A Munich Perspective
June, 2021

As the rain clouds clear and the sun rays peak through to greet us with summer kisses, we feel our hearts and moods lift from what seemed like a never-ending lockdown in Germany. Some of our members share their personal experiences of the recent months…

 

Nahia Orduña is one of the founders of our Munich chapter and has been joining all the Women in Big Data (WiBD) Munich gatherings since our first one and is missing the face-to-face vibe and building those personal relationships with the members of the community. The last months have been intense and hard for her, but at the same time she has made some progress in areas she was not expecting. Nahia shares:

“I confess I have been complaining a lot in the recent months and it has not been easy. Of course, the first thing I was worried about was the health, especially of my loved ones far away that I could not visit. Home-schooling was stressful and we even had cases of Covid in my home, which luckily was mild, but still tough. I missed our events terribly that were usually full of people, good vibes and energy, but being in lockdown, gave me the chance to reflect about how lucky we are as the Women in Big Data. For the most part, our jobs were not very much affected in this crisis as we were able to continue in home-office, while others were fighting for us on the frontlines.

Inspired to help people to find new jobs in this new scenario, I wrote a book, Your Digital Reinvention, which contains testimonials and advice from other members of the WiBD community. The feedback and the great stories that were shared with me and the readers is definitely one of my highlights of the last year. I also moved to a new role in a new company, which has been challenging, but at the same time rewarding. I see the opportunity to keep growing and keep inspiring others.

A year to remember, and I am looking forward to organizing events in person, meeting and hugging the community and exchanging views in a beer garden during the German summer.”

Astrid Neumann, consultant for our WiBD Munich chapter, has had a tough last year. She really did well in the first and second wave but somehow in the never-ending third wave she lost a lot of her cheerful spirit. She shares:

“I was just worn out, the never ending home schooling situation and working from home was driving me literally insane. So, I decided it was time for some changes. I made adjustments in my family life, I found myself a new job, where I was allowed to work more in the office, and I gave myself a kick in my own ass. I am still tired but getting better each day. After almost five months of having the kids at home they have now finally made it back to school this week. I am so happy for them and for myself. I am working hard to get my mojo back. What do I miss most? A LOT! I am not sure – it’s a bunch of things, but overall, I think I miss normality as life was before Covid-19. My grandparents lived through the second World War – so I am sure we will all get through this pandemic phase as well.”

 

Colleen Arend, our Munich-based consultant for digital marketing and content, has taken the brave leap to dedicate six months to self-invest in her skills development and to volunteer for female communities while she prepares her two children for primary school which they will start in September. She shares:

“After many years in advertising agencies and freelancing, the pandemic gave me the opportunity to reflect on my next career steps and my sense of purpose. My passion is to help improve the lives of others with my gained experience, knowledge and skills. As the world was going through its transition, I realized it was time for me to do the same. In the process of finding the right fit, virtual interviews have been a new experience, but like most of us learnt in the past eighteen months, we can easily adapt and adjust to moving over to virtual engagements. I look forward to growing into my next chapter while we move into our new normal and to return to the office with colleagues. I hope sharing my story inspires other women in our community to self-reflect, take on new opportunities and grow in their personal and professional lives”

 

 

 

 

If you are based in Munich (Germany) and would like to share your experiences with a local chapter, please reach out to us on wibdmunich@gmail.com or reach out to us on LinkedIn.