Martin Nambahu
BUCHI Labortechnik AG
Bachelor Student in Mechanical Engineering
Namibia University of Science and Technology
February 01 - April 30, 2023
at work
Working for Buchi was an amazing experience. This being my first exposure to the real work world was amazing. The first day I was introduced to the whole team in the assembly and from then forth it’s like we’ve known each other for the longest time. Everyone at work was so kind and willing to step away from their station to help me if they thought I was having an issue. I was tasked to do multiple assemblies throughout the three months and before I started every task a well experienced colleague and a well written assembly manual was assigned to show me what to do, from the third assembly or so I was given a chance to assemble and see if I followed. After I got the hang of it and the supervisor saw that the work was okay, they then trusted me to continue without supervision, which shows trust. I made some interesting friends although I was the youngest in the assembly hall. I was treated like an adult, and everyone kept it professional. The company environment is so welcoming, you never feel like you are in a place where you are unwanted. The hardness level of assemblies kept on increasing over the days, from the subassemblies to the complete assembly of a whole functioning device. This being handmade meant that quality was well assured as in Buchi everything must be done to the best quality possible.
My Swiss host family
I was fortunate enough to be hosted by the Bieri family, Ursula, Sarah and Reto. They made sure I never felt home sick by treating me as one of them and not an outsider. I was happy to find out that I’ve been placed in a house with people who have common interests, we practically bonded everyday after work at dinner. This is where we shared how our day was and told something interesting, what we saw or experienced during the day. When the team of interns had no plans for the weekend, the family always pitched an idea on what to do. Exchange of culture was a daily thing although thankfully I had the help of a Namibian YouTuber’s videos to explain my culture back home. Sara was so kind, she took a day off to take me to Germany on my birthday. My host mom gifted me a voucher for the Santis and it was amazing being up there. Reto gave me something that I’ll most definitely cherish forever, a SWISS Army knife with my names engraved on it. Overall, I never felt homesick because there was really no need to be, I was loved and taken care of, for that I’ll forever be grateful.
My highlights and challenges
The highlights must be the travelling. The GA ticket that B360 gave us made travelling much easier for us. Due to us being from different courses and backgrounds, these weekend travels brought us closer to one another. We came here strangers, but we are going back a group of friends. We’ve travelled to almost all the corners of the country, and had some weekend stays as a group in a different town. Due to our receiving of salaries, this made it easier to plan a weekend trip as everyone can pitch in to pay for the hostel fees, which if I may say had a good service. During my stay I’ve engaged in activities like ice skating, snowboarding, bowling, darts and many more. But I have to say, I will have to give bowling a chance back home as it was nice. I remember someone saying I’m living the life that we only saw on television and that made me proud of this achievement. The one challenge that I had was the language barrier but with google translator, everything worked out fine
My future plans
My plan as of now is to make sure I finish university and get my degree. Once I get my degree, I hope some doors will open, giving me the chance to work in an industry where I can put the skills I’ve acquired here to work. After finishing this degree I’ll then see if the possibility to further my studies will happen.
Personal message
First, I just want to thank the B360 for this life time opportunity. I am very thankful to everyone involved and everyone that has kept supporting me all the way, my mentor, my host family, and my family back home, mom and the B360 at large. To the Buchi team stay kind, bubbly and professional as always, to the Bieri family, thank you for letting me make your home my home too; I am very grateful. To the interns of 2023, you guys made this experience the best, I had fun and Thank You very much guys. To the B360 and partners, please keep giving out these opportunities because the memories and skills obtained here will stay forever within us, Danke.
