Passed the Catia Test!

I passed my Catia validation test! I was a bit worried mid last week that I would get deported if I didn’t pass. I have been struggling with multi-sections add and remove. I didn’t need to use these in the test but I did a few dumb things like omit part of the assembly and interpret the drawing strangely, therefore making my 3d model more complicated than it actually was - but I am glad it’s over. There were 8 of us and 6 passed - same as the pass mark in the test.

The office is getting quieter. Randy has gone to the Airbus site in Bahrenfield, which is apparently where the rest of the A350 team is. There are only about 20 people in the Harburg-Rathaus office, one team of Indians and another team of Germans. After I finish the Airbus training I will probably be based at the Airbus site too.

I am used to the walking now. I found another way to/from the station that is quieter so I don’t have to deal with all the people and pushbikes if I don’t feel like it. There are so many people on pushbikes - I guess it’s easier and cheaper than driving, and a lot of paths have a dedicated redbrick lane for bikes. I saw one woman with 2 kids in front of her – I thought they only did that in India! I often see guys with just a 6-pack of beer after a visit to Aldi. Also helmets are not compulsory here so you don’t have to worry about sweating in the helmet and messing up your hair. I think I might get a pushbike too :)

I see a lot of nice BMWs, VWs, Mercedes and Audi’s mounting kerbs in the narrow streets on the way home. It's pretty common to see a smart car like Matilda's squeezed in perpendicularly between the 'normal sized' parallel parked cars. There’s also the odd Ford, Mazda and Toyota. I might have to do a written and driving test to get a German license soon as my Aussie license is only valid for 6 months. I can’t wait to go driving on the Autobahn!

The pedestrian lights at traffic intersections show either 2 red men or 1 green man – I guess they just use the same covers as the traffic lights but I wonder why there are 2 red men and not 2 green men or 1 red, 1 orange and 1 green man. There is no flashing red man so I don’t know if I can quickly make it across or not. I rarely see people jaywalk so I try not to do it either.

I bought some shoes on Saturday – made in Italy and half price at 30 euro. I thought it was a pretty good find, though not as good as Krystle’s $2.50 pair of shoes – so what if they’re bright green! I am still struggling with the German language barrier. I said ‘Sprechen Sie Englisch?’ to the store helper and she said yes and then I asked for shoes in a different size but she came back with the same size so I quietly found another helper.

Not knowing German makes me even more curious when I look at signs and advertisements because I like looking at how products are advertised. I worked out Effenberger is a bakery from another sign but still wonder why is a garden growing on the girl/guy’s head, why is Marilyn Monroe in a low cut dress advertising the German paper and why is there a condom on a strawberry? Some things just aren’t in my translator.

The voice on the train sounds like the Connex guy. At every station he announces whether to exit the train links or recht (left or right). I pass over the river every day and there’s always a guy standing on a small round platform in the middle of no where – I had to look a few times to convince myself that he wasn’t real. The trains are pretty clean - there’s a small rectangle bin between each set of chairs that looks like a mini aluminium table and opens like an aeroplane tray table. Sometimes I see people zig-zag across the carriage, looking in every bin for plastic bottles that can be turned in for money.

I must be starting to blend in – I’ve had people ask me in German what I interpreted as ‘Is the S-Bahn downstairs?’ and ‘Is this train going to Harburg?’ I mean when I have a question I’ll ask someone that at least looks German – not some Asian girl. I don’t talk much enroute to/from destinations but as soon as I do, everyone knows I’m strange. If I accidentally bump into someone my natural reaction is to say sorry, not entschuldigung. People ask me ‘Where are you from?’ or ‘Are you from China or Japan?’ No one even guesses Australia based on the accent, they just get really confused when they look at me.

I’ve been out to eat a few times but I can’t read the menu. On Friday we went to a wine festival after watching Transformers (in English!). Randy’s German/Spanish friend ordered something – and Randy put up 2 fingers and I put up 3 fingers and to make it 3 of the same. It turned out to be quite a nice piece of pork.

The weather has been quite nice and sunny. I have been sitting near a huge open window so it almost feels like I’m working outside. Some days have been quite hot (feels around 25 degrees) but there are no air-conditioners here – none at work, the apartment, trains, stores, cinemas, anywhere! It has been mostly bearable inside with the windows open but the trains have been particularly bad.

It started raining last night but it looks fine now - hopefully the weather stays good so we can have a few drinks outside tonight.

Guten Abend!