Hey all! I guess it's been a while since I wrote something, or not...it's all relative. So, tomorrow we leave for Immenstadt. It will be quite a change, but I'm looking forward to it. As I write this, Thomas is taking the final test of his university career, which is reason to celebrate this evening. The final step for him to get his degree is writing a thesis while doing an internship. He has this all set up in Immenstadt, which is why we are moving there.
As for me, July has been a great month thus far. I had the final two weeks of my German course and then I visited a friend in Coburg, where we went to a Samba festival. Of course, how could I forget that I watched a lot of football (read soccer) games those first two weeks of July. I'm glad to say that I really enjoyed the World Cup and learned a lot about football along the way. I also realized how serious it's taken here.
After the weekend in Coburg, it was off to work. The first day was rough, but it was all smooth sailing after that. The people I worked with were great and I found it more enjoyable and easy going than the other weeks. I think I was finally able to employ that whole "mind over matter" thing, and all the sunshine definitely helped me put on my rose colored glasses. It also helped that I knew I wouldn't have to work again until late August.
That brings us to this week, in which I have thoroughly enjoyed my free time by reading, going to the river, a little bit of this and a little bit of that. I'm beginning to play with new and old ideas about what I want to do post-October. I say post-October only because of the visa situation and because the chiropractic school back in KS needs to know by November 1st if I will be attending in January. Lots of big decisions to make, which makes me crazy at times. I have plenty of ideas, good options, and big dreams; in the end, it just seems unbearable to commit to one thing. (I think Hank relates to what I'm saying.)
I like the way things are going here in Germany, but I realize that could change like the weather, literally. I feel like I'm making some good progress as far as language learning goes and a big part of me wants to stay longer, learn more and really enjoy the benefits of speaking the language of the society I'm living in. I'll admit that I like that feeling of accomplishment (and that I recently realized how much I want to be able to speak three languages). Besides that, for those of you to whom I mentioned coming home early, you can forget that. I've come far in terms of adjusting to my life and job here and I want to see it through just as I said I would.
So, what will it be? Back to school in KS, more time in Germany, grad school in Spain, an internship in South America...time, I need some time to think about it. That and hopefully my upcoming trip to Vienna, Slovenia and Turkey with provide me with some new insights.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Twenty - 4 - Learning
I have the feeling recently that I am going through somewhat of a learning phase. It could be partly triggered by the language learning, after all sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night with fragments of German sentences in my head. It's like I can sense my brain trying to organize and rearrange things for my third language compartment. On the other hand, it's also a more subtle type of learning, just learning more about life. Simply put, it's a good yet humbling learning process.
Other than that, I have been enjoying my time here. I am now in another German course, which is going quite well considering that I already missed a week of class due to work. We'll see how it goes after I miss the next two weeks. I think that will be more of a challenge, because I will miss more than 40 hours of classroom time.
Work is still work, and I try to not think about it when I'm not there. Enough said.
Right after my birthday I had the chance to visit Berlin for a few days. I enjoyed spending time with Nici and Thomas and his friends. I was also there at the right time to visit a really interesting Frida Kahlo exhibit. Then, just last weekend was a four day weekend due to some holiday so Thomas and I went to Munich for two nights and Immenstadt for two nights.
Although it was my second time in Munich, I don't really count the first time considering it was snowing most of the time and I tried to avoid going outside. This time was quite different of course. We stayed with friends of Thomas and had a lovely time on Friday walking around Munich, enjoying the sun.
By Saturday evening we were in Immenstadt laying on a pier on the Alpsee, which is a beautiful lake 15 minutes (walking) from his parents house. On Sunday we went on a 5 hour hike that takes you over 6 peaks and ends at the peak known as 'Mittag' which overlooks Immenstadt. After having a beer on the top, we took the lift down. It's a great hike and now I know why Thomas has done it 4 or 5 times. You get a great view of the bigger, snow-capped peaks of the Alps to the South and you can also see flat, green landscape to the North. It's like you are walking along the ridge where the Alps begin. For Thomas this is as home as it gets, what an amazing place to call home. I have to add that even the cows are prettier there, and you can hear them grazing on the mountains due to the large cowbells hanging around their necks. For whatever reason, I found this so charming. I thought cowbells were completed outdated. I'm really looking forward to spending more time in Immenstadt when Thomas finishes this semester in July.
