My First Week at Schmidt & Sohn – Describing My Day

Okay, deep breath. It’s only been a week since I moved to Munich, and already, I’m completely overwhelmed…and strangely, also excited. Finding a job was a massive relief, but now it’s all about doing it. My new role is as a Junior Projektassistent at Schmidt & Sohn – a small engineering firm – and honestly, the first few days have been a crash course in…well, everything. Today, I wanted to share how I’m trying to actually describe my workday, and the German I’m picking up along the way.

The Morning Rush and “Guten Morgen”

The biggest shock hasn’t been the work itself (so far, it’s mostly spreadsheets and coffee!), but the timing. Everyone starts incredibly early. I’m used to a 9-to-5, but here, it’s more like 8:00 to 6:00, with everyone popping in and out of the office. This morning, Mr. Schmidt, my supervisor, greeted me with a booming “Guten Morgen!” – which, by the way, is always said with a huge smile. It just feels…different.

I stumbled a bit with the response. I wanted to say, “Guten Morgen, Herr Schmidt,” but I just blurted out, “Guten Morgen!” It felt so awkward, like I was missing a vital social cue. He chuckled and said, “Kein Problem! Guten Morgen, Alice!” It’s little things like that that make you feel a bit out of sync.

Sequencing My Work – “Zuerst…” and “Dann…”

My actual work today revolved around preparing reports for a project on wind turbines. It’s a complex subject, and I’m constantly feeling like I’m playing catch-up. My biggest hurdle is simply trying to explain what I’m doing to people.

I started by receiving a new document from Frau Müller, the senior assistant. She said, “Alice, zuerst bearbeitest du die Daten aus dem letzten Quartal. Dann erstellst du die Diagramme.” (Alice, first you process the data from the last quarter. Then you create the charts.)

I nodded, trying to look confident, and thought, “Okay, data, charts… easy.” But then I realized I didn’t understand how to process the data. It was a huge, intimidating spreadsheet filled with numbers I barely recognized. I asked her to clarify, and she patiently explained how to filter the data by year. It made me realize that being clear about the sequence of things is key here. Using “zuerst” (first) and “dann” (then) actually helps me mentally organize my work and makes asking for help feel less embarrassing. I’m trying to use them constantly.

A Typical Dialogue (and My Mistakes!)

Here’s a little snippet of a conversation I had with David, who works in the IT department:

David: “Hallo Alice! Wie läuft’s?” (Hello Alice! How’s it going?)

Me: “Mir geht es gut, danke. Ich arbeite an den Berichten.” (I’m doing well, thank you. I’m working on the reports.)

David: “Ah, die Windturbinen Berichte? Hast du die Daten von gestern überprüft?” (Ah, the wind turbine reports? Have you checked the data from yesterday?)

Me: “Ja, habe ich. Aber… ich verstehe die Zahlen nicht.” (Yes, I have. But… I don’t understand the numbers.)

David: (Laughing) “Das ist normal! Es ist kompliziert. Du musst die Spalten sortieren.” (That’s normal! It’s complicated. You need to sort the columns.)

I immediately blurted out, “Sortieren? Wie sortieren?” (Sort? How do I sort?)

David: “Ach, einfach! Mit der Maus!” (Oh, it’s easy! With the mouse!)

I felt so stupid. Seriously, I felt like a complete idiot. But he was patient and showed me exactly how. It’s moments like this that I realize I’m making mistakes – mostly by not asking for help when I need it, and by assuming I should understand everything immediately.

Simple Phrases I’m Using

Here are a few phrases I’m trying to incorporate into my daily conversation:

• “Ich brauche Hilfe.” (I need help.) – This one’s crucial.
• “Könnten Sie das bitte erklären?” (Could you please explain that?) – I’m using this a lot.
• “Das ist sehr hilfreich, danke.” (That’s very helpful, thank you.) – Small gestures of gratitude go a long way.
• “Es ist gut.” (It’s good.) – A simple way to acknowledge instructions or feedback.

The Emotional Side – Feeling a Little Lost

Honestly, there are days when I feel utterly overwhelmed. The language, the culture, the pace of life – it’s a lot to take in. I sometimes miss my old routine, my friends, and the comfort of knowing everything. But then I catch Mr. Schmidt’s smile, or hear Frau Müller’s patient explanation, and I remember why I did this. I’m learning, I’m growing, and slowly, I’m starting to feel a little more… German.

Next week, I’m going to focus on continuing to build my vocabulary around work tasks, and practicing using “zuerst” and “dann” more deliberately. Wish me luck!