Packing up more boxes to ship home... It's easier than hauling it all back on the train to Germany, or on the plane trip back to the States. It's emotionally draining packing up a year of memories from Europe, and trying not to get overwhelmed as I watch my life go out the door in cardboard packages.
How am I supposed to be able to say "see you later" to my favorite person in the world and go 5,000 miles away? I feel like I'm being torn in two. It breaks my heart. But if I'm ever going to be an Army wife someday, I have to be tough, and I'm not very good at it. I wish he was going with me.
Friday, September 14, 2012
Thursday, August 16, 2012
The Journey So Far
It's been almost a year since I arrived in Germany last summer. It's crazy to think about that and wonder where the time has gone.
In that time, I've been all over Bavaria - to Linderhof Palace, to Nurnberg for the Christmas market, Neuschwanstein Castle, Wiesbaden, and of course Hohenfels many times.
I've spent hours on DB trains, and more money than I'd like to add up ever. I can't say that without adding it's been worth it for sure. When you pick a path and you decide on what you want to do, I don't see the point in stopping to keep count or weigh the cost. I would do it all over again to have the opportunity for the wonderful year I've spent here, and all the time I've been able to spend with Brandon.
I made it to Salzburg, Austria with a couple girlfriends and went on the "Sound of Music" tour in the spring this year.
After months of planning a trip to Ireland, Brandon and I finally made it there together in time for my birthday. I spent my birthday in Dublin and went to see Riverdance that night. I really don't think it could have been a better day. We had a whole week in Ireland, and left the day after my birthday. Best vacation of my life so far.
The last month, Brandon has been in Italy, so I've been back and forth to see him there as my work schedule permits. Btw, if I ever complained about German rail travel, I shouldn't have. Italian railways make German trains look amazing.
We made it to Venice a couple weekends ago. Awesome! Probably the coolest/most unique city I've been to so far in Europe (granted I've only made it to 4 countries, but still). We also went to Padova, which honestly wasn't much to write home about.
I really meant to keep up this travel blog better, but alas... I guess I will have to write my experiences from memory more if they are to be written at all.
Six weeks from tomorrow, I'll be on a plane flying back to the U.S. It's hard to believe this European adventure will be over so soon. I spent the first 3 months here wanting to go home, and now I'm just sad to see this year end so quickly. I guess I'm just never satisfied. How sad. :-P
Hoping to get to Oktoberfest and finally buy a dirndl before leaving. We shall see how that goes. Till next time!
In that time, I've been all over Bavaria - to Linderhof Palace, to Nurnberg for the Christmas market, Neuschwanstein Castle, Wiesbaden, and of course Hohenfels many times.
I've spent hours on DB trains, and more money than I'd like to add up ever. I can't say that without adding it's been worth it for sure. When you pick a path and you decide on what you want to do, I don't see the point in stopping to keep count or weigh the cost. I would do it all over again to have the opportunity for the wonderful year I've spent here, and all the time I've been able to spend with Brandon.
I made it to Salzburg, Austria with a couple girlfriends and went on the "Sound of Music" tour in the spring this year.
After months of planning a trip to Ireland, Brandon and I finally made it there together in time for my birthday. I spent my birthday in Dublin and went to see Riverdance that night. I really don't think it could have been a better day. We had a whole week in Ireland, and left the day after my birthday. Best vacation of my life so far.
The last month, Brandon has been in Italy, so I've been back and forth to see him there as my work schedule permits. Btw, if I ever complained about German rail travel, I shouldn't have. Italian railways make German trains look amazing.
We made it to Venice a couple weekends ago. Awesome! Probably the coolest/most unique city I've been to so far in Europe (granted I've only made it to 4 countries, but still). We also went to Padova, which honestly wasn't much to write home about.
I really meant to keep up this travel blog better, but alas... I guess I will have to write my experiences from memory more if they are to be written at all.
Six weeks from tomorrow, I'll be on a plane flying back to the U.S. It's hard to believe this European adventure will be over so soon. I spent the first 3 months here wanting to go home, and now I'm just sad to see this year end so quickly. I guess I'm just never satisfied. How sad. :-P
Hoping to get to Oktoberfest and finally buy a dirndl before leaving. We shall see how that goes. Till next time!
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Edelweiss should be renamed "sweat lodge and resort".
