Almost...
I am home (with all my luggage!) and I am trying to return to normal. I will go to work in just a few short minutes...should be an interesting day!
I am working with my photos and will post them here very soon!
Perhaps I will keep blogging beyond this GSE project...what do you think?
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Sunday, June 17, 2007
I have nothing to wear...
It is a quick flight from Frankfurt to Hamburg (59 minutes to be exact) and Lufthansa managed to lose my luggage between Frankfurt and Hamburg.
I was so impressed with the baggage handling center when we visited and toured the Frankfurt Airport and that impression has disappeared.
Damn...this sucks.
It's a good thing I am in Denmark with good friends who don't care if I wear the same jeans for three days in a row.
Oh...and another thing...I had too much luggage for an internal flight in Germany and they made me pay 50 Euro before I let them take my bag so they could lose it.
Jerks.
I was so impressed with the baggage handling center when we visited and toured the Frankfurt Airport and that impression has disappeared.
Damn...this sucks.
It's a good thing I am in Denmark with good friends who don't care if I wear the same jeans for three days in a row.
Oh...and another thing...I had too much luggage for an internal flight in Germany and they made me pay 50 Euro before I let them take my bag so they could lose it.
Jerks.
Friday, June 15, 2007
The end?
Ok...it is hitting me.
Today was the last program day and I am sad.
I will always treasure this time here learning more about Germany.
The country is beautiful and the people are even more beautiful.
I will miss you Deutschland...
Today was the last program day and I am sad.
I will always treasure this time here learning more about Germany.
The country is beautiful and the people are even more beautiful.
I will miss you Deutschland...
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Homeward Bound
Almost done...
Less than week left...
Six days from today, from this very moment, I will be headed back to my beloved SF, the City By The Bay, my beautiful Golden State.
I have loved it here in Germany...very, very much...but I can feel the countdown to return home.
The official program ends on Friday and last night was the last Rotary Club presentation and the last time we wore our uniforms. Sniff, sniff...
If I did not have such a wonderful family, special friends and a beautiful place to call home, I would be sad. But I am excited to see my friends, family and my favorite walking trails.
I am looking forward to seeing the SF skyline from my United Airlines window seat....
I will update again a couple more times, but just wanted you to know I am eager to see you soon!!
Less than week left...
Six days from today, from this very moment, I will be headed back to my beloved SF, the City By The Bay, my beautiful Golden State.
I have loved it here in Germany...very, very much...but I can feel the countdown to return home.
The official program ends on Friday and last night was the last Rotary Club presentation and the last time we wore our uniforms. Sniff, sniff...
If I did not have such a wonderful family, special friends and a beautiful place to call home, I would be sad. But I am excited to see my friends, family and my favorite walking trails.
I am looking forward to seeing the SF skyline from my United Airlines window seat....
I will update again a couple more times, but just wanted you to know I am eager to see you soon!!
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Having a heart attack in Germany
Remember the place I told you about called Bad Wildegun? The spa place where we had the district conference???
Well, there is more to that place than I knew when I was there...
Today we visited a cardiac hospital ward. This place was quite interesting, there are big and obvious differences in the hospitals at home and the hospitals in Germany.
First of all and most notable was that the MD's are super, super friendly here. They talk to people in the hallways, a patient stopped one to ask directions and the MD showing us around politely and humoursly answered the patients question and carried on with us.These two MD's were big shots and had every reason to be far too busy and not spend time with us. One is the Dean of the University Professors and another guy was the Chief of Cardiology. They share the nurses station often having breakfast together while discussing cases. The MD's at home are super ego-maniacs and this was quite refreshing to see the MD to Nurse comraderies that are so evident here.
Some other things are quite different, wide open windows in patient rooms, things in the hallways like decorations and odd things that don't need to be there collecting dust/germs and creating hazardous situations in an emergency, we could take photos if we wanted to (confidentiality, what???), the drugs are not locked up, the nurses were wearing Birkenstocks with open toes and socks and closed toe shoes with no socks. Odd....
Ok, back to Bad Wildegun...when you have a heart problem in Germany, you are sent directly to the ICU, then you go to an intermediate care unit, then in the US you would be sent home rather quickly to have your friends and family care for you and hope for no pain or wound infections. Here in Germany, you go to the spa for three weeks.
No shit...the spa for three weeks. Just like the place in Bad Wildegun. When a town's name begins with the word "Bad" which means bath in German it means you are in a healing place designed to improve health. These places like the Sonoma Mission Inn or Calistoga or Napa and are mixed use for healthy people and also for people who just want to relax and feel better. When your doctor sends you here, it is paid for by your insurance.
Let me say that again...IT IS PAID FOR BY YOUR INSURANCE!! Your three week spa visit is paid for by inusrance.
Seriously, a cardiac surgeon does not ever discharge someone to their home. They either go to the spa or possibly if they are not well enough to go to the spa yet, they will go back to a smaller hospital for a couple more days until they are strong enough to endure spa treatments.
I am not sure having a heart attack is worth it, but right about now I would take a three week paid spa visit for almost anything.
Oh well, there is always winning the Lottery...and that will be a lot less painful than having a heart attack.
Well, there is more to that place than I knew when I was there...
Today we visited a cardiac hospital ward. This place was quite interesting, there are big and obvious differences in the hospitals at home and the hospitals in Germany.
First of all and most notable was that the MD's are super, super friendly here. They talk to people in the hallways, a patient stopped one to ask directions and the MD showing us around politely and humoursly answered the patients question and carried on with us.These two MD's were big shots and had every reason to be far too busy and not spend time with us. One is the Dean of the University Professors and another guy was the Chief of Cardiology. They share the nurses station often having breakfast together while discussing cases. The MD's at home are super ego-maniacs and this was quite refreshing to see the MD to Nurse comraderies that are so evident here.
Some other things are quite different, wide open windows in patient rooms, things in the hallways like decorations and odd things that don't need to be there collecting dust/germs and creating hazardous situations in an emergency, we could take photos if we wanted to (confidentiality, what???), the drugs are not locked up, the nurses were wearing Birkenstocks with open toes and socks and closed toe shoes with no socks. Odd....
Ok, back to Bad Wildegun...when you have a heart problem in Germany, you are sent directly to the ICU, then you go to an intermediate care unit, then in the US you would be sent home rather quickly to have your friends and family care for you and hope for no pain or wound infections. Here in Germany, you go to the spa for three weeks.
No shit...the spa for three weeks. Just like the place in Bad Wildegun. When a town's name begins with the word "Bad" which means bath in German it means you are in a healing place designed to improve health. These places like the Sonoma Mission Inn or Calistoga or Napa and are mixed use for healthy people and also for people who just want to relax and feel better. When your doctor sends you here, it is paid for by your insurance.
Let me say that again...IT IS PAID FOR BY YOUR INSURANCE!! Your three week spa visit is paid for by inusrance.
Seriously, a cardiac surgeon does not ever discharge someone to their home. They either go to the spa or possibly if they are not well enough to go to the spa yet, they will go back to a smaller hospital for a couple more days until they are strong enough to endure spa treatments.
I am not sure having a heart attack is worth it, but right about now I would take a three week paid spa visit for almost anything.
Oh well, there is always winning the Lottery...and that will be a lot less painful than having a heart attack.
Sunday, June 10, 2007
a day off, the district conference and a pedicure
hi there faithful blog readers!
i have been absent for a few days---i hope you noticed!!
we had a day off in Kronberg--the first day off in three weeks! i got up at 9am and re-organized my luggage, did some laundry, had a late breakfast and went into this little town of Hofheim to buy a Hydrangea for my Kronberg host family. A hydrangea plant just does not seem to be enough thans for these incredible people who takes us in for a week. And these folks not only took one GSE member in, they took two. Paul and I stayed with this family. Not in the same room of course...actually, I had some pretty good digs at this house. It was a basement bedroom and bathroom. And for my Canadian relatives, you know how well you can sleep in a basement. It is hotter than ever here and basements are always cooler and they are quieter and darker!! They actually live in Kriftel just about 10 minutes from Kronberg. The Klugs were (and are!!) really, really special people. Beautiful young couple and their children were lovely, well behaved and very friendly. My host mother, Anja has a younger brother named Dennis who who lives with them and he was so kind and welcoming too. I will not forget this time in Kronberg.
So, yesterday we left the warm homes of the Kronberg Club and went to Bad Wildegun in the northern part of Hessen for the District Conference. This is a spa town...no kidding. Imagine if you built an entire town around the Sonoma Mission Inn and this is what it looked like. And we were staying at the nicest place in town...remember, this is Rotary we are talking about. This was a pretty shi-shi place...
So of course, the first thing I though of was that this place MUST have someone here who can give me a much needed pedicure. And thank God I was right!! I had a pedicure that was so fabulous, I would have gladly paid twice as much for it. I could easily spend an hour typing out the details of this completely joyous occasion, but I will spare you...you can thank me later.
The district conference was not a good experience. And I will not bitch about it here...I guess there has to be something that will stink in a four week program, right? Well, this was it. The district conference was not a good day and I was not a happy camper...details of this will only be documented in my private journal or upon further inquiry if you so desire to know more.
But it was the day after the pedicure that was sent from heaven so that should count for something, right?
Mom, don`t worry, even though I had a bad day, I am ok. As of today there are five full day left and then I will head to Denmark for a much needed vacation!
Yes, I have been gone this long and I need a vacation!
i have been absent for a few days---i hope you noticed!!
we had a day off in Kronberg--the first day off in three weeks! i got up at 9am and re-organized my luggage, did some laundry, had a late breakfast and went into this little town of Hofheim to buy a Hydrangea for my Kronberg host family. A hydrangea plant just does not seem to be enough thans for these incredible people who takes us in for a week. And these folks not only took one GSE member in, they took two. Paul and I stayed with this family. Not in the same room of course...actually, I had some pretty good digs at this house. It was a basement bedroom and bathroom. And for my Canadian relatives, you know how well you can sleep in a basement. It is hotter than ever here and basements are always cooler and they are quieter and darker!! They actually live in Kriftel just about 10 minutes from Kronberg. The Klugs were (and are!!) really, really special people. Beautiful young couple and their children were lovely, well behaved and very friendly. My host mother, Anja has a younger brother named Dennis who who lives with them and he was so kind and welcoming too. I will not forget this time in Kronberg.
So, yesterday we left the warm homes of the Kronberg Club and went to Bad Wildegun in the northern part of Hessen for the District Conference. This is a spa town...no kidding. Imagine if you built an entire town around the Sonoma Mission Inn and this is what it looked like. And we were staying at the nicest place in town...remember, this is Rotary we are talking about. This was a pretty shi-shi place...
