I have survived my first trip to the emergency room here in Germany, actually my first trip to see any doctor. Don't worry, I am just fine. After lunch today, I had an allegic reaction to something that I ate, and my entire mouth and hands turned red and swollen. It was quite a strange feeling and very odd, since I have never had an allergic reaction to anything before, particularly food. I had eaten chicken curry for lunch, which I have had many times before, but this was at a new restaurant for me. Perhaps, they are using a different spice in their recipe, which is what triggered the reaction.
My co-worker, Simone, took me to the ER and stayed with me the entire time. We were sent right in to see the doctor without having to wait, because anyone could clearly see by my bright red, swollen face that it was something that needed immediate attention. The doctor just looked at me, touched my face a few times, and asked about 3 times if I was pregnant, before I was sent to get an IVdrip of NaCl (sodium chloride). This seemed to be standard procedure for many ailments here, as there were 2 other people in that room getting IV drips as well.
Approximately 30 minutes later, the IV drip was done and I was free to go home. I am feeling much better now, still a little puffy, but at least it is not getting worse. And, I was quite fortunate that the swelling was not in near my neck or cuting of my ability to breathe. I think I need to go see the doctor next week for an allergy test to determine what I may be allergic to.
Since this was my first time at the doctor, it was also my first experience with public health care. I have the standard German public health care, which so far is great. I only had to pay 10 euros to see the doctor at the ER, and apparently, this 10 euro payment covers all normal doctor visits (only excludes special procedures) for a 3 month period. You receive a slip of paper stating that you have paid the 10 euro fee. Then, if you go to another doctor in the same 3 month period, you just have to show this paper proving that you have already paid the fee. Unfortunately for me, that 3 month period (1st quarter - January through March) ends today, just my luck!
Funny thing about today - not only was I asked several times at the doctor if I was pregnant (which I am NOT!) - when I was telling another co-worker (Tobias) that I was going to the US for a wedding in July, he asked if it was my wedding! Ha, nope, no weddings and no children here in the near future, thank you very much!
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Tux, Tux, Hintertux!
On Friday, March 12, I boarded a bus in Dusseldorf with several other PwC employees and headed off to Hintertux, Austria for a ski trip! The Hintertux ski mountain, in the Tirol region of Austria, is actually on a glacier, so there is never any worry if there will be sufficient snow. The very top of the mountain is at 3250 meters, and it takes 3 different gondola rides to get up there. I went up to the very top every day that we were there, and skiing all the way down takes quite a long time, but definitely a good accomplishment.
The group from PwC has been going on ski trips for a few years, and it is organized by a man who works in the Frankfurt office. There are PwC people from all over Germany, Moscow, and London. After a long, overnight bus ride, we arrived at the mountain on Saturday morning ready to ski. PwC arranged the 4 day ski pass, rental equipment, hotel, meals and fun activities. Everyone in the group wore the same blue shirts while skiing, too, so you could easily identify who was in the PwC group and meet new people.
We got right onto the slopes in Hintertux, and I was excited to realize that skiing is just like riding a bike - you never really forget how to do it. I was a little nervous about skiing on such large mountains for the first time, but found that I was just fine and ended up being able to ski all the hills on the mountain without a problem. In Austria, the black diamonds are red. So, there were mostly red runs and some blues.
After a full day of skiing, there was "Apres Ski" which is basically happy hour - drinking and fun music at the bar at the bottom of the mountain. Also, this was the first place where Chloe and I started learning some crazy German songs - some even had hand motions/choreography! There is a song about Hintertux, too. It's called "Tux, Tux, Hintertux". We even learned that the video for this song was filmed in the same bar that we went to for Apres Ski.
After Apres Ski, we checked into our hotel, cleaned up, and went to dinner which was a large buffet at the hotel. Dinner each night was followed by more partying, at the disco attached to the hotel, named "Tux1". The hotel, disco, and Apres Ski bar are all owned by the same company. So, of course, we heard all the same great crazy songs all the time. But, I never got tired of them! It was so much fun.
