Road Trip South

So now there I was back in the USA and the lease on my parents rental place was quickly coming to an end so the only natural thing to do would be drive to Florida... right? Well maybe only a crazy person would do that but work had to be found. So my mom and I packed up the Subaru and started our journey south. We had a serious itinerary planned with stops on our way south.
We started with a stop to see my grandmother in Massachusetts and stopping for the night in Connecticut. Next we were in New York City where we went to the Museum of Modern Art and then met my childhood friend Kara who lives and teaches in the city and then headed across town to have dinner with Fred and Adria, Club Med guests I met while working there. We then drove to just outside Philadelphia and the next day toured Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell and other historic sites in the Old Town. We had heard about the Longwood Gardens which are about 30 mile west of Philly so we got tickets and toured the 4 acres of indoor gardens and the outdoor fountains with music and lights shows. What a beautiful experience!
The next stop on our tour was Washington DC which included seeing the Phillips Collection Art museum, tours of the Capitol Building with tickets for Senate and House viewings, Supreme Court, and White House(which was fully decorated). We also had dinner with one of my former co-workers from Sea Base who is attending college in DC as well as an afternoon at the Smithsonian American History Museum.
We heard about all kinds of weather happening and decided to get as far south as we could so we made a quick stop in Richmond, VA to have lunch with one of my cousins, Laura, before heading on 95 to Fayetteville, NC. We awoke to reports of bad weather just north of us so we headed south in rain and slowly increasing temperatures to stop just north of Jacksonville. The next morning we drove to Kennedy Space Center and toured around for the day. Saturday we drove in torrential down pour for several hours to the Fort Lauderdale Miami area and went to the mall where I used to work to by a new suitcase for my mom. Sunday we visited Fairchild Gardens and toured the grounds before heading to Sunny Isles Beach to Fred and Adria's apartment for drinks and to meet their son and to watch the sunset. We then enjoyed dinner at a local Mexican restaurant before packing up our things. Then the final leg! Monday morning I brought my mom to the Miami airport for her flights to Phoenix and I continued south to the Keys and arrived at Sea Base before lunch.
A week and a half later I had arrived!

Pictures from the trip can be found here... http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2117675&id=44801562&l=94038be142

Espania!

So my last European adventure was to Spain again. I packed up my life again and mailed boxes home in preparation to return to the good ole US of A. I left Garmisch with the others I arrived with and as they went home I went to Madrid via Mallorca. When I arrived in Madrid I took the Metro to Hostal Lido near Sol only to find that everyone was asleep. You're probably wondering who "everyone" is! Well... My father(this would be our second time in Madrid together), one of his students Brittany, and two family friends Anne and Shawn. Due to the time change and the long flight they were all tired. I woke them up so we could walk around a little and then go to the English Speaking Group that meets every Friday night to practice their conversational English. We got some drinks and participated in the group activities and then moved to the bar area to continue to chat before walking back to our hostal with a pit stop for some pizza and beer.
The next morning we walked around some before heading to Mercado San Miguel for some tapas and drinks with some Spaniards my dad has met on previous trips to Spain. We then had to go across town for the reception for the English immersion program that we would be attending for the next 6 days. We met several of the other Anglos who we would be participating in the program with, had a drink and a snack before heading back to Lido to pack up and get some rest.

Sunday morning we were up early and in a taxi to the bus pick up point to begin our Vaughan Town English immersion experience. We made our way by coach bus to a small town about 3 hours west of Madrid. Once we were there we had lunch and did introductions. Through out the 6 days we spoke with Spaniards that were usually sponsored by their company to improve their English. The range of careers was interesting and all had atleast a bachelors degree, many with masters and more.

During our Vaughan week we did a range of activities and skits for entertainment(see video clips!) as well as one to one conversations and telephone sessions. At each meal we were also sitting at tables of 2 Anglos and 2 Spaniards, so the English never stopped!

It was a fun, interesting, and entertaining week, but it was also exhausting! I had several people ask me if I would do the program again and I said yes under two conditions… first I would like it a day shorter and second in a different country to experience another culture. I met some amazing people that I want to keep in touch with and also met some that I would be fine with never seeing again.

Once we returned to Madrid we went to the Friday night English group again and had dinner near Sol. Saturday Anne, Shawn and I took the high speed train to Toledo for the day to tour around and do some shopping. That night we went to Casa Patas for dinner and flamenco show. This is the same place we went to on my last trip but each week is a different dance group so it was a different experience. Sunday we went to an outdoor flea market with some of the other Anglos from Vaughan Town then had some paella in some LARGE pans before visiting the Thyssen Museum.

