Buenos tardes everyone!
Yes, it's true, I'm using Spanish jargon on a daily basis now! Now when people ask me if I speak Spanish, I reply "Si, un poquito" which means "yes, a little." But then they usually start speaking to me in full-blown Spanish after that and I usually just stare at them blankly. But i'm getting better! I can even ask for the check at dinner!
So the other night, I ordered a steak for dinner and they asked me how I wanted it done. I wasn't sure how to say medium well so I just said "medio mas!" and even though it came out well done, I like to think I got my point across.
In other news, I've tried some new foods here in Mexico. Some good, some...not so good. For instance, I found that I really like Cactus!! It tastes a lot like okra. I have also discovered that I don't like corn fungus (which really shouldn't have been much of a surprise) and this sauce they called mole (which is supposed to rhyme with ole!). They told me it has chocolate in it but I know what chocolate tastes like, and that isn't it. The options at lunch the other day were pork and cooked cheese and since we all know my feelings on pork, i went with the cheese. Who knew something so simple could taste so good!
The in-charge auditor and I were joined by another staff auditor on Thursday. He spent the first few days of the audit on another site but will be completing the rest of his work here with us. This is a good thing b/c he tells some really funny stories. And he's on my next audit with me so if 2.5 weeks in Mexico wasn't enough Emel for him, he's going to get 3 more weeks in Brazil!!
I went to go do some testing the other day and I had to take my laptop with me. As I was closing everything down, the auditees saw my desktop picture which is a picture of some of me and the Kappas from KPs wedding. Needless to say they loved it and they told me several times that all my friends are beautiful! They'd also liked to be invited to the next wedding so I gave them Annie's number. (Just kidding Annie!!)
This weekend we have to count inventory on Saturday (boo!) but Sunday we're going to hopefully see some pyramids and go to a city called Puebla for some sightseeing. I brought my camera on this trip so I hope to get some good pictures!
People here keep asking me if the weather is too cold because it dropped into the the 60s for one day. I'd like them to come spend the week in Midland with me so they can see what cold really feels like. I look forward to our walk to the cafeteria every day b/c it's the only time I really spend in the sun! Hopefully that'll change this weekend!
As always, I've brought some books along on this trip. They've come in handy since we have a 40 minute drive to work everyday. So, if anyone needs any suggestions, here they are.
Atonement by Ian McEwan or something like that. I'm a little sorry I saw the movie first b/c now I already know what happened but it's still an enjoyable book.
A Time To Kill by John Grisham. I have yet to not like a book he's written. I believe that this was actually his first book but he didn't become famous until he wrote another one and then everyone went back to read A Time to Kill.
I'm signing off for now but hopefully the inventory count and day of sightseeing will provide lots more entertainment next week!!
I love you all!!
Friday
Sunday
Spring Break--Corporate Style
Hola Senoritas!
Well, I'm out on another audit and this time they sent me to Mexico!! It's kinda like Spring Break 2004 and 2006...except not at all. For one, I'm about 2 hours south east of Mexico City and am surrounded by land and mountains. Second, instead of spending my days baking in the sun enjoying all inclusive beverages poolside, I'm in a conference room working. And instead of prancing around in a swimsuit, I'm stuck in workclothes and I'm actually freezing in the conference room so the whole outfit is complimented by my Northface fleece.
But there are definately some perks.
For one...it's about 60 degrees warmer here then it is in Midland and there isn't even any humidity! There isn't a cloud in the sky and i'm definately geting my moneys worth from my sunglasses. Two, our hotel is super cute and if my room had balcony doors that opened, i could walk right out onto the pool deck and hopefully I'll be spending some time there Saturday and Sunday. Also, we're in downtown Tlaxcala so we have tons of cute restaurants we can walk to. Last night when were were walking around they had all these booths of jewelry and stuff that we walked around to look at. While the lady here with me is super into all that stuff, I prefer to look. They do offer all that hair braiding stuff that they offered on the beaches of Alcapulco so maybe i'll come back to the U.S. with a sweet new hairstyle.
