Wilhelmshaven ist Gut!

We have moved to Wilhelmshaven and are settled in with our new hosts.  Katie and I are staying with the Leffers.  They have been so welcoming and gracious.  We are very comfortable here.

Our first whole day here was a vocational day.  I visited e^.on Power Plant here in Wilhelmshaven.  I met with Ms. Beate Wunderwaldt.  She was a great resource to discuss communications and public relations.  We had a great conversation and shared many work experiences with each other. 

Three things really stood out to me about the German workplace.  The first is the number of work hours that Germans are required to work.  My experiences have been that Germans are required to work 35 – 37 hours per week.  While that is the requirement, it is clear that most professionals work well over that 37 hours per week.

The second difference I noted was that number of vacation days German employees receive.  They receive 6 weeks of vacation per year.  WOW – 6 WEEKS!!!

Finally, work attire is slightly different.  It is perfectly acceptable for professionals to wear jeans to work.  Of course, the jeans are very chic.  I look forward to sharing these observations with my colleagues at work.  J

Even with these differences, I have realized that Germans and Americans are similar in many ways and both share a strong work ethic.

Two days later we visited the marine museum in Wilhelmshaven.  It was a very nice museum and we really enjoyed touring the U-boat and the German destroyer.  The museum was full of historical facts and I found the visit to be very interesting.

Small U-boat at German Naval Museum, Wilhelmshaven

Following the marine museum, we went to the beach.   While it was much too cold and windy to swim, we had lots of fun with our hosts walking around the boardwalk area and taking lots of pictures.

Members and Spouses of RC Wilhelmshaven and GSE Team Enjoy the Strand Together

We completed our day with a visit to 2 castles.  The first was a large castle surrounded by a moat.  The second was a smaller castle were an art exhibit is currently taking place. 

Gödens Palace

Now we are looking forward to a relaxing evening at home with our hosts.  Tomorrow is our last full day in Wilhelmshaven and we will prepare for our transfer to Norden on Tuesday.