So of course, the first thing I though of was that this place MUST have someone here who can give me a much needed pedicure. And thank God I was right!! I had a pedicure that was so fabulous, I would have gladly paid twice as much for it. I could easily spend an hour typing out the details of this completely joyous occasion, but I will spare you...you can thank me later.
The district conference was not a good experience. And I will not bitch about it here...I guess there has to be something that will stink in a four week program, right? Well, this was it. The district conference was not a good day and I was not a happy camper...details of this will only be documented in my private journal or upon further inquiry if you so desire to know more.
But it was the day after the pedicure that was sent from heaven so that should count for something, right?
Mom, don`t worry, even though I had a bad day, I am ok. As of today there are five full day left and then I will head to Denmark for a much needed vacation!
Yes, I have been gone this long and I need a vacation!
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
oh yeah...the german sky
i forgot to tell you...
my current host father has a passion for astronomy...and for those of you that are close to me...you already know that i am a bit of a space geek. i would love to see the earth from the moon's point of view. i am just not sure my ear doctor would like the pressure in my ear that would come from traveling there!!
i loved the movie "Space Camp"from when i was a little girl...
so, Andreas is part of a small, private, hobbiest astronomy club here and we went to this little observatory and it was one of the coolest, spaciest things i have ever seen...i saw jupiter and four of its moons...and i saw saturn and her rings...and a really awesome cluster of 500 billion stars or some amazing number like that. it was just as clear as you would see it in a book but i saw it with my own two eyes from right here in a tiny little observatory in Kronberg, Germany.
have i told you enough about how cool this project is???!!!
thank you Andreas!
my current host father has a passion for astronomy...and for those of you that are close to me...you already know that i am a bit of a space geek. i would love to see the earth from the moon's point of view. i am just not sure my ear doctor would like the pressure in my ear that would come from traveling there!!
i loved the movie "Space Camp"from when i was a little girl...
so, Andreas is part of a small, private, hobbiest astronomy club here and we went to this little observatory and it was one of the coolest, spaciest things i have ever seen...i saw jupiter and four of its moons...and i saw saturn and her rings...and a really awesome cluster of 500 billion stars or some amazing number like that. it was just as clear as you would see it in a book but i saw it with my own two eyes from right here in a tiny little observatory in Kronberg, Germany.
have i told you enough about how cool this project is???!!!
thank you Andreas!
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Giant tubes with wings
Today was all about airplanes...
First of all, I was in bed by 10 pm last night and did not have to be picked up until 10:15am this morning. That was a treat and a half!! I had more than 8 hours of sleep and I had time to do a little bit of yoga this morning...I was a happy, happy girl this morning!!
So, we arrived at the Frankfurt Aiport at 11am for a "behind the scenes" tour of the airport. I won't bore you with the details...but it was so cool to sit on the tarmac and watch these HUGE, HUGE airplanes take off and land right in front of us.
Tony, Joe and Jack---we went into the Baggage Handling Room which looks a lot like something from NASA...you should have seen the cabling racks!! I took a picture of it for you. This room had a HUGE wall in front of them that tracks baggage from the check in desks to the tarmac. Friggin' cool!
We also saw the Airport Fire Brigade (Dad, I got some really cool pics for you too!!!) This airport tour is really one of the highlights of the trip, I think.
Tonight, we will have a family BBQ with one of the other host family's. Should be a nice quiet day.
Tomorrow, we will have our first vocational day of the trip...I am frustrated with this as we are almost three weeks into this and are just getting the first one right now. It would be nice to talk Real Estate for a little while and take a small break from all the old stuff in museums!
I am missing everyone...lots of love to you!
--Christine
First of all, I was in bed by 10 pm last night and did not have to be picked up until 10:15am this morning. That was a treat and a half!! I had more than 8 hours of sleep and I had time to do a little bit of yoga this morning...I was a happy, happy girl this morning!!
So, we arrived at the Frankfurt Aiport at 11am for a "behind the scenes" tour of the airport. I won't bore you with the details...but it was so cool to sit on the tarmac and watch these HUGE, HUGE airplanes take off and land right in front of us.
Tony, Joe and Jack---we went into the Baggage Handling Room which looks a lot like something from NASA...you should have seen the cabling racks!! I took a picture of it for you. This room had a HUGE wall in front of them that tracks baggage from the check in desks to the tarmac. Friggin' cool!
We also saw the Airport Fire Brigade (Dad, I got some really cool pics for you too!!!) This airport tour is really one of the highlights of the trip, I think.
Tonight, we will have a family BBQ with one of the other host family's. Should be a nice quiet day.
Tomorrow, we will have our first vocational day of the trip...I am frustrated with this as we are almost three weeks into this and are just getting the first one right now. It would be nice to talk Real Estate for a little while and take a small break from all the old stuff in museums!
I am missing everyone...lots of love to you!
--Christine
Preserving the past and protecting the future...
Ok, instead of telling you day by day and hour by hour what we are up to, I will just summarize the trip by saying that the Germans are very, VERY good at preserving the past and protecting the future.
I say this with all the seriousness that I can....
Yesterday, we went to an open air museum where they have taken old half timbered houses and reconstructed them in the original fashion in a park like setting. Very similar to the way a village would have been set up in the 1600-1800's. Unbelieveable.
We also saw a Roman museum from the Roman empires era...the things that were still intact and recognizeable are really, really amazing. It is hard to describe, but trust me, there is some really old stuff here!!
And the third event for yesterday was an organic farm. This man spoke very little English, but this did not matter at all...he passion crossed all language boundaries. He needs to meet Al Gore.
Germans may smoke in the forest, but we throw things in landfills, tear down buildings without hestiation and we drive wasteful cars, waste water and burn oil like there is no tomorrow...
We have a LOT to learn from these delightful people...
I say this with all the seriousness that I can....
Yesterday, we went to an open air museum where they have taken old half timbered houses and reconstructed them in the original fashion in a park like setting. Very similar to the way a village would have been set up in the 1600-1800's. Unbelieveable.
We also saw a Roman museum from the Roman empires era...the things that were still intact and recognizeable are really, really amazing. It is hard to describe, but trust me, there is some really old stuff here!!
And the third event for yesterday was an organic farm. This man spoke very little English, but this did not matter at all...he passion crossed all language boundaries. He needs to meet Al Gore.
Germans may smoke in the forest, but we throw things in landfills, tear down buildings without hestiation and we drive wasteful cars, waste water and burn oil like there is no tomorrow...
We have a LOT to learn from these delightful people...
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!
I didn't call you yesterday, but I was thinking of you all day!
I hope you are enjoying your own trip to Calgary!
Love to you, dad and the Canadian relatives!
xoxoxoxo
--Christine
I hope you are enjoying your own trip to Calgary!
Love to you, dad and the Canadian relatives!
xoxoxoxo
--Christine
catching up
i haven't had too much extra time to post lately, but i do this afternoon so i am taking some notes from my journal over the past few days and posting them all at once. forgive me for bombarding you...i hope you still find my adventures interesting...
Smokey the Bear
ok, i forgot to tell you this one...
we were in a beautiful forest, clean air, green trees and a lovely trail to take a nice long walk.
we were discussing forestry with two men who were very passionate about forest protection and preservation. they spoke strongly about the effects of global warming etc, etc and then,
the forest guy lights up a smoke!!
no kidding!!!
i realize europeans smoke more than americans and they can still smoke in buildings, but in the forest???
well, i guess one thing in their favor is that the summers here are not as dry as ours in California.
more random thoughts and observations coming your way soon!!
we were in a beautiful forest, clean air, green trees and a lovely trail to take a nice long walk.
we were discussing forestry with two men who were very passionate about forest protection and preservation. they spoke strongly about the effects of global warming etc, etc and then,
the forest guy lights up a smoke!!
no kidding!!!
i realize europeans smoke more than americans and they can still smoke in buildings, but in the forest???
well, i guess one thing in their favor is that the summers here are not as dry as ours in California.
more random thoughts and observations coming your way soon!!
Whose house are we in?
yes, this is a real question asked by a real team member.
i am so glad i am not the only one who is tired...
here is the scene...three looooonnnng days in Berlin, a three hour train ride home, a one hour and fifteeen minute car ride into Alsfeld and now we are arrive in front of someone's house to meet our host families to go back home. one of my teammates leans over and whispers to me..."Who's house are we in?"
this prompted some serious giggling...
sometimes it really does happen that we don't know where we are or why we are there.
group travel in a foreign country is funny, isn't it?
i am so glad i am not the only one who is tired...
here is the scene...three looooonnnng days in Berlin, a three hour train ride home, a one hour and fifteeen minute car ride into Alsfeld and now we are arrive in front of someone's house to meet our host families to go back home. one of my teammates leans over and whispers to me..."Who's house are we in?"
this prompted some serious giggling...
sometimes it really does happen that we don't know where we are or why we are there.
group travel in a foreign country is funny, isn't it?
Friday, June 1, 2007
Random thoughts...
just wanted you all to know these things...
i laugh every day...my teammates are awesome and we are all doing a great job given this crazy schedule. we are laughing even though sometimes it is not funny how hard it is to keep up with this program. the initial politeness stage is gone, we are not afraid to sleep and drool in front of each other and we support each other when we are too tired to answer questions or even attempt to appear interested.
the other day we were on a private bus tour and i put on my sunglasses to have a 10 minute snooze because i just could not take in one more piece of information. paul was sitting behind me trying to stay awake himself and he knew darn well i was sleeping...bless him for understanding.
tomorrow will be the half way point. sometimes i can not believe two weeks has passed already and in some ways i can't believe there are still two weeks left!!!
sorry about not being able to post photos....but trust me...i have almost 500 so far...some are beautiful, some are interesting, some i have already forgotten what i was trying to capture, some of them are funny but ALL of them are already precious memories. i can't upload them beacuse they are stored on jasmyn's computer. when i can capture them to a CD...i will upload some for you to see.
you would be so proud of me...i do speak a little bit of really, really bad german when it is absolutely required of me. i am picking a lot up when listening to others and when asking quetions...and i have had to use it when we are in a bier garden, restaurant or store. i must sound like a second grader, but i am proud for even trying...
and speaking of restaurants...i had a HUGE error in ordering lunch the other day. every vacation in a foreign country needs a gastronomical error and i had mine!! i ordered a cheese and sausage plate...sounds pretty good, right??? well...you and i are both wrong! it came to the table and it was blood sausage (i have never seen anything so scary looking on a plate!!) and liverwurst sausage and some other bright red dried sausage/beef jerky looking stuff...and the cheese...all of it smelled unrecognizable and one of the cheeses tasted like a barn/stable. it was pretty bad. i drank my beer though...and it was good.
