Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Blue Socks

Here I am taking my sweet ol' time to post again.  I now speak daily with my two most diligent blog followers, so the need to update doesn't seem as urgent.  Randy would disagree. He has already expressed that he is upset that I have hung out with him several times and he only was mentioned in passing in one of the last posts.  I offered to dedicate a whole post to him and our adventures, he declined, but I knew he secretly wanted me to write that detailed account.

Where to begin?  I'm busy.  I've started the job.  I like the job.  Bret has moved in.  He has started his job.  He mildly likes his job.  UB and AK host great meals.   And Copper is still fat.  I'm sure I left out numerous happenings, that is just a start though.  Seriously, I really like my job.  At first I was not too happy with the idea of being in the front office, but I'm having a lot of fun and I feel like I really fit in there.  I've expressed a lot of interest in other positions and it appears that my bosses are taking these inquiries seriously.  Maybe after my introductory 90 days I'll have the chance to start something new (if there is something available).  My uniform still hasn't come in so I'm stuck wearing my clothes everyday.  Although I thought I would enjoy this, it's such a hassle to pick something out.  Who would have thought that I'd enjoy another scarfed outfit?  Not me.

I'm still learning my way around Indianapolis.  I'm so thankful for my newly acquired smart phone that directs me wherever I'd like to go with only a few minor hiccups.  Without the smartie I'd be stuck driving back to the house to google map everything and that's just not going to work.  I haven't converted completely though.  I only turn on the internet when I absolutely have to.  That makes me loyal to my EnV2 still, right?  Anyway, I'm happy right now, even if my life isn't nearly how I pictured it.  Things have really fallen into place for me and I'm grateful for that.

P.S. As I'm finishing typing this I just realized I didn't explain the title.  Basically, I wore blue socks with my black suit to work today.  Tomorrow I'll turn on the lights while I dress.

Monday, November 14, 2011

Cooking my way through boredom

I'm lying in wait for the Sheraton to call and tell me when I can begin my new glamorous front desk career, so while twiddling my thumbs I decided to fill my time with cooking and baking.  I know that the boys are thrilled to have something aside from fried egg sandwiches and cereal.  I'm no where close to being a good cook, but it keeps me busy and it sure is fun to pretend.

For my rookie roomie intro meal I made them pulled pork on ciabatta rolls with homemade garlic potato wedges.  They are real meat and potato guys so I'm going to stick with some good ol classic meals.  I bought the ingredients to prepare portobello pizzas but I think they are too traditional to try that just yet, so maybe for my lunch instead.  Then I'll be on to trying a new recipe I found for pumpkin muffins.  

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Update

I know it's been almost a full month since my last post.  I've had way too many things going on and although I have had a few open hours to sit down and blog, it seemed like too much of a task.  So to pick up where I left off......

My last weeks in Freiburg were amazing.  I took a day trip by myself to Basel Switzerland where I exited the train and walked the streets with zero direction.  It was a fun day with lots and lots of walking.  Surprisingly, I didn't feel lost, maybe just misdirected a few times.  Then a road trip with Marcel for a week long of birthday celebrating that included a Dortmund match, a couple nights in Hamburg, Hannover zoo, and a night in our favorite guest house in Sinsheim.  It all concluded with a tearful goodbye in the Stuttgart airport.  I couldn't have asked for a better end to my European adventure. 

In my two weeks back in the states I've acquired the necessities; lodging and a job (pending drug test).  Everything is falling into place.  I accepted a position at the Sheraton at Keystone at the Crossing as a front desk agent.  I was so ready to be finished with front desk, but this property seems like a great fit and the whole HR department is aware that I'm eager to advance and go into a supervisory role.  Not to mention, it's a great location and only about a 15 minute drive from the townhouse.  Apart from the job I've landed two great roommates and an amazing little four legged friend.  Copper, Chris's dog, is the best and we've become exclusive cuddle buddies.  Don't tell Chris, but I think he likes me better. 

