Since I finished my first internship in Herzogenaurach in February 2015, it was clear to me that I wanted to spend a longer period abroad. Improve the English language, discover a new culture and, above all, gain work experiences in a multicultural environment. As early as 2016, towards the end of my bachelor's degree, I started drawing up a concrete plan. At that time I was determined to get a trainee position in sales. So in early 2017, I sent out numerous applications and was very confident that I would receive a job offer after a few months.

At the beginning I felt very enthusiastic and encouraged, as I was invited to the next application phase in most cases. However, this positive mood changed quite quickly. I was rarely invited for interviews and if I got an invitation, I was apparently not convincing enough. I slowly began to realize that I needed to develop myself. That I have to gain further experience besides university and part-time job.

For this reason I decided to start a Master's program. I intended to expand my knowledge not only in sports but also in marketing in order to acquire a more complete understanding of business processes. The curriculum includes an internship abroad, which was very appealing to me. However, at the beginning I had no clue in which area I would like to do another internship. I knew that this internship would have a great impact on my future path. That's why I started looking for challenges outside university routine. I came across the term hackathon. Very quickly I was inspired by the idea of solving actual problems with technology. After taking part in two such events, I decided that the internship had to be related to digital technologies. Since such jobs often require programming skills that I don't have, I had to look for jobs in marketing. Thus it became clear that I was looking for an internship in digital marketing or innovation marketing.

Knowing in which area I wanted to do my internship, I sent out applications and had some conversations. I am still very happy that I was able to secure an internship with adidas in Amsterdam. The Digital Brand Commerce department is exactly what I was looking for. There I am involved in the Chatbot project, which covers a very important technology: Artificial Intelligence. This gives consumers the opportunity to contact adidas 24/7 and to address their problem in a personalized conversation. I am particularly fascinated by the office in Amsterdam, where most of the e-Commerce team works. eCom and the associated direct to consumer approach is something that I believe is the future of the sporting goods business. For this reason I was very excited to meet people there and find out how things were going.

Of course, it is no secret that Amsterdam is a city worth seeing and has a lot to offer. The red light district, the canals, art and a bunch of bicycles. From the beginning I felt comfortable and safe here. I would say that you can feel the influence expats (foreign workers) have on the city. An above-average number of people are open-minded and have an ambitious attitude towards their lives. What I also noticed in the first days is how digital and modern Amsterdam is. This starts with the registration in the expat center and ends with the fact that you can only pay by card most of the time.

If you can escape from the tourist areas of the city and, for example, let the evening end on the canal at Waterkant, you will feel the vibe of the city. Certainly, this life has its price. Finding an apartment is a miracle. Finding an affordable apartment is almost impossible. But: impossible is nothing!

Life is more fun with other people. So for me, quality of life is very much linked to social interaction. So I am very curious what kind of people will step into my life and I hope that I will make lifelong friendships here!