How about Chinese today: Xi Huang

University: Peking University

Field of study: Software Engineering

Most interesting achievement: participant in National High-Tech Research and Development Program, internship in Adobe

Favorite developer tools: Eclipse, Star UML

Favorite websites: http://www.engadget.com;  http://www.download.oracle.com

’’With the precision of a Chinese specialist, Xi Huang would immediately extract the essence out of complicated things and explain the logic of a process. Also, did you know that the Mandarine language, Xi Huang speaks, has four different sounds for the letter ‘a’? We would laugh and repeat after her a hundred times and still say them wrongly. Hmmm… we might publish a short video, if you want. ’’

This is Xi Huang, in short. But let us meet her better:

Claudia Corches: ’’Xi Xi, I could hardly wait to interview you! And I want to start by asking what is it that you miss the most from China? ’’

Xi Huang: ’’Well, as an epicurean, the thing I miss the most is Chinese food. As you may know, we use many “interesting” ingredients, for example the ginger, which are not common in Germany. But the German food is also very good. You can easily tell from the weight I gained since I came here. ’’

Claudia Corches: ’’You had this amazing will to come and experience the European Continent… and it is not just a way of saying! After bBox during the week, not a single weekend without travelling! What fascinated you? ’’

Xi Huang: ’’Actually I didn’t expect that much before I started to travel. The first thing that fascinated me were the landscapes in Germany and not only. For instance, Brugge, the so-called ‘Venice of the north’, Luzern which is so beautiful for its amazing combined view of lake, mountain and city, Prague which has the impressive castle and the old town, Barcelona, full of incredibly designed buildings, all amazed me… Apart from these, the cultures also interest me a lot since I only learned a little about European history in school. And the most interesting things are the Christian stories which I didn’t know before. ’’ 

Claudia Corches: ’’From what I see every day, I am absolutely sure that you enjoy the work in the bBox Project just as much as your travelling. So, what does the project represent to you? ’’

Xi Huang: ’’bBox is expected to suggest, and hopefully set, a new way of doing banking software. For me, the project means innovation, an opportunity to be remembered if the project is a success and, also, I strongly value it to be a very important experience of working in an international team. ’’

Claudia Corches: ’’You are a cybernetic specialist in the bBox project, which sure brings with it responsibilities. So, how exactly does the bBox challenge you? ’’

Xi Huang: ’’To be honest, I didn’t know what a cybernetic specialist’s job was before coming here. The only thing I knew was it had something to do with processes. So, apparently, the first challenge for me was to find out what exactly I was supposed to do. As the project proceeded, more challenges came on the way. For example, I didn’t have much knowledge about banking, so I had to learn some banking processes – which are in German! Thanks to my colleagues’ help, I made it and figured out the main elements in the process. But the biggest challenge is to handle the navigation. As you know the banking processes are complicated and confusing, so I have to think up a way to make it easier so that the bankers can have a clear picture of the process. ’’

Claudia Corches: ’’Xi, what exactly from your Project related experience so far do you feel it helped you the most in our work now? ’’

Xi Huang: ’’I think it’s the experience of organizing during my internship in Adobe Systems Incorporated (China), which has focused upon the creation of multimedia and creativity software products. Usually, there are several approaches in one process to “get to the destination”. It needs a structure, otherwise you would get confused by so many branches and details. Without the experience of organizing I wouldn’t be able to figure out how to navigate through the process. ’’

Claudia Corches: ’’You and Delly worked together very closely in the Apple vs. Android competition. Now, you are working an separate things, but still are together in the same office and flat apartment. Beautiful friendship already, right? ’’

 Xi Huang: ’’Yep, we have done a lot of things together. We live in the same flat, we share stories when we cook, we take the same tram to go to work, we have most of our trips together... Even you, our colleagues, call us ‘twins’. Actually, it’s really nice to have her as my flatmate. ’’ 

Claudia Corches: ’’We recently introduced the Programmathon to our blog readers. Still, I think everybody is curious to know what are your focus points at the moment in this intense time of work? ’’