Ok, that's all for now...I have to get on to doing some Turkey research, haha. We are in the midst of planning a trip to Turkey in August. Hasta la proxima.
Other than that, I have been enjoying my time here. I am now in another German course, which is going quite well considering that I already missed a week of class due to work. We'll see how it goes after I miss the next two weeks. I think that will be more of a challenge, because I will miss more than 40 hours of classroom time.
Work is still work, and I try to not think about it when I'm not there. Enough said.
Right after my birthday I had the chance to visit Berlin for a few days. I enjoyed spending time with Nici and Thomas and his friends. I was also there at the right time to visit a really interesting Frida Kahlo exhibit. Then, just last weekend was a four day weekend due to some holiday so Thomas and I went to Munich for two nights and Immenstadt for two nights.
Although it was my second time in Munich, I don't really count the first time considering it was snowing most of the time and I tried to avoid going outside. This time was quite different of course. We stayed with friends of Thomas and had a lovely time on Friday walking around Munich, enjoying the sun.
By Saturday evening we were in Immenstadt laying on a pier on the Alpsee, which is a beautiful lake 15 minutes (walking) from his parents house. On Sunday we went on a 5 hour hike that takes you over 6 peaks and ends at the peak known as 'Mittag' which overlooks Immenstadt. After having a beer on the top, we took the lift down. It's a great hike and now I know why Thomas has done it 4 or 5 times. You get a great view of the bigger, snow-capped peaks of the Alps to the South and you can also see flat, green landscape to the North. It's like you are walking along the ridge where the Alps begin. For Thomas this is as home as it gets, what an amazing place to call home. I have to add that even the cows are prettier there, and you can hear them grazing on the mountains due to the large cowbells hanging around their necks. For whatever reason, I found this so charming. I thought cowbells were completed outdated. I'm really looking forward to spending more time in Immenstadt when Thomas finishes this semester in July.
Ok, that's all for now...I have to get on to doing some Turkey research, haha. We are in the midst of planning a trip to Turkey in August. Hasta la proxima.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Life back in Germany
So, I've been in Germany for three weeks to be exact, but somehow it seems much longer since I celebrated Billy and Julie's wedding and said goodbye to friends and family. My journey from the states was a bit more rushed and stressful than normal, for a variety of reasons.
First, I was surprising Thomas, who thought I was coming a week later. This was just a test of my self-control, because many times I just wanted to tell him how stressed I was trying to get everything packed and ready before the wedding weekend. I finished the packing on time and had Friday and Saturday to enjoy the wedding festivities, and enjoy them I did. I was exhausted by Sunday morning, going on minimal sleep, with still a baby shower and birthday party to attend before leaving for Newark in the late afternoon.
One should know that normally before leaving the states for an extended period of time, I prefer to spend most of my time just hanging around with my family. So, when it hit me Sunday afternoon that this was it as far as family time goes, I was very sad to be leaving. It didn't help that I had just had a blast with friends the past two days and now it was time to go.
Sunday evening, there I was sitting with Teri on our way to Newark where we would spend the night and take the flight to Frankfurt the following evening, or so we thought. I was flying standby on a buddy pass, which saved me a bundle of cash (Thank you Teri!!). By Monday afternoon, I was anxious and ready to get the long journey behind me, but when we went to check-in it didn't seem likely that I would get a seat on that plane.
There were plenty of free seats for standby passengers, but since Teri was working the flight I was not allowed to use a buddy pass. Thanks Continental for implementing a new rule and not informing your employees, awesome! Teri and I panicked with equally rising blood pressure, but in my mind I quickly resolved that somehow, someway I was getting on that plane. After and hour or two that seemed like awaiting a possible death sentence, Teri was able to talk to her supervisor and get an emergency drop on working the flight so she could "accompany" me on the plane. (Like I was some convict that needed supervision.)
Luckily for Teri, she got a first class seat there and back. She flew to Frankfurt and then got back on the same plane roughly an hour later to fly back to Newark and then MCI. So, not only did Teri and Brian let me crash on their bedroom floor during Spring Break at their lovely condo in Puerto Vallarta, now Teri was spending about two days of her valued time (leaving Brian in charge of Wyatt and his growing business) just to escort me to Germany. Wow, I felt like a complete selfish asshole. I can't say thanks enough to Teri and Brian, and I can't say enough good things about my family in general.
