And then there were 5.

5 weeks, that is.

I am back in Germany after 19 days wandering around the US. My flight arrived around 7 am this morning. It was actually pitch black outside when we landed... yes, at 7 am. I got to my apartment around 9:30 am and at that point wanted to climb into bed and sleep forever. But, I am mastering jet lag and know that a nap would be the worst thing to do. So, I actually went in to work and had a semi-productive day cleaning out e-mails and getting myself ready to power through the last 5 weeks. Now, I am trying to keep myself awake for 47 more minutes because I think going to bed before 8 pm would be a mistake. The fact that it was already almost dark by 5 pm has not helped this process, but I'm trying.

So, what's on the books for the next 5 weeks? Lots of stuff, actually...
... travel: there's still a number of places to see in Germany... Hamburg and Cinderalla's castle, and we also have a trip planned to Amsterdam
...Christmas Markets: this is a special trip Drew and I will take to Nurnberg because we have heard that the markets there are some of the best.
...finish my internship: got to work on documentation and training. And, most likely try to find some time to fly to both Italy and England again to train in person.
...get a job: I have some great opportunities already and I am super excited that I actually have a decision to make. Of course, the hard part for me is making the decision. But, I hope that when I sit down and really think about it, the answer will be easy.

With that, I've successfully wasted, errr, passed about 5 minutes. On to entertain myself in other ways.

Is it really time to find a job??

It took me awhile to get back into school mode, but I must admit, I have fully embraced being a graduate student. I like the freedom it offers. I can set my schedule, take what classes I want, and have minimal guilt if I need to take a personal day off for my sanity. But, of course, I loved working. Having an income, usually having my weekends free, having meaningful work and being a bit more stable are all good things.

So, now, in the LGO program, it's recruiting season. This past week many of the second year students returned to Boston, again, but this time to interview for jobs after we graduate. The LGO partner companies all come to MIT and interview during this week. It's actually really nice for those of us who have to travel far because it allows us to come for one week and get in a lot of interviews. The interviews were usually 30 minutes, and many of the partner companies were pretty quick about things; we often heard about second round interviews, offers and "dings" within 24 hours of our interview.

The week, however, was overwhelming; meeting lots of new people, being at the top of your game all day every day and doing personal soul searching. It's all pretty exhausting. However, I'm happy with how things have turned out for me. I have some terrific opportunities and still have some other companies that I am really excited about that I'm waiting to hear more from. I'm pretty optimistic that it'll work out for the best.

And, for now, I still have 1 more week to enjoy in the US. 2 more days in Boston because on Tuesday I give a presentation to the Novartis Vaccines CEO (I'm big time now ;)) and then I head to Northern California for more interview fun. Then, next Sunday, it's back to Germany for one more month of internship and European fun!