On Sunday the weather was AMAZING! Sunny and clear, so this was the day that I took most of my pictures on the mountain (see my link at the top right for all of my pictures). The sun was so warm, too, since we were so high up. It was almost too hot! Good thing I put on lots of sunscreen, so my nose only got a little red from the sun. Some other people were not so lucky, and got sunburnt faces.
The weather on Monday and Tuesday was not as nice. It was snowing and windy, so the visibility and conditions weren't great, but bearable. On Monday, Marta and I went all the way to the top to ski down, and it was so snowy and windy. You could only see about 10 meters in front of you, so we skied down very slowly. This also made it quite cold, too.
On Monday night, we were taken to a restaurant at the top of a "hill" (would probably be a mountain in the US). We were served a traditional Tirolian dinner (including yummy apple strudel for dessert). A man in lederhosen played music for us during dinner, and he was great. He played all of our favorites songs! Yes, the same ones from Apres Ski and the disco. Apparently, everyone knows all these fun songs. Since we had all been drinking a little bit, and we love these songs, we all started dancing on our benches and singing along with the guy. I was told that this was great practice for Oktoberfest in Munich, since it also involves lots of singing and dancing on tables. I will be a pro in September, and will be able to teach Renae and Ryan all the songs at Oktoberfest.
After the fun dinner, the "only" way to get to the bottom of the hill (and back to our hotel) was by sledding down the snowy road. The road was 6 kilometers long (about 3.8 miles) and full of hairpin turns! It was great fun, and probably really dangerous, but we didn't seem to care at the time. I was really good at steering (which you do with your feet on the ground), and made it to the bottom after only crashing once, and that was into a snowpile on one of the hairpin turns. Being from Australia, Chloe was very excited about all of these winter activities, since she has never really seen snow. She even made her very first snow angel!
I met a ton of fun PwC people from all over, and had an awesome trip. Although, I was very very tired when I got back, since I didn't sleep very much between all the skiing and partying. Oh well, it was so much fun!
The group from PwC has been going on ski trips for a few years, and it is organized by a man who works in the Frankfurt office. There are PwC people from all over Germany, Moscow, and London. After a long, overnight bus ride, we arrived at the mountain on Saturday morning ready to ski. PwC arranged the 4 day ski pass, rental equipment, hotel, meals and fun activities. Everyone in the group wore the same blue shirts while skiing, too, so you could easily identify who was in the PwC group and meet new people.
We got right onto the slopes in Hintertux, and I was excited to realize that skiing is just like riding a bike - you never really forget how to do it. I was a little nervous about skiing on such large mountains for the first time, but found that I was just fine and ended up being able to ski all the hills on the mountain without a problem. In Austria, the black diamonds are red. So, there were mostly red runs and some blues.
After a full day of skiing, there was "Apres Ski" which is basically happy hour - drinking and fun music at the bar at the bottom of the mountain. Also, this was the first place where Chloe and I started learning some crazy German songs - some even had hand motions/choreography! There is a song about Hintertux, too. It's called "Tux, Tux, Hintertux". We even learned that the video for this song was filmed in the same bar that we went to for Apres Ski.
After Apres Ski, we checked into our hotel, cleaned up, and went to dinner which was a large buffet at the hotel. Dinner each night was followed by more partying, at the disco attached to the hotel, named "Tux1". The hotel, disco, and Apres Ski bar are all owned by the same company. So, of course, we heard all the same great crazy songs all the time. But, I never got tired of them! It was so much fun.
On Sunday the weather was AMAZING! Sunny and clear, so this was the day that I took most of my pictures on the mountain (see my link at the top right for all of my pictures). The sun was so warm, too, since we were so high up. It was almost too hot! Good thing I put on lots of sunscreen, so my nose only got a little red from the sun. Some other people were not so lucky, and got sunburnt faces.
The weather on Monday and Tuesday was not as nice. It was snowing and windy, so the visibility and conditions weren't great, but bearable. On Monday, Marta and I went all the way to the top to ski down, and it was so snowy and windy. You could only see about 10 meters in front of you, so we skied down very slowly. This also made it quite cold, too.