I do have to say that I was relieved to find when I arrived, 2 sealed bottles of water in my room. That was the one thing lacking for most of the trip to Germany.
There is currently talk about 2 of us going to Mexico City next weekend just to explore a bit more. One of the auditors wants to go to a town where there is supposedly good pottery. Now, call me crazy but I could care less about the pottery and would rather go to the big city!! Plus I heard the accomodations there are amazing and I want to see what it's all about!
Of course, my lack of Spanish isn't really helping me at all while I'm here. I've actually already received an e-mail back from one of my interviewees that said "I don't speak English." Sweet. And more then once I've had people just look at me and assume I speak Spanish. Even my customs guy refused to believe I didn't know what he was saying! Also, apprently having an L at the end of your name is a very difficult thing to pronounce here so I'm enjoying all the creativity with the pronunciation of my name. I also had a little deja vu when the guy who picked us up in the airport were waiting for the other lady to withdraw some money. He looked at me and said "Do you speak Spanish?" which is a key phrase that I memorized so that I could respond "No." He then replied "I don't speak English" and we went back to standing in silence.
Even though Farley and I are not in the same area, I feel some bonding going on between me and her. It's about 7900 feet above sea level here and I was a little short of breath during my workout this morning. But I figure, if her training in Arizona will get her more red blood cells that will get her Eugene then far be it for me to deny the benefits. Maybe this will be the first step in my quest to become the next American Gladiator.
I miss you all and if anyone wants to come play, they gave me two beds (with extremely hard mattresses) so if anyone wants to bask in the "luxury", come visit. It wouldn't be the worst thing to hang out by the pool while I worked all day! Otherwise, just look forward to more e-mails!
Well, I'm out on another audit and this time they sent me to Mexico!! It's kinda like Spring Break 2004 and 2006...except not at all. For one, I'm about 2 hours south east of Mexico City and am surrounded by land and mountains. Second, instead of spending my days baking in the sun enjoying all inclusive beverages poolside, I'm in a conference room working. And instead of prancing around in a swimsuit, I'm stuck in workclothes and I'm actually freezing in the conference room so the whole outfit is complimented by my Northface fleece.
But there are definately some perks.
For one...it's about 60 degrees warmer here then it is in Midland and there isn't even any humidity! There isn't a cloud in the sky and i'm definately geting my moneys worth from my sunglasses. Two, our hotel is super cute and if my room had balcony doors that opened, i could walk right out onto the pool deck and hopefully I'll be spending some time there Saturday and Sunday. Also, we're in downtown Tlaxcala so we have tons of cute restaurants we can walk to. Last night when were were walking around they had all these booths of jewelry and stuff that we walked around to look at. While the lady here with me is super into all that stuff, I prefer to look. They do offer all that hair braiding stuff that they offered on the beaches of Alcapulco so maybe i'll come back to the U.S. with a sweet new hairstyle.
I do have to say that I was relieved to find when I arrived, 2 sealed bottles of water in my room. That was the one thing lacking for most of the trip to Germany.
There is currently talk about 2 of us going to Mexico City next weekend just to explore a bit more. One of the auditors wants to go to a town where there is supposedly good pottery. Now, call me crazy but I could care less about the pottery and would rather go to the big city!! Plus I heard the accomodations there are amazing and I want to see what it's all about!
Of course, my lack of Spanish isn't really helping me at all while I'm here. I've actually already received an e-mail back from one of my interviewees that said "I don't speak English." Sweet. And more then once I've had people just look at me and assume I speak Spanish. Even my customs guy refused to believe I didn't know what he was saying! Also, apprently having an L at the end of your name is a very difficult thing to pronounce here so I'm enjoying all the creativity with the pronunciation of my name. I also had a little deja vu when the guy who picked us up in the airport were waiting for the other lady to withdraw some money. He looked at me and said "Do you speak Spanish?" which is a key phrase that I memorized so that I could respond "No." He then replied "I don't speak English" and we went back to standing in silence.
