small projects, then bigger ones and then international one. And I’m dump all over the world to do troubleshooting.

I enjoyed the travelling perks. I am able to plan my schedules that I get to travel around the city during the weekends and fly back on Sunday.

(List of countries outside DE: Austria, France, BeNuLux, Switzerland, Turkey, Sweden, Dänemark, England, China, Hongkong Indonesia, India)

Maybe it is not a lot. But for a company that small, I think it is good enough.

There were good times and bad times, days that drives me crazy and days that are wonderful.

I learnt a lot. I am thankful for all the opportunity I was given. I’m glad i had a good boss who pushes me to try and make me learn with a positive attitude, with a crazy efficiency.

There were times that I feel like quitting every single day. And how I told myself, it’s just for a few years. When TH is done with his PHD, we will move somewhere else together.

That day never come… ?

And now it has been 10 years.