On Monday night, we were taken to a restaurant at the top of a "hill" (would probably be a mountain in the US). We were served a traditional Tirolian dinner (including yummy apple strudel for dessert). A man in lederhosen played music for us during dinner, and he was great. He played all of our favorites songs! Yes, the same ones from Apres Ski and the disco. Apparently, everyone knows all these fun songs. Since we had all been drinking a little bit, and we love these songs, we all started dancing on our benches and singing along with the guy. I was told that this was great practice for Oktoberfest in Munich, since it also involves lots of singing and dancing on tables. I will be a pro in September, and will be able to teach Renae and Ryan all the songs at Oktoberfest.
After the fun dinner, the "only" way to get to the bottom of the hill (and back to our hotel) was by sledding down the snowy road. The road was 6 kilometers long (about 3.8 miles) and full of hairpin turns! It was great fun, and probably really dangerous, but we didn't seem to care at the time. I was really good at steering (which you do with your feet on the ground), and made it to the bottom after only crashing once, and that was into a snowpile on one of the hairpin turns. Being from Australia, Chloe was very excited about all of these winter activities, since she has never really seen snow. She even made her very first snow angel!
I met a ton of fun PwC people from all over, and had an awesome trip. Although, I was very very tired when I got back, since I didn't sleep very much between all the skiing and partying. Oh well, it was so much fun!
At the top of the Hintertux Gletscher in Austria
View from the mountain
Chloe and me at Apres Ski
More Apres Ski
Singing and dancing to crazy German songs
At the disco
Monday, February 15, 2010
Karneval! Dusseldorf Helau!
This past weekend was Karneval in the Rhine region of Germany. Helau is the celebratory saying for Karneval in Dusseldorf (whereas in Cologne, the saying is Alaaf!) It is similar to Mardi Gras, celebrating your sins before Ash Wednesday. The Rhine region is traditionally Catholic, which is why this holiday is celebrated in Dusseldorf, Cologne, and Mainz. The weekend began on Thursday, which is called Altweiberfastnacht, which is Ladies Day. The women take over the city and get to cut off all the men's ties which is a sign of bucking authority. Here I am cutting off my co-worker, Timo's tie.
Friday was spent working and then recovering from Thursday night and resting up for the weekend. On Saturday, I went to Cologne with Chloe (my Australian co-worker), Fletcher (an American in her German class), and some of Fletcher's German friends. We took the train to Cologne (and were definitely "those obnoxious kids" on the train).
Once we got to Cologne, we headed right to Fruh, which is one of the breweries. There was a huge line, but like typical Germans, we went right to the front and push our way in. Germans are terrible at standing in lines.
Later on Saturday, I met up with Chad and Kelly as they had invited me to a large Karneval costume ball in Cologne. Chad got the tickets from his senior manager on the Ford audit team, and I was so glad they invited me.
On Sunday, I headed back to Dusseldorf. Chloe and I met up and walked around the Altstadt. For the entire weekend, the streets are filled with music, and people in costumes, drinking and dancing.
I had the day off from work for Rosenmontag (Whit Monday). It is quite funny, but great, to actually get the day off for a holiday during "busy season". The parade was on Monday. Apparently, the Cologne parade is much "better", but I was told the crowds are large. So, Chloe and I went to the parade in Dusseldorf, which I thought was quite good. However, having a parade in the middle of winter is not my idea of fun. It was so cold, and the parade was 2.5 hours long! The floats are really nice, though, and you can tell that each group puts a lot of time and effort into them. The traditional costumes that are worn are really cool, too. I took a lot of pictures during the parade, so you can see those on my Picasa site (the link is at the top right). Some floats have political messages, too. Here is one that pokes fun at Obama:
I had so much fun during Karneval this year, and now I know what to expect next year. I will have to start planning my costumes for next year now. Yes, I said costumes. I am thinking that I need a different costume for each day of the weekend!
Finally, I just wanted to share what I learned during Karneval:
Then, after work on Thursday, my team and the Corprate team went out to a bar to celebrate. Everyone dresses up in crazy costumes for the entire weekend.
Simone and I ready to go out after work on Thursday.
We took a shot of Killepitsch before heading out. (Members of my team: Simone, me, Andrej, and Marcel)
Out on Thursday with co-workers (Thomas, me, Simone, and Christophe - our senior manager)
Chloe and Fletcher on the train (he's dressed as Hulk Hogan)
The guys drinking Killepitsch on the train
The brewery had 3 levels and was very crowded, but very fun. They played great music, and the beer was cheap!
