I got the wonderful opportunity to work as an intern for one month in the German Bundestag in Berlin. I worked in the office of Dorothee Baer, who is a Member of the German Bundestag. She is the youngest female politician to become a Member of the Bundestag, representing the Christian Social Union (CSU) and working for the Ministry of Culture and Media.

On my first day in the office, the staff allowed me to do a tour inside the building of the Bundestag. The architecture of the building was so impressive, especially the glass roof and its meaning. I heard that the roof was made of glass, so people can watch the process of decision making by politicians. It means the political process of the German government is fair and clean, and it feels like politicians are really among the people. I envy the Germans when I compare their political situation with the one in Korea. Korean politicians think they have the political power and not the people. I think Korean politicians should learn more from the spirit of the German Bundestag.

Miss Baer asked me to do some research on the topic "women and politics in other countries; examples of good strategies and stories in order to win elections when they run for the office". She was preparing for the next year's German general elections. Through my researching she wanted to find out more about various points of view from female politicians being active in other countries.

In the Bundestag, the CSU party provided a good internship program. They had various interesting topics for interns, in order to let us experience and learn more about German politics. For instance, they prepared several discussions with politicians treating different topic. The most impressive person was Mr. Dr. Schaeuble who is Minister for the Interior and Member of the Bundestag. Before I heard his speech, I prejudged him a little, because I thought his fame is because of his handicap (sitting in a wheelchair). But I was wrong. I realized that he has good leadership qualities and suggests excellent policies, so that German people really love him. He was also the person who created the Bundestag internship program. I was ashamed of myself.

The internship program also implied several tours like visiting the Parliament, the Bundesrat, which is the German Federal Assembly, and historical places in Berlin. I could learn a lot about the function, structure and history of German Congress.

While I was staying in Berlin for one month, the huge losses the CSU party suffered in the Bavarian vote were a debated political issue. For half a century, the CSU got high percentages in Bavarian voting compared to other parties. But this time, they could not get a good result, or at least not the one they expected. The CSU members were very frustrated, including the staff in Dorothee Baer's office.

For me, the most meaningful moment in Berlin was the German Reunification Day on October 3, which was during the period of my stay. One day before, I already asked someone in our office, if there were any events or shows, especially set up for the Reunification Day. She told me, there would be a festival sponsored by Coca Cola and the City of Berlin in downtown. As I went there that day, I was really surprised, because the event was a mixture of music festival and Marathon tournament. People were enjoying themselves a lot, watching the performances and eating/ drinking delicious food and drinks. They seemed to be really happy about their reunification. I hope one day, Koreans can also celebrate their Reunification and put up a festival like Germany does.

I learned a lot and I could really experience the German way of “doing” politics. I will never forget any moment I spend in the Bundestag.

(*The content of this article reflects the author's personal view, not necessarily the view of the Hanns Seidel Foundation Korea)

Miss Kong’s internship at the German Bundestag was funded with a scholarship by Hanns- Seidel Foundation Korea. The foundation supports the engagement of women in politics already for several years. The program “Assistant to a Member of the Bundestag” gives women the chance to spend 4 weeks in a German politician’s office in Berlin.