Second day-> start to work

Tuesday:
Picking up Martin to go to work.
Motivated to get started, but computer systems don’t collaborate, so different I cant access anything in Prague, not to mention special Vendor management mailbox.
Went on to raise tickets for helpdesk.
Read through approx 30 company mails and deleted whole spam.
Met guy sitting next to martin, who is a DHL graduate doing his Master degree, and describing his job as ‘window watcher’, not exactly knowing what he is employed for (strange but funny).
Discovered all the drinks available for employees, like hot chocolate, tea, coffee, water (sparkling, cold, nonsparkling) and have kept as a main (and welcome) activity to go get a hot chocolate, pass martins desk, stay for a chat, and return to my desk 7383b (all numbered, in case you don’t find it anymore, all looks the same, photos coming soon, as occasion arises)
Then we (Jana small and Jana tall) went out for dinner, where I had my first typical Czech meal:
Veprova pecene s knedliky a kysele zeli -> roast pork with dumplings and sauerkraut ; the roast beef – Yorkshire pudding to the Czech 
To drink I had kofola, which is communist cola, bit bitter, I like that.
In the afternoon there was still the interesting part of the working day: a meeting on the vendor management processes, how statements of work are processed etc. but most important information: vendor management is not only about external people on and offshore but also comprises the hardware/ software provide, arranging telecommunication services, and E-PROCUREMENT for the less valuable commodities ( I hate e-procuremtn as it is one of these ‘management’ terms everybody uses, our former economics prof loved, but nobody really knows whats behind the sceene)
Met martin at 7 to go out for dinner. We had delicious Mexican food down the road, on an outside table only that I was constantly hit by ‘raindrops’ from above was a bit annoying

Tags: food, people, Prague, work

Arrival 5th May

On Monday morning I set off to Prague fort he 2 months internship at DHL Vendor management Prague.
Only a few words to the flight: extraordinary, as Ingo (my uncle) arranged for me to sit next to the pilot and have a look round the cockpit, even stay during the landing. I know fly with a better feeling, knowing how everything works, before it was rather a mysterious thing, hoping to land alive
40 minutes Taxi drive to the office was unproblematic, the taxi wasn’t even overcharged, as it happens often to Prague tourists. But I didn’t come as turist, rather what people nowadays call expatriate, coming to live and work for a longer period.
At reception I was asking for my ‘contact person’ which happened to be in Darmstadt, but never mind I met my former boss who introduced me to Hana from Controlling that I will be working with in June, and a lady, asking for me to handover the keys for my apartment.
Hana showed me round and introduced me to the vendor management colleagues, and I picked up my second bag that Andreas took to Prague earlier the morning. My colleagues are mainly female (male boss..) and its nice to hang around with them chatting, even though they are not into technical stuff , and hardly know anything about computers
I finished early and took a taxi, which was in fact a ‘limusine service’( don’t know the difference, but the driver insisted on being a limousine service driver) to my apartment. It’s a bit up the hil from I.P Pavlova, near Namesti Miru, so convenient for both metro lines red and green. The apartment is really nice, after all I’m glad I have it, and chose to not choose the apartment myself thus not to be responsible for provision and payment etc. (all done by Iva, whose job is to relocate expatriates the whole day, we seem to have lots of them).

It turned out that she might have booked the apartment only till 4. June, not July, so I might have to move, which I will happily do, as I now know theres only 3 houses the company has for rent, and Martins apartment also is conveniently placed, a bit closer to red line metro, and with many nice restaurants round. He also has a balcony and a remote control for the gate to enter the house
I’d really have to smile if after all Iva messed up the dates, renting an apartment can be so complicated
The bed is small as expected on a separate floor, but theres a couch that sleeps two people.
Unfortunately the street is paved the way you hear passing every single car.

Important people you may want to remember the name of (I’ll use them in the texts):

During the afternoon I’m settling in, going round in Vinorhady quarter, to a shopping center to get some food (not too much choice, not comparable to holiday- French-supermarkets  )
Getting a Metro ticket was fairly difficult as the rude lady wanted to sell me 1, 2, 3 or 5 days but not a monthly ticket, that is as expensive as the 5 day tourist one.
Feels bad if you don’t speak a word of the language everybody else does.
Thought she cheated on me because she wouldn’t accept my student id, thus not giving me half price. But never mind, I get transport payed by the company
In the evening martin comes over for chatting and to drink my first Staropramen (Czech Beer), he lives down the road (very hilly here).

Tags: people, Prague, transport, work