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Posts tagged siemens
Frimley and the office
The Sir William Siemens Square in Frimley (formerly Frimley Square) – that’s the place where my employer took up residence for his UK headquarter back in 2007. The typical Siemens policy “far outside where it’s cheap” was taken into account once more – with all advantages and disadvantages. Despite perfect country idyll and therefore plenty of space, there is a legal parking rate of the car parks directly besides the office that aren’t allowed to raise. This regulation that should strengthen the public transportation would make sense – would there be any public transportation. :) So more parking space is rented offside (not legaly prohibited) and people are getting transfered to the office by private buses. So every poor fellow who isn’t important enough and/or forgot to book his space (what has to be done daily and isn’t possible for more than one day per booking) has 30 minutes more apart from his/her family – the time to actually book it in the intranet not included. As terrific as complicated – the system could almost be German. Altogether: I need to discuss my admittance every day again, because my German numberplate isn’t recognized by the camera. And the intercom-bell obviously is – as usual in England – on the right side of the car. ;) And that’s how my job started…
However, once on the office area, everything feels good. Even very good. A nice welcome, quick but good briefing, team introduction, interesing airport project and in addition nice conveniences like modern offices with a nice plaza in between, Starbucks, free tea, free gym and a modern restaurant in Jamie Oliver style. Good preconditions for spending 8 month.
My personal objective was to move as close as possible to the City of London. The promised company-sided relocation service turned out to be just financial support. The searching of accomendations I needed to do alone. And also because of that reason it took me a while. After 14 days in the Casa hotel I needed a change and this change I found in the form of a colleague-recommendation. A nice and pleasant international shared flat with Elisa (GER), Zue (Malaysia), Christopher (GER) and Pavol (Slovakia) – and just 300 metres distance to the office. Ideal to buy some time to take a closer look to London’s apartment market in a more relaxed way. And after a while (quite A while of more or less more than a month) I finally found the perfect flat in Richmond…
United Kingdom – Arrival
And here I am since more or less two month now. LONDON, and Frimley respectively. Frimley is close to Camberley and Sandhurst. The latter most of you’ll probably already know because of the Royal Military Academy. Normally the royal family sends their men to this place so that they get trained as officers – recently William and Harry. Well, Frimley, Camberley and Sandhurst are bordering on the M3, a motorway that is heading to the south-west (bottom left) to Southampton. It’s not more than 54 km distance from the centre of London (Westminster), but already outside the M25-circle (a motorway ring that leads around London and outlines more or less the border of Greater London – a bit like the Yamanote ring in Tokyo) and because of that somewhere in the middle of nowhere to me.
The journey to the United Kingdom at the begin of February 2010 was scheduled for 2 days. A one-day trip of about 12 hours I didn’t want and wasn’t allowed to – after all I’m part of the labour agreement. :) Cologne or Brussels presented themselves as ideal stopover possibilities. However, Cologne was already checked on New Years Eve with my two Freiburg buddies Alex and Stefan – and so it was Brussels. Tanya, a Bulgarian fellow student from former Swedish times had unfortunately recently moved to the US. However, my old primary schoolmate Johannes worked and lived there as well and so it was a really nice evening with Finnish delicacies (his girlfriend is from – guess what! – Finnland) :) and a good bottle of wine.
The next day was rainey – definitely quite a progress compared to the snowstorms the day before in France, Luxembourg and Belgium. There was actually enough time left to drive up the French coast, but there was one thing I hadn’t reckoned with: the rush-hour traffic of Brussels during the morning. And so I spend the next three hours to speed up the Calais to check in for the Channel Tunnel. It was a bit like an animal transport, however it was fast (35min) and made sure that I put my feet/tires on British ground already around noontime. Two hours and a bit of left-hand driving and M25-ring later, I could check in at my hotel in Frimley. I had just leave behind a hubcap of the loyal Twingo of my sister.