Being back has been great.  I've had the chance to reconnect with a lot of friends that I thought had forgotten about me.  It feels so amazing to get phone calls and texts, it's like I'm the functioning social person I used to be.  Just this week I spent a night in Bloomington with Kassy, met Alex for dinner (she lives ten minutes from me!), lunch with Rachel, had Randy over for some drinks, and tonight Bret and I will go to comedy club downtown to see Jerrod Carmichael.  Although I miss a lot of things about Germany, one person especially, it's a relief to be near my friends and family. 

It was a hard decision to come home, but I think it was the right one. 

Friday, October 14, 2011

Pac(wo)Man

What do you do when something is too overwhelming?  Procrastinate with a post.

At this very moment I am attempting to pack up the last 15 months of my life.  Everything was going great until I came upon the stein full of momentos from the last year.  I had my hands full with everything imaginable;  a wine cork from Spain, a match box from my first road trip with Marcel, the stolen butterfly from my last shift at Edelweiss, a Service Credit Union chapstick, an impromptu door opener from my first weekend in Freiburg, a set of pictures from Berlin, a gel pen Danielle's mom sent in a Christmas package, and many other insignificant significant things, when I dropped them all and had to sit down for a minute.  I didn't realize all of these little things would have such an impact on me. 

Ok, obviously this is a really emotional time for me.  But really, why didn't someone warn me?  And why didn't someone tell me that 3 suitcases was definitely not going to be enough.  Do you know that it costs 36 euro to ship anything 5kg and under to the U.S.? 

One suitcase to go.  Wish me luck.

 

Sunday, October 9, 2011

We've hooked one!!

Moments ago Stefanie came into my room and said the girl she has been talking with wants to come on Monday the 17th.  One less week of frustration!

Childcare is for suckers

Well I guess it is time to make my future plans "official" by posting them on the blog.  I apologize that I didn't get on here sooner and update all of my diligent followers (Mom, Bret, Randy, and Grandma) with my situation.  Although it crossed my mind many times, it was hard to put into words what was happening.  For all of those who haven't been contacted by my ecstatic mother, I'll give you the short version.  I'm not fit to watch children for an extended period of time.  Sure, babysitting is nice and fun, but living with one?  I didn't exactly bite off more than I could chew, but I took a huge bite of something I had never had before and it didn't go over so well.  I'm not happy doing a job like this and as much as it kills me to give up and come home, I'm doing it.  I considered sticking it out and staying for a few months or trying to finish the year, but the more I considered this option the more that I realized that this position doesn't benefit my career in any way.  There is no motivation for me to grin and bear it so why should I?  I had the talk with my host mom and explained the situation.  She was understanding and we agreed to work together to find a replacement for my move out date in 2 weeks.  This seems impossible but we've actually been in contact with 2 different girls who are seriously considering it.  Crazy, crazy women.

So within the month I will be landing in Chicago being greeted by the ugliness of the beginning of the long winter.  As much as I would like this to be true, moving home isn't going to be an instant fix all.  I can already see my growing frustration with the job search, my surroundings, and my lack of Marcel.  I think the last being the most depressing and draining.  We've done the whole long distance thing through our entire relationship, but now we are stepping up to the big leagues with different time zones and an ocean of separation.  I've accepted that it's going to be hard, really hard.  I'm hoping that my realistic outlook will prepare me for the heartache to come.  Feel free to donate to the "Fly a Marcel Foundation".

Once home my plan is to get a job serving at a fine establishment, such as Bobs, and save some money so that I can pay off some old debts and have an opportunity to relocate with more career options.  I keep telling myself I will only be home for a couple months, but to be honest, it's probably going to be 6 months to a year.  Luckily, I still have my Hyatt connection and I plan on using that diligently during my job search.  It's funny because during my last weeks at Edelweiss I thought I was so excited for a break from the hospitality field, but I'm eager to get back into it.  I know it and I know how to handle the situations that come along with it.  It's much easier to calm down a furious old man than an irrational child.  Even though most people turn into the latter when their towels aren't replaced in a timely fashion.

My last weeks in Freiburg will be bittersweet.  I'm more than excited to be done with this job, but leaving my boyfriend is another story.  To say our farewell, as well as to celebrate my birthday, we are taking a trip to Hamburg.  It's not all pleasure though.  Marcel has another conference there he wants to attend, so we will piggyback some fun time on the back of that.  It will be refreshing to take a solo trip with him and get in some good memories before we part ways for an undetermined amount of time.  As much as I want to use one, I'm going to avoid all cliches and just go with what I'm really feeling......I hope everything works out.

