By Anna
Yay! You’re 18 now! Not having fully processed that, I still moved to Brussels the next day to start my internship at the office of the Vice President of the European Parliament in Brussels – all by myself. I took the train from my hometown in the south of Germany to Brussels. And if you think that that shouldn’t be a problem because of German efficiency, forget everything you think you know about Germany: The “Deutsche Bahn” (German railway) is almost never on time. So I found myself stranded at the station in Cologne with the next train going to Brussels at 6am. However, sleeping under a bench at that train station didn’t stop me from hurrying to the European Parliament when I arrived at the train station “Midi” in Brussels. (The main train station in Brussels is not the Central station but the Midi station. That’s why tourists often get it wrong and end up at the wrong train station.) So, ultimately, there was a tired Anna, packed with all of her belongings, in front of the European Parliament – but at least I was punctual and ready to start her internship.
This chaos also applied to me when I lived in a shared flat with a Belgian woman and her two cats. I always started work at 9 am and came home at 8pm. Surely, you can imagine that I was exhausted after such a long day. Therefore, I often left my used dishes on the kitchen table and just slept until the next morning – much to the dismay of my flatmate. I soon got used to the stress of the European Parliament and I was able to organize my housework around my calendar at the European Parliament. (Pro tip: buy spaghetti on sale with different sauces and cook meals for the whole week with it. That’s how I ate 6kg spaghetti in 5 months.)
But it also gave me the opportunity to get to know my flatmate. She was basically like me, only 10 years older but used to be equally chaotic. She helped me with my housework and we became friends. This led to her drinking my sprite and me eating her sweets. Together we watched one trash TV series after another.
Watching trash TV was the only thing I was able to do after a long working day at the European Parliament – but the work was also immensely interesting. The best thing was that I was allowed to work independently and had my own responsibilities.
My tasks included managing and actively shaping my MEP’s social media channels on political developments in the European Union, with a particular focus on migration and transport policies. For example, I developed and independently ran a campaign for the European elections on ‘What Europe does for you’ on a wide range of topics. I also developed a new format for Mr Oetjen’s social media presence, for which I received high praise from many of our party colleagues in Germany. Additionally, I was also responsible for press releases, social media posts and media monitoring.
I also enjoyed assisting the Migration Policy Officer in preparing comprehensive analyses and reports on political developments in various African countries (e.g. Senegal) and their relations with the European Union.
This involved attending the meetings of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE), the Committee on Development (DEVE) and the Subcommittee on Human Rights, Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP). That included hearing voices of the affected people and thinking outside of the box. As someone who has always lived in a small, rural village in Germany, I was amazed at the different perspectives and the diversity that exists within the European Parliament.
One thing the European Parliament cannot offer is good canteen food. After realising that I always brought garlic sauce to lunch. Luckily, with that, the food was edible and I was able to enjoy lunch with my colleagues again. During lunch, they became my friends. Together we also got to know other people from other offices. This led to joint St. Nicholas and Christmas parties or going to Christmas markets together. We went on trips to other Belgian cities such as Leuven, Ghent and Bruges.
Having experienced this, I have two tips for you.
- If you ever go to Brussels or Belgium, you must go to Bruges. I really fell in love with this city. The historic buildings and canals make you feel like you’re back in the Middle Ages.
- If you drink Belgian beer, be aware that it is much stronger than any other beer you have tasted before. It will take you to Delirium Village.
With each passing day, I have also realised how many people invest hours and hours in a better Europe, in a better EU. How much time and effort goes into the European project, and that it is shaped by so many committed individuals and people, is a fact that unfortunately sometimes seems to be forgotten.
I took all my impressions back to my hometown in Germany and incorporated them into my campaign for my own candidacy for the European Parliament. The project of European integration lives and grows with all of us, with each and every one of us!