Proof that beer is cheaper than water and Coke!
Met some random guys who also used to live in Chicago! They all live in London now and their other friend lives in Dusseldorf, so they came to party for Karneval.
This is Connie dressed as a "man-eater". She got up at 6am to do her hair and makeup!
Fun costumes (me, Anne and Thomas)
Chloe and me in our cute dirndls
Chad and Kelly were pirates, and Will was their parrot
Kelly's parents and their friend, Laura, were visiting from Iowa, too
This is just the atrium entrance to the Maritime Hotel where the Costume Ball was held. There were 4 ballrooms each with different music/bands, and thousands of people attended.
This is a picture of me with a man dressed in the traditional Cologne Karneval costume
I had the day off from work for Rosenmontag (Whit Monday). It is quite funny, but great, to actually get the day off for a holiday during "busy season". The parade was on Monday. Apparently, the Cologne parade is much "better", but I was told the crowds are large. So, Chloe and I went to the parade in Dusseldorf, which I thought was quite good. However, having a parade in the middle of winter is not my idea of fun. It was so cold, and the parade was 2.5 hours long! The floats are really nice, though, and you can tell that each group puts a lot of time and effort into them. The traditional costumes that are worn are really cool, too. I took a lot of pictures during the parade, so you can see those on my Picasa site (the link is at the top right). Some floats have political messages, too. Here is one that pokes fun at Obama:
It says "Obama the Redeemer"
One of the floats - people in great matching costumes ride on top and throw tons of candy and other random things (like packs of tissues, rubber ducks, chips)
I had so much fun during Karneval this year, and now I know what to expect next year. I will have to start planning my costumes for next year now. Yes, I said costumes. I am thinking that I need a different costume for each day of the weekend!
Finally, I just wanted to share what I learned during Karneval:
You must always have 2 beers in your hands during Karneval
Monday, February 8, 2010
Watching the Super Bowl in a foreign country
Two friends (an Australian and an American) and I ventured out to watch the Super Bowl this weekend. Of course, the only place that was showing it was Hooters. Yes, there is Hooters in Europe, and it is exactly the same as in America. The waitresses dress the same, the inside is the same light colored wood, and they serve chicken wings and burgers. It was quite an entertaining experience.
- The waitresses did little choreographed dances to some of the songs that played. They also did the hokey pokey with a boy who was celebrating his birthday with his friends (he looked to be about 17). I believe it sounded like "hookey pookey".
- Chloe, my Australian friend, and I were the only girls in the entire place besides the waitresses.
- A table of 4 Iraqis kept taking pictures of me and Chloe, candidly. It was quite odd. And, Fletcher (my American friend) proceeded to encourage them.
- There was a table of about 10 German men decked out in San Francisco 49ers jersey... I wonder if they know how bad the 49ers have been the past few years. I also saw 1 Saints jersey, 1 Miami Hurricanes jersey, 1 Patriots jersey, a Notre Dame shirt (the 2004 shirt, I believe - one of Sarah's favorites!). A very odd collection by the Germans.
- The man at the table next to us was wearing an NFL Europe jersey, and wanted to be friends with Fletcher. He also decided to buy drinks for me and Chloe. It was milk and Licor 43 (a Spanish vanilla liqueur).
- The Super Bowl was on the "ESPN America" channel with commentary in English, but they did not have the American commercials. It was sad, and just not the same. But at least they did play the halftime show with The Who.
- Chloe ordered Killepitsch and the bar did not have it, so the waitress said to her, "We have something very similar instead, it's called Jaegermeister." We laughed because the waitress thought we didn't know what Jaeger was!
- Hearing the people around us talk and yell about the game in German with the English football terms mixed in was funny. I would hear "blah blah blah onside kick blah blah blah blocking..."
- The game didn't start until 12:30 am. I stayed until the middle of the 3rd quarter, and was home in bed at 3 am! Four hours of sleep later, and it was time to go to work, but it was a fun time. Maybe next year the Packers will be playing and then I can wear my jersey!