Even though Farley and I are not in the same area, I feel some bonding going on between me and her. It's about 7900 feet above sea level here and I was a little short of breath during my workout this morning. But I figure, if her training in Arizona will get her more red blood cells that will get her Eugene then far be it for me to deny the benefits. Maybe this will be the first step in my quest to become the next American Gladiator.
I miss you all and if anyone wants to come play, they gave me two beds (with extremely hard mattresses) so if anyone wants to bask in the "luxury", come visit. It wouldn't be the worst thing to hang out by the pool while I worked all day! Otherwise, just look forward to more e-mails!
Wednesday
Sleepless in Seattle
I got to go play with Kathryn over the weekend and it's made me miss being back at Purdue and playing on campus.
For those of you who have never been to Seattle, I highly recommend it. Kathryn and I were the ultimate tourists starting bright and early Saturday morning and not stopping until she dropped me off on Monday morning at the airport. I'd like to say that we saw Seattle from land, air and sea.
On land, we walked everywhere! Starting from her cute little apartment (which I'm quite jealous of) all the way downtown to where they have the most Victorian buildings in a square of about 20 blocks. We also saw everything in between. We went to the fish market where they let me hold a crab!!
We drank tea at the original starbucks, and I was even talked into buying jam from some cute vendor guy. We ate the world's best mac and cheese, saw a statue of a Russian dictator, saw a troll under a bridge and ate Pho!
Needless to say that when we finally fell into bed at night it didn't take long for us to pass out! And I got to see the U of Washington campus which is absolutely beautiful and while I will always love Purdue, it would have been nice to have amazingly huge buildings of beautiful architecture and a football statium looking out over a lake. We also did one of those bus/boat tours when the bus actually drives right into the water and turns into a boat!!
That was when I decided I wanted to live in a floating house on Lake Union. Our driver was a little quirky but that just made it all the more interesting!
Now, we didn't actually fly over Seattle to see it by air (well, I guess I did to get there but that's beside the point) but we did go the top of Smith Tower which is a really tall building downtown that actually has a caged in deck on the 35th floor that you can walk out onto. We happened to choose the windiest day ever to do this so it did feel like we were flying! And I'm pretty sure if we had a fear of heights before that adventure, we conquered it that day! And we found out that people actually live in the point of the Smith tower and that's when I decided to live there (notice a trend?)!!
Other random things: we met a guy who was trying to find himself by getting people's e-mail addresses to send them a website link that didn't exist yet. If you just read that sentence and said "huh?" then you're pretty much in the same boat G-spach and I were in. We just smiled and backed out of the cheese shop he found us in (but not before I gave him my old purdue e-mail address b/c who am I to judge someone's way of finding themselves?). We also are pretty sure we saw some ballet dancers and what could only be there bodyguard. We followed them around for awhile…on purpose or on accident we're pretty sure we're on the bodyguard's hit list.
The theme of the weekend though I'd have to say was car trouble!! It all started when Kathryn picked me up at the airport and in the 30 seconds it took me to get into her car, a cop knocked on the window to tell her that the tags on her car had expired. Well it was her roommates car and I can only describe the inside of it as Colleen, Goody and my room senior year at it's worst multiplied by 50. So Kathryn kindly thanked him for the information and tried to end the conversation right there but unfortunately he wanted to see licence and registration and all that other stuff. Thankfully the seattle police were on an off night and since they were taking to long, he let us off with a warning.
Later in the weekend, we rented a flex car (which is actually a great concept where you can rent cars that are parked around the city for a few hours or days at a time). Unfortunately, there was a slight mix up and we ended up at the wrong car. Then when we got that sorted out, we did out adventure and came back to find that someone was parked in the spot we're supposed to leave the car in! So we let them a "friendly reminder" as the flex car company calls it which pretty much says "listen up bitchass, we're towing your car b/c you were such an idiot. Maybe you'll know better in the future."
