Sweet Summertime: July

Unlike the other people who are hired to work at the Edelweiss Lodge and Resort, I was already familiar with Garmisch. After getting off the plane and finally arriving here, wonderful memories of my previous summer came flooding back. I reunited with old friends from the CDC (Child Development Center) and the Bebrams (my housing unit last summer). But, going back to visit the children that I watched over at the CDC last summer was the icing on the cake. Seeing the physical and mental development of a child is incredible. Made me also miss the other wonderful kids that I’ve had the pleasure to nanny for or babysit back home – Noe and Samuel; Madeline and Max; and my cousins, Lauryn and Alexa.

July was a time for revisiting old friends, but also a time for new experiences. A group of us got together to check out the Tollwood Festival in Munich. Little did we know that it would be quite the difficult task trying to find it. Signs pointed us in the right direction, but it was a much great jaunt than we had anticipated, espcecially on empty stomachs. We all brought our full appetites, hoping to devour some authentic German food at the fest. We eventually found the entrance to the fest, only to discover that it wouldn’t open for another hour. Cue plan B. After trekking back to grab some grub from food vendors, we decided to check out the BMW Museum which was conveniently located nearby. Some photos from the BMW Museum:

Born a biker chick...

This one's for Dad - I think either of these would look good in the driveway!

Back to the Tollwood Festival with crowded vendors selling wood hand-carvings, hand-crafted jewelry, scarves, clothing, homemade candles, leather goods and lots of good eats. I didn’t buy any souvenirs, but did enjoy a bratwurst and a beer. Does it get any more German than that? I also got to taste a crepe with Nutella and Kahlua toppings! Not a bad day J

Gregg, Charlie, Liz, Megan and I at the Tollwood Festival.

 

Next adventure: go back to Lake Eibsee, a lake formed from glacial run-off from the mountains. It’s crystal clear and freezing cold, but so refreshing. The area around the lake has breathtaking views, fantastic trails and paddle boat rentals. On this particular day, it was incredibly hot and all I wanted to do was jump in, but Drew insisted that we hike around the lake to find the perfect spot. After no such luck, we hiked back to where we started and hopped in!

Drew and I hiking around the Eibsee Lake.

In Processing Crew – July 09, 2012

Well, it seems as though I’ve put my many years of practicing procrastination into use, even across the world. I have now been living in Garmisch, Germany for just over three months, or a quarter of the entire time I will reside here. Time has passed in what seems like the blink of an eye. I have been fortunate to meet incredible people here, who have helped create amazing experiences for me so far. So, we’ll get right into it. In July, I arrived with a group of eleven other people (which is considered a larger arrival group). New groups of people come in every 2-4 weeks, while others who have completed their 13 months here leave to go back home.

The people who I came in with:

·         Patty, who is my roommate, and who works at The Point fitness center
·         Caitlin, who works at Alpine Adventures with me
·         Shirley, who was a cook, but already left Garmisch because the program just wasn’t for her
·         Drew, who is also a cook
·         Megan D., who works in housekeeping
·         Liz, who works in housekeeping
·         Gregg, who works in housekeeping
·         Megan H., who works at Market Station
·         Charlie, who works in custodial
·         Alexis, who works at the front desk
·         Amy, who works at the front desk

Couldn’t be happier about this group of individuals – we all get along really well, which is good since we’ll all be here for our entire duration of the contract!

You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go... -Dr. Suess