So it's my last day here at Project Investments and what can I say! It has been such a fast 2 months and probably the best thing I will ever do during my time at uni.  I think what a lot of courses in Scotland lack is the opportunity to do some practical experience, as you often learn a lot more about the "real world" doing a placement than what you learn in lectures!  And so it is for this reason that I am so glad I applied to the Saltire Foundation. 

I think before I came here my expectations of the kind of work I would be doing were totally different to the work I have been doing, but this is not necessarily a bad thing.  I can see that I have helped the guys in my team to get a lot more work done than what would have been possible if they did not have an extra pair of hands, that in itself is pretty rewarding knowing that you have actually contributed towards the completion or improvement of a project.  One of the highlights of my time here at BBPI was going to work on the company magazine in the London office, I felt like royalty being picked up and chauffered around and everyone at the office was so helpful and welcoming.  I went for lunch with a guy in my office the other day and we ended up talking about the atmosphere here at Bilfinger Berger, and we both agreed that it was such a friendly environment and he commented that it was one of the "nicest" offices he had worked in (in the sense of the people not the decor!).  Even reading the mission statement on the Bilfinger Berger website, you can tell it is that kind of company, this is why I applied to BBPI and I am really glad I did.  Everyone has been really supportive and accomodating and so thanks to everyone at BBPI for that.

Now probably the most important thanks is to the Saltire Foundation.  This has been such a brilliant thing to do and I feel very privileged to have been given the opportunity to be a Saltire Intern.  I am pretty confident now, knowing that I can adapt to almost every social situation I find myself in and that is thanks to having had the opportunity to find myself in these situations in the first place!  I have been to company dinners, workshops, meetings and even family events organised by BBPI and I know that this has helped me not only improve my people skills but it has also been a great opportunity to speak to business people and listen to their experiences and ask as many questions as I like, everytime I spend time with people from BBPI I am learning something , however simple or complicated it may be!  I'll probably look back on this when I am 50 and think how cool it was that I got to do something like this (as cheesy as it sounds) and I hope I can give something back to Scotland in the future.  So thanks to everyone who had a part in making my time here in Germany so worthwhile, and thanks to the guys at the Saltire Foundation for giving me the opportunity, I just hope I can return the favour at some point in the future.