The Casa dei Cesari turned out to be a proper managed hotel, complemented by a well-known Italien restaurant. Managed by Indians paired with loads of East European employess and a real singing Italian waiter. Really special at all, but also really likable. What remained was an evening in the hotel and restaurant before the adventure of England really started the next day in a working-related manner.
Nuremberg
This time the good soul wasn’t called Eva, but Marina. She was the one who accommodated me inside her shared palace-flat and saved me so from staying in an anonymous hotel. 3 weeks later (August 2009) I had found/founded a brand spanking new shared flat with Selena and Nicole. The following housewarming party shaped the slogan “legendary” for the very first time and showed myself that our graduate network from Nuremberg/Fuerth/Erlangen is clearly much bigger and more distinctive than it is in Munich. Even half of the Arequipa crew was there and played a part in contributing to an unforgettable experience.
The Siemens Airport Center (SAC) turned out to be a lucky pull in the matter of working. Exciting projects, great colleagues, contacts from all over Siemens and a prime location with loads of innovations around myself – just an airport without aircrafts and runways. However the entry lane of Nuremberg Airport was directly above the building and equalised the missing kerosene-smell and turbines-noise.
Nuremberg itself – which I didn’t know in the least – was suprising me as well. A cosy historic city/downtown with a real ancient castle and great city wall presented itself in the best light all summer long. Even the wintertime with its famous Christkindlesmarkt (Nuremberg Christmas Market), blueberry mulled wine, Nuremberger rostbratwurst and real snow was not that bad. Nevertheless, 8 month were up way to fast and in no time at all I had to move on – next assignment.
However, Argentinia wasn’t on the list anymore and so I had to find a new country with a new project. The winner was London where a fascinating aiport project was waiting. End of January 2010 I packed my bags again, said adieu to all and prepared myself for the crossing to the United Kingdom…
Munich
Today we turn the clock back to 2008 – 1 1/2 years ago. First of all that’s why so long nothing got written on this blogsite. Let’s change that in fast motion…
…since October 1st, 2008 I work in a small and cute company called Siemens. Here I’ve applied for a position within the so-called Siemens Graduate Program, and after a quite exciting interview and assessment center summer I even got a place. The structure and idea that underlies that program sends me within 2 years every 8 month for another adventure – therefore, according to Cocker, 3 assignments. And the first and therefore home assignment was MUNICH. I arrived in this Bavarian province-cosmopolitan city upon the Isar River right on time for the Munich Beer Festival and Arequipa-Revival. After Eva granted me asylum already weeks before to give me a closer look and chance for flat-hunting, I really found a nice, small flat directly besides the Paulaner brewery (or does “directly behind the German Museum” sounds more appropriate?). :)
After three-quarter of that year, I really took this city to my heart. During that time I recognized quite fast that the so-called “Schickeria” (more or less the jet set of Munich that is used as an argument against Munich by many people) isn’t that strong in shaping the cityscape. Also to the Bavarian dialect/accent and as well the special beer type “Helles” (pale beer) you can get used to. And the green lungs of the city (which is equivalent to everything on the right and left side of the Isar) offers a leisure atmosphere that I just knew from my hometown Constance so far.
Besides I’ve had nice colleagues (incl. an excellent like-minded graduate-network), old and new friendes and so much fun again with dancing Salsa. And time flew away…
The well in advance planned delegation to Buenos Aires (as second assignment from Juli 2009) was canceled due to internal personnel department quarrels shortly before departure. That was the day when I temporarily stopped thinking that I work for a cute company. Within a narrow time frame I needed a internal and national alternative and even the agony of choice: an assignment within a department next door or a journey into a completley new complex of themes – the airport and aviation sector. That was to nice and lucrative to say no (also because of my former master thesis and the air transportation topic) and so I had to move again. It was summer 2009 and directly after a great garden birthday party in Constance (29!!) I moved to NUREMBERG. Cause there it was and still is – the Siemens Airport Center (SAC)…