"Karte?" the large woman with a small piece of bacon lodged on her right forearm repeats.

"Kein German, do you sprechen English?" (No German. Do you speak English?)

I stutter in the crowded canteen. I take a 20 euro note from my purse and hand it to her.

"Wir können kein Geld nehmen, Fraulein." (We can't take any money, Miss.)

She pushes my money away. "Karte" she repeats.

I nervously look down. I do not know what she wants.

A male voice interrupts my nervous stance. "Gerta, wische meine Karte für uns beide" (Gerta, swipe my card for both of us)

I turn around and I'm greeted by the 6 foot blonde man in the suit and tie. He has a crooked smile that compliments his chiselled chin, along with a wavy blonde hair that highlights his high cheekbones and light blue eyes.

The woman flashes a smile and swipes the card twice before returning an unfriendly look directed at me.

"Let's go," he whispers.

I pick my tray with my food and bottle of water and follow my saviour.

"Thank you, Mr?"

"Daniel Schmidt."

I smile gratefully. "Thank you, Mr Schmidt."

He walks past me and I hesitate if I should follow him or not. He occupies a table that is empty and gestures for me to join him.

"First day can be difficult, no?" He gives me a comforting smile.

In reality, it has been hectic, daunting, frightening...

"It's been okay." I lie. "I really need to learn German."

He chuckles, "She speaks English."

I stare at him in dismay. "What the hell? First the receptionist, then the lunch lady? What is wrong with you guys?" I blush at my outburst. "I'm so sorry, Mr Schmidt, I shouldn't have."

He laughs, "It's okay, most people that work on this side speak English. This is the business centre of the city. If we were in the old town, it might not be the same. But, that doesn't mean we make it easy for foreigners. Also, call me Daniel."

I take a bite from my pie and mash. "I'll pay you back." 

My first German meal in Dusseldorf is unremarkable at best and he chuckles at the face I make when I take my first bite. I blush with embarrassment. 

"Why she didn't accept my money?"

"Did Marie give you a white card?"

I take the pack she handed me in the morning and locate a white card. 

"This one?" I hold it to him.

"I guess she didn't explain how we use it?"

I shake my head.

"After lunch, I'll show you. We add the money on the card, so there's no need for money transactions in the building. It also can be registered to the car park and the laundry facilities."

"There are laundry facilities?"

He shakes his head, amused at the fact that I'm so lost. "I'll need to have a word with Marie and her German hospitality."

I grunt. "She's failing miserably so far."

"Well, you are also failing in that department if I'm so bold to point out."

I raise an eyebrow at his candid comment.

"You haven't introduced yourself to me," he clarifies.

I blush once more, realising that I was sitting with the man that came to my rescue and completely neglected my manners.

"I'm terribly sorry. I'm Natalie Porter."

He shakes my hand cordially. "Nice to meet you, Natalie. Welcome to Dusseldorf."

After our shared meal, Daniel kindly gives me a tour of the building. It is a surprising estate that caters to several tech companies and has that Google feeling to it. In a small part, I'm happy to be part of a tech company and the buzz it comes along with it.

"So, what is your first impression of Dusseldorf?" Daniel asks while giving me the tour.

Should I be honest?

"Honestly?"

He smiles as if trying to understand what I mean by the word. "Natürlich," he responds, mimicking the fishnet receptionist with spiky hair.

"Okay, I guess. Nothing special about it. Nothing breathtaking yet."

He smirks. "I guess Dusseldorf can be underwhelming. I can guarantee it's not the same everywhere. Even though I'm partial."

I nod while we walk through the main reception slowly. "What do you think of the company?" he persists in his enquiry.

"I've been here for less than a day. Not much to think of."

Shit. For all I know, this guy might be the co-founder. I immediately try to make a clumsy amend to my own honest response.

"I mean, I'm grateful for the opportunity. It feels like a great opportunity. The place is full of life, except for your receptionist."

He chuckles at the pointed remark aimed at the spiked hair lady that is the face of the company. "Marie doesn't trust easy. Especially with her brother's company."

Was he referring to himself or Lukas?

"I sense there is a but coming, Nicole." he says bemusedly.

I frown at my knight in a polished suit. He has already forgotten my name. This is becoming too typical.

"Natalie." I politely correct him.

He clears his throat. "Yes, of course, pardon me, Natalie."

He pushes the elevator button and looks at me expectantly.

"My, but is that... I feel like a fish out of water. I don't speak the language. I would assume this position would be better suited for someone that is fluent in English and German. My fluency stops in English and Italian, and trust me, even my Italian is ill-suited to the country itself."