i am leaving Alsfeld in the morning and i have loved it here. my host mother here was really, really a special lady named brigitte. she hosted both jeniece and i and we were treated like the absolute divas that we are!!! thank you brigitte!!! she was the first woman in her rotary club...there are not many woman involved as rotarians and it is high time women like her be included!!
auf wiedersehen Alsfeld and hallo Kronberg/Frankfurt!! i will be there for a week and will touch base as i have the chance.
love to all my beloved blog readers! i miss you all!
i laugh every day...my teammates are awesome and we are all doing a great job given this crazy schedule. we are laughing even though sometimes it is not funny how hard it is to keep up with this program. the initial politeness stage is gone, we are not afraid to sleep and drool in front of each other and we support each other when we are too tired to answer questions or even attempt to appear interested.
the other day we were on a private bus tour and i put on my sunglasses to have a 10 minute snooze because i just could not take in one more piece of information. paul was sitting behind me trying to stay awake himself and he knew darn well i was sleeping...bless him for understanding.
tomorrow will be the half way point. sometimes i can not believe two weeks has passed already and in some ways i can't believe there are still two weeks left!!!
sorry about not being able to post photos....but trust me...i have almost 500 so far...some are beautiful, some are interesting, some i have already forgotten what i was trying to capture, some of them are funny but ALL of them are already precious memories. i can't upload them beacuse they are stored on jasmyn's computer. when i can capture them to a CD...i will upload some for you to see.
you would be so proud of me...i do speak a little bit of really, really bad german when it is absolutely required of me. i am picking a lot up when listening to others and when asking quetions...and i have had to use it when we are in a bier garden, restaurant or store. i must sound like a second grader, but i am proud for even trying...
and speaking of restaurants...i had a HUGE error in ordering lunch the other day. every vacation in a foreign country needs a gastronomical error and i had mine!! i ordered a cheese and sausage plate...sounds pretty good, right??? well...you and i are both wrong! it came to the table and it was blood sausage (i have never seen anything so scary looking on a plate!!) and liverwurst sausage and some other bright red dried sausage/beef jerky looking stuff...and the cheese...all of it smelled unrecognizable and one of the cheeses tasted like a barn/stable. it was pretty bad. i drank my beer though...and it was good.
i am leaving Alsfeld in the morning and i have loved it here. my host mother here was really, really a special lady named brigitte. she hosted both jeniece and i and we were treated like the absolute divas that we are!!! thank you brigitte!!! she was the first woman in her rotary club...there are not many woman involved as rotarians and it is high time women like her be included!!
auf wiedersehen Alsfeld and hallo Kronberg/Frankfurt!! i will be there for a week and will touch base as i have the chance.
love to all my beloved blog readers! i miss you all!
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
More on Berlin
Wow...this is a great city! We have had a great time here...today if the last day here and we will go back to Alsfed until Saturday morning and then a few day in the heart of Frankfurt.
We saw just about every thing in Berlin, from high fashion to Checkpoint Charlie and from theatre and Baroque concerts to a boat cruise on the Spree River through town. I also saw the Pergamon alter which was truly larger than life itself.
The evidence from WWII and the communist era is so evident in some cases and in other cases if things were not pointed out to me, I may have never noticed!!
It is once again breakfast time and I need to run....
Please don't worry, we are still being treated like royalty here!!
We saw just about every thing in Berlin, from high fashion to Checkpoint Charlie and from theatre and Baroque concerts to a boat cruise on the Spree River through town. I also saw the Pergamon alter which was truly larger than life itself.
The evidence from WWII and the communist era is so evident in some cases and in other cases if things were not pointed out to me, I may have never noticed!!
It is once again breakfast time and I need to run....
Please don't worry, we are still being treated like royalty here!!
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Why...
Why are Germans in a hurry enough to drive so fast on the Autobahn?? But there is no such thing as taking coffee to go?
Berlin
I am in Berlin now...
Each night we are lucky if we get six hours of sleep...and then we went to a Baroque concert with a very small audience in a very big palace... it was wonderful and thetreat of a lifetime...but it was all I could do not to fall asleep!!!
I have to run off for some breakfast...at least the coffee is stong here!!!
Love to all....
--Christine
Each night we are lucky if we get six hours of sleep...and then we went to a Baroque concert with a very small audience in a very big palace... it was wonderful and thetreat of a lifetime...but it was all I could do not to fall asleep!!!
I have to run off for some breakfast...at least the coffee is stong here!!!
Love to all....
--Christine
Monday, May 28, 2007
Special things...
Some special things that have happened to me so far...
Two different people have said to me..."I'll never forget what the Americans did for us."...this was said with true gratitude and tears in their eyes...
My host family from Wiesbaden said to me when I was sharing my family photos and photos from CA with her..."I can see that your family loves each other in these photos."
My host father from Wiesbaden said it was a "wonderful moment for him" when I thanked him in front of the Rotary Club presentation for hosting me. He said I was the only one who thanked their host family and he told me he was "a proud man at that moment".
We were given "hand turned" wooden boxes from a man in the Alsfeld Rotary Club for being their honored guests. Everyone here is so excited and honored to have us stay with them! Hey folks...I am the one who is honored!!!
Crossing the former border between West and East Germany and standing on what was once communist soil....I can't explain this feeling...I have heard first hand stories over the past couple of days that are immensely touching and stories I will never forget for as long as I live.
The Peace Bell project that the Alsfeld Rotary Club has with a club in the area that was the former East Germany...I met a man who was head of this project. The Alsfeld Rotary Club was helping to establish new Rotary Clubs and they found a whole bunch of old guns and ammunition and they melted it all down and made a Peace Bell out of it. When the day came to open the monument, they allowed the town pastor to ring the bell for the first time. A very, very big deal since the former East Germans did not have freedom of religion and Rotary does keep religion private from Rotary projects. Anyway, the pastor rang the bell for the first time and they said a prayer and the pastor explained that normally he would sprinkle holy water on the bell but it was hung too high to reach it with the water...and just then it started to rain. The pastor said to the crowd "someone else is sprinking holy water on all of us"...it was a beautiful story told to me by a man with tears in his eyes, rosy smiling cheeks and a long time history of pain in his heart...
There was a story of a man who died at the German border and the Americans could do nothing to help....they build a cross on the site of his death in his honor. When The Wall came down in 1989, this man showed up and said 'this is my story and I am fine. I am safe and I am a free man'.
This is a beautiful project that I am a part of and I am honored to be here....
Much love to all of my blog readers...I miss you, but I am having the time of my life...
xoxoxoxo
Two different people have said to me..."I'll never forget what the Americans did for us."...this was said with true gratitude and tears in their eyes...
My host family from Wiesbaden said to me when I was sharing my family photos and photos from CA with her..."I can see that your family loves each other in these photos."
My host father from Wiesbaden said it was a "wonderful moment for him" when I thanked him in front of the Rotary Club presentation for hosting me. He said I was the only one who thanked their host family and he told me he was "a proud man at that moment".
We were given "hand turned" wooden boxes from a man in the Alsfeld Rotary Club for being their honored guests. Everyone here is so excited and honored to have us stay with them! Hey folks...I am the one who is honored!!!
Crossing the former border between West and East Germany and standing on what was once communist soil....I can't explain this feeling...I have heard first hand stories over the past couple of days that are immensely touching and stories I will never forget for as long as I live.
The Peace Bell project that the Alsfeld Rotary Club has with a club in the area that was the former East Germany...I met a man who was head of this project. The Alsfeld Rotary Club was helping to establish new Rotary Clubs and they found a whole bunch of old guns and ammunition and they melted it all down and made a Peace Bell out of it. When the day came to open the monument, they allowed the town pastor to ring the bell for the first time. A very, very big deal since the former East Germans did not have freedom of religion and Rotary does keep religion private from Rotary projects. Anyway, the pastor rang the bell for the first time and they said a prayer and the pastor explained that normally he would sprinkle holy water on the bell but it was hung too high to reach it with the water...and just then it started to rain. The pastor said to the crowd "someone else is sprinking holy water on all of us"...it was a beautiful story told to me by a man with tears in his eyes, rosy smiling cheeks and a long time history of pain in his heart...
There was a story of a man who died at the German border and the Americans could do nothing to help....they build a cross on the site of his death in his honor. When The Wall came down in 1989, this man showed up and said 'this is my story and I am fine. I am safe and I am a free man'.
This is a beautiful project that I am a part of and I am honored to be here....
Much love to all of my blog readers...I miss you, but I am having the time of my life...
xoxoxoxo
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Calgon!! Take me away!!!
Holy shit!
That is just about all I have to say! Well, maybe I have a few more things to say than that… ...but if I told you EVERYTHING...you would be up for days trying to catch up with me! Then the bags under your eyes would be as big as mine!
We are very, very tired and we have very, very long days and all the future weeks look just as long as this past week. I think the smartest thing is to have an outline form for you...ah, well...maybe stream of conciousness would be more fun!
It is damn hot here and the humidity is GROSS!
Ok, here goes...
Day 1: Walking tour of Wiesbaden...this town is from the Roman Empire days...they have spas and hot springs...nuff said. Dinner with our host families. This meal had white asparagus...
Day 2: Tour of Wachendorff Electronik company and a discussion about globilization and its effects on employment. Gondola ride at Rudesheim and lunch...this meal had white asparagus, gorgeous walk all along the Rhine river to Assmanshausen, river boat cruise, visit an old Gothic church and wine tasting with a quiche thing that had white asparagus in it...
Day 3: Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceutical company (with Mr. Boeringher himself...he is a Rotarian!!) another old church and another meal with white aspargus (are you getting the picture--it#s white asparagus season here!!), Rotary Club meeting presentations, visit to the Staatskanzlei (state capital) its an old building and has been remodeled and is modern on the inside, we toured and visited to the Marktkirche of Wiesbaden. We a special evening meal with the German GSE Team and we had...yep, you guessed it!!! WHITE ASPARAGUS!!!
Day 4: Freakin' awesome power plant!!! We American's are so lame sometimes!!! These people collect their trash like normal (no sorting or any hassles) and the refuse is dumped into a power plant/ fancy fireplace thingy and turn it into steam and power. It is clean, does not smell, the smoke runs through a fancy ass filter so there are virtually no emissions and they bury the ashes. No land fills folks!! This place is so environmentally safe and sound, that is is placed right next to the Rhine. These German guys are pretty smart! This was followed by another Rotary Club meeting (and this one did not have white asparagus!), a walking tour of Eltville (super cute!), a quick trip home to change for the theatre, off to the Wiesbaden Kurhaus to see 'Cirque Louise'...a graceful, humorous, acrobatic masterpiece. It was quite good! Finally, this evening, I got to spend a little bit of time with the von Bismarcks...they are truley lovely people with an amazing family history.
