Here and there

This past week was a strange week, Monday came flying like it always does. I got to work and I was sent to the analytic department. We had talked about this earlier when I came but I wasn’t sure if it was actually going to happen or not. Well I spent Monday and Tuesday analyzing my the substances I had been working on the week before. I really enjoyed being there, I met new people and Joel who know a bit of English taught me what they do there. I basically prepared solutions for the HPLC’s and I made some standards and samples for “Reinheit” (impurities) check. I loved how they had about 8 different color-tapes! Haha I used al of them so my samples look crazy, I wonder what Joel thought about me wanting to use all the colors haha.


After learning a lot in the analytic department which is in the building next to where I usually work, I came back to the lab and fixed all of my reports. Yeah I fixed 20 reports! Well the problem is that they never told me I needed to add some specific details. I also needed to attach the analytic data to the reports. Well I sat in for of my computer for a long time until I finished.

Work is going well overall, Mrs. Kroybe and Dirk (two of my lab partners) have been working in the pilot plant and things are not going so well for them. Mrs. Kroybe started her reaction last week and they used the wrong reactor in the plant so white smoke started coming out and people had to evacuate the place. On the other hand, Dirk working on another plant had some drainage issue, on Thursday our boss was in the lab talking to Dirk and they were all scratching their heads! I was wondering what was going on, I was able to pick up a few things they were saying. Then Dirk confirmed what had happened. Well when “absaugen” (vacuuming) the crystals, they used the wrong filter and 10kg went through it into the Mother liquid. This was the API material which means it is the final step in a drug campaign. This 10Kg are worth 100,000€!!!!! So that is why they were scratching their heads.

I have started a new set of batches at work, I have also started to fall in love with work, the people and Germany in general. I have been thinking a lot about living here after school, a masters maybe? I am going to Mainz next week to check on a materials science school. Education is free is Germany so it sounds like a great idea to come here for another 2 years, learn German and see what comes up.

Hope all of you are having a great summer, can’t wait to see you all.