Spring

Hey there!

Spring has finally arrived here in southern Germany. It has brought its share of rain, mixed with some gorgeous days of sun and a handful of amazing thunderstorms. I have been house-sitting for a friend of mine out further in the country and have been loving it. Besides the fact that I'm watching her Great Danes, which have been great running partners, the area is absolutely breathtaking. It is a runners paradise. The trails go on for endless miles and around every corner and over every hill is a beautiful view. I love it! So here are a few of the pics...

Hope you all are doing good and are enjoying your own spring/summer weather! I think about home nearly everyday and yes...even over here I miss Portland; however, I wouldn't trade this amazing opportunity for anything. Despite the minor hurdles of being in a foreign country, everyday brings with it a new discovery!

Tschuss!

The House

The tub and urinal :)

The house kinda dwarfs my car :)

Munchen & Dacau

Sorry for the time in between posts!! Things picked up around here when I finally found a house I liked. Every weekend I've had off I've been trying to travel, so that hasn't left much time. All of my furniture arrived April 1st, the first day I moved in! The timing was actually perfect! Patience does pay-off. I'm still slowly settling in and unpacking things. I will post pictures of the house soon! It is very large,3 floors, 6 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms complete with urinals...a European thing. It's much more space than I could ever use, however it is in the location I wanted and has all the modern conveniences that most of the older homes in Germany do not. Plenty of space for visitors, so please do not hesitate to come for a visit or pop-in on your way through Europe!

So other than moving in...traveling has been my priority. Ken and I went to Munchen in March and Amsterdam a couple weekends ago. Both were wonderful! Munchen was awesome! So great to be in a bigger city...lots of shopping! We also went to Dacau the concentration camp just outside of Munchen. It was no less moving the second time around. Very sobering experience. Overall the trip was great!

Amsterdam is just hard to describe...it's so very different from anywhere I've ever been! There are bikes everywhere. I thought there were a lot of bikers in Portland...NOTHING compared to Amsterdam! The canals are beautiful and the lifestyle is just so chill...it's such a refreshing change from Germany. The red-light district is everything I heard it would be. Quite an experience! But on a more serious note, the Anne Frank house museum was amazing! I was very surprised at how much they preserved. They actually saved the very pictures that she pasted to the walls, completely intact! It's incredible! I was really glad we went. On our way home we stopped by the famous Keukenhof Tulip garden. It encompasses acres and acres of land, all pristinely manicured, with all variations and colors of tulips! It was gorgeous! But after about 30 minutes...Ken had had enough of the flowers :) He was a good sport though.

It feels good to be getting more settled here! But I miss home very much at times! Please write when you have time! It means a lot to hear from you guys! Talk again soon!

Brussels and Heidelberg Pics

~Heidelberg~

View from across the river at "Old Town"

Castle above the city. It was too cold for the hike up there.

Next time!

The gate entrance to the city.

My favorite pic!

~Brussels~

Each of the lamps were individually hung

on the outside of this building! Very fascinating!

The small comforts of home...kinda! Had to pay ,20 euro

to use the bathroom!

This was amazing! No two figures are the same,

and they cover the entire front of this building!

This is one of the museums which sits directly opposite

the square from the previous building. I liked the contrast

of the lighter stone the first one is made of versus the very dark

and austere looking architecture of this building.

This is the building with all the figures on it! So amazing!

The First Month

Hallo!

I have been in country now for exactly 1 month! I have just completed my first full week of work! It had been over a month since I had dawned scrubs and a stethoscope! The first three weeks were very full with classes, classes and more classes...or better known as "death by power-point." But truly, the hospital mission is amazing and I was very surprised to learn just how far reaching the footprint of Landstuhl really is! It's quite an incredible area and I feel very privileged to be part of it all.

I am still in search of a house. There has been a huge influx of military personnel to the area and thus housing options are very slim. I am trying to remain loyal to the area I really want to be in, but I might have to forego my dream location for now. Highlights of the last three weeks have been: Passing my driving test, which was a huge relief; finishing all my in-processing requirements; Kenric and I taking a day trip to Brussels, Belgium for a beautiful change of scenery as well as a recent trip to Heidelberg! I rented a little BMW Mini Cooper which has been a blast to drive on the Autobahn! I forgot how fun a manual transmission can be!

The weather is slowly improving. There have been more sunny days than snow this last week, which has made getting around much easier! I am becoming more comfortable with the area. I haven't gotten lost yet...I guess I have to give credit to the GPS. But it is nice to finally have a basic layout of the area. I walk to work most days, which I love as it helps wake me up at 0500! I'm slowly meeting new people and find most everyone I work with to be very nice. It is awesome to be surrounded by and working next to people from around the world! It's truly a very fascinating place to be!

I do miss home at times! I took the convenience for granted! I had my first Starbucks coffee since being here just two days ago and oh how incredible it tasted!! The closest thing to a drive-thru coffee is the "McCafe" and to be honest...it's not that bad, but I missed the coffee in the Northwest! Things are not as easy here nor made so convenient, which takes some getting used to. Things close down early and many stores and shops are closed on the weekends. But I'm learning.

Know that I miss you all and hope you all are well! Please write! It means a lot to hear from you and to hear what's going on in your world! Talk again soon...

~~Tschüss

Hotel, Landstuhl and Castle

The Beginning

Hallo Freund and Familie,

I am a little uncomfortable with this whole "blogging" thing...but I think it will be the easiest and quickest way for all who might be interested, to see and hear about the adventures that take place here in Europe.

First, I truly want to thank all of you who have helped me realize this dream and have made it a reality! There have been so many along the way. To know that I have the friendship, support and love of so many was the only reason I knew I could do this. I can not thank you all enough!

This dream began when I was 17 years old, when I was given the opportunity to travel throughout Europe with a band and choir composed of musicians from all over the state of Oregon. I instantly fell in love with Europe! I have to say that I really wanted and always said that I would live in Switzerland, but I think any country in Europe would have made me happy! Here I am...8 years later and I am now living in Germany. I can not say that I always believed this day would come...but there's something to be said for dreaming and when the opportunity presents itself you grab it and hold on tight.

So...what am I doing here? Well, the titles are complicated, but I am working as a civilian employee for the Department of Defense at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center as an RN in the Emergency Department. The medical facility itself is actually the hub for most of the severely injured soldiers coming from Afghanistan and Iraq. They are stabilized at this facility before being transported back home to the States. The Emergency Department is there to serve all service men and women and their families and is the only Army Base ED in all of Europe. The surrounding area is saturated with US bases both Army and Air-force and thus we serve a very large community. I have toured the department...but no official shifts yet...more come!

I have been in country now for exactly seven days and am still running around doing "in-processing." Everything here takes many steps and efficiency is not top priority, but nevertheless everything is getting done...even if it is slowly. I am learning many lessons in patience! For those who know me well, know that I need that! Still on the list and hopefully to accomplished within the next week or two is: Taking and passing the driving test so I can rent a car until mine arrives; Securing a home to rent in the area I would like; and to actually start working!

Everyone here has been extremely helpful! My sponsor has been great and has driven me around to most all my appointments. My supervisor has been very helpful and is basically giving me all the time I need to get settled. I am confident that there will be bumps in the road ahead, but I know without a doubt that this is where I am supposed to be! Thank you again to all of you and I look forward to hearing from you! Two years will go by fast, but there will be much that changes in a short time...please keep me posted on the all the things going in your lives! Miss you all and will be in touch!

Auf Wiedersehen