Russia
In 1978, I was still student - finishing the 2nd year in
the university, I was making two traineeships in Russia.
At first, in February 1978 I was spending 5 weeks in
Sankt Petersburg, on the Technical University, getting
classes on this University. In summer the same year I
was working in a student traineeship in Gaisyn, a small
city nearly Odessa, working in the construction of a
compressor station on the gas pipeline Siberia to Europe.
The traineeship was with VEM, a big electrical
enterprise of the former East Germany, with duration of
4 and half months. We have installed there the
compressors, heavy other equipment, like motors, etc.
but also installed the earth connections of the living
buildings where the future employees of the compressor
station should life.
For me this first working experience outside of Germany
was anything like a starting point for my future work,
be confronted every day with changing conditions, new
problems, was one interesting aspect, on other hand the
financial aspect was financing my studies in a big part.