Thursday, September 22, 2011

So...we have an American....

So here we are.  I have been in Freiburg for 5 days and I won't lie, it has been a bit of an emotional roller coaster for me.  It was easy to romanticize the move, but actually living it is little more difficult.  When I was coming here for the weekend to visit I had no cares.  I didn't mind that no one could understand me and the issue of having friends here was nonexistent because my little wedge of America was always on the horizon.  Although I feel really dumb saying that, it is true, Garmisch and the Abrams were a slice of comfort.  I'm not exactly sure when my attitude shifted from the thought that this was another holiday to this is my life now.  Marcel says it was about 10 minutes outside of Freiburg, I think it was when he was talking to the girl who had rented his flat while he was doing his internship.  As the conversation carried on my thoughts were something along the lines of "Wow, I don't understand any of this.  I don't know German.  I don't know any German.  What the f*ck am I doing here?".  
I would gauge my emotions this week on the same level as a hormone ridden pregnant woman, minus the whole pregnancy bit.  I'm crying one minute, laughing the next, and it's all out of my control.  Don't misinterpret any of this though.  I'm so happy to be here, it just took me getting here to actually realize what a hard move it was going to be.  I'm not letting myself form any opinions for a couple weeks.  It's too soon to decide how I really feel and to be fair, nothing bad has happened.  I'm just overwhelmed at the thought of everything that is now on my plate.  I start the job tomorrow morning and move into the flat in the afternoon.  Opinion forming will begin approximately at 8:30am.

Now on to the 5 days of holiday.  Despite the previous paragraphs, I have been having a good time.  The first night Marcel could sense the oncoming depression and decided to take me to a special dinner at a little place called Kullman's Diner.  It is Germany's take on "American" food.  The menu featured burgers, wings, caesar salad, curly fries, milk shakes, Snapple, and many other dishes you could find at any bar or diner.  Not that I needed a burger and fries to feel at home, but it was a great change from the norm.  Don't you worry, we did order German beer.  The evening ended with both of us sinking into well deserved food comas.  The following night Marcel's roommates returned home from holidays and several of his friends came over to celebrate everyone being together again.  Honestly, I was dreading the evening in with the Germans.  I was worried that speaking English wouldn't be their top priority and I would be the awkward girl sitting in the corner laughing just because everyone else was.  Again, this was never something that bothered me before, but this is my life now, so I have a different outlook, I suppose.  Although I was nervous, the night was a lot of fun and I had some great conversations with his friends.  It was one of those times where you envision the worst scenario and then the exact opposite occurs.  Tonight we are meeting the same friends to play a game they ordered online called The War on Terror.  They said they were excited for me to explain some of the cards, should be an interesting evening in the war zone.

I'm now a member of the Freiburg English Club.  I attended my first meeting last night at a cozy little Italian restaurant about a 30 minute walk from Marcel's flat.  I was nervous, so I made sure to arrive about 15 minutes early to drink a beer and get settled in.  Of course I had nothing to be nervous about.  I met with the group on the alternative week, they usually meet every other week on Tuesday, so it was a smaller group, but conversation was plenty.  I was the only American in attendance followed by a New Zealander, four Australians, one UK, two Germans, and the lone South American man who arrived minutes before we were leaving the restaurant.  The old man from New Zealand introduced himself to me and I followed with the usual pleasantries.  He seemed more than excited when he exclaimed "So, we have an American!! I can tell that much!".  Maybe it was my midwestern accent?  It was refreshing to speak English freely without wondering if I was being understood properly.  They may not be the usual group of people I would pick to spend time with, but I think I will make it a priority to attend the dinners.

I will end this post with some wise words that Mom relayed to me minutes ago...
"Starting a new job is never fun. I always figure if I have found the bathroom it was a good day."
Tomorrow should be a breeze.