When I got back to Detroit on Monday night I got to my car and got in only to find that the driver's side door wouldn't latch shut. Now, I live 2 hours from the Detroit airport and as strong as I like to think my arms are, they aren't strong enough to hold the door closed while steering with my other arm for that long. So I drove to the closest decent sized town looking for someplace open 24 hours. I finally found a walgreens and of couse they were closed but a lady outside of it had an elastic thing in her truck that she gave to me and came to help me fix my car. Of course as soon as that happened, the door decided to latch making me look like a huge idiot or possibly some person who was actually hoping to rob a walgreens while carryng around her laptop that she was too afraid to leave in the car. Ugh, what a night!!
But now I'm back in Midland and enjoying a few nights in my own bed until Friday when I pack up and leave for Houston! I figure if Dow gives me 5 free flights to Texas a year, I might as well use them when it's bitter cold in Michigan and I know Nat loves visitors!!
Happy Valentine's Day to everyone!! I love you all!!
For those of you who have never been to Seattle, I highly recommend it. Kathryn and I were the ultimate tourists starting bright and early Saturday morning and not stopping until she dropped me off on Monday morning at the airport. I'd like to say that we saw Seattle from land, air and sea.
On land, we walked everywhere! Starting from her cute little apartment (which I'm quite jealous of) all the way downtown to where they have the most Victorian buildings in a square of about 20 blocks. We also saw everything in between. We went to the fish market where they let me hold a crab!!
We drank tea at the original starbucks, and I was even talked into buying jam from some cute vendor guy. We ate the world's best mac and cheese, saw a statue of a Russian dictator, saw a troll under a bridge and ate Pho!
Needless to say that when we finally fell into bed at night it didn't take long for us to pass out! And I got to see the U of Washington campus which is absolutely beautiful and while I will always love Purdue, it would have been nice to have amazingly huge buildings of beautiful architecture and a football statium looking out over a lake. We also did one of those bus/boat tours when the bus actually drives right into the water and turns into a boat!!
That was when I decided I wanted to live in a floating house on Lake Union. Our driver was a little quirky but that just made it all the more interesting!
Now, we didn't actually fly over Seattle to see it by air (well, I guess I did to get there but that's beside the point) but we did go the top of Smith Tower which is a really tall building downtown that actually has a caged in deck on the 35th floor that you can walk out onto. We happened to choose the windiest day ever to do this so it did feel like we were flying! And I'm pretty sure if we had a fear of heights before that adventure, we conquered it that day! And we found out that people actually live in the point of the Smith tower and that's when I decided to live there (notice a trend?)!!
Other random things: we met a guy who was trying to find himself by getting people's e-mail addresses to send them a website link that didn't exist yet. If you just read that sentence and said "huh?" then you're pretty much in the same boat G-spach and I were in. We just smiled and backed out of the cheese shop he found us in (but not before I gave him my old purdue e-mail address b/c who am I to judge someone's way of finding themselves?). We also are pretty sure we saw some ballet dancers and what could only be there bodyguard. We followed them around for awhile…on purpose or on accident we're pretty sure we're on the bodyguard's hit list.The theme of the weekend though I'd have to say was car trouble!! It all started when Kathryn picked me up at the airport and in the 30 seconds it took me to get into her car, a cop knocked on the window to tell her that the tags on her car had expired. Well it was her roommates car and I can only describe the inside of it as Colleen, Goody and my room senior year at it's worst multiplied by 50. So Kathryn kindly thanked him for the information and tried to end the conversation right there but unfortunately he wanted to see licence and registration and all that other stuff. Thankfully the seattle police were on an off night and since they were taking to long, he let us off with a warning.
