London, My Love

So after work on friday I had a car take me to the train station and I went into London. I got there around...7ish and found my hotel. I realized I accidentally booked a room with a communal shower and bathroom. UGH! (ironic i'm complaining because i love hostels, but when you're not planning on staying at a hostel, it's not a fun surprise)  because i was so annoyed, i yelled at the guy and literally stormed off. I'm so embarrassed by my behaviour. it's terrible. So to feel better, I went shopping. I found black skinny jeans that fit like a gem! I bought some gifts for peoples, and for myself...and ate some food. after that I felt super better! I walked back to the hotel with a new attitude and a new bounce in my step. On the walk back, I saw this beautiful view, and knew it was going to be a glorious weekend.

I was walking home Friday night and knew that I had to
take a pic for Christine

You know how I know God exists?
A cupcake stand in the middle of a store
He loves me *that* much

On Saturday, I woke up super early. Did a bit of shopping and found some more wonderful things to buy. My friend Christine told me to walk around with a camera and take lots of pics...so i decided to wander to the touristy areas to take pics. It was crazy. Tourists are ridiculous. There were some moments I just wanted to take pictures of the weird things the tourists were doing instead of the monument I was supposed to be looking at. It was cool. Gotta love London. I went back to drop off my winnings for the day and headed out to the theatre. Don't ask me why, but I incorrectly wrote down where the theatre house was, so I thought it was at the very end of the black line. Luckily, that end was not working on Saturday, so I got off in Camden Town. Then I remembered...hey, i think it's near here and i wrote it down wrong! I was correct and managed to get there in time, with time enough to run to the sainsbury's across the street for a quick sandwich and milk, with a galaxy chocolate muffin (why not, right?) The Twelfth Night was awesome! (even thought I had to close my eyes at one part during the portrayal of Malvolio because he was dressed a little scandalously to show his love for Olivia. so awkward) Then, I finally remembered the street with all the shops on it (i had been wracking my brain all day trying to remember). I went to Oxford Street. It's always a good thing when the first thing you see coming out of a tube station is a Top Shop. Oh happy day. It was ridiculously crowded in the store, and in the streets, and everywhere. But there was a cupcake stand inside of the TopShop!!! Woot! It's genius really. Cupcakes and Shopping. Two fun things in life, put together. So I was super exhausted from the day and decided to go eat. Except I couldnt remember where any food was, except in Leicester Square. So I got there to realize that there was still time to buy a ticket and go see Les Mis! It was sold out. Bah humbug. Then I wanted a salad for dinner. All the places didnt have a salad I wanted. So i got a slice of pizza and ate it in the nice little grassy area. As I was leaving, I saw a group of teens walking around with a cardboard cutout of Lucius Malfoy. Good times.

Sunday was WONDERFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!! I hopped on the train to visit my England mummy and sister, Kate and Rachel. They picked me up from the station and we went to church. It was a great meeting with great fun. Then we went home where a Galaxy bar was waiting for me on counter top. TRUE LOVE! (in case it hasn't clicked yet, i have a wicked sweet tooth)  That's why Kate is the best. She helps me get my chocolate fix. Last time I was here, we went to Tesco where there was no judgement when I got a giant box of Galaxy bars to take home for me and the fam. True Love. Lol. We spend a wonderful evening together catching up. Being awesome together (one of our fav pastimes). Ben even came over, Rachel's fiancée, so I could meet him. I got to ask super nosey questions for fun. Rachel was telling him that he's escaped their whole relationship without dealing with that, as she's an only child, so I was finally coming to do my sibling-ly duty of making sure he has good intentions :) It was awesome. He's cool. I'm excited for the eternity of friendship and visiting each other we all have in front of each other. Can't wait for the wedding either! We watched the England v. Italy match together. It was terrible. I wanted to kill England for sucking so badly. My heart was aching. Seriously. The only one who knew what was going on was Andy Carroll. As a matter of fact, he's my new favourite player. I don't like Rooney anymore. I may have to throw away my Rooney jersey. Bah humbug. I liked Hart too until he missed all those penalty shots. But it's good. Italy played better.