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Good Luck from Brussels

Lake Garda was a fabulous time.  Although Marcel, Marcel, and I really only had one full day on the beach, we made the best of our short vaca in Italy.  We made it to the small town with no problems except that in a lapse of judgement, I didn't write down the name of the campground that was recommended to us.  As helpful as a GPS address is, they are pretty pointless when there are campgrounds every 10 feet.  We randomly made a decision and decided to stay at..........??  And I can't remember the name of that one either, but it was a nice place.  We set up camp near the beach and then the relaxation began.  It was a really nice getaway with beautiful weather.  Just what we all needed. 

My last day of work was yesterday, so the rest of the week is full of packing, out processing, party machen, and goodbyes.  It's a bittersweet separation.  I'm happy that the 13 months is over though.  It's time to start something new.  Now on to the next year of my life.  

My last day was surprisingly easy.  I only had one guest that me want to rip my hair out.  That is seriously a record.  And I managed to make a huge fool of myself.  That's pretty common practice though.  Corinne found a small butterfly pin in Market Station and being the kind person that she is, she offered it to me.  In celebration of my last day, I pinned it to my vest and went on with my day.  It attracted a lot of attention and I was happy to say it was a gift for my last day of service.  It wasn't until a small woman came up to the desk, looking worried, and asking about her good luck charm from Brussels, that I began to worry.  I sheepishly pointed to the cute little guy pinned to my vest and as my face turned a dark shade of red, asked her if this was what she was talking about.  It was.  I was mortified, to say the least.  She was very thankful that I handed it over and came back moments later to give it to me and as many times as I denied the gift she still insisted.  I'm not the proud owner of a good luck butterfly pin from Brussels.  Thank you, lady.

I'm off to more productive things with my day.  More updates soon to come.

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

It Wasn't Made For Clumsies

It was another busy weekend in Garmisch.  On Friday night Marcel, Rachel, Basti (Rachel's man friend), and I went up to Munich to watch Germany and Macedonia battle it out on the basketball court.    Although I have never been to a professional game this was awfully similar to a smaller college game.  The game was held in Munich's Olympiahalle, which according to Wikipedia, seats between 12,000 and 14,000 people.  The fans politely applauded for every player's name until the man, Dirk, was announced and then they went crazy.  I couldn't help but feel sorry for the rest of the team who didn't receive near the recognition.  After watching the game start, I could understand why.  I'm not in any position to judge any ones talent, but it wasn't the best basketball playing I have seen.  During half time there was a laser light show followed by a cheer performance by what I'm assuming was an area all star squad.  It was nothing like the cheerleaders for the NFL, NBA, or even college sports.  They were wearing uniforms that weren't revealing and their dances weren't provocative.  Rachel and I were more than curious about the type of food the arena would serve.  Would it be nachos and cheap hotdogs?  Nope, it was the usual German fanfare of currywurst, bratwurst, fries, beer, and pretzels.  I was still delighted with the selection, of course.  The game was fun, the food good, and the company better. 

On Saturday Marcel and I traveled to Nürnberg to watch the locals play against Augsburg.  As usual, it rained the entire morning when we were exploring the city.  To our luck it cleared up in the afternoon just before the match began and we were able to enjoy the game without rain coats and umbrellas.  Nürnberg was a cute city that I wish we could have spent more time in.   I've heard the Christmas markets are something I shouldn't miss, so hopefully I can make a return trip this winter.

Sunday was a productive lazy day.  Christina, Marcel, and I gorged on brunch and mimosas at the resort.  It was way too much food, but I'm not complaining, it was delicious and filling. Way too filling.  To burn off our late morning indulgence we decided to go for a nice hike through the Partnachlamm Gorge.  The weather was perfect, it was sunny and hovering between 60 and 70 degrees, or 15 and 20C.  I'm trying to convert my brain to Celsius.  Wish me luck.  So, during our hike we managed to only get sprayed by the water a couple times, except for when Marcel thought he was being sooo funny and threw a hand full of water in my face.  He redeemed himself by showing concern for me while I was walking near the edge of the pathway by saying "This wasn't made for clumsies, walk behind me".  I'm not sure if it was an insult to my coordination or a sincere concern for my well being.  I think I'll be ignorant and choose the latter.

It's official, the last day of work is September 12th.

Friday, August 26, 2011