Later in the weekend, we rented a flex car (which is actually a great concept where you can rent cars that are parked around the city for a few hours or days at a time). Unfortunately, there was a slight mix up and we ended up at the wrong car. Then when we got that sorted out, we did out adventure and came back to find that someone was parked in the spot we're supposed to leave the car in! So we let them a "friendly reminder" as the flex car company calls it which pretty much says "listen up bitchass, we're towing your car b/c you were such an idiot. Maybe you'll know better in the future."
When I got back to Detroit on Monday night I got to my car and got in only to find that the driver's side door wouldn't latch shut. Now, I live 2 hours from the Detroit airport and as strong as I like to think my arms are, they aren't strong enough to hold the door closed while steering with my other arm for that long. So I drove to the closest decent sized town looking for someplace open 24 hours. I finally found a walgreens and of couse they were closed but a lady outside of it had an elastic thing in her truck that she gave to me and came to help me fix my car. Of course as soon as that happened, the door decided to latch making me look like a huge idiot or possibly some person who was actually hoping to rob a walgreens while carryng around her laptop that she was too afraid to leave in the car. Ugh, what a night!!
But now I'm back in Midland and enjoying a few nights in my own bed until Friday when I pack up and leave for Houston! I figure if Dow gives me 5 free flights to Texas a year, I might as well use them when it's bitter cold in Michigan and I know Nat loves visitors!!
Happy Valentine's Day to everyone!! I love you all!!
Tuesday
Happy Fat Tuesday!
I'm getting ready to embark upon a tour of the western hemisphere and I thought I'd send out a little note before I leave.
This weekend I'm off to the great state of Washington to visit Miss Kathryn Gramelspacher. I can only imagine our weekend will be full of Starbucks and Pho which are the only two things that I know exist there. Rumor has it that KG is living in the top of the space needle and one can only imagine the view. It will be a treat!
Next weekend I'm off to the giant state of Texas!! I'll be visitng the new Laskowski family and Ryan and I will officially duel it out for the love of Natalie. Rumor has it he's a little jealous of my facebook status and the fact that my phone number has been memorized. I can't say I blame him but let's face it, I met Nat first.
After that I'm off to Mexico--Corporate Style. In other words, I'm not going to be near the coast, I'm not going to be drinking an abundance of cerverzas or taking any siestas. But I'm sure it will still be an adventure. I've heard that the people are not as friendly when you can't speak Spanish so I'm doing my best to at least LOOK Mexican by leaving my hair curly, and hoping for the best.
My trip home from Mexico is going to route me through Kansas City, Kansas where I'll be attending a wedding that one might say I invited myself to. I'm sure it will be a great time because Ben and Nat and Ryan and Bill Kercher and Blake (who you might remember from the Laskowski wedding of '07) will also be in attendance. I have never been to a wedding that wasn't a grand time so I can't see this one being any different!
Finally, I'll round off my tour with a trip to Brazil where I will be equipped with a bodyguard and will be working with two other Brazilians. I might even attempt a side trip to Rio b/c it's one of the only 2 places that have impressed my dad (the other being Hong Kong if anyone is curious). Regardless, it's another trip to another country where I don't speak the language which I can only hope will provide you guys with entertaining e-mails at the very least.
After that, I think i'm scheduled to spend May and June in the beautiful state of Michigan which actually isn't bad b/c summer is the only reason I agreed to live in this state. So, if anyone wants to come visit, that'd be the time to do it!! There is no saying where I'll be starting in July (except that I will be in Turkey but that's for a personal vacation).
I hope that everyone is having a good day!!
I miss you all!!
This weekend I'm off to the great state of Washington to visit Miss Kathryn Gramelspacher. I can only imagine our weekend will be full of Starbucks and Pho which are the only two things that I know exist there. Rumor has it that KG is living in the top of the space needle and one can only imagine the view. It will be a treat!