The view from the window in our conference room this week.
How can we be working on a beautiful day like this?

But now I'm in Surrey, working in a conference room in a swanky hotel till Wednesday when I get to fly back to my flat in Germany. This is the view from our conference room window. Amazing. I got lost getting to my room it's so big. No really. One of the workers was showing me where it was and we got lost. It was so awkward. I got to Skype Marijn tonight and I can't wait to hang out with the guys again.
Other things I'm looking forward to? 
-doing laundry. I bought detergent here in England so I wouldn't have to figure out the differences between all of them in German.
-finding hangers
-Friday night :)

My Life's Constant

Moment in time: Germany just kick Greece's butt and is on their way to the semi-finals in the Euro Cup. Woot.

I've been wanting Union Jack shoes for YEARS
they didnt have them in my size :(

It's been a long week. I was sent to Redditch for the week to work on a new project. It is interesting and fun. And I'm pretty sure I suggested that we all have a meeting in two weeks in a different part of Germany, so i'm going to have to travel again. Which means, Redditch this week. and i'm in London for the weekend because it was pointless to fly to Munich only to turn around and fly back for my project meeting in London next week. Then my suggested trip to one part of Munich and then the following week i'll be in Schopfheim, Germany (which is where Germany, Switzerland, and France meet up). With all the travelling, I'm finally understanding what my dad would say when he got back from business trips. I would always ask, "what did you see?!?!?!" and he would say "not much, I go to work, eat dinner, and then back to the hotel". I never understood why he didn't have tons of time to sight-see. i get it now.

With all this travel, my new motto is "home is where my suitcase is". For the past four Sundays I've been travelling. These are the locations because some one asked earlier.

1. New Zealand to Texas
2. Texas to Missouri
3. Missouri to Germany
4. Germany to England

When I was in New Zealand, Saryah thought it was weird (and probably a little annoying) with how I wanted to go to church every Sunday and then something would happen so we couldn't and I would be upset. Luckily on my last Sunday there, I was leaving in the evening, so Saryah & I were able to make it to sacrament. It was amazing. I was so overwhelmed with how peaceful and wonderful it was to be at church. 

When I landed in Germany, I literally put my stuff in my flat, had a 5 minute shower and left to try and find the church. When I saw it I just burst into smiles. I was smiling all through the German meeting. Luckily, they had someone translating, but I was trying not to giggle as I attempted to sing the hymns in German. It was wonderful. Then I went back that night for a Young Single Adults (YSA) dinner they were having. Then I went back for the YSA Family Home Evening on Monday night. One of the girls saw me there and said "you've been here two days and have already come to church 3 times" to which one person said "she has her priorities straight".  

When I flew into London on Sunday, I made sure to get a train ticket that would give me enough time to go to church before having to head off to Redditch. I was in a state of bliss the whole time I was in church. I was able to answer questions, sing my fav songs, and love life.

I don't talk about this to show you that I'm obsessed with going to church or that I'm creepy weird. I did these things because with all the crazy moving, living out of a suitcase, being in a different place, and always meeting new people...there is one constant in my life. Always. No matter where I am or what's going on in my life, the gospel of Jesus Christ and His church is there, and it's the same no matter what country or language it is. The Holy Spirit is there, testifying of the truths that are being taught. There is a peace that enters into my soul when I walk through the doors. It realigns me after a week of awkward moments or complete cluelessness or exhaustion. It doesn't matter where I am in the world or whether or not I speak the language, the Spirit has no language barriers, and I know I'm surrounded by people who feel the same way. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the same no matter where you or I are in the world, and I know that it is Christ's church. 

The Awkward Moments of My Life

Oh the many embarrassing/awkward moments of starting a new job in a foriegn country where you dont speak the language. I'm going to have so many of those moments in the coming year. yay me.

Maybe my fav moment of the week: Someone approached me as I was getting off the metro to go to work and started speaking to me in German. Instead of saying "I dont speak English", I got tongue-tied, didnt conjugate, and said "you dont speak german". The guy gave me a really weird look, and I quickly walked off because I felt so awkward.