Definitely lost in translation
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Pictures and a new friend
My camera arrived today, safe and sound! Thanks to Sarah for sending it over, and she even sent me a 2010 Chicago Cubs calendar. Such a great friend!
Here are the pictures from the trip back to the US over Christmas and NYE.
http://picasaweb.google.com/Kate.Burnett
Also, I have made a new friend here in Dusseldorf. A girl from Australia has joined our IT audit team at PwC. Her name is Chloe, and she is from Sydney. It's great to have another English speaker, although we are not very good at practicing our German when we are together. We had lunch at an Indian restaurant today, and yesterday, we went shopping to buy dirndls (traditional German outfits). We are planning to wear these as our costumes for Karneval and then also to Oktoberfest this fall.
Here are the pictures from the trip back to the US over Christmas and NYE.
http://picasaweb.google.com/Kate.Burnett
Also, I have made a new friend here in Dusseldorf. A girl from Australia has joined our IT audit team at PwC. Her name is Chloe, and she is from Sydney. It's great to have another English speaker, although we are not very good at practicing our German when we are together. We had lunch at an Indian restaurant today, and yesterday, we went shopping to buy dirndls (traditional German outfits). We are planning to wear these as our costumes for Karneval and then also to Oktoberfest this fall.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Shopping!
Sorry for not updating my blog for the past couple weeks, but nothing very interesting has happened. I have been working a lot and just relaxing on the weekends. Although, I have definitely not been working nearly as much as I used to during this time in US. It still surprises me how different the hours are here compared to the US. It is certainly a cultural difference. One of my colleagues explained to me that there is even a rule that we cannot charge more than 50 hours per week. It is strange to think that in the US at this time, we were required to charge at least 55 hour per week, and generally worked more than this some weeks. And, to not have to work a single Saturday yet, this has been great.
Yesterday (Saturday), I ventured out to do some shopping. Well, I think I hit the jackpot! I discovered a mall (just like in the US) just 4 blocks from my apartment! There are 3 levels in the mall, with lots of clothing and shoes stores (including H&M which is way better here than in the US), Media Markt (similar to Best Buy), and even a food court. I ate Chinese food for lunch, a first for me in Germany! Then, I went across the street to Real which I had heard of, but wanted to check out. I thought it was just a grocery store, but no, it is much more! First, it's the largest grocery store I have ever seen in Europe. And, it's probably the closest thing to a Super WalMart here. The first level was a huge grocery store, and then on the second level, there were clothes, cleaning supplies, kitchen equipment, toiletries, and other random things. There was a section for costumes for Karneval, and it reminded me of Halloween time in the US. So, now I know where I can find a Karneval costume. Also, in the toiletries section, they even had a section of travel size items, which my sister and I LOVE, so this made me very happy. After the mall and Real, I went to Kaufhof, which is a department store (but not in the mall like US department stores). It was just like a department store in the US, too! I found a section with Dusseldorf souvenirs, so I know where to buy presents and also keepsakes to take home with me. Kaufhof also had a large section of costumes for Karneval, too. It was so great to find these stores, because now I won't worry about where to buy some of the staples and other items that I am looking for. Also, I did not expect to find stores that are similar to the large stores in the US. It was definitely a nice surprise.
Another funny story - At the grocery store yesterday, I bought a bottle of wine. The cashier asked me for ID, which I have been asked for a few times here in Germany, so I wasn't surprised and could figure out what he was asking me (in German). I didn't have any ID on me at the time, because I had turned in my US drivers license to get a German drivers license, and I generally don't carry my passport with me unless I am traveling. So, I couldn't buy the wine. But, the funny part is that the legal drinking age here is 18! Apparently, I barely look like I am 18, and I just turned 27 last month. One of these days, I really will be thankful for looking young. The reason I had to give up my American driver’s license was so that it can be translated into German, and then I can take it in and exchange it for a German driver’s license. The translation takes about 10 days, and my relocation agent and I are going on Monday morning to get my German driver’s license. Then, I won’t have this problem anymore.
A few other funny things recently:
- In talking with my colleagues at work, when they were traveling abroad, they said they really missed sparkling water. I think sparkling water is disgusting, so I thought that was funny.