Next weekend I'm off to the giant state of Texas!! I'll be visitng the new Laskowski family and Ryan and I will officially duel it out for the love of Natalie. Rumor has it he's a little jealous of my facebook status and the fact that my phone number has been memorized. I can't say I blame him but let's face it, I met Nat first.
After that I'm off to Mexico--Corporate Style. In other words, I'm not going to be near the coast, I'm not going to be drinking an abundance of cerverzas or taking any siestas. But I'm sure it will still be an adventure. I've heard that the people are not as friendly when you can't speak Spanish so I'm doing my best to at least LOOK Mexican by leaving my hair curly, and hoping for the best.
My trip home from Mexico is going to route me through Kansas City, Kansas where I'll be attending a wedding that one might say I invited myself to. I'm sure it will be a great time because Ben and Nat and Ryan and Bill Kercher and Blake (who you might remember from the Laskowski wedding of '07) will also be in attendance. I have never been to a wedding that wasn't a grand time so I can't see this one being any different!
Finally, I'll round off my tour with a trip to Brazil where I will be equipped with a bodyguard and will be working with two other Brazilians. I might even attempt a side trip to Rio b/c it's one of the only 2 places that have impressed my dad (the other being Hong Kong if anyone is curious). Regardless, it's another trip to another country where I don't speak the language which I can only hope will provide you guys with entertaining e-mails at the very least.
After that, I think i'm scheduled to spend May and June in the beautiful state of Michigan which actually isn't bad b/c summer is the only reason I agreed to live in this state. So, if anyone wants to come visit, that'd be the time to do it!! There is no saying where I'll be starting in July (except that I will be in Turkey but that's for a personal vacation).
I hope that everyone is having a good day!!
I miss you all!!
Just a quick one
So, during my time in Germany, I've had the chance to read a few books. I thought I'd pass them on.
1. Eat Pray Love --I think i've recommended this before but now i've actually read it and it's good. It's just a nice story but don't read if except a huge turning point and a lot of plot. it's just a story of this lady's life.
2. P.S. I love you--this is a cute book that looks long but i finished quite quickly. And it's being made into a movie. It's about a girl whose husband died and left her a list of things to do. I liked it.
3. Nineteen Minutes--I'm reading this one right now and it's SO good. It's by Jodi Picoult which I know some of you know from My Sister's Keeper (which is also really good). It's also a long one but I think it's worth it.
Ok, that's all. I like to think we're all benefitting from my travels.
1. Eat Pray Love --I think i've recommended this before but now i've actually read it and it's good. It's just a nice story but don't read if except a huge turning point and a lot of plot. it's just a story of this lady's life.
2. P.S. I love you--this is a cute book that looks long but i finished quite quickly. And it's being made into a movie. It's about a girl whose husband died and left her a list of things to do. I liked it.
3. Nineteen Minutes--I'm reading this one right now and it's SO good. It's by Jodi Picoult which I know some of you know from My Sister's Keeper (which is also really good). It's also a long one but I think it's worth it.
Ok, that's all. I like to think we're all benefitting from my travels.
Monday
My life is a TV show
Well Guten Morgen once again! I'm now in my final week of my stay in Germany and as much fun as I've been having, I'm ready to head back to the U.S. It's amazing how much you start missing things like not being forced to go out to eat and actually being able to pick out an outfit from more then just what's in your suitcase. Not to mention being able to watch something other then music television.
This weekend we went to Stasbourg (which is in France) where more then once I accidentally said "Danke" instead of "Merci" b/c I forgot that we had switched sides. Luckily people know what they both mean. In Strasbourg we just walked around and enjoyed the sites. There was a Christmas market there too so we went exploring through that. There is a famous cathedral there as well so we decided to climb up the 329 steps to get to the top so we could take pictures from there. That was probably a mistake since my legs are still sore!