I went grocery shopping, and, SURPRISE! everything is in German. I had milk and cheese on my grocery list. It was a lot more difficult than I thought. Cheeses look surprisingly alike. So I just had to look at it and determine if I liked how it looked. Same with the milk. I did notice that one milk said "Soya" and I stayed away from that. But grocery shopping was hard. I didn't get the cheese I wanted in the end. It's good cheese, but not what I was planning on when I bit into my cheese sandwich.

Marienplatz

It's like having a greenie experience without having a trainer who knows the language to help you out. For example at lunch time (or dinner, when I go to a bakery to get something because I'm too hungry to cook when I get home). I literally look at the food and point to get it. At lunch, I look for the most appetizing meal, and say the German word for "little" so they give me the smaller portion as I point. I honestly don't know what it is that I'm eating. Same at the bakery. I know it's something that looks good. But I have no idea what it's called.

Anther awesome moment is earlier this week with the doors. I know I posted it on facebook, but I just want to say it again. All the doors at work have the german words for "push" and "pull". But when you do not know what the words mean, you recognize it, but you don't know what to do. I would push and pull. There was one door that you push to get in but then there is some sort of knob on the other side you have to twist. So I was standing at the door pushing and pulling for a bit until I decided to try the weirdly shaped knob. Now that I have made flashcards to help me and Matt has given me a little trick to remember, I only slightly pause at doors to think and then I remember. So if you ignore the strange pauses before going through doors, I totally look like I know what's going on. Plus, I even managed to program my email into the german scanner without realizing it. Now that's talent.

Dont worry...that's an Orange Fanta in my hand

At work they gave us a card to get in the doors and then another to put money on so you can buy lunch next door. I tried to put both the cards in the card holder they gave us but it didnt fit. So the second day, I was determined to make it fit. I definitely made it fit, but then I couldnt get it out. :/ I tried using my teeth and different things. I broke a nail. Then an IT guy came in to ask if I needed help with my computer. I said no, but then asked him about the cards and if he could get it out. He took it away and a bit later returned with it out. He then made me promise 3 times that I wouldnt do that again. He saw me later that day and made me show him where my lunch card was.

I had a conference call about the project I'm working on last Thursday. I tried to log in and it wouldnt let me. I messaged my boss to tell her I was having difficulties, but that I was working on it. I had to download java onto my laptop and when it downloaded (after taking forever) it said that it couldnt read it. So I had to download it again. By the time I got it all worked out, I was connected long enough for them to say, "so any questions? ok. well we'll talk again next week. bye!" AHHHHH! Que horror!

Beer Garden in English Gardens

On Friday, things were better. I was feeling good about life. At the end of the day, I realized I was probably one of the last people there because everyone leaves early on Fridays....and the automatic doors stop being automatic. I was standing in front of the automatic door, locked in the building, trying to figure out how I was supposed to get out of the building. Luckily, some guys came up about 2 minutes into it and found the tiny button hidden on a far wall that you press to open the door.

So after a long week of work, Jarrett (who got into Germany earlier that week) and I decided to meet up. We decided to meet in the English Gardens. But my phone died after I told him where in the English Gardens I was. after waiting a bit in one place, I decided to start walking. luckily he spotted me and we were both starving and went to a Beer Garden in the English Gardens to eat. Jarrett got a giant pretzel.

Isar River

On Saturday, Jarrett and I met up. I rented a bike, and we biked around the area. It was a super hot day but Munich is GORGEOUS!!!! The guys renting me the bike said I had to have a "Ladies" bike. It was pink. Lol. We got some ice cream to cool down. We then went across town to play soccer with some of the Munich YSA (Young Single Adult) people. It was fun. It was way to hot for me to play. I was melting and I could hear Saryah in my head yelling about being in the sun and skin cancer, so I stayed in the shade.  Then I got a nice little private German tour with a friend the rest of the evening. 