- One of my co-workers says the F word a lot at work, which always makes me laugh. I guess swearing in English isn't such a big deal to them.
- My colleagues think the way I pronounce names with my American accent is very funny, or "cool" as one guy puts it.
The Dusseldorf Marathon is on May 2, and PwC sponsors its employees to run individually or as a relay team. The past few years, my work team has done the relay, so this year, I am going to be on our marathon relay team. The team consists of 4 people, and each person runs a portion of the marathon. Somehow, I ended up picking the longest portion of 12km or about 7.5 miles (they are not all the same distance). I'm excited for the race, and since I have been running a lot lately, the distance should be no problem for me. I just want to work on my speed between now and race day so I'm not too slow. PwC also has a big tent at the finish of the marathon, with food and drinks. It should be a fun event.
One last thing before I sign off – Congratulations to the Neumanns on the arrival of their new baby boy, Jack. He was born in Cologne on Thursday morning, January 21.
Yesterday (Saturday), I ventured out to do some shopping. Well, I think I hit the jackpot! I discovered a mall (just like in the US) just 4 blocks from my apartment! There are 3 levels in the mall, with lots of clothing and shoes stores (including H&M which is way better here than in the US), Media Markt (similar to Best Buy), and even a food court. I ate Chinese food for lunch, a first for me in Germany! Then, I went across the street to Real which I had heard of, but wanted to check out. I thought it was just a grocery store, but no, it is much more! First, it's the largest grocery store I have ever seen in Europe. And, it's probably the closest thing to a Super WalMart here. The first level was a huge grocery store, and then on the second level, there were clothes, cleaning supplies, kitchen equipment, toiletries, and other random things. There was a section for costumes for Karneval, and it reminded me of Halloween time in the US. So, now I know where I can find a Karneval costume. Also, in the toiletries section, they even had a section of travel size items, which my sister and I LOVE, so this made me very happy. After the mall and Real, I went to Kaufhof, which is a department store (but not in the mall like US department stores). It was just like a department store in the US, too! I found a section with Dusseldorf souvenirs, so I know where to buy presents and also keepsakes to take home with me. Kaufhof also had a large section of costumes for Karneval, too. It was so great to find these stores, because now I won't worry about where to buy some of the staples and other items that I am looking for. Also, I did not expect to find stores that are similar to the large stores in the US. It was definitely a nice surprise.
Another funny story - At the grocery store yesterday, I bought a bottle of wine. The cashier asked me for ID, which I have been asked for a few times here in Germany, so I wasn't surprised and could figure out what he was asking me (in German). I didn't have any ID on me at the time, because I had turned in my US drivers license to get a German drivers license, and I generally don't carry my passport with me unless I am traveling. So, I couldn't buy the wine. But, the funny part is that the legal drinking age here is 18! Apparently, I barely look like I am 18, and I just turned 27 last month. One of these days, I really will be thankful for looking young. The reason I had to give up my American driver’s license was so that it can be translated into German, and then I can take it in and exchange it for a German driver’s license. The translation takes about 10 days, and my relocation agent and I are going on Monday morning to get my German driver’s license. Then, I won’t have this problem anymore.
A few other funny things recently:
- In talking with my colleagues at work, when they were traveling abroad, they said they really missed sparkling water. I think sparkling water is disgusting, so I thought that was funny.
- One of my co-workers says the F word a lot at work, which always makes me laugh. I guess swearing in English isn't such a big deal to them.
- My colleagues think the way I pronounce names with my American accent is very funny, or "cool" as one guy puts it.
The Dusseldorf Marathon is on May 2, and PwC sponsors its employees to run individually or as a relay team. The past few years, my work team has done the relay, so this year, I am going to be on our marathon relay team. The team consists of 4 people, and each person runs a portion of the marathon. Somehow, I ended up picking the longest portion of 12km or about 7.5 miles (they are not all the same distance). I'm excited for the race, and since I have been running a lot lately, the distance should be no problem for me. I just want to work on my speed between now and race day so I'm not too slow. PwC also has a big tent at the finish of the marathon, with food and drinks. It should be a fun event.
