A new address
A new address
Václav Vojtěch
Project Manager G32 – MEB Model Series
61,000
covered in a company car during his deployment in Wolfsburg
Nothing better than a personal meeting
I ’ve been with the carmaker since 2007. First, I worked in the company’s Communications department and later on in Product Management on the OCTAVIA and KODIAQ models. I started travelling regularly to Wolfsburg in 2017, when I joined the G32 – MEB Model Series department. Every week, we would prepare projects, which eventually led to the ŠKODA ENYAQ iV and VW ID.4 electric cars being built on the same platform. With the approaching start of production, negotiations intensified, and that was why I became a foreign service employee in October 2019 and would stay in Wolfsburg every week until the end of 2020. My VW colleagues welcomed me very warmly. The most important thing for me was that I was able to meet people “on the other end of the line” in person. I stopped being “some Czech phone number”, and they saw me as a familiar colleague. And it was the same from my side. But besides work-related impressions, I would like to tell you a little bit more about my personal experiences.
I improved my German and made new friends in Germany, but I experienced the pandemic as well, unfortunately.
Quarantine
The start of the coronavirus pandemic last March meant that I packed up my work and personal belongings and travelled home. I didn’t return to Wolfsburg until mid-April, straight to my two weeks of quarantine. When I got back, it was also challenging because I had to find out about the latest regulations and duties or look for tests, of which there were few at the time, and they were expensive. It started again in September with quarantine, tests and stays in the Czech Republic for a maximum of 48 hours so that I wouldn’t lose my commuter status…
In this context, I’m grateful to my dear colleagues from STM/2 – Expatriate Management, who, despite their big load of other work, took and take a great care of us foreign service employees.
Back home to see my daughter
I lived quite well in Wolfsburg. This city offers more activities and services than Mladá Boleslav. The much larger Braunschweig is also located nearby. However, I missed my beloved daughter there. Therefore, with a few exceptions, I went home every weekend and for holiday so that we could spend time together. I spent at least 400 hours behind the wheel commuting, but it was worth it many times over because of the time that I got to spend with my family and friends. I always had the most beautiful feeling when crossing the border on my way home. When travelling through the countryside along the Elbe River and then through Úštěk and Doksy to Mladá Boleslav, I always realised how beautiful this region is.
Reminder of the native region
I come from the beautiful Deštné in the Orlické Mountains, so when I had a free weekend in Germany, I headed to the Harz Mountains, where I remembered my home a bit. In December, before the end of my stay, I also went to harden myself in the Baltic Sea.
Lake around the corner
I didn’t have much free time, but when I could, I tried to go swimming, to the sauna or to run. In addition, just a few hundred metres from the plant gate, there is Lake Allersee, which is part of the large Allerpark leisure area.