Onwards and Upwards - My Journey to Germany

After a delay in coming over to Germany, I was hopeful that it wouldn't take too long before I could start my internship after hearing a lot of horror stories about the visa and work permit process in Germany. Unfortunately, I was in the unlucky situation of having issues with the immigration office that are still waiting to be completely resolved as of writing this. However, being able to start my internship was a great reminder why the hassle is all worth it.

I got to spend almost two months in Germany prior to starting my internship which gave me a lot of time to explore the city and get used to the customs here. Being able to get around so easily with the public transport and walking has been a great way to see parts of Munich I wouldn’t normally think to visit or stop at, and knowing that the transport network is so vast here it makes it easy to wander and get lost in Munich without needing to worry about how I will get back to my apartment. Along with my time spent exploring, I have joined a local sports club where I play basketball once a week, which has been a great way to meet some of the locals and get to know how friendly they can be, which was definitely on full display when I was told it was rude to turn down a free beer after our game (which is a weekly tradition for them). Getting used to the city and the lifestyle has been far easier than expected, even with the obvious language barrier.

I started my internship less than four weeks ago, but already have felt incredibly welcomed by everyone here and have enjoyed getting to know all the people I work with. So far my internship has centered around digital asset creation and animations for both simulation and presentation purposes. Having knowledge of CGI and animation has been a big aid thus far and I am very thankful for my choice of minor in CGI, as the skills I have learnt in that have been incredibly beneficial in completing my tasks here so far. The relaxed work environment also helps to allow me to feel comfortable getting work done to the best of my ability, knowing that I have support from supervisors whenever I need it and their trust to complete projects at my own pace. It is always exciting to get given a new task or asked to jump on a different project temporarily and I love the opportunity that comes with each assignment.

The other incredibly important part of the internship is the break time foosball, or kicker as they call it here. Without fail every day at lunch and then again in the afternoon all the interns gather round the single kicker table to compete. As soon as everyone is finished eating, it's straight to the table to get your teammate and play. On my first day I was thrown into the deep end, having to do my best to quickly get better so I could hold my own against the other interns and hopefully now not lose too many more games before my internship is over, but it is a great way to hang out and relax at work with all the other interns

Dillon Holmes
BMW Group Intern 2024