Day 5: A tour of ZDF television station (the largest in Germany...this place was MASSIVE!!), then back to Wiesbaden for one more Rotary Club visit before leaving town. We were picked up by the Rotary Club Alsfeld President and he escorted us back to Alsfeld. The entire van full of GSE Team members fell asleep in the car. We have been running so hard since the very beginning! Arriving in Alsfeld, the club had a welcoming dinner for us and guess what!!?? It is white asparagus season here too!! We had some for dinner!
Day 6: A tour of a furniture showroom, manufacturing company, then an unbelievable lunch meal in a place where this furniture was installed. This furniture stuff is hard to explain, but it sure it beautiful! And the meal was so incredible! It was a very, very local style of food in this region and it was a real treat! There was no white asparagus this time! After lunch, we visited the world famous Ferrero Chocolates...yes, this is Nutella, Mon Cheri, Kinder Eggs and Kinder Bueno...what an awesome tour!! Then a family BBQ to meet all the families of the Rotarians in this area.
Day 7: A visit to a salt mine, lunch at a beautiful lakeside restaurant and a visit to Point Alpha.This is a special place and it is an amazing feeling to walk across border into and across former communist soil. This place is special enough to deserve it's own blog entry, but I just went there today and have not completely digested what I learned and saw. Believe me...it is really something to see and feel...
I will post more later as I have the time, we are running out the door to a mushroom farm in the forest...
Auf wiedersehen!!
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Hallo from Deutschland!
It's beautiful, green, hilly and the architecture is amazing!
But the keyboards are weird and I am navigating through blogger.com which is all in German.
The key board has letters like this: ö ä ü ß...the 'y' key and the 'z' key are switched and I still can't figure out how to get the "at" key to show up!!
I have to cut and paste it from my own e-mail address...
Stop laughing!
So, anyway....the flight was GREAT...smooth, easy going, slept well and got here early. God Bless Boeing and their 777's...
We arrived in Wiesbaden which is about 20 minutes from the Frankfurt Airport. Wiesbaden is known for its hot springs from way, way back in the Roman Empire. And we were dropped off at this hotel:
http://www.hotel-oranien.de/sfp_sfcr-1961.0+sfci-1961.0+sflng-1.html
where each of us has a private room (complete with deep, deep bathtubs--yes, i have already tried it out!!) and Bulgari soaps and shampoos...no kidding! We will be here until 3pm Sunday when we will meet our host families.
I have been told that my host family is a descendant if this man:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otto_von_Bismarck
Seriously!
So, after we had a welcome meeting and a debriefing of our host families and this week' program plans, we took showers (I had a glorious soak in the tub with my Bulgari products!) then a wonderful dinner here at the hotel and we were picked up by our German teammates and escorted to the Kransplatzfest; an outside summer beer garden festival complete with live music. Live is good folks, live is good.
I am one lucky girl!!!
Love to all the blog readers...I miss you and will update as often as I can!
xoxoxo
But the keyboards are weird and I am navigating through blogger.com which is all in German.
The key board has letters like this: ö ä ü ß...the 'y' key and the 'z' key are switched and I still can't figure out how to get the "at" key to show up!!
I have to cut and paste it from my own e-mail address...
Stop laughing!
So, anyway....the flight was GREAT...smooth, easy going, slept well and got here early. God Bless Boeing and their 777's...
We arrived in Wiesbaden which is about 20 minutes from the Frankfurt Airport. Wiesbaden is known for its hot springs from way, way back in the Roman Empire. And we were dropped off at this hotel:
http://www.hotel-oranien.de/sfp_sfcr-1961.0+sfci-1961.0+sflng-1.html
where each of us has a private room (complete with deep, deep bathtubs--yes, i have already tried it out!!) and Bulgari soaps and shampoos...no kidding! We will be here until 3pm Sunday when we will meet our host families.
I have been told that my host family is a descendant if this man:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otto_von_Bismarck
Seriously!
So, after we had a welcome meeting and a debriefing of our host families and this week' program plans, we took showers (I had a glorious soak in the tub with my Bulgari products!) then a wonderful dinner here at the hotel and we were picked up by our German teammates and escorted to the Kransplatzfest; an outside summer beer garden festival complete with live music. Live is good folks, live is good.
I am one lucky girl!!!
Love to all the blog readers...I miss you and will update as often as I can!
xoxoxo
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Tomorrow...tomorrow...
You're only a dayyyyy awayyyyyy!!
We leave tomorrow...can you believe it??
I can't.
I don't have words to describe the jumble of thoughts in my head right now so I'll just say Auf Wiedersehen!!
My next note will be from Germany...I hope to be able to update here a couple times a week as I can.
Stay tuned!
We leave tomorrow...can you believe it??
I can't.
I don't have words to describe the jumble of thoughts in my head right now so I'll just say Auf Wiedersehen!!
My next note will be from Germany...I hope to be able to update here a couple times a week as I can.
Stay tuned!
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
9 days...
Single digits!! We are down to single digits!!
9 days until we leave!
WOOOOOO HOOOOOOO!!!
Sometimes I am in a daze...sometimes I feel super organized...and sometimes I am in a panic...and sometimes I am reflective...sometimes I am proud...sometimes I am humbled...but most of the time I am just freakin' excited!!
9 days until we leave!
WOOOOOO HOOOOOOO!!!
Sometimes I am in a daze...sometimes I feel super organized...and sometimes I am in a panic...and sometimes I am reflective...sometimes I am proud...sometimes I am humbled...but most of the time I am just freakin' excited!!
Thursday, May 3, 2007
To-Do List
I just made a to-do list for myself and it is really long...
really, really long.
it's so long, I think I need a nap now.
15 short days left...
really, really long.
it's so long, I think I need a nap now.
15 short days left...
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Back to GSE!
Thursday April 26, 2007
Monterey--6:10pm--CAL NARPM Conference
San Francisco--8:25pm--Farewell party for the GSE German Team
The farewell party was scheduled to end (officially) at 9pm so Melissa was generous enough to drop me off at the party that was well under way on Lombard Street in San Francisco. The hosted party was over at 9pm...but we were not about to end our fun!! Officially, it was over...but the teams continued to say farewell into the wee hours of Friday morning.
We went to the Tonga Room at the Fairmont Hotel in downtown SF and had some appies and drinks...I refrained...after an incredibly long April...if I had one drink I would have been face down in the make-shift Polynesian beach of the Tonga Room!
Great pics though!!
Monterey--6:10pm--CAL NARPM Conference
San Francisco--8:25pm--Farewell party for the GSE German Team
The farewell party was scheduled to end (officially) at 9pm so Melissa was generous enough to drop me off at the party that was well under way on Lombard Street in San Francisco. The hosted party was over at 9pm...but we were not about to end our fun!! Officially, it was over...but the teams continued to say farewell into the wee hours of Friday morning.
We went to the Tonga Room at the Fairmont Hotel in downtown SF and had some appies and drinks...I refrained...after an incredibly long April...if I had one drink I would have been face down in the make-shift Polynesian beach of the Tonga Room!
Great pics though!!
After the Tonga Room closed...hey...what's with the Tonga Room closing at 11pm...how old and boring is that??? Anyway, we took our fun-loving, drinking and dancing selves to the Big Foot Bar on Polk Street. And we closed them down too! Good music and good dancing ensued until last call for alcohol!
Paul, Kristen, Jasmyn, Birgit and Annette were all within walking distance of their homes and I delivered Stefan, Christian, Olaf and Jeniece safely to their homes and finally crawled into my own bed after 4am. Ahhhh...I so needed my own bed!!
This was our last evening together...until we arrive in Germany!!!
From GSE to NARPM...
After margaritas on Monday night...Tuesday morning I headed down to Monterey (for Tues, Wed and Thurs) for the CAL NARPM Conference. It was a great conference...much easier and less chaotic than last year!
I was sworn in as CAL NARPM State Chapter Secretary. (ooooooo!! how important does that sound!??!)
Monterey was gorgeous and a very successful conference (personally AND professionally) but I could feel myself becoming increasingly tired. Every hour that went by was draining...
Germans and Americans meet for MARGARITAS!!
So, we Americans had to go home on Sunday and the Germans went into the Valley for a MUCH NEEDED day off and an overnight stay at Yosemite Lodge.
No presentations, no obligations, no schedules...I could tell by the looks on their faces, they needed this time off!!
But, by the time they arrived back in SF on Monday, we had it all arranged to meet up with them after work! We just can't seem to get enough of this!!! We had a great time introducing them to good margaritas at La Barca!
No presentations, no obligations, no schedules...I could tell by the looks on their faces, they needed this time off!!
But, by the time they arrived back in SF on Monday, we had it all arranged to meet up with them after work! We just can't seem to get enough of this!!! We had a great time introducing them to good margaritas at La Barca!
Viva La Marrrrgaaaarrrrritas!!!
Our first presentation!
Sunday April 22, 2007
So, Sunday comes along (we are still in Yosemite) and the German team shows up to breakfast in their "free clothes" and we show up in our uniforms ready for our presentation!! The exchange had begun! They have been wearing their uniforms and giving presentations for three weeks and now they get to sit in the audience and watch us in action!
Our entire team was nervous and I think the German team was entertained by our nervousness! They had been at this for three weeks and we had to give our very first presentation in front of 300+ people at the District Conference. We didn't even know how to tie our scarves yet and we needed to look professional and polished...but, when all was said and done...
We did a great job! Dennis seemed genuinely proud of us!
It was amazing running into the Minutoli's, Mike from the SFPD who knew Dad and the RE Agent from Marin County that said she was so proud to be a RE Agent and she had never heard anyone describe our industry the way I did in my speech.
Yosemite was awesome...thrilling...exciting...loving...gorgeous...bonding...fun...laughter-filled and so much more!
So, Sunday comes along (we are still in Yosemite) and the German team shows up to breakfast in their "free clothes" and we show up in our uniforms ready for our presentation!! The exchange had begun! They have been wearing their uniforms and giving presentations for three weeks and now they get to sit in the audience and watch us in action!
Our entire team was nervous and I think the German team was entertained by our nervousness! They had been at this for three weeks and we had to give our very first presentation in front of 300+ people at the District Conference. We didn't even know how to tie our scarves yet and we needed to look professional and polished...but, when all was said and done...
