Hey Guys!
I know it has been a long time since I wrote to you. To be exact it has been eight months ago. Do you want to know why? Well, I was starting my master’s thesis in March… And while writing a thesis every day for six months, I just had no energy and inspiration left for writing a blog post. I did not think that this would happen, but it did. I still went for walks and continued my home workout though. I even started to run once or twice a week and to cycle regularly. But as with the blog posts I also had less to share with you via Instagram... Less time to cook so there was less to show… And when I took photos to share them and their recipes with you… Well, I obviously did not do it. But I want to change that now! I will just give you an update in this Blog Post. Then I will write the next one about convict conditioning and how it turned out.
Writing a Master’s Thesis
First of all, the experience of writing a master’s thesis was something else! It was harder than a bachelor’s thesis, but at the same time way more interesting! As you might know, I studied Logistics. I wrote my master’s thesis about predictive maintenance at the intralogistics of Lidl Stiftung & Co. KG. Predictive maintenance is about predicting future failures and future wear of machines. Then you can plan maintenance activities only when they are needed. Companies usually use corrective or preventive maintenance methods. Corrective means repairing machines or parts when they broke down. Preventive includes time-based or performance-based maintenance activities to prevent breakdowns. It was a very interesting and technical topic which was challenging as I have no background in computer science or technology. I learned a lot about machine learning, artificial intelligence, and maintenance. But mostly I learned about staying concentrated and motivated for long periods of time. And what can I say, I succeeded and achieved what I was working for since March 2020. I completed my master’s degree with an average grade of 1.1 and was the best of my year. I am kind of proud but mostly happy that I learned so much.
Ready for Vacation
After finishing my master’s thesis I was ready for the holidays. So I went to Croatia for three weeks. I have never been on holiday this long. I went to Vinišće in the North of Split for two weeks with my best friend and our boyfriends. It was beautiful there, a small village in the middle of hills, olive trees, and fig trees. We just lay in the sun, swam in the sea, and ate a lot of food. I especially enjoyed lying outside in the dark, looking at the sky and the stars. Around here you can not see them as good as there. Bright and clear. After two weeks we separated. My friends stayed in Vinišće, while we moved southwards to Dubrovnik. I always wanted to go there, even though I have not watched all seasons of Game of Thrones, which was partially filmed there. The town is just amazing and definitely worth a visit! You can also visit Montenegro and Bosnia from there. We wanted to do this too, but I had an accident after two days. I think it was the need to climb, as I have not been bouldering for more than two weeks at that point. So I climbed a fig tree to get some figs. The branch cracked, I fell, and I sprained my ankle pretty badly. That was the end of visiting cities and the beginning of lying in the garden in front of our apartment, reading harry potter and being bitten by tiger mosquitos. I still enjoyed every bit of it.
New Familiy Member
One night after the accident, after visiting the hospital of Dubrovnik and after going to the sea without swimming (thanks to my sprained ankle), it happened. We just arrived in front of our apartment and there she was. A small, thin kitten ran towards us. She asked for cuddles and did not leave for hours. When we went into our apartment, she came with us. She left during the night, as we left the door open. We did not have any food or a litter box. But we have already fallen in love with her. The next day we thought about getting a cat. We could not take her, of course. We were more than 12 hours away from home and we did not know if she belonged to someone and if we were even allowed. So we decided, we will just get a cat in Germany. Okay, so far so good.
We came back later that night after visiting a restaurant. I limped around the car with my crutches. Then I saw her. She jumped down from a terrace and ran towards me. She ran right into my arms. After stroking her once, I knew I did not want any cat from Germany. I wanted her. She felt like family. Once again she followed us into the apartment and we cuddled for hours. I contacted our landlord and found out that she did not have any owner. She was a street cat. This night we did not leave the door open. The next morning we went to a shop with our kitten and bought everything we needed. Then we went to a vet. She got vaccinated and chipped, and we got a passport for her. We stayed for four more days, and she never tried to leave. At the end of the week, we got into the car with the cat on my legs and drove for two whole days. We spent a night in a B&B in Ljubliana (also a city you should visit, it is just breathtaking!). We even went to restaurants with the cat. She behaved perfectly! Arriving in Germany we had to visit the vet very often as she got some sicknesses from the streets (ear mites). But she grew into a healthy, strong, beautiful cat that is now part of our family. We called her Mlini, after the village where we found her.
Sleepy Mlini 
Loves Cuddles 
& Hanging Around
Start of a new Phase in Life
So, the master’s thesis was finished, the family was enlarged and my foot was injured. The next step was starting my very first job. I did not plan to start my first job with crutches, believe me. But as I am working in the office, at least I can work anyway. I started to work as a Junior SAP Consultant in the logistics/production area. As I have gained experience in maintenance and learned to be interested in that field, I was asked to work in the maintenance team within the logistics project. So now I am to become an SAP Consultant in Logistics and Maintenance. I am excited about everything that I will learn. I started to work for a Start-up, as I wanted to work in a small company. I have worked for big companies like Bosch, Porsche, and Lidl and I needed a change (I enjoyed all three companies, don’t get me wrong). It was the right decision. A small company can be so much more agile. You can participate in improving the company and when you have ideas you can actually realize them rather than only address them.
For now, I am happy. I make tons of photos of Mlini. I enjoy working and learning a lot every day. I started to go bouldering again (very slowly because of my foot) and I still do convict conditioning. I just started working on some personal ideas, too. I hope I can realize them soon. Of course, I will tell you about them, when they are ready. You will definitely hear from me soon. And as always, feel free to leave a like, a comment, and to visit my Instagram account, where you can watch photos of Mlini and stay up-to-date!
Love, Eileen