Before I left for Stasbourg, I had breakfast in the hotel. Every weekday morning when I go down for breakfast I notice that they have all these bottles of champagne sitting out as an option for a drink for breakfast. I always pass on this option since I'm not sure how much my co-workers would apprecate it. However, Saturday was my day off so I decided to indulge. Apparently it's not champagne, it's something called sekt which is similar but prepared slightly differently. Regardless, I enjoyed having a mimosa with breakfast.
Today our reviewer has arrived. He is in charge of reviewing our work for the second time. Up until today I'd only heard his voice over the phone and I knew he sounded familiar but I just couldn't place it. When he arrived today, I was like "Oooooh, he's Robert from Everybody Loves Raymond". He seriously looks JUST like him. He's even tall! And I'm not sure if I mentioned before that my first level reviewer looks just like Billy Crystal. I'm pretty sure you have to resemble someone famous to be in auditing. I wonder who they think I look like!
Satuday night we went to a fellow Dow employees birthday party. Once thing that I have noticed here time and time again is that the sweets here are made with about half as much sugar as they use in the U.S. The homemade cake at this party looked good enough but upon taking a small bite (as I am weary of all desserts here) my suspicions were confirmed--not enough sugar. And it was dry. So I did what anyone in my situation would do...i waited until everyone else finished and then offered to throw the plates away along with my uneaten piece of cake. Other then that, the birthday party was quite enjoyable and I'm glad I got to go.
Well, seeing as I only have 3 days left in Germany, I must get back to work!
Happy Monday!!
This weekend we went to Stasbourg (which is in France) where more then once I accidentally said "Danke" instead of "Merci" b/c I forgot that we had switched sides. Luckily people know what they both mean. In Strasbourg we just walked around and enjoyed the sites. There was a Christmas market there too so we went exploring through that. There is a famous cathedral there as well so we decided to climb up the 329 steps to get to the top so we could take pictures from there. That was probably a mistake since my legs are still sore!
Before I left for Stasbourg, I had breakfast in the hotel. Every weekday morning when I go down for breakfast I notice that they have all these bottles of champagne sitting out as an option for a drink for breakfast. I always pass on this option since I'm not sure how much my co-workers would apprecate it. However, Saturday was my day off so I decided to indulge. Apparently it's not champagne, it's something called sekt which is similar but prepared slightly differently. Regardless, I enjoyed having a mimosa with breakfast.
Today our reviewer has arrived. He is in charge of reviewing our work for the second time. Up until today I'd only heard his voice over the phone and I knew he sounded familiar but I just couldn't place it. When he arrived today, I was like "Oooooh, he's Robert from Everybody Loves Raymond". He seriously looks JUST like him. He's even tall! And I'm not sure if I mentioned before that my first level reviewer looks just like Billy Crystal. I'm pretty sure you have to resemble someone famous to be in auditing. I wonder who they think I look like!
Satuday night we went to a fellow Dow employees birthday party. Once thing that I have noticed here time and time again is that the sweets here are made with about half as much sugar as they use in the U.S. The homemade cake at this party looked good enough but upon taking a small bite (as I am weary of all desserts here) my suspicions were confirmed--not enough sugar. And it was dry. So I did what anyone in my situation would do...i waited until everyone else finished and then offered to throw the plates away along with my uneaten piece of cake. Other then that, the birthday party was quite enjoyable and I'm glad I got to go.
Well, seeing as I only have 3 days left in Germany, I must get back to work!
Happy Monday!!
Tuesday
Managing to stay out of jail
Guten Morgen all!
I figure now that I've been here over a week, I should start picking up the language. However, I managed to make it through the whole weekend without any issues. I took the weekend to enjoy daylight in Baden-Baden. I woke up, went swimming (indoors of course), forced myself into the sauna for as long as I could stand it (about 6 minutes) and then set out for the day. I walked around going where ever the wind blew me. I found a big hill with some stairs on it so I climbed up to the top and took some pictures.