One last thing before I sign off – Congratulations to the Neumanns on the arrival of their new baby boy, Jack. He was born in Cologne on Thursday morning, January 21.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
A New Year and now it's Busy Season
I had a wonderful trip back to the US for two weeks over Christmas and New Years. I think the timing was great, because I was feeling a little bit homesick after being in Dusseldorf for about 7 weeks. I was able to see lots of family and friends in both Chicago and all over Wisconsin. Now, I am feeling refreshed after being back in the US and have a positive attitude coming back to work.
Unfortunately, I don't have pictures to post right now, because I left my new camera at my friend, Sarah's apartment on New Years. It is currently in the mail on its way here, so hopefully I will be able to post pictures in the next week or so. I have had some back luck with the mail lately, so cross your fingers that my camera comes safely. I made sure that Sarah bought the insurance for the mail, though! In November, my dad mailed an old US cell phone for me to use, and that never made it to Dusseldorf. Then, when I was in Chicago in December, I mailed a present to my best friend, Katie, who lives in Boston. Well, it took over 2 weeks to get there! I should have just mailed it from Germany!!!
The trip back to Germany was just fine. After the attempted terrorist attack on Christmas Day in Detroit, security was no different than usual for me. They were mainly concerned with people flying into the US and not out of the US. They were saying that you could only have one carry-on item and everything else must be checked luggage. I will have to keep this in mind when I fly back in July.
When I returned to Dusseldorf, I returned to work on Monday. January and February are considered "busy season" for me at work, but I wasn't quite sure how it would compare to my busy season hours back in the US. So far, it has not been bad at all. In fact, we have been working normal hours this past week and did not work on Saturday. I know we will get busier this week, but I get the impresson that it will not be that bad. This is based on my teammates' reactions when I told them how much I worked in the US! Also, they said that we will have to work one Saturday. This is great, since I worked eight Saturdays last year! If this continues, I may never want to go back to the US... well, at least from the working hours perspective.
This weekend, I took the train down to Cologne to visit Chad, Kelly and Will. There was a "blizzard" on Saturday, so the trains were running very late. But, I made it to Cologne, only about an hour late after buying a different ticket and jumping on a different train. Cologne is only a 25 minute train ride, so it was not the end of the world. And, with cell phones, I was able to call Chad once I was finally on a train that was running, and they met me at the train station.
The "blizzard" in my region of Germany turned out to be only about 3-4 inches, which made me laugh that people were freaking out about it. However, the region where I live (Nordrhein-Westfalen) has a moderate climate, and it generally only snows once or twice a year. When it does snow, it is usually only an inch and melts within a day. Thus, the weather so far this winter has been quite unusual and rather cold for this area (in the 20s Fahrenheit every day).
Not only were the trains a challenge in getting to Cologne, but also, Kelly is 9 months pregnant and almost had a C-section on Thursday. So, I was unsure if I would go visit until Saturday morning. Luckily, she is doing fine and they were happy to let me come down. The baby had its head up in her ribcage this week making it difficult for her to breathe, but the doctor was able to turn him around, so they can wait until a natural birth sometime in the next week.
In Cologne, we went out for lunch, and ate sausage and green cabbage, which is very traditional German food. We walked around the city center, near the Dom. I will take pictures next time I go and post them. Then, we went back to their flat and played with Will (he loves Matchbox cars and his train set). Also, Chad and Will love to watch the movie, Cars, just like Connor does! I showed them a picture of the Lightning McQueen cake that I frosted for Connor's birthday last year, and they were quite impressed. After Will went to sleep, we "adults" watched The Hangover, which I have been wanting to see for awhile, and it did not disappointed. It was a hilarious movie, but definitely inappropriate for anyone under 18 (just a warning!). Chad and I got to talk about the Packers and the NFL playoffs, and we all discussed possible places to visit over Easter weekend, since Chad and I have off both Friday and Monday. Prague is a possibility, but we are still unsure. Overall, it was really nice to see them again, and being able to spend time with other Americans (especially fellow Wisconsinites!) is great. I will probably go see them again next month after the baby comes.