Ok, so there I was frazzled, excited and back in Germany, only a train ride away from surprising Thomas. Upon arriving in Wuerzburg, I decided to walk, bags and all, from the train station to the new place to wake myself up. I guess I didn't remember how long the walk was or how heavy my bags were, so I rang the doorbell as a sweaty, out of breath mess. Thomas didn't answer the door but he arrived downstairs quickly after with a somewhat blank expression on his face. Surprise! Mission accomplished.
I spent the greater part of the next week adjusting to the time change, sleeping more than I usually do, relaxing in the garden behind the house and strolling through the vineyards that surround the city. The weather was sunny and refreshingly warm. I saw the city in a completely different light compared to the gray dome of Winter. Then, before I knew it, it was time to think about the new, adventurous job I was to begin on the 26th in some small village in East Germany.
Not really knowing what the hell was about to happen, I read the emails from the Language Farm owner about what the week would include, what I needed to bring and a few other vague details about when to arrive, etc. I found myself thinking..."Damn, I wish I would have been able to attend the orientation weekend. Oh well, just go for it without expectations and you'll be fine."
The good news is that I did make it through my first week, more or less successfully. The other news is that I nearly lost my sanity along the way, didn't know if I could maintain the needed energy level to surpass another day, and lived in a state of sleep deprivation lows and caffeine highs for five days. In all honesty, there were more than a few times when I just wanted to say "I quit". But a quitter I am not, or something along those lines.
I was lucky to have a lot of help from the other counselors, who have worked there for at least a few years, and the group of kids was very well-behaved and fun to be around. Their English was good enough for normal conversation, which makes life a lot easier when you are cooking with six kids (age 13) for a group of 35 people or when you are preparing a skit. More or less, the key to enjoying this job and being successful is letting yourself be as crazy and theatrical as possible for extended periods of time. In other words, losing your sanity to sleep deprivation or whatever else is perfectly acceptable.
I arrived back in Wuerzburg Friday night and felt like I had been gone for a month to a strange English speaking land. I still wasn't even able to form complete thoughts about what had just happened the five days before and I still had dreams about work that night. After a few recovery days, I realized that working there for more than two weeks a month was completely out of the question, unless I wanted to become a raging alcoholic. So, for now I am keeping the Language Farm out of my mind until I go back at the end of May, hopeful that it will get easier with more experience.
Now, I'm faced with the question of what to do with all the free time that I have. Studying German is high on the priority list; however, my motivation to do so is not so high. I'm considering taking another German course which would definitely help me with the motivation problem. On the other hand, I could use that money to go somewhere...and everyone knows that I like to go 'places'. But I suppose I'm not just here for the sake of traveling around and continuing to enjoy my quarter life retirement, or am I? Puede ser...
Or maybe it's just back to that life lesson that my dad loves to preach. How does it go? Something about just enjoying the present moment, just being instead of always trying to 'do' something, ya I guess that's always something I could work on. I seem to be the master of this art when placed in the right conditions, read: beach, sun, waves, sand. Now, to internalize this simple concept is a challenge that will probably last my lifetime.
First, I was surprising Thomas, who thought I was coming a week later. This was just a test of my self-control, because many times I just wanted to tell him how stressed I was trying to get everything packed and ready before the wedding weekend. I finished the packing on time and had Friday and Saturday to enjoy the wedding festivities, and enjoy them I did. I was exhausted by Sunday morning, going on minimal sleep, with still a baby shower and birthday party to attend before leaving for Newark in the late afternoon.
One should know that normally before leaving the states for an extended period of time, I prefer to spend most of my time just hanging around with my family. So, when it hit me Sunday afternoon that this was it as far as family time goes, I was very sad to be leaving. It didn't help that I had just had a blast with friends the past two days and now it was time to go.
Sunday evening, there I was sitting with Teri on our way to Newark where we would spend the night and take the flight to Frankfurt the following evening, or so we thought. I was flying standby on a buddy pass, which saved me a bundle of cash (Thank you Teri!!). By Monday afternoon, I was anxious and ready to get the long journey behind me, but when we went to check-in it didn't seem likely that I would get a seat on that plane.