We did a great job! Dennis seemed genuinely proud of us!
It was amazing running into the Minutoli's, Mike from the SFPD who knew Dad and the RE Agent from Marin County that said she was so proud to be a RE Agent and she had never heard anyone describe our industry the way I did in my speech.
Yosemite was awesome...thrilling...exciting...loving...gorgeous...bonding...fun...laughter-filled and so much more!
April is a blur!
April is over tomorrow and it is a total blur.
Lars and Claus were here for two weeks and we had an unforgettable visit. It was wonderful to see Lars again...like time hasn't gone past. Good friendships do survive and this one will last a lifetime.
Oh--yes--this is supposed to be about the GSE experience--sorry, I digress.
April 19-22, 2007
Tenaya Lodge
Yosemite National Park
Yosemite was freakin' awesome!! I rode up with Maureen & Jay and Kathy & Jim Botko. I just began to snow as we arrived to the Lodge and it was beautiful....something out of a story book! I walked in the lobby and the German Team was there arriving at the same time. I had just seen them at the Rotary Club of Terra Linda meeting two days prior and we were all excited to have time to spend together in Yosemite.
Our team hit it off unbelievably well with the German team and shared all meals and free time with them. There were several people who have a lot of past experience with GSE Teams that said they have never seen two teams as compatible as ours. We seemed to be instant friends with each other!
Dennis had a van to take both teams to the Yosemite Valley together and we were thrilled! Jeniece also drove for those of us that are sensitive to windy roads in a top-heavy van! Ewwww...I'm almost feeling barfy just typing about it. Olaf road with Jeniece and me and Christian joined us a little later once he had a first hand feeling for the winding roads into the Valley!
Jasmyn stayed back at the hotel...she had pressing deadlines for the classes she is taking and I admire her focus and determination to complete her papers!! We missed her greatly...
We hiked in to see the Sequoia Trees...
Lars and Claus were here for two weeks and we had an unforgettable visit. It was wonderful to see Lars again...like time hasn't gone past. Good friendships do survive and this one will last a lifetime.
Oh--yes--this is supposed to be about the GSE experience--sorry, I digress.
April 19-22, 2007
Tenaya Lodge
Yosemite National Park
Yosemite was freakin' awesome!! I rode up with Maureen & Jay and Kathy & Jim Botko. I just began to snow as we arrived to the Lodge and it was beautiful....something out of a story book! I walked in the lobby and the German Team was there arriving at the same time. I had just seen them at the Rotary Club of Terra Linda meeting two days prior and we were all excited to have time to spend together in Yosemite.
Our team hit it off unbelievably well with the German team and shared all meals and free time with them. There were several people who have a lot of past experience with GSE Teams that said they have never seen two teams as compatible as ours. We seemed to be instant friends with each other!
Dennis had a van to take both teams to the Yosemite Valley together and we were thrilled! Jeniece also drove for those of us that are sensitive to windy roads in a top-heavy van! Ewwww...I'm almost feeling barfy just typing about it. Olaf road with Jeniece and me and Christian joined us a little later once he had a first hand feeling for the winding roads into the Valley!
Jasmyn stayed back at the hotel...she had pressing deadlines for the classes she is taking and I admire her focus and determination to complete her papers!! We missed her greatly...
We hiked in to see the Sequoia Trees...
and then went onto Inspiration Point...
Bridal Veil Falls, Yosemite Falls and then had a coffee break before heading back to the Tenaya Lodge for dinner.
There were lots of special moments throughout the weekend, the time chatting in room "zwei, zwei, null" with lots of wine...
late night hot tub and pool side romping--frolicking--cavorting with live music courtesy of Dennis, Stefan and Christian. One by one we ended up in the water...but Stefan and Jasmyn opted out. Thank goodness we have someone on our teams with some dignity!! Besides, who would take our photos??
Birgit says we need a new Rotary award (there are lots of annual awards distributed at the District Conference) and the conversation went something like this:
Birgit: I think we should ask for a new award.
Me: What would the award be for?
Birgit: The GSE Teams that become the closest friends.And I know we would win!
And Birgit is right...there were several people that noticed and were thrilled at what great friends our teams had become!!
Sunday, April 1, 2007
I just can't stop saying WOW!!
This is truly amazing.
Tonight I met our German counterparts. They arrived yesterday and a woman from the SF Rotary Club hosted a dinner for both teams to meet. That was the whole purpose...for us to meet each other. Amazing...she had a dinner in our honor and she has no idea who any of us are!! The German team is so nice, warm and very impressive!
Peter is their team leader and he is retired board of director with Opel Motors (General Motors)
Birgit is the supervisor of three Naspa Bank branches
Olaf is a neurosurgeon
Stephan is an IT tech with Deutsche Bahn group (the German railway group)
Annette is with Lufthansa AirPlus; an international service provider for business travel
Christian is self-employed with a marketing design company
The conversation was so easy because we were all just so excited! Olaf told me he went for an early morning run today and ran all along Crissy Field and ended up at the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge. Can you imagine coming here for the first time and seeing that on your morning run!!??
The team was excited to talk about all they have planned for us too, a boat cruise, several winery visits and vocational time. I think we get one half day off per week and every other weekend, we will get one day off. That is a fairly demanding schedule! But amazingly worth it, huh!!!
The German team will be visiting the Rotary Club of Terra Linda on April 17 and I will see them at that meeting as well as in Yosemite that weekend.
Add this to all the excitement of Lars and Claus arriving from Denmark this Thursday and this will be an action packed April, that's for sure!
Tootles...time for me to snuggle into my pillow! Nitey-nite friends!
Tonight I met our German counterparts. They arrived yesterday and a woman from the SF Rotary Club hosted a dinner for both teams to meet. That was the whole purpose...for us to meet each other. Amazing...she had a dinner in our honor and she has no idea who any of us are!! The German team is so nice, warm and very impressive!
Peter is their team leader and he is retired board of director with Opel Motors (General Motors)
Birgit is the supervisor of three Naspa Bank branches
Olaf is a neurosurgeon
Stephan is an IT tech with Deutsche Bahn group (the German railway group)
Annette is with Lufthansa AirPlus; an international service provider for business travel
Christian is self-employed with a marketing design company
The conversation was so easy because we were all just so excited! Olaf told me he went for an early morning run today and ran all along Crissy Field and ended up at the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge. Can you imagine coming here for the first time and seeing that on your morning run!!??
The team was excited to talk about all they have planned for us too, a boat cruise, several winery visits and vocational time. I think we get one half day off per week and every other weekend, we will get one day off. That is a fairly demanding schedule! But amazingly worth it, huh!!!
The German team will be visiting the Rotary Club of Terra Linda on April 17 and I will see them at that meeting as well as in Yosemite that weekend.
Add this to all the excitement of Lars and Claus arriving from Denmark this Thursday and this will be an action packed April, that's for sure!
Tootles...time for me to snuggle into my pillow! Nitey-nite friends!
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
The Germans are coming!
Our counterparts will be here on Saturday!
It's happening people...the exchange has begun. I have been thinking about them all week long...what are they packing? are they nervous? are their speeches done?
Our speech practice went VERY WELL! We were all pleased with how it went, some things need to be changed up a bit but that should be pretty easy.
The next meeting will be on Sunday when we meet the German team and then on Monday the 9th we will have another presentation practice. The presentations in Yosemite will be short; about 2-4 minutes per person.
Perfect, in the next week or two, I hope to be able to practice at Toastmasters too!
Will check in again later!
Oh yeah, here are some new photos of me and of the entire team. Don't we look like something right out of the training manual for United Airlines???
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It's happening people...the exchange has begun. I have been thinking about them all week long...what are they packing? are they nervous? are their speeches done?
Our speech practice went VERY WELL! We were all pleased with how it went, some things need to be changed up a bit but that should be pretty easy.
The next meeting will be on Sunday when we meet the German team and then on Monday the 9th we will have another presentation practice. The presentations in Yosemite will be short; about 2-4 minutes per person.
Perfect, in the next week or two, I hope to be able to practice at Toastmasters too!
Will check in again later!
Oh yeah, here are some new photos of me and of the entire team. Don't we look like something right out of the training manual for United Airlines???
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
Feelin' like a million bucks!
Just as a precaution, we are required to carry supplemental travel/medical insurance policies during the time we are out of the country. I'm feelin' like I am worth a million bucks, so that is what I signed up for!! I guess you never really realize your worth until you consider your demise, huh?? So, I think this is a perfect lesson, for the rest of my life I will remind myself that once upon a time, I considered myself worth a million bucks. If something does happen to me when I am away and it only costs $250K to get me back to the States...be sure get the rest and throw a damn good party in my honor!!!
Speeches!
We had a meeting here at my house this past Monday. I served Bratwurst boiled in dark beer, warm German potato salad, sauerkraut, beets, and roasted brussels sprouts. And of course, the ever popular apple strudel for dessert! The German beer and Gerolsteiner water topped off dinner very nicely!
Our team had a chance to talk about our presentations and we feel much better! We have a pretty good plan and will begin writing our own 5 minute presentations. We will have a trial run on March 19 and see how we all do speaking in front of each other. Roger and Paul will do their speeches in German, but us girls have chosen to do ours in English.
More updates!
Uniforms--done! Team photo next!
Our team had a chance to talk about our presentations and we feel much better! We have a pretty good plan and will begin writing our own 5 minute presentations. We will have a trial run on March 19 and see how we all do speaking in front of each other. Roger and Paul will do their speeches in German, but us girls have chosen to do ours in English.
More updates!
Uniforms--done! Team photo next!
Presentations--a really good start is under way. We will have a trial run of what we have done on March 19. I have attended one Toastmasters meeting and I am trying another one and will make a decision next week on which club I will attend. The Toastmasters meeting on Tuesday was very interesting...there is a lot to learn from these meetings!
Gifts--No update on the cable car prints, but Paul's CD's are awesome! Great music choices!
Language Lessons--So far so good! This past weekend I spent NO time studying so I know what I will be doing this coming weekend!! I am on Level 1, Unit 5, Lesson 6. (Level 1 has 8 Units; each with 11-12 Lessons).
Banners/pins--Banners are done! and Roger is looking into some "friendship flag" pins with both American and German flags. We can hand these out to people as we meet them.
Random California trivia--very close to being done! We are going to add in some facts about each of our sponsoring Rotary Clubs.
Badges and business cards--Roger is ordering our name badges and Jeniece is working on a design for our group business cards.