Then as I was walking down, I came upon a large house and took some pictures of that as well. It was only as I was leaving that I saw a sign that I deciphered to mean "No Trespassing". Thankfully no one saw me and I quickly made my way back to the hill.
So, I've noticed that some of the people here tend to pronounce the "S" sound as "SH" so at times I have to try very hard not to laugh when I go to restaurant and they ask me if I would like to "shit here or shit outside". But let's be realistic, I have yet to keep a straight face.
I've managed to make one friend here in Germany. He's a Turkish man who is something along the lines of a manager at the hotel. He saw my name on the guest list and started talking to me one day while I was in the lobby. He also gave me the best present you can get in Germany--2 cold bottles of Evian water. I'd gotten so desperate for non-mineral water that I'd started filling up a cup from the tap and putting it in the fridge for a couple hours.
However, i'm rationing my water and unfortunately it only stays cold for so long. The mini bar is stocked and really small so the bottles don't even fit in there. So, being the daughter of an engineer I figured out that the area between the two doors leading to my balcony (the vestibule if you will) stays rather cool so I put my water in there an VOILA! Instant refridgeration! Sometimes, I amaze myself.
I've become a regular attendant of the christmas market. I usually make my way over there a few times a week and treat myself to some Gluhwein which is this delicious spiced hot wine. Then I walk around sipping my wine looking at homemade candles, soap, and chocolate. It's amazing how I never get tired of it. We're actually planning on going to a bigger Christmas market this weekend and I'm actually even looking forward to it!
I found out yesterday that Air France is going on strike on the 20th which happens to be the same day I'm scheduled to fly home...on Air France. I'm hoping they make one of those great movies about me trying to make it home in time for Christmas. I can't think of one that hasn't been a huge blockbuster hit.
I miss you all!
I figure now that I've been here over a week, I should start picking up the language. However, I managed to make it through the whole weekend without any issues. I took the weekend to enjoy daylight in Baden-Baden. I woke up, went swimming (indoors of course), forced myself into the sauna for as long as I could stand it (about 6 minutes) and then set out for the day. I walked around going where ever the wind blew me. I found a big hill with some stairs on it so I climbed up to the top and took some pictures.
Then as I was walking down, I came upon a large house and took some pictures of that as well. It was only as I was leaving that I saw a sign that I deciphered to mean "No Trespassing". Thankfully no one saw me and I quickly made my way back to the hill.
So, I've noticed that some of the people here tend to pronounce the "S" sound as "SH" so at times I have to try very hard not to laugh when I go to restaurant and they ask me if I would like to "shit here or shit outside". But let's be realistic, I have yet to keep a straight face.
I've managed to make one friend here in Germany. He's a Turkish man who is something along the lines of a manager at the hotel. He saw my name on the guest list and started talking to me one day while I was in the lobby. He also gave me the best present you can get in Germany--2 cold bottles of Evian water. I'd gotten so desperate for non-mineral water that I'd started filling up a cup from the tap and putting it in the fridge for a couple hours.
However, i'm rationing my water and unfortunately it only stays cold for so long. The mini bar is stocked and really small so the bottles don't even fit in there. So, being the daughter of an engineer I figured out that the area between the two doors leading to my balcony (the vestibule if you will) stays rather cool so I put my water in there an VOILA! Instant refridgeration! Sometimes, I amaze myself.
I've become a regular attendant of the christmas market. I usually make my way over there a few times a week and treat myself to some Gluhwein which is this delicious spiced hot wine. Then I walk around sipping my wine looking at homemade candles, soap, and chocolate. It's amazing how I never get tired of it. We're actually planning on going to a bigger Christmas market this weekend and I'm actually even looking forward to it!
I found out yesterday that Air France is going on strike on the 20th which happens to be the same day I'm scheduled to fly home...on Air France. I'm hoping they make one of those great movies about me trying to make it home in time for Christmas. I can't think of one that hasn't been a huge blockbuster hit.
I miss you all!
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