Michael Fiolka - about coffee and the start at the LFO
- Lehrstuhlnews
If you are a coffee lover, you will probably have noticed that coffee usually tastes best at home. However, this refined morning ritual, practiced to perfection, can also be a reminder that one ingredient is missing for perfect enjoyment. This ingredient cannot be provided by a portafilter machine, a daily adjustment of the grind, a careful balancing of the contact pressure taking into account the humidity and, ultimately, a fermented bean from the legacy of wild cats. After all, it is human company that makes coffee a true taste experience.
The unusual circumstance of having come to the LFO during a pandemic has left me with a certain image of the chair: a lonely arrival, empty offices and an absence in the corridors. An unfamiliar silence. Fortunately, however, I was quickly able to fill the void - thanks to the attentive welcome into the LFO team by my colleagues at the Chair.
The well-structured induction process made it easy for me to get to grips with this complex network of teaching, project work and, finally, the self-realizing process of my doctorate. This motivating leap into the waters of new structures would not have been possible without the human component of my work. Society is part of our lives and I have learned that you can't let it be taken away from you. It was all the nicer to see that all my colleagues were always willing to have conversations via Zoom and the like, and that it bore surprisingly great fruit. There are so many digital opportunities to share experiences, ask organizational questions and coordinate work packages.
Above all, I have taken away from this the courage to take the necessary steps forward in this unfamiliar situation and to approach my new colleagues all the more - this was rewarded by the openness and willingness to help on the part of these colleagues and the head of the department.
Ultimately, however, this is only a digital, virtual impression of the people at the LFO. That's why I'm really looking forward to an analog exchange in the future through meetings in physical rooms, between topics and doors and finally to this simple coffee from the mundane cafeteria vending machine - but then together with my colleagues.