ACHEMA 2009

The book fair, a music fair, an art and crafts fair, that's where you would expect to find me. But the ACHEMA? The 29th International Exhibition-Congress on Chemical Engineering, Environmental Protection and Biotechnology? Hmm...

Have I all of a sudden discovered my long dormant interest in natural sciences and engineering? Not really. But still, I went to that fair, feeling a little bit out of place from the beginning and earned quite a few looks - admiring, disapproving, plain curious - it's hard to say. The men-women ratio at the fair was about 9:1. And then I wasn't dressed like your typical congress attending business lady, in costume or pantsuit, nor like one of the few female students, in worn out jeans and T-shirts. So you can imagine that I stood out a little.

I walked through the endless corridors, from one moving walkway to the next, escalator up, escalator down, trying not to lose orientation until I reached Hall 9, the engineering hall. Because - and now we are coming to the purpose of my visit to ACHEMA - that's where the friend I was going to meet had his stall. I roamed around the stands at H21, hoping to see my friend. When I had surrounded the area twice without having seen him, but not without being watched intensely and with slight suspicion, I messaged him to learn that he would be back in 15 minutes.

What followed was a quarter of an hour well spent. I was strolling through the aisles, amazed by the passion and earnest all these people were displaying. Shocked by my own entire and complete ignorance, and deeply amused about slogans like "We bring plastic in shape" or for some sealing device "Nothing may come out". Not so funny now but on the spot, I really had to work on not bursting into laughter. So (not only because of this) I was relieved to finally see my friend..

I'm sure you read this, so I want to say thanks again, it was great meeting you, and you also provided me with an experience I normally wouldn't have had ;-)