Xi Huang: ’’Now I’m working on the process from Mr. Michael Buchberger –consumer loan process– . First, I need to understand the steps in this process and group them in a logical structure. Then I need to fit them into our prototype without changing the steps. After that, I need to write down the details of using this process for the programmers so that they can understand how the process works in the iPad. And after finishing the cybernetic work, I will join the programmers to implement the images  Nair is currently designing. ’’

Claudia Corches: ’’I was very proud to find out that you have experienced Leadership positions in AIESEC PKU. Tell us more! ’’

Xi Huang: ’’Actually, I was working in a branch of AIESEC PKU. My department was big (around 600 students) but located far away from the main campus, so my LC asked me to take charge of promotion and recruiting affairs in my department. Since it was a new ‘market’, there were only 2 persons in the team – my friend and me. So we had to build everything from scratch. After one semester’s promotion, almost everyone knew about AIESEC and more than 20 persons were willing to join us. ’’

Claudia Corches: ’’You were awarded as an outstanding Student of Xiamen University for three years consecutively. And now, you are continuing studies with a Masters Program of Software Engineering in Beijing. What is your aim? ’’

Xi Huang: ’’Process is an interesting subject and I’m getting more interested in it because of this internship. When I go back I might study more about process optimization which is related to my major as well. ’’

Claudia Corches: ’’Good luck, Xi, and thanks very much! ’’

Heidelberg

Heidelberg is a German city situated in the south-west of the country. It is the fifth largest city of the German State of Baden-Württemberg after Stuttgart, Mannheim,Karlsruhe and Freiburg im Breisgau. 

Since it is so close to Karlsruhe and always heard that it's a 'must see', I was really curious to just visit it, at least once. So, I chose the most perfect day: a nice sunny Friday with 22 °C. Only after, I knew why Heidelberg is so special and, hopefully, some interesting details and photos will excite you and make you set it as your destination for a romantic weekend...wherever you are in the world.

Let's begin!

Hauptstraße is the most attractive 'path' to start exploring the small beautiful city for both the locals and especially, tourists, who, by the way, are all over. :) You would rather hear English being spoken, than German, and, at the same time, see a lot of Asian visitors. What enchant your eyes are old style buildings, stuffed with coffee shops, restaurants or small pubs, book shops and a lot of cool brands stores you can do your shopping in. Moreover, flowers, artists singing or drawing, amazingly color and animate life in this place.

Souvenirs? Well, you sure have a lot of nice things to choose from. I only photographed the cutest:

    

Out there in the big world and looking for a place to continue your studies?

You should then know that Heidelberg is the seat of the University of Heidelberg which is well-known far beyond Germany's borders.

Founded in 1386, it is the oldest university in Germany and was the fourth university established in the Holy Roman Empire. A coeducational institution since 1899, today Heidelberg consists of twelve faculties and offers degree programs at undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral levels in 100 disciplines.

One of the most universally admired scientists of his generation, Robert Bunsen was a German chemist, who after years of formation in different universities such as Göttingen, Polytechnic School of Kassel,  University of Marburg,University of Breslau, finally joined the University of Heidelberg in 1852.

 

Today, his discovery of the use of iron oxidehydrate as a precipitating agent is still the best known antidote against arsenic poisoning. So, do not just ignore his imposing statue. He really deserves our attention and recognition, right?

What I couldn't avoid were the churches. :)

Actually, there are many historical churches in Heidelberg and its environs. But I chose to show you the Church of the Holy Spirit (founded in 1398), which has been shared over the centuries since the Protestant Reformation by both Catholics and Protestants. It is one of the few buildings to survive the many wars during the past centuries. It was rebuilt after the French set fire to it in 1709 during the War of the Palatinian Succession and has remains of the tombs and epitaphs of the past Palatinate electors.

The Heiliggeistkirche  stands in the Marktplatz next to the seat of local government and it is now exclusively used by Protestants. 

View of Marktplatz

     

Furthermore, Heidelberg is a popular tourist destination due to its romantic and picturesque cityscape's character including the Heidelberg Castle and the baroque style Old Town.