That's all for now...I am getting more and more excited every day!
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Ambassador of Goodwill and Peace
Someone thinks I am good enough to be one of those...an ambassador of goodwill and peace. That is what they call us at Rotary.
Wow.
I went to an orientation this weekend which is required for all non-Rotarians travelling abroad in 2007 on behalf of Rotary International. There were scholarship recipients who are in the process of getting their masters degrees, university professors who are going to teach (and learn) at foreign universities and us; the GSE teams. Our entire team was there and one other GSE team who is leaving for Argentina next week.
The orientation was excellent. We learned more about Rotary, the GSE program and what is expected of us before, during and after our travels. They taught us public speaking skills to prepare us for speaking in front of Rotary groups as small as 12 people and as large as 200! I can feel the butterflies already! There was a special agent from the US Dept. of International somethin'-or-other...some fancy name like that...who spoke to us about travel safety. Some of these people are going to pretty scary countries where there is worry of kidnapping, surveillance, thievery, war, anti-American feelings and lots of other scary, scary problems!
Shortly after I walked into the welcome reception on Friday night, a lady named Jean asked for a ride to pick up her son at a nearby train station. I volunteered (mostly because then I could leave this room full of people I did not know!!) but also because she seemed nice, fun and if I were in her shoes, I would appreciate someone like me saying yes and offering a ride. She had directions and a map and said it would take 8 minutes to get there and we would be back in 20 minutes...no problem...except we returned 1 hour and 20 minutes later! She kept saying she was sorry to keep me away from the people I was there to meet and I kept thinking in my head "No problem! It scares the crap out of me to be in a room full of people I don't know!!" I guess I better get over that before I leave, huh??!!
All over this area were detours, construction, one way streets, events where streets were blocked off and nothing, NOTHING made sense to easily get on and off freeways. It was crazy! Jean was so nice and kept coming up with fun things about Rotary and telling me about her trip and her story. She was an Ambassadorial Scholar 16 years ago and travelled to England study teaching the deaf to speak and read. Did you know that deaf people can't read above the 4th grade level?? I didn't. Reading is sound driven so they usually don't know how to read. This was Jean's study focus and the scholarship she received from the Rotary Foundation has changed not only her life, but the lives of all her students. Some of her students have gone on to colleges after having learned to read, write and speak. She is nothing less than a modern day Helen Keller! I am so grateful to have had that one on one time with her on that car ride.
So...I learned a lot this weekend, and one thing I know for sure is that I need to polish my presentation and my speaking skills! I have my eyes on two different Toastmasters groups that I will join and hopefully get more tips on how to give good presentations. I can feel the butterflies swarming!!
Oh yes, and a few general updates for you:
Uniforms--the scarves have arrived and they are a slightly less offensive than I originally thought. I received one of the two black dress jackets I will use for uniforms and I love it! The other one should be here later this week...
German lessons--I can feel they are getting harder, but still going well. I am on Level 1, Unit 5, Lesson 4. Pretty good! Hopefully I can keep up this pace, there are many other things I am working on these days and sometimes I actually forget I am trying to learn a new language.
Next meeting--here at my house next week. I am pretty sure the focus will be presentations! The whole team freaked out a little bit at this past weekend's workshop! I think I will serve a German themed meal...surprise, surprise!! Sausages, potato salad and German beer.
Wow.
I went to an orientation this weekend which is required for all non-Rotarians travelling abroad in 2007 on behalf of Rotary International. There were scholarship recipients who are in the process of getting their masters degrees, university professors who are going to teach (and learn) at foreign universities and us; the GSE teams. Our entire team was there and one other GSE team who is leaving for Argentina next week.
The orientation was excellent. We learned more about Rotary, the GSE program and what is expected of us before, during and after our travels. They taught us public speaking skills to prepare us for speaking in front of Rotary groups as small as 12 people and as large as 200! I can feel the butterflies already! There was a special agent from the US Dept. of International somethin'-or-other...some fancy name like that...who spoke to us about travel safety. Some of these people are going to pretty scary countries where there is worry of kidnapping, surveillance, thievery, war, anti-American feelings and lots of other scary, scary problems!
Shortly after I walked into the welcome reception on Friday night, a lady named Jean asked for a ride to pick up her son at a nearby train station. I volunteered (mostly because then I could leave this room full of people I did not know!!) but also because she seemed nice, fun and if I were in her shoes, I would appreciate someone like me saying yes and offering a ride. She had directions and a map and said it would take 8 minutes to get there and we would be back in 20 minutes...no problem...except we returned 1 hour and 20 minutes later! She kept saying she was sorry to keep me away from the people I was there to meet and I kept thinking in my head "No problem! It scares the crap out of me to be in a room full of people I don't know!!" I guess I better get over that before I leave, huh??!!
All over this area were detours, construction, one way streets, events where streets were blocked off and nothing, NOTHING made sense to easily get on and off freeways. It was crazy! Jean was so nice and kept coming up with fun things about Rotary and telling me about her trip and her story. She was an Ambassadorial Scholar 16 years ago and travelled to England study teaching the deaf to speak and read. Did you know that deaf people can't read above the 4th grade level?? I didn't. Reading is sound driven so they usually don't know how to read. This was Jean's study focus and the scholarship she received from the Rotary Foundation has changed not only her life, but the lives of all her students. Some of her students have gone on to colleges after having learned to read, write and speak. She is nothing less than a modern day Helen Keller! I am so grateful to have had that one on one time with her on that car ride.
So...I learned a lot this weekend, and one thing I know for sure is that I need to polish my presentation and my speaking skills! I have my eyes on two different Toastmasters groups that I will join and hopefully get more tips on how to give good presentations. I can feel the butterflies swarming!!
Oh yes, and a few general updates for you:
Uniforms--the scarves have arrived and they are a slightly less offensive than I originally thought. I received one of the two black dress jackets I will use for uniforms and I love it! The other one should be here later this week...
German lessons--I can feel they are getting harder, but still going well. I am on Level 1, Unit 5, Lesson 4. Pretty good! Hopefully I can keep up this pace, there are many other things I am working on these days and sometimes I actually forget I am trying to learn a new language.
Next meeting--here at my house next week. I am pretty sure the focus will be presentations! The whole team freaked out a little bit at this past weekend's workshop! I think I will serve a German themed meal...surprise, surprise!! Sausages, potato salad and German beer.
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Where does the time go?
Time is progressing so fast...sometimes I find myself feeling nervous and agitated but I can't pinpoint what it is...there is so much going on right now and the feeling is overwhelming. It is good and for the most part I feel pretty organized and confident it will all unfold just as I want it to.
Our team met for a very casual beer after work one night and that was perfect...just some downtime to get together and personally bond and learn about one another. After all, we will be living in each other's stinky shadows for a month! Cool group...I do hope all this goes well!
I also went to a fundraiser for the Novato Rotary Club. It was a polenta feed at OLL...THE LORETTO HALL for God's sake!! I bet those walls have seen some serious parties! And what the hell is with the bathroom stall doors made of a sheet of plywood and a 25 cent latch...seriously folks...years and years and years of all that tuition and there isn't even a real bathroom stall door??? What is going on here...and Lord knows it is not going to the teachers salaries!!
Oh yeah, this blog is supposed to be about the Rotary GSE and not all the other random stuff that flies in and out of my head! Sooooo, where was I....
Melissa has had people approach her saying they have heard I was selected to be a part of this team and that is really amazing. She is seeing first hand how important and beneficial this experience is and I am sure the impact for work will be profound.
I have received the banners from Rotary Club of Terra Linda and they are cool! I wasn't sure what I was expecting they would look like, but this wasn't what I expected. I will exchange these with the German Rotary Clubs we visit and I will bring their banners back to the Terra Linda club. Here is what they look like...
There are 30 of them and I can just FEEL my luggage getting heavier and heavier!
I have ordered two styles jacket/blazers online...wrinkle free and easy to pack. I am not a big fan of the blazer/jacket look so we will see how this goes...thank God for my alterations lady that can make just about anything look good!
These are the scarves that were chosen by the team as our matching piece that will make us look like a team.
The men will wear ties and the women will wear scarves of this pattern. They are made of silk, hand-washable and easy to pack. The lady at the scarf company was nice enough to give us a discount...never hurts to ask! Good...'cause it sucks to pay full price for something with the colors orange, blue, brown and hot pink all in the same piece...for the love of God!
This week we have another team meeting and we have so much to cover. It seems like we never have enough time together to make any decent headway.
German lessons are AWESOME!! I love it and cannot learn it fast enough. Wouldn't you all love to be a fly on the wall in my house or car to hear me practicing out loud?? I'm tellin' you...if you have a language you want to learn or brush up your fading skills, look into Rosetta Stone. It is so easy and it really works!
More updates after our team meeting...
Is there anyone out there who is actually reading this thing?
Our team met for a very casual beer after work one night and that was perfect...just some downtime to get together and personally bond and learn about one another. After all, we will be living in each other's stinky shadows for a month! Cool group...I do hope all this goes well!
I also went to a fundraiser for the Novato Rotary Club. It was a polenta feed at OLL...THE LORETTO HALL for God's sake!! I bet those walls have seen some serious parties! And what the hell is with the bathroom stall doors made of a sheet of plywood and a 25 cent latch...seriously folks...years and years and years of all that tuition and there isn't even a real bathroom stall door??? What is going on here...and Lord knows it is not going to the teachers salaries!!
Oh yeah, this blog is supposed to be about the Rotary GSE and not all the other random stuff that flies in and out of my head! Sooooo, where was I....
Melissa has had people approach her saying they have heard I was selected to be a part of this team and that is really amazing. She is seeing first hand how important and beneficial this experience is and I am sure the impact for work will be profound.
I have received the banners from Rotary Club of Terra Linda and they are cool! I wasn't sure what I was expecting they would look like, but this wasn't what I expected. I will exchange these with the German Rotary Clubs we visit and I will bring their banners back to the Terra Linda club. Here is what they look like...
There are 30 of them and I can just FEEL my luggage getting heavier and heavier!
I have ordered two styles jacket/blazers online...wrinkle free and easy to pack. I am not a big fan of the blazer/jacket look so we will see how this goes...thank God for my alterations lady that can make just about anything look good!
These are the scarves that were chosen by the team as our matching piece that will make us look like a team.
The men will wear ties and the women will wear scarves of this pattern. They are made of silk, hand-washable and easy to pack. The lady at the scarf company was nice enough to give us a discount...never hurts to ask! Good...'cause it sucks to pay full price for something with the colors orange, blue, brown and hot pink all in the same piece...for the love of God!
