The whole point of me going to Berlin was because I had an internship at the Free Software Foundation of Europe. The details of my work aren't exactly sexy or exciting, so I won't bore you the details. Basically they are a non-profit aimed at empowering users to control their devices (by switching to Free Software). The idea is that Free Software allows people to see and modify the software in whatever way they choose. This is great because it allows a very high level of transparency in software, given that you can understand the code. This transparency is pretty useless if you can't understand the information. But overall, the concept of sharing knowledge and co-creating better products and services through Free Software means is pretty cool, and it can lead to a lot of great innovations that proprietary companies like Microsoft and Apple might try to lock down for greater market shares.
Even though I'm not a verified computer geek, I still found things to do at FSFE. Since they are an advocacy group, rather than a creator of software, a lot of the work involves writing up news items and press releases, or publishing comments about particular issues that are going on in various parts of Europe. So a lot of my work was to read up on whats going on, digest it, and turn it into something understandable for others. In the process I learned a lot about Free Software programs and systems myself. I used a Linux OS for the first time, got a lot of practices entering commands in the terminal and managing data on a subversion network which controls the shared data among our team. It was definitely challenging at first, going from 0 experience to a full Free Software environment in a few days, but I think it was pretty valuable. I learned a lot of shortcuts for writing up HTML and publishing content online.
The office itself was pretty small, just one room with enough space for about 6 desks and some shelves for promotional material like leaflets and stickers. I worked with 2 trainees most of the time, one guy from Italy and a girl from Estonia, and the President, from Germany. Everyone was really nice and helpful, and being in such a close environment meant it was easy to ask questions when they arose. On the downside, close quarters meant shared germs and there were definitely a few sicknesses going around. Some days 3 or 4 people were sick, with 2 of them completely out of the office, combined with typical German holidays meant it got pretty quiet at times. The office itself was pretty centrally located in Berlin, just in the northern part of Mitte (the downtown neighborhood), and it was surrounded by loads of hip restaurants and cafes, so if you want to pay 5 euros for mediocre 'craft' beer or coffee, you were in the right location.
However, on my last day, I did go out with the two trainees to a nearby Belgian bar, that had an amazing selection of Belgian beers that were completely reasonable in price. I consider 5.50 euros for a full 12oz 12% something something to be a very good deal. Or 4 euros for a 9% something blonde something. 10/10, would try again. Love me some Belgian beers
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