Blaine Tubungbanua (mechanical engineering)
I had always entertained the idea of an international co-op, but had never considered going to Germany, or even Europe, but I saw the posting for Airbus Helicopters in Donauwörth Germany, and decided to apply.
Learning a new language
The previous summer, I had done a French immersion program in Quebec City, and had learned a lot of French in a short amount of time. With this in mind, I made a commitment to learn German, because if there was any time I would learn German, these 4 months in Germany would be the time.
Working on outboard equipment
My co-op was in the outboard equipment and installation department, the department responsible for designing and integrating outboard equipment like hoists, lights, cable cutters, etc.
One of my projects was writing technical specifications for a component that would be outsourced to a third-party supplier, consolidating airworthiness regulations, and system requirements. I also did some pre-design investigations and feasibility studies, generating concepts for new components to be considered later for detailed design.
A new work/life balance
The work environment was very casual, the whole time I was trying to figure out what made German engineering so unique, and was very confused at the frequency of coffee breaks. The work-life balance favoured personal life over work, which was a very refreshing experience.
All my coworkers were German, they spoke English for official work business, but during lunch and coffee breaks, switched to German. This was good, it improved my motivation to learn the language, and gave me many opportunities to practice. I loved the office culture, we'd go for drinks after work, went to the local bierfest together, and went on runs during lunch break along the Danube, which unfortunately was not blue.
I tried pretty hard to learn German. In the morning on the train to work, I would listen to a German learning podcast, when I’d get to work, I would practice with my coworkers. Whenever they'd teach me a new word, I would record the word and its translation in voice memos, and make anki flashcards on the train ride home. I am pretty satisfied with the amount of German I learned, I went from knowing nothing, to having the proficiency of a ~5 year old!
The impact of co-op
Some of my favourite aspects about my time abroad were the people I met, at the office, at my flatshare, at the local climbing gym, and in the various hostels/Airbnb’s I stayed in while travelling on the weekends. The bier festivals were also very fun. Everybody dressed up in Lederhosen and Dirndl, and stood up on their benches in the beer halls, drinking 1L Masskrugs of beer. It was refreshing to see a level of spirit, and commitment to celebration that I don't often see in BC.
Enjoying German culture
I was living in Augsburg, about 45 minutes from Munich. On the weekends, I made a commitment to travel as often as possible. I made my way through Amsterdam, Soest, Oberstdorf, Prague, Cologne, Garmisch, Füssen, Munich, Nuremberg, Paris, and London. I even convinced my parents and brother to come out and visit me from Burnaby, for their first time in Europe as well! It was pretty wild to see lots of old things that I'd only heard about in documentaries, like the Rosetta Stone, Colosseum, Autobahn, and the Eiffel tower. These are things that are such a large part of pop culture that I’d learned about growing up but these had always felt kind of imaginary, given how far away they were. Seeing them in real life, gave me a new and interesting perspective on history.
An interesting aspect about German architecture is that their bathrooms don't have ventilation, so the windows have to be opened after showering, which was annoying during the winter time haha.
Overall, I had a wonderful time in Germany, and consider it a major experience that has heavily influenced my perspective on independence, engineering, and culture in general, noticing little nuances between Canadian and German culture, and picking out aspects from both that are interesting, odd, and very useful.”