View of castle from Town Square

You can enjoy the view of Heidelberg from the above Heidelberg Castle. For only 3 euros if a student or 5, if not the case, you have access to the Castle's courtyard, the Museum of German Pharmacy and even the great wine cellar that hosts the largest wine barrel in the world (220,000 litres/58,000 US gallons). How amazing is that??? :) I felt soooo little at the sight of such a huge 'monster.'

The castle is a mix of styles from Gothic to Renaissance. Prince Elector Ruprecht III (1398–1410) erected the first building in the inner courtyard as a royal residence. The building was divided into a ground floor made of stone and framework upper levels.

     View from Stück-garden upon the ruins of the Rondells and he Heidelberg Old Town

                                                                   

During the Heidelberg Castle Festival in the summer, the courtyard is the site of open air musicals, operas, theatre performances, and classical concerts performed by the Heidelberg Philharmonics.

                                          Inside the Museum of German Pharmacy

View of the Old Bridge over river Neckar

Ready! The rest is to be still discovered. And it sure was quite a lot to do and see in only one day visit to Heidelberg, wasn't it? :) 

                                 Enjoy your trip,

                                                       Claudia

                              

Global Village

This is how we started our great event on Tuesday, March 22^nd, especially held for the initiators of the bBox Project and the members of the Marketing Department in Fiducia IT AG.

What is Global Village?

Well, in AIESEC, it stands for our most exciting event that celebrates diversity - it is that moment when we all gather and showcase the unique cultures from our home countries through food, customs, performances and costumes. Well, as AIESEC members, we were extremely happy to import this amazing habit to Fiducia for one unforgettable evening.

So, imagine the bBox members on Monday, after work! All doing the same thing: COOKING! And yes, this time, not ‘cooking ideas’, but real food, thoroughly prepared for the next day.

First on the Special Menu, Arepas, by Felipe Goyes. A salty Colombian snack that we used as a starter. Yes, you can see the small white round pieces of dough mixed with cheese and the butter next to them. You won’t believe how much it really ‘started’ us for the main courses that followed. Oh, almost forgot! If you ever eat Arepas, just sprinkle them with a bit of salt!  

Next, First Courses, namely, two types of soup. On one hand we had traditional Czech soup cooked by our Team Leader, Stanislav Haba. It was a Wallachian sour soup with cabbage and sausages, seasoned with the right condiments just by the book. The only problem was that, at some point, the ‘dangerous cabbage snakes’ tried to bit hungry Nair. Bad bad snakes! But tasty ones!

On the other hand, Xi Huang, brought Chinese Soup. This kind was with egg and tomatoes, very light and with rather delicate sweet flavor. Besides very nicely colored. We all loved it! I actually accompanied it with Arepas. Ready for more?

 Then let me present you the Main Courses on the menu!

          

I personally cooked ’Pork Rolls’ and accompanied them with Mushroom Salad/ Ro: Rulada de porc, Salata de ciuperci’. People liked the mix of condiments I used to give the meat a special flavor - rosemary, basil, oregano and fresh pepper. Also, the home-made mayonnaise and fresh garlic were the playground for the happy mushrooms.

What followed was Nair Hid Ahmed, revealing for us the secret food kept warm in the special stainless steel recipients: it was ’Argentinian Meat Pie/ Es: Pastel de carne’. The best meat pie I have ever had.  Dough? Made of mashed potatoes. The secret ingredient? Sugar here and there in the meat. Think of a sweetie pie, literally.

You know Hot Dogs, right? Everybody does! Now imagine the hot sausages all chopped into small pieces, bathing in sweet tomato souce together with their friends, corn beans. Only then you can put the mix into a small loaf of bread and call it ‘Brazilian style Hot Dog/ Pt: Cachorro quente’, children version, made by Paulo Azevêdo.

Our colleague, Aldo Castro, went for something simple but more than specific for its country, Panama: ‘Rice with beans/ Es: Arroz con frijoles’. As simple as it may be, it was more than good to use it with the other dishes. As always, he put a lot of passion!

And now, ladies and gentleman, dear gourmets, finally... dessert!