I truly don't understand why Germany doesn't believe in air conditioning. It's so nasty being stuck performing manual labor tasks in a long-sleeved, collared uniform in the middle of the summer in a building with no air conditioning. Did I mention that the conferences kitchen also has no AC or air vents, and we are constantly running the dishwasher and brewing HOT coffee in there? You can probably start to get a sense of just how hot and humid that might be.
...Yes, I do realize our men and women in uniform have it much much worse than I do trying to survive in the desert in heavy uniforms and many pounds worth of gear, so I don't mean to be a baby about it. But it is rather uncomfortable and I feel decidedly gross and sticky tonight after coming home from work.
...Yes, I do realize our men and women in uniform have it much much worse than I do trying to survive in the desert in heavy uniforms and many pounds worth of gear, so I don't mean to be a baby about it. But it is rather uncomfortable and I feel decidedly gross and sticky tonight after coming home from work.
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Bound for Ireland
Ireland in four days! I can't wait!!! It's so warm and humid in Garmisch, I feel like I'm swimming in my clothes half the time. It's been raining every afternoon all week long, and you would think that would relieve the heavy air some, but not so. Walking home from work tonight, I saw steam rising off the river.
The kinderpath is getting overgrown by a profusion of poky weeds and grass. Everything is growing so much here, I feel almost like I'm back in Tennessee.
I expected the climate here to be somewhat similar to the Rockies, but it's not even remotely, except for the afternoon thunderstorms. Of course, the top of the Zugspitze is the altitude I used to live at in Colorado, so that makes some difference. But I didn't think this far inland, it would be so damp all of the time.
I guess Ireland will probably be damp too, since it rains all of the time, but at least it will be cooler. And I can't wait to see the GREEN.
The kinderpath is getting overgrown by a profusion of poky weeds and grass. Everything is growing so much here, I feel almost like I'm back in Tennessee.
I expected the climate here to be somewhat similar to the Rockies, but it's not even remotely, except for the afternoon thunderstorms. Of course, the top of the Zugspitze is the altitude I used to live at in Colorado, so that makes some difference. But I didn't think this far inland, it would be so damp all of the time.
I guess Ireland will probably be damp too, since it rains all of the time, but at least it will be cooler. And I can't wait to see the GREEN.
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Monday, May 7, 2012
AWAG exhaustion
AWAG conference so far: 12 hrs on the clock yesterday - noon till 12:30am, 5 hours of sleep, then back to work at 7am for 10 hours on my feet again today, this time with no actual breaks or meals. I will be so happy when this week is over!
P.S. Did I mention I have a sinus infection and bronchitis, and I sound like a harbor seal when I cough and Kermit when I talk.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Life in the Abrams
Recently, there's been a new hire posting lots of questions on the Unofficial Abrams Facebook page, so I thought I'd write an informative blog about what to expect about life at the Abrams. After all, someone should.
Life at the Abrams could probably be likened to life in a high school frat house. I say high school because that seems to the be the approximate maturity level at times, and frat house for the apparent atmosphere at most times. Beer is the #1 barter system in the Abrams. If you need to beg a ride to post from a lucky punk who has a car, or to borrow some hard-to-find commodity for a few hours, beer is the bartering chip that will get you what you want. Of course, there are other types of alcoholic beverages that will suffice, but beer is the staple for the most part. I have personally never used this system at all, but I'm told it's quite effective.
The community showers at the Abrams have two basic settings: molten lava, and glacier freeze. Anything in-between is purely accidental. Should someone happen to flush a toilet while you are directly under a spigot, prepare yourself for 2nd degree burns.
When they tell you that between 10p.m. and 6a.m. is the 'quiet time' at the Abrams, what they mean to say is those are the official 'party hours' of the Abrams. Real quiet time occurs between the hours of 7a.m. and 2p.m. when everyone is either at a morning shift, or so hungover from the night before that there are few signs of life in the hallways. If you want to catch up on sleep, mid to late morning and early afternoon are the best hours to do so. 10 p.m. is when everyone is just getting started. 5 a.m. is approximately when the exodus to worship at the porcelain shrines begins.
There is a pretty strong sense of community at the Abrams. People realize we are all in this together, and we all try to help each other out for the most part. Sometimes people take this too literally, and you might notice some of your belongings might go missing from time to time while someone borrows them. Occasionally, they might forget to return the items. Generally, you can find a workable replacement in DOS so it's not too big of a deal.
