So, the end of week one and I am relaxing in my room reflecting on my first week.  I landed last Sunday in Frankfurt and met with one of the Directors of my host company Bilfinger Berger AG.  I had a great dinner and chat with him and the other two guys who are interning at Bilfinger Berger.  He set some pretty low expectations of the aesthetics of the town I was to be staying in - Mannheim, although after a week here I have to admit I must disagree.

Far from the gray ghetto my new colleagues painted it as, Mannheim is a bustling, pretty and VERY well maintained little city.  (I say little, although it is actually the largest city of an urban area with 2.4 million people - larger than Glasgow - yet still has the feel of a big village).  I work on the 12th floor of the Bilfiner Berger corporate headquarters with an excellent view out over the (very flat) Rhine valley.

I work in Group/Corporate Communications, and so far I have been involved in translating press releases, developing a media library and familiarising myself with the company.  In doing this I have become gradually aware of quite how large the company is, with major subsidiaries reaching from Canada and the USA, through one of Europe's largest construction and services networks to Australia's largest power plant constructor.  Perhaps the most unexpected aspect was the degree to which German was used by the team - almost all work and conversation is conducted in German.  This is by far the most challenging aspect, however after only one week I have notice my understanding and speech abilities greatly improved.

The best part fo Mannheim so far is the trams.  They are EVERYWHERE and so well run that they generally turn up four minutes BEFORE their scheduled time.  It is more than a coincidence then that my company, Bilfinger Berger AG, is the company which is building the tram network in Edinburgh - and despite some of the bad press the project has received (due to council disorganisation) Edinburgh can look forward to a very well constructed public service if this city is anything to go by (Bilfinger Berger build and maintain much of the public transport in Mannheim).