Ok, we know it was a lot of food… But of course we saved room for Delyana Tomova’s dessert. All those tiny Baklava rolls were not there to be ignored but tasted piece by piece. And we sure did. Sweet, juicy, full with hazelnut, this type of Turkish/ Bulgarian dessert was just the last detail, very important for a complete meal and happy participants. Thanks, Delly!

Once again, we built up awareness and pride around our cultural backgrounds through food, this time. The aim was to deliver this message to the Marketing crew inside Fiducia (Mrs. Ilona Ullman, Mrs. Christine Jung, Mrs. Rebecca Klein and Mr. Hans Hartmann), to whom we thank for being interested not only in our work in the bBox Project, but also in us, as individuals.

As for the Project Initiators (Mrs. Leonie Bartz, Mr. Uwe Joas, Mr. Herbert Ziefle and Mr. Jens Zimmermann), they were as well, thrilled to get to ‘taste’ new aspects about us. They loved the food and it is all clear now. If they were to organize another international innovation projects such as bBox, there would surely be new requirements in the job description: COOKING SKILLS! Fortunately, the current bBox team certainly has those skills even without being required! :)

So, thanks to Mr. Hans Markgraf, the administrator of Fiducia's Canteen, we could enjoy our Global Village event, with food being kept hot or cold, as needed, and, for sure, cooked from all our warm hearts. 

At your disposal for the recipes,

        Claudia

Programmathon

As I said in my interview, during my University studies, one of the most remarkable experiences I had was with ACM's International Collegiate Programming Contest (ICPC). It made me learn a lot about teamwork and programming, and I am a very different person because of that.

My team in the 2009 South American finals of the ACM ICPC

In a nutshell, the contest has many teams of three persons each, that must study in the same university, and represent it, and each team has got a single computer. The sessions usually last five hours, and, in the beginning, the competition staff gives a booklet with difficult programming tasks in a number that can usually vary between 8 and 14. So, each team has to solve as many as possible and submit solutions to the judges. The winner is the team with the most problems solved, and ties are resolved by considering how fast you submitted your first correct solution (incorrect ones are penalized).

Team logo of my university.

One of the highlights is that whenever a team gets a problem solved, not only the score is updated, but also, a colored balloon is given to the team, with the color being unique for each problem. Usually, the color that appears the most is the one of the easiest problem. Each team has an unique way of celebrating the arrival of the balloon. In my university the tradition was to make noises imitating turkeys. The logo of the team also reflects this behavior.

Competitors watching the ceremony for the final result in Campinas, Brazil, in 2009

In the final hour of the competition, the score would be frozen but balloons would still come, and it was a very big emotion when a balloon came. Also, the staff was very mean and would come close to the teams with balloons of the color of the problem being tried the most, just to tease us. In the final 15 minutes, even balloons wouldn't come anymore, and then the final result would be announced in a ceremony in which the final submissions to the judges would be judged one by one, and finally, the winner would be announced. This has been source of great moments in my university course, and one of the things I will miss the most. Nevertheless, the model can be also applied as a source of motivation to get huge programming tasks done, and this is actually what we are doing right now in the bBox! Ladies and gentlemen, I am proud to introduce the PROGRAMMATHON!

The contestants in the Programmathon: Me, Aldo, Pipe and Delly

We have been programming with all our energies for some time now, and the concepts are really huge (Nair is very creative and gives us a lot of work!), so we have to split the tasks (as explained here, in the SCRUM meetings) and get them done. So in the meetings, the programmers estimate the amount of work that a given feature will take, and Stan then assigns a number of "Thumbs up" to each of them, and, after that, each programmer chooses which tasks to take that day (or couple of days). After accomplishing the task and presenting the result, we eagerly wait for the following meeting, during which Stan then moves the thumbs up that were posted on the white board with the tasks to the score wall.

White board with the tasks and their owners, and the thumbs up waiting to be transported to the score wall

The score wall. The thumbs up have the task they're about written on them

There is no freezing score, but there is the overcoming of yourself to try to make the most in a shorter time frame, to get more and more thumbs up, and this brings more thrill to our work, that approaches the end really quick!

The technical team seeking some more thumbs up!