unspectacular

Life was unspectacular in the last 2,5 weeks. Back from Chicago, I am now in Zurich for the next time, first doing more trainings and then I started to work on a project last week, but actually not doing project work but working on Business Development. Well as I have some experience in company research from AIESEC and internships this is something I am quite fast at... compared to other analysts working on it.. it is something I can do by heart.. so not very challenging.. but something nice and light to start with, please manager and get a good reputation for delivering results. However I hope that soon more challenging work will kick off.

Otherwise my body plays tricks on me... I am terrible tired the last days, I come home at half past five most days, working 8-5 at the moment ;) and I am so tired that I could go to bed afterwards... a bit of body aching here and there... finally I got rid of my after-aircondition-cold.. really hope I feel better soon.. I am just tired, don´t feel at all like doing sports

Otherwise I enjoy being in Zurich, the cold air in the morning, the golden leaves of the trees, the first snow on the mountains you see far away on a clear day behind the lake... walks in the lunch break to the lake (well it is just 2min from the office), breathing in, breathing out, living.

Millenium Park

96th floor Signature Lounge

Impressions from Chicago wandering through my head. Sears Tower, Millenium Park, Navy Peer, Shopping. Then entering Hancock Tower. Passing by security guards and boarding the elevator. Stop 96th floor Signature Lounge. Dimmed light, candles, holding my breath for a second, I turn right. Facing the window and the most amazing view over Chicago by night hits me. Breathtaking. Admiring the world outside in pink, yellow, orange and red. Lights moving around, never ending pathways of light. Zipping from a Strawberry Daiquiri. The world is mine.

oe3 and american observations

Quarter past eleven pm in the Pheasent Run Hotel in St. Charles, quarter past six am in Austria. Listening to Austrian radio, while sitting in the hotel lobby reading blogs, writing email. The internet access does somehow not work from my room. It has been a busy week.... last session finished today at half past one. Tomorrow we head off to Chicago for a day.

I rather should go to bed.. as the last two days I did not catch that much sleep. We have been out to the Cadillac Ranch a typical American Bar / Disco / Karaoke/ Pool place. Great craic, I have to say... dancing for hours, being surrounded by people you feel comfortable with, some of them feel like friends now, being on training with them for a couple of weeks. It has been a while since I was dancing and having a good night out. Note to myself.. I have to engage more often into going out and party activities ;) in Zurich I rarly do this.. often I am too tired, don't have the right people to go out with etc... yesterday we have been bowling. Good fun as well.

Some observations about America here....
- Even just crossing the road and walking from the hotel to the training center, car drivers look at us as we are crazy... I mean there is a shuttle bus for us going to the training center.., why walk if you could minimize moving your body..

- breakfast in the hotel ist just a mixture of fat and sugar... except the nice fruit they have, no real bread just doughnuts, muffings, eggs, french toast, bacon and so on, thus we have breakfast at the training center, I discovered the lovely taste of freshly toasted Bagels and cream cheese

- you need a car here... the city we are in is huge in terms of distance between the parts of the city / shopping centers / areas where people actually live

- people are friendly, but in the same why really shallow, I am having some trouble here

- there are stainless trousers in America... meaning you can spill e.g. coffee on it and no stains remain. They have this for 7 years!!! Why did they not make their way to Europe???

More observations to come... still 6 days to go
hugs
Gudrun