Working for the largest English-language magazine in Berlin, I expected the crowd working there to be diverse and international, consisting primarily of expats to live up to Exberliner’s name. I was not wrong, since notably the founders and ongoing managers of the paper are French/Russian, German (but not from Berlin) and Romanian/American, yet all met at Journalism school in London. However, I was still surprised at the number of Americans working, notably gay New Yorkers now living in their Mecca and restating countless times what a regression it would mean to their psyche and lifestyle if they ever had to move back.

I was one of five interns although by far the youngest one as I am still only 21, the other four being a Danish student here for his internship year as part of his studies at Aarhus Journalism School, and the three others an American girl from Nevada with a German fiancée, an Irish girl who had previously lived in Australia, and a Scottish/English young guy about to start his Masters at FU at 28.

Although a bit nervous at the beginning particularly since I felt like the one with the least experience working in journalism there and acclimatising to the change of style – since I had studied Literature & Film – and pace, I quickly learned the tough way of adapting to the form and style of the newspaper by reading past issues and talking to more experienced interns and reading what they wrote.

Since my position as a non-paid intern is flexible they have given me the liberty of going to my German classes in the morning and to the office in the afternoon. I’m really enjoying this rhythm since my morning classes force me to get up and start the day early and productive, while the time spent in the afternoon for research and copywriting purposes is sufficiently short for me to not get tired of being on the computer but long enough to do the necessary tasks.

I’ll be working until Christmas and although my position will not be continued after, I’m looking forward to looking for another position which can be paid this time, even if it is merely working in a restaurant or bar. But I will definitely keep freelancing as a journalist for various papers, and I am certain the contacts and experience gathered at Exberliner will remain an invaluable asset in my time in Berlin.