Monday we flew back to the USA which was a strange feeling after being gone for more than a year.

To view some pictures click...

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2116765&id=44801562&l=dbd199cd94

What's Next?

That's a huge question. Sooo many people have asked what the next adventure I have in store. That is partly decided but also flexible. Some of you may know that a goal of mine is to live on every continent. I consider "living" to be about 6 months or more. The idea behind this is to get a more inside look at different cultures and lifestyles and to have a base from which to travel. Thus far I have North America, Australia, and Europe done. I have applied to a range of jobs from National Parks within the US to a research station in Antarctica to cruise ship jobs. We will have to wait and see what happens. I am excited about the idea of starting a new life somewhere. The specific location is still yet to be determined.
As of now my plan is to leave Germany on Nov 19th and spend 10 days in Spain. I'll then be in Vermont for a week or two before I drive south to the Florida Keys with my mom as co-pilot. Once in Florida I have a job for a few weeks at the camp I've worked at previously, then nothing for several weeks and then back to camp for the Spring season. If something else comes up we will see how things go.
What are your suggestions for places that I should work?

13 months later...

So last night was my last night of work at Edelweiss and I've had lots of people asking me what did I wish I knew before that I know now. So I've been thinking and here's what I've come up with...
1. Make a budget for yourself. Figure out how much to spend on food each month, how much you can spend on clothes, etc so that you can have enough money to travel.
2. Don't buy too many things because it is hard and expensive mailing home lots of boxes and suitcases.
3. Watch what you eat and drink... be careful shopping for yourself and of staff cafe. Exercise.
4. Buy things second hand to help save money. People are leaving all the time, talk to them and buy stuff off of them.
5. Use as many of the free resources as you can. Request movies from the library rather than paying to rent at the PX.
6. Research trips ahead of time and double check dates before you click confirm! And don't forget your passport! (Sorry Elizabeth!)
7. Enjoy Garmisch, it's a beautiful town with alot to offer... you just have to search sometimes.

Other notes and ideas...
Calling in sick when you aren't... isn't worth it. Someone will see you and tell and it will come back to bite you. Plus you are just screwing over your co-workers.
Get to know someone from every department because if you need help with something you have a person to contact. Know who the bosses are so you don't make yourself look like a fool.
Be careful what you post on Facebook! From pictures of you doing questionable things to negative comments about your boss or co-workers, just don't. It makes you look bad.
If you have an idea on how to make something better let your boss know. Not only will it make you look good, something might get done.
Be careful of what you say to people. Whether at work or in the Abrams. This place is a gossip mill and word will travel. Also guests can hear alot more than you think so if you're going to complain about them do it far enough away that they don't hear.

So in summary Edelweiss isn't perfect and it has it's issues. I have learned that first hand. But it is still a job that you can put on your resume and you should take advantage of all the opportunities that are offered. Your specific job may not be the most glamorous but guess what, that's life.
Travel, and learn from your experiences. Grow as a person. Mature into a worldly citizen. Appreciate the soldiers and remember that freedom isn't free.

Fest Season?

So I realized that I never posted about fest season! How could I!
So back in August the first fest was Garmischerfest located just around the corner from where I live. The experiences included lots of beer, umpa bands, and lots of friends. A new experience for me was witnessing people standing on tables and having everyone at your table lift you up and drink a beer... I didn't try it because 1: I couldn't chug a liter of beer and 2: I was nervous about falling off the bench which was on the ground and the idea of standing on a table that's about 8 feet up in the air, no way!
There were a few nights where there was an entrance fee and many reserved tables. One of those I was able to go early and saved a table for friends that were working and had dinner before the band started playing. It's lots of fun when almost everyone in the giant tent is standing on a bench singing and jumping and dancing to the music.
Next was Partenkirchenfest which was in the other half of the city so a taxi ride each way was required. Similar events happened here but one exception was a stone lifting competition. It was an interesting spectacle! We had no idea that one of our co-workers, Joel from accounting, was participating. The competition was broken up into different weight classes. Joel put in his best effort but didn't win. From the name you'd think that they were lifting a large rock but this was actually a weight with a handle on it. Very interesting to say the least.
I also got to go to one of the band nights at Partenkirchenfest as well which was lots of fun as well. I still don't understand why Germans love the song Country Roads so much.
Next was Oktoberfest which was held in Munich. I only was able to go once but it was a blast. It was a girls trip with Holly, Haley, and Morgan. We went on several rides and then enjoyed some beers both in the beirgartens outside and inside the tents. We had a great time and made lots of great memories.
I have posted some pictures on Facebook... http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2116024&id=44801562&l=e7d6f56b03
The album also includes Morgan's going away party.