I’m at the main station in Bonn, looking lost, because I am. I have to be at Deutsche Welle in 40 minutes – it’s okay, I have enough time since Google Maps says that if I take the bus 610 or 611 I will be there in 15 minutes. But where is that bus? Or I can also take the train, or I take the U-bahn? I can’t find it. I feel nauseous as I’m walking around trying to find the station. Soon after, I find the station and enter the bus. I sit on one of last remaining free seats and I’m thinking everything’s fine, I still have 20 more minutes. After 5 minutes I realize the bus is not going towards Deutsche Welle. I took the right bus but wrong direction. I’m starting to panic, my hands get sweaty and I look at my other options so I could possibly make it on time. I cannot be late on the first day. I exit the bus and I’m calling an Uber, it says it’s going to be here in 3 minutes, well somehow that turned into 10. I was late for work. The one thing that Antje told us not to do, the thing that Germans dislike so much, and I did it on the very first day.
Well, it didn’t turn out so bad. As it turned out, I waited at the reception for 15 minutes until the HR lady came to meet me and show me around. Everything was fine. Nobody had a bad first impression of me.
This was the begging of my first day of my journalism internship at DW at the Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian service in Bonn, North Rhein-Westphalia. Chaotic, stressful and full of doubt. Having never lived on my own, nor in another country, this was a shock – a shock that hit me only when my brother was driving me to the airport in Zagreb. I didn’t expect it to hit me so hard. I kept remining myself of my goals and why I applied in the first place.
Working at Deutsche Welle gave me a chance to dive into constructive journalism, to take time to research the topic I was covering, to check all the facts and to tell the story in the best way possible without having the deadline pressure. This type of journalism is something that most media in Croatia doesn’t offer.
As the days went by, I started having a different outlook on moving to another country, about my goals in life and my needs. This experience made me realize some of my flaws, my fears and my strong sides. The week would fly by, and the weekend would come along with a late regional train, but with many memories with so many acquaintances that would soon become very good friends.
Even if we didn’t speak the same language, even if we didn’t know each other so well, even if our countries used to be at war – we always had each other’s backs. Sometimes it felt like we knew each other for much longer, we were separated by borders but had such similar childhoods, and similar jokes. Bridges were being built, and stereotypes were being debunked,
After a month and a half I realized how short this experience really is, but also how such a short experience could be so valuable. I thought about all the 21 generations that also went to Germany to get professional experience and how different it could’ve been for everyone, but the outcome was the more or less the same – an experience of a lifetime.
About two months into my internship my boss invited me for lunch one-on-one. I had a feeling about the reason behind it. I was offered to continue working for DW as a correspondant from Zagreb. I was overjoyed! Everything I’ve worked for started paying off, my work and ambition was recognized and appreciated. I gladly accepted. In the next few weekends I went on the most amazing trips with the most amazing people to Hambourg, Heidelberg and Paris.
As the ending is approaching I felt sad as it went by so quickly. You can do a lot in three months but then again, so little. I’m going back home as a more well rounded person, that has travelled to the most important German cities, that made life-long friends from all over the Western Balkans and with a bigger appreciation for Germany in general. I didn’t learn the language but I’m kind of getting the hang of it. What I once considered an „ugly“ language now actually seems beautiful and I have a desire to learn it. Also, I got a whole new perspective on constructive journalism and communications, how media works, how editors think and make decisions…
I’m glad we had someone like Zoran Đinđić from our region set the path for many young people like me and I hope we keep his memory alive and keep on striving for better education, democracy and peace-building. All of this of course, wouldn’t have been possible without The German Eastern Business Association, Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, Zoran Đinđić Foundation and GIZ.
I’m kind of nervous about coming home but also excited to see what the future will bring. All in all, this will have been the most valuable experience in my life.
Ana Adam, Generation 2025