This week we have another team meeting and we have so much to cover. It seems like we never have enough time together to make any decent headway.
German lessons are AWESOME!! I love it and cannot learn it fast enough. Wouldn't you all love to be a fly on the wall in my house or car to hear me practicing out loud?? I'm tellin' you...if you have a language you want to learn or brush up your fading skills, look into Rosetta Stone. It is so easy and it really works!
More updates after our team meeting...
Is there anyone out there who is actually reading this thing?
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Decision update--nummer zwei
Uniforms--not final yet, but close! We are thinking black dress pants/skirt, white button shirts/blouses, black dress coat/jacket and matching scarves/ties.
Presentations--whew, thank God! We can give our presentations in English! We have to have one short presentation (about 5 minutes) and one long presentation (about 10 minutes). We will give our presentations 10-15 times over the span of the trip. We will give our presentations as a group.
Gifts--Kristen found some beautiful prints/sketches of the styles of cable cars. Very nice. Paul suggested a music CD with music from and about CA and a photo slide show of local landmarks and sights. I really like both ideas and I think we will even try to incorporate the CD into our presentation. And of course, Ghirardelli chocolates!
Language Lessons--German lessons are going well...I am really impressed with Rosetta Stone. I am on Level 1, Unit 2, Lesson 4. (Level 1 has 8 Units; each with 11-12 Lessons). I am trying to spend at least 1 hour per day and so far so good!
Banners/pins--I will need to ask my sponsoring club, the Rotary Club of Terra Linda for at least 20 banners, if not more. Maybe even some pins to give away to people too.
Random California trivia--populations, highest mountains, deepest lakes, that sort of thing. We'll wow them with our knowledge!
Badges and business cards--we need name badges. And our business cards might be individual or might be group style. Final decision to follow!
I told you...there is so much to think about!!
Presentations--whew, thank God! We can give our presentations in English! We have to have one short presentation (about 5 minutes) and one long presentation (about 10 minutes). We will give our presentations 10-15 times over the span of the trip. We will give our presentations as a group.
Gifts--Kristen found some beautiful prints/sketches of the styles of cable cars. Very nice. Paul suggested a music CD with music from and about CA and a photo slide show of local landmarks and sights. I really like both ideas and I think we will even try to incorporate the CD into our presentation. And of course, Ghirardelli chocolates!
Language Lessons--German lessons are going well...I am really impressed with Rosetta Stone. I am on Level 1, Unit 2, Lesson 4. (Level 1 has 8 Units; each with 11-12 Lessons). I am trying to spend at least 1 hour per day and so far so good!
Banners/pins--I will need to ask my sponsoring club, the Rotary Club of Terra Linda for at least 20 banners, if not more. Maybe even some pins to give away to people too.
Random California trivia--populations, highest mountains, deepest lakes, that sort of thing. We'll wow them with our knowledge!
Badges and business cards--we need name badges. And our business cards might be individual or might be group style. Final decision to follow!
I told you...there is so much to think about!!
Second Team Meeting
or...Zweite Arbeitsgruppe Treffen.
Our team met yesterday and we listened to the first hand experiences of two past GSE team leaders Tim (Southern Mexico exchange) and Eric (Chile exchange). They both offered some very beneficial information, thoughts, ideas and tidbits. They were very open and honest that challenges do exist, people get sick, team members didn't always get along, people went home early and again, sometimes the original team selected is not the final team sent! They BOTH had experiences with arriving to a new place and there were no plans for them! Flexibility seems to be the ticket to success here! Despite these challenges, they both spoke very highly about the experience and still have contact with the team members and their foreign hosts.
Tim and Eric spoke about the challenges of exhaustion too! They were not shy in telling us that this is a very physically demanding experience with very long days, constant exposure to new things and always being "on" for your hosts. Roger will have to work very hard to get a day off for us or some down time. I can understand, the hosts are exited to have us there and any since they may only have us for 3 days, they want to do as much as possible. Then on to the next set of hosts and they want to fill up every minute of their 3 days too! Tim and Eric also spoke of fun, fun parties and events. Lots of late nights, singing, eating, drinking, dancing and talking which are followed by early morning presentation meetings.
Wow...feeling like I better head off to take a nap to be as rested as possible in May!
Our team met yesterday and we listened to the first hand experiences of two past GSE team leaders Tim (Southern Mexico exchange) and Eric (Chile exchange). They both offered some very beneficial information, thoughts, ideas and tidbits. They were very open and honest that challenges do exist, people get sick, team members didn't always get along, people went home early and again, sometimes the original team selected is not the final team sent! They BOTH had experiences with arriving to a new place and there were no plans for them! Flexibility seems to be the ticket to success here! Despite these challenges, they both spoke very highly about the experience and still have contact with the team members and their foreign hosts.
Tim and Eric spoke about the challenges of exhaustion too! They were not shy in telling us that this is a very physically demanding experience with very long days, constant exposure to new things and always being "on" for your hosts. Roger will have to work very hard to get a day off for us or some down time. I can understand, the hosts are exited to have us there and any since they may only have us for 3 days, they want to do as much as possible. Then on to the next set of hosts and they want to fill up every minute of their 3 days too! Tim and Eric also spoke of fun, fun parties and events. Lots of late nights, singing, eating, drinking, dancing and talking which are followed by early morning presentation meetings.
Wow...feeling like I better head off to take a nap to be as rested as possible in May!
Decision update--nummer eins
Uniforms--no update here...but I am hopeful it won't be too bad.
Presentations--still wondering if I have to give my presentation in German!
Gifts--thinking about this...maybe Ghirardelli chocolate? cable car pins? prints/photos of a local landmark?
Bios--done! I am compiling the entire teams bios and photos to be sent off to the German host team.
Sponsorship--I spoke to Maureen and Jay :( We are all a bit bummed...I think I will have to buy Jay a nice bottle of Single Malt Scotch to win back his love!! I honestly think it was the best professional move to be closer to home/work and be sponsored by the Rotary Club of Terra Linda. The meeting times and locations are easier and more reasonable to attend during the work day. I am still a little bummed about not being sponsored by Jay's group, but hopefully I can visit that club a couple of times instead...
Applications signed--done!
Language Lessons--done! I chose to learn German by using a Rosetta Stone online subscription. So far, I love-love-love it!! It's a pretty good program and I highly, highly recommend it. It has sections on reading, writing, listening and speaking. It's considered immersion style which is the best way to learn a language--quickly! And it's available at my fingertips whenever I can access a computer! So easy!
Speaking of German lessons...gotta run off to put in a hour of time studying!
Presentations--still wondering if I have to give my presentation in German!
Gifts--thinking about this...maybe Ghirardelli chocolate? cable car pins? prints/photos of a local landmark?
Bios--done! I am compiling the entire teams bios and photos to be sent off to the German host team.
Sponsorship--I spoke to Maureen and Jay :( We are all a bit bummed...I think I will have to buy Jay a nice bottle of Single Malt Scotch to win back his love!! I honestly think it was the best professional move to be closer to home/work and be sponsored by the Rotary Club of Terra Linda. The meeting times and locations are easier and more reasonable to attend during the work day. I am still a little bummed about not being sponsored by Jay's group, but hopefully I can visit that club a couple of times instead...
Applications signed--done!
Language Lessons--done! I chose to learn German by using a Rosetta Stone online subscription. So far, I love-love-love it!! It's a pretty good program and I highly, highly recommend it. It has sections on reading, writing, listening and speaking. It's considered immersion style which is the best way to learn a language--quickly! And it's available at my fingertips whenever I can access a computer! So easy!
Speaking of German lessons...gotta run off to put in a hour of time studying!
I have a sponsoring club!
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
I went to a meeting today with the Rotary Club of Terra Linda and they have officially accepted sponsorship of me. I was introduced to the club by Brian and I met Lynn (current club President), Rick (club President-elect) and Tim who is a past GSE Team leader to Southern Mexico in the Tabasco region. Tim is coming to speak to our group on the 27th of this month! Rick was a former GSE team member who travelled to Finland and Estonia. Both Rick and Tim could not say enough good things about their personal GSE experiences.
The speaker was Dietrich Stroeh who is the former General Manager of the Marin Municipal Water District in charge of the water district during the drought of the late 1970's. Interesting...very interesting.
Makes me think twice about leaving the water running while I brush my teeth...
I went to a meeting today with the Rotary Club of Terra Linda and they have officially accepted sponsorship of me. I was introduced to the club by Brian and I met Lynn (current club President), Rick (club President-elect) and Tim who is a past GSE Team leader to Southern Mexico in the Tabasco region. Tim is coming to speak to our group on the 27th of this month! Rick was a former GSE team member who travelled to Finland and Estonia. Both Rick and Tim could not say enough good things about their personal GSE experiences.
The speaker was Dietrich Stroeh who is the former General Manager of the Marin Municipal Water District in charge of the water district during the drought of the late 1970's. Interesting...very interesting.
Makes me think twice about leaving the water running while I brush my teeth...
Decisions, decisions, decisions...
Decisions to be made and issues to complete...
Uniforms--will they be plaid jumpers and white blouses with Peter Pan collars like when I was in grammar school?
Presentations--in English or in German? how long? what topic? together or individual? photos?
Gifts--small, easy to pack, not heavy, needs to be meaningful or representative to the SF Bay Area or California.
Bios--a brief blurb and a photo to Dennis to share with his counterpart and the hosting team in Germany.
Sponsorship--it won't be Novato. :( I will have to break the news to Jay and Maureen. It does make sense though, I don't live or work in Novato and if I decide to join Rotary it would be smart to join the club that sponsors me. Dennis is going to approach Brian to see if his club would be willing to sponsor me.
Applications signed--as soon as we find a clubs to sponsor us, we will need to have our original applications signed by the club president and returned to Dennis.
Language Lessons--how should I do this...in a class room, on-line, one-on-one or semi-private lessons? I think I will research either in a class room or on-line.
I'll be back later!
Uniforms--will they be plaid jumpers and white blouses with Peter Pan collars like when I was in grammar school?
Presentations--in English or in German? how long? what topic? together or individual? photos?
Gifts--small, easy to pack, not heavy, needs to be meaningful or representative to the SF Bay Area or California.
Bios--a brief blurb and a photo to Dennis to share with his counterpart and the hosting team in Germany.
Sponsorship--it won't be Novato. :( I will have to break the news to Jay and Maureen. It does make sense though, I don't live or work in Novato and if I decide to join Rotary it would be smart to join the club that sponsors me. Dennis is going to approach Brian to see if his club would be willing to sponsor me.
