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Mandy - The German

“Thank god for Germans!” is a sentence I’ve said a few times in situations where having German punctuality, planning ability and organized manner really saved the day and made things so much easier. Still, for Mandy I might have never said it.

She has had to bear with my stupid culturally insensitive – no… culturally unacceptable – jokes maybe more than anyone else. But I hope that at the end of the day she understands I really respect her as who she is: a great friend with a very unique personality. What I admire most in Mandy is that she never hides her feelings: If she’s pissed off she let’s others understand it. If she’s happy she shares her joy with everyone. If she needs things to get done, she damn sure makes things happen. If she’s sad she cries. If she’s hurt, she talks.

With Mandy you don’t have to put on any kind of act but just be yourself. Together we have acted foolishly, graved for cheese & salami, broken a couple of Gizmos, partied the whole night, savored Salmiakki in both liquid and solid forms, and of course – it’s all coming back to me – started the Pink Panther fan club!

Mandy also has a true passion to her work: She doesn’t speak about work much but she acts more than she speaks. It’s not uncommon for her to work home till late night, have breakfast with a laptop and after that spend a long day at the office, coming back home only eight or nine in the evening. But this doesn’t mean she would be a workaholic. No, she can also let her hair down and enjoy life.

Mandy, you might not always the easiest person to deal with. But you are you! Don’t ever change. Stay true!

Your klingelden frosch.

posted by Tomi Astikainen @ Thursday, September 20, 2007