Tonight, I am debating staying up to watch the Packer's playoff game against Arizona. It does not start until 10:30pm here, and I have to get up for work in the morning. I will probably watch the first quarter and see how that goes and then decide if I can tear myself away from it or not. Hopefully they score 5 touchdowns and are up by 30 in the first quarter, then I can go to sleep without worrying too much! Right.
Unfortunately, I don't have pictures to post right now, because I left my new camera at my friend, Sarah's apartment on New Years. It is currently in the mail on its way here, so hopefully I will be able to post pictures in the next week or so. I have had some back luck with the mail lately, so cross your fingers that my camera comes safely. I made sure that Sarah bought the insurance for the mail, though! In November, my dad mailed an old US cell phone for me to use, and that never made it to Dusseldorf. Then, when I was in Chicago in December, I mailed a present to my best friend, Katie, who lives in Boston. Well, it took over 2 weeks to get there! I should have just mailed it from Germany!!!
The trip back to Germany was just fine. After the attempted terrorist attack on Christmas Day in Detroit, security was no different than usual for me. They were mainly concerned with people flying into the US and not out of the US. They were saying that you could only have one carry-on item and everything else must be checked luggage. I will have to keep this in mind when I fly back in July.
When I returned to Dusseldorf, I returned to work on Monday. January and February are considered "busy season" for me at work, but I wasn't quite sure how it would compare to my busy season hours back in the US. So far, it has not been bad at all. In fact, we have been working normal hours this past week and did not work on Saturday. I know we will get busier this week, but I get the impresson that it will not be that bad. This is based on my teammates' reactions when I told them how much I worked in the US! Also, they said that we will have to work one Saturday. This is great, since I worked eight Saturdays last year! If this continues, I may never want to go back to the US... well, at least from the working hours perspective.
This weekend, I took the train down to Cologne to visit Chad, Kelly and Will. There was a "blizzard" on Saturday, so the trains were running very late. But, I made it to Cologne, only about an hour late after buying a different ticket and jumping on a different train. Cologne is only a 25 minute train ride, so it was not the end of the world. And, with cell phones, I was able to call Chad once I was finally on a train that was running, and they met me at the train station.
The "blizzard" in my region of Germany turned out to be only about 3-4 inches, which made me laugh that people were freaking out about it. However, the region where I live (Nordrhein-Westfalen) has a moderate climate, and it generally only snows once or twice a year. When it does snow, it is usually only an inch and melts within a day. Thus, the weather so far this winter has been quite unusual and rather cold for this area (in the 20s Fahrenheit every day).
Not only were the trains a challenge in getting to Cologne, but also, Kelly is 9 months pregnant and almost had a C-section on Thursday. So, I was unsure if I would go visit until Saturday morning. Luckily, she is doing fine and they were happy to let me come down. The baby had its head up in her ribcage this week making it difficult for her to breathe, but the doctor was able to turn him around, so they can wait until a natural birth sometime in the next week.
In Cologne, we went out for lunch, and ate sausage and green cabbage, which is very traditional German food. We walked around the city center, near the Dom. I will take pictures next time I go and post them. Then, we went back to their flat and played with Will (he loves Matchbox cars and his train set). Also, Chad and Will love to watch the movie, Cars, just like Connor does! I showed them a picture of the Lightning McQueen cake that I frosted for Connor's birthday last year, and they were quite impressed. After Will went to sleep, we "adults" watched The Hangover, which I have been wanting to see for awhile, and it did not disappointed. It was a hilarious movie, but definitely inappropriate for anyone under 18 (just a warning!). Chad and I got to talk about the Packers and the NFL playoffs, and we all discussed possible places to visit over Easter weekend, since Chad and I have off both Friday and Monday. Prague is a possibility, but we are still unsure. Overall, it was really nice to see them again, and being able to spend time with other Americans (especially fellow Wisconsinites!) is great. I will probably go see them again next month after the baby comes.
Tonight, I am debating staying up to watch the Packer's playoff game against Arizona. It does not start until 10:30pm here, and I have to get up for work in the morning. I will probably watch the first quarter and see how that goes and then decide if I can tear myself away from it or not. Hopefully they score 5 touchdowns and are up by 30 in the first quarter, then I can go to sleep without worrying too much! Right.
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