4 years ago when I arrived for my Erasmus at Bologna, I didn't know a thing about how the university system worked in Italy, how it worked when you rented a place and many other things. But though I was ignorant of pretty much everything at least, I knew how to speak italian. And I can tell you that understanding and speaking the language helped me adapt faster. Now I am in Germany and my situation is totally different from the one I was in when arriving in Italy. I don't speak a word of german nor I am able to even understand a tiny bit of it. And since I am a linguist I can assure that it is not frustating but REALLY F-R-U-S-T-R-A-T-I-N-G.
So what's the link with my internship ?
STYLIGHT is an international company. Among my peers you find british, spanish, italian, swedish, austrian, german, french and even russian people. The language used between all of us is obviously english. But I also speak italian and french from time to time (if not a lot of time !) which means in the end I don't hear nor succeed in practicing german. Besides the fact that speaking it would enable me to understand better the country's culture (yes, because grammar and syntax do tell you A LOT about a mindset) I strongly believe that I HAVE TO learn this language for later. In the company I sure speak all the languages I know but what about the end of my internship ? I don't know where I will end up in future, furthermore it is aboslutely not said that at the end of it I will be employed.That is why when I learnt I will have once a week german lessons, I was very thankful. One hour and a half once a week is definitely not enough BUT it is for sure a great help to get started and accustomed to my new environment. So far I only had 2 lessons and though it can look a few I can tell you that I already asked my way in german and I am now able to understand how much I have to pay at the supermarket without always watching the cashier with big round eyes or faking a smile as if I had understood.
The morale of my story is the better you know the language of the country you are interning/working in, the better you will socialize but above all the easier you will be able to fit the job market (nonetheless I am not innocent enough to believe that the priority won't be given to a native !).
Before I forget this blog is about fashion let's speak about my outfit !I didn't know it before coming to Munich but german people really are into sport ! Besides the fact that biking is a lifestyle here, I discovered Germany is THE nation applying the motto a healthy mind in a healthy body. And I really feel that, more than being preoccupied by their appearance german care much more about having a healthy lifestyle. How does it affect the way they dress ? German people are practical hence a practical style. In Munich from what I have seen, a lot of them are riding a bike to go working hence no fancy clothing for the ladies. Don't expect to find stylish biking ladies in the likes of the one shot by The Sartorialist. Here no heels, no one wearing the last trendy items, nonetheless, german girls have their own charm because they actually know how to mix feminine pieces with more sporty one.
And all this lead to the outfit you see on the pictures right now. Since there is just NO WAY I am gonna pay 2,60 € (for a one way ticket) of public transport* (I did on my first two weeks and I can assure you that my wallet wasn't that happy at the end of the week.) I decided to go working by foot, which means I have a 25 minutes walk each morning and each noon. All this is fine by me since I don't like wearing heels that much and appreciate walking so that I can hear some german on my way to the office. I am all about being comfortable BUT elegance doesn't hurt too that is why I chose pairing my Converse with my Valentino vintage dress. Do you remember me wearing the same exact outfit here but with ballerinas ?
What is your opinion about my professional and sartorial adaptation to Germany ?
ps*: 5,20 € each day for public transport is definitely one the highest price I have ever seen. Munich is indeed an expensive town and not only regarding this hence saving money is one of my goal.