Applications signed--as soon as we find a clubs to sponsor us, we will need to have our original applications signed by the club president and returned to Dennis.
Language Lessons--how should I do this...in a class room, on-line, one-on-one or semi-private lessons? I think I will research either in a class room or on-line.
I'll be back later!
First Meeting!
Tuesday, January 9, 2007
Our team met for the first time tonight! We met at the Suppenkeuche in San Francisco, a young and trendy German restaurant...very authentic!
Our team leader is Roger (a Rotarian) and the team has five non-Rotarian members; Kristen, Paul, Jasmyn, Jeniece and me. I met Roger, Jeniece and Dennis at Manzanita park and ride so we carpooled into SF together.
Roger is a self employed real estate investor and property manager for commercial properties.
Kristen is a program manager for a personal history and biography company.
Paul is an architect with a large national design firm.
Jasmyn is a Registered Nurse.
Jeniece is a Human Resources Representative.
I can't believe no one has filmed a reality show from this yet...c'mon..they pick six total strangers and send them to a foreign country for a month to live in other people's houses. Make them stand up in front of a bunch of foreigners and deliver presentations in a foreign language. There ought'a be some pretty freakin' hilarious moments that come out'a this gig!! And who's gonna be the one I get to giggle with all the time?
Have I mentioned I don't speak a word of German?
I wonder: who will be the prima donna, who will be the trouble maker, who will be the kiss ass, who will be the partier?? Hmmm...pretty funny mix of people! I am curious if my first impressions will be right or wrong?
Dennis says he has never sent the original team selected...whoa! I am surprised by this and suddenly I look around the table and even though I have only known these people for 20 minutes, I don't want any of us not to go!
So many questions were answered tonight and still so many questions linger. We will have to go to the District 5150 Conference in Yosemite (oooo--twist my arm!!! i love yosemite!) and I am pretty sure Maureen and Jay will be there too!
Our team met for the first time tonight! We met at the Suppenkeuche in San Francisco, a young and trendy German restaurant...very authentic!
Our team leader is Roger (a Rotarian) and the team has five non-Rotarian members; Kristen, Paul, Jasmyn, Jeniece and me. I met Roger, Jeniece and Dennis at Manzanita park and ride so we carpooled into SF together.
Roger is a self employed real estate investor and property manager for commercial properties.
Kristen is a program manager for a personal history and biography company.
Paul is an architect with a large national design firm.
Jasmyn is a Registered Nurse.
Jeniece is a Human Resources Representative.
I can't believe no one has filmed a reality show from this yet...c'mon..they pick six total strangers and send them to a foreign country for a month to live in other people's houses. Make them stand up in front of a bunch of foreigners and deliver presentations in a foreign language. There ought'a be some pretty freakin' hilarious moments that come out'a this gig!! And who's gonna be the one I get to giggle with all the time?
Have I mentioned I don't speak a word of German?
I wonder: who will be the prima donna, who will be the trouble maker, who will be the kiss ass, who will be the partier?? Hmmm...pretty funny mix of people! I am curious if my first impressions will be right or wrong?
Dennis says he has never sent the original team selected...whoa! I am surprised by this and suddenly I look around the table and even though I have only known these people for 20 minutes, I don't want any of us not to go!
So many questions were answered tonight and still so many questions linger. We will have to go to the District 5150 Conference in Yosemite (oooo--twist my arm!!! i love yosemite!) and I am pretty sure Maureen and Jay will be there too!
Saturday, January 27, 2007
Interview...and phone call.
So, I am pretty sure the interview went well...and this made me even more hopeful!
But now, I had to tell Melissa at work...uh-oh! When was the last time you asked for 4 weeks off work??!!
I could not have dreamt for a better response!! Thank you Melissa, vielen dank, from the bottom of my eager little heart! Thank you for your encouragement and support!
After the interview, Dennis told me I would hear from him within that week. It was the longest four days ever....not to mention the insanity with the beeping smoke alarm upstairs with no access! But that is another story...oh...never mind!
Fast forward to Wednesday following the interview...and I am at Broken Drum Microbrewery in San Rafael with Chris...dear, dear Chris...he and I were having Hefewizen while I explained to him what news I was waiting for...RING, RING...there is my phone and it is Dennis. Shit! The phone call I have been waiting for and now I couldn't seem to press the right button.
Me: This is Christine.
Dennis: Hi Christine, this is Dennis with Rotary GSE.
**(uh...no shit dude...i have been checking my phone every 45 seconds for the last four days waiting for you to call! )**
Me: Hi Dennis.
Dennis: Congratulations! You have been selected to be part of the GSE team!
Me: Oh, that is so great! Are you serious?
Dennis: No! I'm kidding!!
**(in his best sarcastic voice that I have yet to be comfortable with)**
Me: Wow! This is really great!
**(I am now giving a HUGE smile and thumbs up to Chris who is still inside sipping his Hefeweizen...)**
Dennis: blah, blah, blah...
The rest of what he said is a total blur! I heard what I wanted and it's time to sip--ah--who am I kidding--it's time to chug more Hefeweizen!
So, back in the Broken Drum and Chris is standing there with his arms open wide and a big, warm, cozy congratulatory hug! He is the best...
But now, I had to tell Melissa at work...uh-oh! When was the last time you asked for 4 weeks off work??!!
I could not have dreamt for a better response!! Thank you Melissa, vielen dank, from the bottom of my eager little heart! Thank you for your encouragement and support!
After the interview, Dennis told me I would hear from him within that week. It was the longest four days ever....not to mention the insanity with the beeping smoke alarm upstairs with no access! But that is another story...oh...never mind!
Fast forward to Wednesday following the interview...and I am at Broken Drum Microbrewery in San Rafael with Chris...dear, dear Chris...he and I were having Hefewizen while I explained to him what news I was waiting for...RING, RING...there is my phone and it is Dennis. Shit! The phone call I have been waiting for and now I couldn't seem to press the right button.
Me: This is Christine.
Dennis: Hi Christine, this is Dennis with Rotary GSE.
**(uh...no shit dude...i have been checking my phone every 45 seconds for the last four days waiting for you to call! )**
Me: Hi Dennis.
Dennis: Congratulations! You have been selected to be part of the GSE team!
Me: Oh, that is so great! Are you serious?
Dennis: No! I'm kidding!!
**(in his best sarcastic voice that I have yet to be comfortable with)**
Me: Wow! This is really great!
**(I am now giving a HUGE smile and thumbs up to Chris who is still inside sipping his Hefeweizen...)**
Dennis: blah, blah, blah...
The rest of what he said is a total blur! I heard what I wanted and it's time to sip--ah--who am I kidding--it's time to chug more Hefeweizen!
So, back in the Broken Drum and Chris is standing there with his arms open wide and a big, warm, cozy congratulatory hug! He is the best...
In the beginning...
Last October, Maureen called and left a voice mail asking me if I would be interested in a scholorship trip to Germany. Well, I was in no hurry to call her back since I was pretty sure there was some kind of catch that would make such an offer possible! Boy-oh-boy, was I ever wrong!!
When I did finally call her back, almost laughing at her suggestion, I quickly decided this was nothing to laugh at...it was quite an interesting proposal she had! I spoke to Jay and learned a little bit more but most importantly, I had to act FAST!!
So, I completed the application, wrote an essay and submitted it all to Dennis of Rotary Club of Novato. He is the GSE Chairperson for the District and was working with the committee to arrange for interviews. I heard back from Dennis the following week and was invited for an interview about 10 days later.
By the time the interview date arrived, I wanted this. And after the interview went as well as it did, I wanted this bad!! I was more nervous driving to that interview than I had been in years...years I tell you! I was so nervous I couldn't help but laugh at myself...all the typical signs of nervousness were there...talking to myself...feeling like I had to pee but didn't really need to pee...getting there so early that I drove around for an additional 10 minutes not wanting to be TOO early, but certainly not late either. But, all giggling aside, I was so serious about this that I convinced myself that it wasn't about impressing the interview peeps...it was about totally and completely being myself. I decided if they were putting together a team who was going to successfully travel in a foreign country for a month, I wanted them to know as much as possible about the REAL me. Not that I am not "real"--but do they really need to see my potential bitchy-ness just yet?? If they wanted to put together a compatible team, then I was going to trust them by offering them total and complete authenticity and genuineness. I didn't want to spend a hard working, demanding, exhausting month with an unmatched team...I wanted the best and I was going to give them my best!!
When I did finally call her back, almost laughing at her suggestion, I quickly decided this was nothing to laugh at...it was quite an interesting proposal she had! I spoke to Jay and learned a little bit more but most importantly, I had to act FAST!!
So, I completed the application, wrote an essay and submitted it all to Dennis of Rotary Club of Novato. He is the GSE Chairperson for the District and was working with the committee to arrange for interviews. I heard back from Dennis the following week and was invited for an interview about 10 days later.
By the time the interview date arrived, I wanted this. And after the interview went as well as it did, I wanted this bad!! I was more nervous driving to that interview than I had been in years...years I tell you! I was so nervous I couldn't help but laugh at myself...all the typical signs of nervousness were there...talking to myself...feeling like I had to pee but didn't really need to pee...getting there so early that I drove around for an additional 10 minutes not wanting to be TOO early, but certainly not late either. But, all giggling aside, I was so serious about this that I convinced myself that it wasn't about impressing the interview peeps...it was about totally and completely being myself. I decided if they were putting together a team who was going to successfully travel in a foreign country for a month, I wanted them to know as much as possible about the REAL me. Not that I am not "real"--but do they really need to see my potential bitchy-ness just yet?? If they wanted to put together a compatible team, then I was going to trust them by offering them total and complete authenticity and genuineness. I didn't want to spend a hard working, demanding, exhausting month with an unmatched team...I wanted the best and I was going to give them my best!!
Welcome to my blog!
Welcome to my blog...this is my brain on the web.
This is a virtual dumping ground for my experiences and emotions as I participate in the Group Study Exchange (GSE) program with Rotary International. I am one of five team members selected in Nov 2006 to represent Rotary District 5150 encompassing Marin, San Francisco and San Mateo Counties in Northern California. We will be exchanging with Rotary District 1820 in Hessen which is in and around Frankfurt Germany.
Come back and visit my blog often!
This is a virtual dumping ground for my experiences and emotions as I participate in the Group Study Exchange (GSE) program with Rotary International. I am one of five team members selected in Nov 2006 to represent Rotary District 5150 encompassing Marin, San Francisco and San Mateo Counties in Northern California. We will be exchanging with Rotary District 1820 in Hessen which is in and around Frankfurt Germany.
Come back and visit my blog often!
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