Oh yes, DOS. DOS is where we put all of our belongings which we no longer want but can't actually sell or simply don't want to put forth the effort to sell. Sometimes you will find amazing things in DOS. I've gotten a few good books and a cute bag. Some people take this opportunity to dispose of everything from their used underwear, to shoes without mates. Perhaps those shoes would be useful to a one-legged man/woman, but we don't have too many of those floating, err, hobbling around here.
Dorm storming. It happens. I don't personally like it. Especially not at 3a.m. when I'm woken in the middle of a dream. I already blogged about this one. 'Nough said.
There is a swastika still up on the wall in the fitness room. It's painted on a brick. It's kind of creepy. This used to be a WWII Nazi hospital, for those of you who don't already know.
I'm sure there's more but I will save it for later. All in all, it's quite the experience of a lifetime, I must say. I've met some really cool people here, in spite of all my joking and complaining. It's definitely a unique place.
Life at the Abrams could probably be likened to life in a high school frat house. I say high school because that seems to the be the approximate maturity level at times, and frat house for the apparent atmosphere at most times. Beer is the #1 barter system in the Abrams. If you need to beg a ride to post from a lucky punk who has a car, or to borrow some hard-to-find commodity for a few hours, beer is the bartering chip that will get you what you want. Of course, there are other types of alcoholic beverages that will suffice, but beer is the staple for the most part. I have personally never used this system at all, but I'm told it's quite effective.
The community showers at the Abrams have two basic settings: molten lava, and glacier freeze. Anything in-between is purely accidental. Should someone happen to flush a toilet while you are directly under a spigot, prepare yourself for 2nd degree burns.
When they tell you that between 10p.m. and 6a.m. is the 'quiet time' at the Abrams, what they mean to say is those are the official 'party hours' of the Abrams. Real quiet time occurs between the hours of 7a.m. and 2p.m. when everyone is either at a morning shift, or so hungover from the night before that there are few signs of life in the hallways. If you want to catch up on sleep, mid to late morning and early afternoon are the best hours to do so. 10 p.m. is when everyone is just getting started. 5 a.m. is approximately when the exodus to worship at the porcelain shrines begins.
There is a pretty strong sense of community at the Abrams. People realize we are all in this together, and we all try to help each other out for the most part. Sometimes people take this too literally, and you might notice some of your belongings might go missing from time to time while someone borrows them. Occasionally, they might forget to return the items. Generally, you can find a workable replacement in DOS so it's not too big of a deal.
Oh yes, DOS. DOS is where we put all of our belongings which we no longer want but can't actually sell or simply don't want to put forth the effort to sell. Sometimes you will find amazing things in DOS. I've gotten a few good books and a cute bag. Some people take this opportunity to dispose of everything from their used underwear, to shoes without mates. Perhaps those shoes would be useful to a one-legged man/woman, but we don't have too many of those floating, err, hobbling around here.
Dorm storming. It happens. I don't personally like it. Especially not at 3a.m. when I'm woken in the middle of a dream. I already blogged about this one. 'Nough said.
There is a swastika still up on the wall in the fitness room. It's painted on a brick. It's kind of creepy. This used to be a WWII Nazi hospital, for those of you who don't already know.
I'm sure there's more but I will save it for later. All in all, it's quite the experience of a lifetime, I must say. I've met some really cool people here, in spite of all my joking and complaining. It's definitely a unique place.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Quiet Time after 10p.m., my foot.
There is absolutely no point in trying to sleep right now. I have a migraine, and I live in a freaking zoo. The natives are restless tonight.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Spring?
It was really warm in Garmisch today. Felt like a bit of springtime come early. It got up to almost 50°F today and is supposed to be even warmer by the weekend.
I wish it would just stay, but I'm sure we will have more winter before spring arrives to stay. Either way, I will enjoy this weather while it lasts. It's been cold for too long already, and I love the hint of spring that's on the air.
I wish it would just stay, but I'm sure we will have more winter before spring arrives to stay. Either way, I will enjoy this weather while it lasts. It's been cold for too long already, and I love the hint of spring that's on the air.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Why, I Oughtta
To whomever opened my door at quarter to 4 this morning in a fit of drunken glee, causing me to sit bolt upright in bed out of a dead sleep... may the fleas of a thousand camels infest your armpits.
That is all.
That is all.
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