The ping of the lift salvages me from pursuing my rant and Daniel politely grants me passage to its interior and pushes the button. Silence befalls in the quick ride upstairs that last no longer than 15 seconds. Once we are propelled by the mechanic platform back to the office floor, the silence breaks.

"I hope you have a wonderful afternoon." Daniel smiles politely and allows me to leave first.

He walks over to Marie and starts giving her some instructions that are undisclosed due to my language barrier, leaving me to join Markus, that is also back from his lunch.

Markus is a decent guy, with some serious marketing skills. I can tell it straight away. He is the only marketeer on the team and needs someone with full proficiency in English to update the website, write some articles for the blog and come up with creative ideas for publicising the company.

The company is a wellness app that tracks and monitors your heart rate, metabolism, blood pressure, physical activity, and so on. So in other words, WellYou is the German Fitbit. They're getting popular in the German market, especially for a company launched recently, but want to expand aggressively to international markets. Hence, the intern that writes content in English.

Markus takes the afternoon to introduce me to each person in the team. According to him, the mornings are hectic, but after lunch, it calms down. He also points out that most people work at 8 am, some of them even earlier, so they can also leave home early. I find that an interesting approach. He tells me he usually is in by the latest 7.30 but reassures me I can come in when it works best for me.

The team is about 20 people, most of them tech people. There's a gentleman named Stefan that is HR. I remember getting some emails from him in the weeks leading to my departure to Germany. I acknowledge him formally and he returns the favour politely. Markus tells me that Daniel is the financial director, and Lukas' right-hand man, the founder of the company.

I dedicate the rest of the afternoon to my first blog article that will be released later in the week. Markus gives me the 'Getting Active' topic and told me to go crazy with facts and be as creative as possible. He wants content that is readable and informative but not plain and boring.

He packs his things closer to 4pm. "I hope you had a good first day."

I smile politely. "Yes, you've been great. I'm going to work on this article for you."

He takes his bag pack. "Tomorrow I'll show you our social media and we'll discuss some strategies."

"Sounds good." I reply.

Markus takes a cycle helmet and only then I realise he changed his clothes and is now ready to cycle to his next destination. I chuckle softly. This is the first thing that reminds me a bit of home.

"Before I forget. Lukas wants to see you at 4.30. Just head to his office."

I nod in response.

"Bis morgen." (See you tomorrow)

He walks aways and leaves me with my blank word document open on the desktop.

Once 4.29 hits the laptop, I decide I need to give a break to the blank screen and walk to my boss's office for our meeting. His office is on the far left and it's larger that Daniel's. From the outside, I see Lukas in deep conversation with Daniel. The closer I approach, the more Lukas steals glances in my direction. I stop at the entrance and lightly knock on the glass door. Daniel gets up and flashes a warm smile before leaving the room.

Lukas waves his hand for me to approach. "Natalie, how was your first day?"

I smile and sit down in front of him. "Intense but great. Markus is fantastic, he has such great experience and I'm very clear in what he wants us to achieve."

He gets up and buttons his blazer and makes his way to the front of his desk. "Great to hear. That is exactly what I want. I heard you had some hiccups today, but I'm glad that the afternoon was better. Germans take time to warm up to foreigners, but we will warm up. Don't believe everything you hear about us."

I blush. I didn't want my failures to be disclosed to my new boss.

Lukas senses my discomfort. "Don't worry, we are straightforward around here because we want you to be productive and happy at the workplace, that's all."

I nod, still unnerved that Daniel disclosed my tantrum earlier on.

"You did great, and I'll see you tomorrow."

I get up and offer a weak smile in response. "See you tomorrow," I say and walk out.

Once I'm back at my desk, I stare at my blank document with the heading Getting Active.

How original, Nat.

I sigh in frustration, but more than that I'm infuriated with the suit wearing spy. I decide that tomorrow will be a better day for my writing.

I decide to head back to the hostel. I'll have a shower, speak with mom, get something in my stomach, hang out with Emily if she's around and before going to sleep I'll do some research for the day ahead of me. Maybe even speak with Harry. If he is available. I smile, content at my resolution, and pack for the day.

"How was your afternoon?" the devil in disguise enquires.

"Fine," I snap.

He frowns, "Are you okay? Did Marie say something else?"

I get up and take my purse from beneath the desk. "Marie said nothing to me. Goodnight."

And I walk past him. Infuriating bastard.