There were plenty of free seats for standby passengers, but since Teri was working the flight I was not allowed to use a buddy pass. Thanks Continental for implementing a new rule and not informing your employees, awesome! Teri and I panicked with equally rising blood pressure, but in my mind I quickly resolved that somehow, someway I was getting on that plane. After and hour or two that seemed like awaiting a possible death sentence, Teri was able to talk to her supervisor and get an emergency drop on working the flight so she could "accompany" me on the plane. (Like I was some convict that needed supervision.)
Luckily for Teri, she got a first class seat there and back. She flew to Frankfurt and then got back on the same plane roughly an hour later to fly back to Newark and then MCI. So, not only did Teri and Brian let me crash on their bedroom floor during Spring Break at their lovely condo in Puerto Vallarta, now Teri was spending about two days of her valued time (leaving Brian in charge of Wyatt and his growing business) just to escort me to Germany. Wow, I felt like a complete selfish asshole. I can't say thanks enough to Teri and Brian, and I can't say enough good things about my family in general.
Ok, so there I was frazzled, excited and back in Germany, only a train ride away from surprising Thomas. Upon arriving in Wuerzburg, I decided to walk, bags and all, from the train station to the new place to wake myself up. I guess I didn't remember how long the walk was or how heavy my bags were, so I rang the doorbell as a sweaty, out of breath mess. Thomas didn't answer the door but he arrived downstairs quickly after with a somewhat blank expression on his face. Surprise! Mission accomplished.
I spent the greater part of the next week adjusting to the time change, sleeping more than I usually do, relaxing in the garden behind the house and strolling through the vineyards that surround the city. The weather was sunny and refreshingly warm. I saw the city in a completely different light compared to the gray dome of Winter. Then, before I knew it, it was time to think about the new, adventurous job I was to begin on the 26th in some small village in East Germany.
Not really knowing what the hell was about to happen, I read the emails from the Language Farm owner about what the week would include, what I needed to bring and a few other vague details about when to arrive, etc. I found myself thinking..."Damn, I wish I would have been able to attend the orientation weekend. Oh well, just go for it without expectations and you'll be fine."
The good news is that I did make it through my first week, more or less successfully. The other news is that I nearly lost my sanity along the way, didn't know if I could maintain the needed energy level to surpass another day, and lived in a state of sleep deprivation lows and caffeine highs for five days. In all honesty, there were more than a few times when I just wanted to say "I quit". But a quitter I am not, or something along those lines.
I was lucky to have a lot of help from the other counselors, who have worked there for at least a few years, and the group of kids was very well-behaved and fun to be around. Their English was good enough for normal conversation, which makes life a lot easier when you are cooking with six kids (age 13) for a group of 35 people or when you are preparing a skit. More or less, the key to enjoying this job and being successful is letting yourself be as crazy and theatrical as possible for extended periods of time. In other words, losing your sanity to sleep deprivation or whatever else is perfectly acceptable.
I arrived back in Wuerzburg Friday night and felt like I had been gone for a month to a strange English speaking land. I still wasn't even able to form complete thoughts about what had just happened the five days before and I still had dreams about work that night. After a few recovery days, I realized that working there for more than two weeks a month was completely out of the question, unless I wanted to become a raging alcoholic. So, for now I am keeping the Language Farm out of my mind until I go back at the end of May, hopeful that it will get easier with more experience.
Now, I'm faced with the question of what to do with all the free time that I have. Studying German is high on the priority list; however, my motivation to do so is not so high. I'm considering taking another German course which would definitely help me with the motivation problem. On the other hand, I could use that money to go somewhere...and everyone knows that I like to go 'places'. But I suppose I'm not just here for the sake of traveling around and continuing to enjoy my quarter life retirement, or am I? Puede ser...
Or maybe it's just back to that life lesson that my dad loves to preach. How does it go? Something about just enjoying the present moment, just being instead of always trying to 'do' something, ya I guess that's always something I could work on. I seem to be the master of this art when placed in the right conditions, read: beach, sun, waves, sand. Now, to internalize this simple concept is a challenge that will probably last my lifetime.
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