Back to the home of beer...

One week ago I left Motown and not just with one crying eye, no, with two.
I know, some will think “lucky girl, she’s back to Germany, having Spätzle and a good German beer”. Well, to be honest, I already miss Detroit. And I want to share with you my experiences in the last couple of days back to Germany.


Bianca is confused…
- Going in a restaurant with my Mom for lunch I was waiting for the hostess to be seated…I’m happy my Mom was with me, maybe I would still be standing there.
- Why is the cashier looking at me in a weird way when I was asking her how she’s doing today? Just wanted to be nice.
- Hm…do the gas stations also show the prizes per gallon? And where can I insert my credit card?
- Why is the waitress so happy? I just gave her 16% tip…
- And why are all my friends laughing when I’m asking for a doggy bag after dinner?
- Sunday morning…no milk in the fridge…hm, why is there no light turned on in the supermarkets?
- “Are the prizes shown on the products including or excluding tax?
- “Oh my god…will my car fit through that tiny street?”
- Wow! Less sports…no counting of calories…and no gained weight! Wow!! :o)

Bianca enjoys some German stuff…
- My first day I had a real “Bretzel” with butter and a coffee (not just brown water…Don, you should try that)
- Saturday night I went out with a friend and had some real German beer…my head the day after was so bad, why did nobody remind me that I’m having German beer?
- I visited my grandma and aunt to say hi and practiced talking German again. My stupid sentences are getting less…I’m a good student
- Monday night I had a real Swabian “Vesper” (dinner) with rolls, cheese, sausages and a “Apfelsaftschorle” (apple juice with sparkling water)

Bianca is getting melancholy…
- “In Detroit I would sit outside in the sun with Maggie, Shannon and Jen and have lunch, now! My girls always had some funny stories to tell.”
- “There was always action in our house in Detroit…roommates where are you!!!???”
- “I miss the lakes, the beach, my friends, my car, Royal Oak, …”
- “I didn’t have the chance to see the beautiful fall in Michigan, so I’m sorry but I have to go back! There is also a lot of other stuff I haven’t done yet!”
- “You know, there was that restaurant in Troy…if they have delivery service to Germany?”
- “I had so much fun there and it’s a really different way of life than in Germany…I want to go back…I will go back…I have to go back…I will be back!”

As you see I really miss Detroit, I miss the AutoCom staff, Michigan, my roommates, talking English and so on. Yes, it really became my second home. And as nice as Germany is, I feel that there is the time for me to do something else. I’ve been here for 24 years now…it’s time for a change. I’m already thinking about places where I could write my diploma thesis…so cross your fingers for me and if you have some proposals just tell me :o)….

Beside all this I’m getting really busy. I have to write my seminar paper, a report about my internship and I have to say hi to all my friends and of course write my Detroit friends what’s going on in Germany.

I’LL BE BACK…Bianca~~~

Greetings from Stuttgart…

Welcome to Detroit

Welcome to Detroit

Hey, this is Susanne, I started my internship mid August and would like to share my first experiences here in the States.
The first weeks have passed by very fast – I have been occupied with a lot of things, especially my car.
I moved into a really nice apartment in Royal Oak with the nicest roommates ever. Bianca helped me with the apartment – she drove by to look at the room and the potential roommates – thank you so much for doing that! You are the best!
The first couple of days I was driven around to apply for a social security number, etc.- basically everything every intern arriving in the States has to do - thanks Markus for doing that!
The more fun part was my first weekend. Rachele, one of my roommates, took me to the Detroit Zoo :) It was so much fun, even though my “sleep disorder” was pretty bad to start with.



For the first 5 days I kept waking up at 4 or 5 o’clock in the morning and wasn’t able to fall asleep again. Well, I guess every intern here has had to cope with this smaller issue ;)
Other activities included: find a car, much harder than I had imagined – I drove my roommate crazy with it.
I have also spent a weekend in Grand Rapids – my roommate went there to college and decided I should get to know the crazy crowd there.

I can only repeat once more: everybody has been really helpful and supporting, I am very happy to be here and to have the opportunity to experience all of this. I am sure I will be going back with loads of new skills and friends.

Susanne

Office construction

AutoComs' Suite 103 is under construction and a lot has changed since you former interns worked here.

The management wanted to establish a new Intern-area, so the construction company built this area right behind our offices...





They also remodeled our kitchen, which has a new wall and door now, to make sure that nobody realizes how much food Linda stores inside and outside the fridge. (She eats more than any American every day but is still skinny and in great shape, how does she do it?)






One room got divided into two smaller offices. In this office, you see here, will be the work places of:

- Maggie - Dee - Jan - Susanne - Linda - Joe


The other half will be for our copier... :-)



This wall, you see at the bottom, forms a new room of the storage space (next to Joes' desk) where we store newspapers, magazines and client folders and where they'll probably also store me.

I fear I'll feel very lonely in this dark work place without any windows:-(

But we still have our new Intern-area with the nice swimming-pool!




I'll let you know as soon as I know what will be really going on with our new rooms!

Markus

AutoCom Employee of the month for August

The month of August was very busy for us AutoComers and everbody worked very hard!

But one colleague earns special thanks for acting very bravely and professional in a crisis situation!

Lauren Kiehler awarded the Employee of the month for August!

She fractured her ankle that day but still walks from office to office without feeling sorry for herself.






Some people claim she had a little accident on a friends' bachelorette party while she was walking on high heels although she had some little coordination problems.

But that isn't true, of course!

We'll tell you what really happened...

It was a typical Thursday morning: The sun was shining; the squirrels were collecting nuts in our little company garden and every AutoComer worked very hard and was in a good mood when we got a call.

One AutoCom client needed a media kit as soon as possible in a very critical situation.

AutoCom tried to call an express service but all phone lines were dead.

Since all of us were brought to work by family memebers and our CEO was on his way to another client there was no car available.

We all got really nervous and had no idea what to do when Lauren decided to do a hand delivery and started running all the way to our client.

She had run more than 30 miles when a car hit her by driving right over her foot.

But nothing could stop her this morning and she stood up, calmed the driver down and went on her route without feeling the terrible pain.

She arrived at the client right on time which helped him and us in a very critical situation. Everybody was more than happy...

But also nobody noticed that she arrived injured, with so much pain since she acted very professional.

Lauren needed another 15 hours to walk back with a very swollen ankle in the meantime.

For her courage and outstanding commitment Lauren gained a lot of honor and has been awarded with the

AutoCom Employee of the month for August!

Thank you Lauren!!!!!!!!!

You've also awarded a green card for the next years "High-Heel Race" since we heard walking in high heels is one of your biggest hobbies.

We all hope your ankle will get better soon!!!

Representing the Jury

Markus

Bye Bye Baby

After a strange noise, a lot of smell and the high spirits of a workman...:

What was:

Nice working, loyal behaving, never grumbling or acting moping when cursing at them, always being alive and kicking, best friends during good and bad working days...


What is:

Fried, stired, toasted, roasted, smoking, smelling whatever poor creatures...


What will be:

Absolute beginners who have to be teached the way how to work at AutoCom...


Good bye old computers-cronies or whatever is left of you, we will miss you! (and our data on your hard disk...)

Linda