I can barely believe it. In two weeks I’lll have been in my new job for half a year and my probation period is ending. My life looks so different compared to one year ago. Back then it was full of uncertainty and I couldn’t even have imagined where I’d be right now. At least I had time. Time to explore Berlin, to explore my hobbies and totally de-stress. Going back to working full-time has not been easy. I’m still struggling finding a balance between sports, household chores, shopping, friends, activities and rest. One year ago I was in Greece, taking my mind off of the whole situation. Now, well… I’m planning a trip to Greece! In two weeks I’m celebrating my new life with a well deserved holiday. I can’t believe I haven’t left this country since November!
In February I started working from home in a new job in the onboarding experience team. Onboarding in this remote setup was a bit nerve-racking. How could I meet people or prove myself without ever being at the office? I was surprised how quickly I felt like I was getting to know my team and, although the many zoom meetings are tiring, starting remotely wasn’t as bad as I’d expected. While I was learning my new job I was also house hunting. Things were looking up and I was getting some invitations for viewings.
At the end of April I got lucky. I was invited to a very last minute viewing and it seemed like there was only one other person there. The moment I walked in I knew this was it. It wasn’t quite what I’d been looking for, a lot smaller and without a proper balcony, but it had a certain charm and a very practical space. I sent through my application over the weekend and on Monday I got the news. I could sign my contract and picked up the keys 3 days later. From then on it felt like all my free time was spent searching the internet for furniture, internet contracts and other house-things. Bit by bit I moved my stuff over and in June I moved in for real.
Home office worked perfectly while I was receiving loads of packages and furniture deliveries, but it was super exciting when at the end of June we finally had our first in person meeting with our small team. We finished the day with dinner and drinks and even though we’d only met virtually, it seemed like we had seen each other many times. Last Friday we had an official event with the bigger team and 20 of us came together to create some graffiti art. The workshop leader said it was the first event for them since corona started nearly 1,5 years ago. It was almost strange for us to do something so normal as meeting a group of people. With the majority of us vaccinated it all felt safe and I had a great time meeting and getting to know the members of our bigger team.
Now I’m counting the days until my holiday. It just can’t come quickly enough. With the number of infections going up again in Europe it feels like we just can’t get a break. I’m afraid things will get worse again, so I hope I can enjoy 2 weeks in Greece without any stress. Then I can recharge for everything that’s still to come.