Sunday:  But I had a great church day. I got into London in time for the YSA meeting time. On the tube I saw a guy in a white shirt, tie, and dark trousers, with a girl in a modest (shoulders covered and dress was down to her knees) dress and I thought, "they're totally going to church". So I used my super creepy stalking skills to follow them out of the station and saw them joined by two other modestly dressed girls. So I asked if they were going to the LDS church and they responded positively, so I asked to follow them. It was lovely. One of the speakers was an RSM (returned sister missionary...i made up that terminology) It was a beautiful talk on the Plan of Happiness (which I LOVE!!!) and we sung "How Firm a Foundation" which is one of my favs! It was a wonderful Sunday. I sat with my new friend Lloyd (who has my dream job of being paid to travel and show people the world) and his Australian lady friend.  Then in Sunday School, before the class started, I thought I heard Spanish but I wasnt sure, so I asked as class was starting. The guy said he was from Venezuela! He was super excited I spoke Spanish, but we decided to chat after class. The class was amazing. It was about remembering the wonderful things our Saviour has done for us. It was a great lesson. And afterwards, me, the teacher, and the Venezuelan just chatted it up in Spanish. It was GREAT! I love latinos! It was awesome. They were really funny guys. Then I had to leave in the middle of the third (and last) hour because I had a train to catch....but I missed my train anyways, even though I was totally on time.

my "ladies" bike and ice cream

When I got to my hotel room, I had told my family I wanted to Skype for Father's Day. It was crazy. The sound wasn't working on either of our laptops, so we were miming to each other and typing. Eventually, they could hear me, but I couldnt hear them, so they made me talk a lot and then type the questions. We switched to Gmail video chat after I had to download the function. Then we realize that we could use the video chat of Gmail and the voice my dad's phone's Skype app. It was a fiasco. After about an hour from initial contact, I think we managed to be 100% voice and video functioning with Gmail video chat. WIN!

It's been a good first week in Germany, and this week I'm in Redditch, England. I'll tell you about it next week. On a happy note, Marijn, Jelmer, Jarno, Lukas, and I have finally agreed on a date and location for hanging out. It's going to be a PARTAY! I can't wait.

mein Leben in Deutschland

Hey world. I'm finally in Germany.

Last week aka "Bootcamp" was fun. Michael (my boss) was hysterical. He took us mini-golfing, bowling, go-kart racing, and it was awesome...all as "team building" exercises. It was a fun week, and I really like Lindsay, my co-worker that I'll be travelling with for the next year. She's awesome.

We flew in yesterday. We took 3 flights to get here. On our connection with Lufthansa in Newark, I sat next to a guy from Serbia. I think his name was Ben, and he was awesome! He kept on giving me his food. He gave my his salad for dinner. I thought it was rude to say no, so I ate it. Lolz. Then for breakfast he was offering me his fruit and muffin. I declined only because the thought of eating was not appetizing at the moment.  He rolled his eyes every time the PA interrupted our movies. We had a nice chat over dinner. Also, when he slept, he was really getting into my zone so I had to lean on the left side on my chair to get some sleep. I was half considering leaning on him since he was in my area, but I figured that could get weird.

So we had a taxi waiting for us with our names on a sign when we arrived. He took me to my new home, which is super close to the metro. (yay). I took my luggage upstairs with much difficulty because the elevator is TINY! I took a shower and attempted to find the church. Surprisingly enough, I found it quite quickly. I made it only a little late, I missed the opening prayer. But it was nice aka. they had English translation going on for us. Afterwards, I approached the guy, and he's a YSA here and gave me the info. He said they have a little YSA dinner every Sunday evening and invited me. On the metro back to my flat, I ran into the Sister Missionaries!!!! YAY! we chatted and they were wonderful and serve in the congregation that I'm going to go to. So i went back to my flat to unpack, I managed to get one suitcase unpacked and then I decided to lay down for a few minutes and woke up at 7:20, when dinner was at 7. AHHHHH!!! So I jumped on the metro and got to church only to find the front door was locked. Saddened, I looked around to see an intercom and pushed the button. Nothing happened. So I pushed the button again, and someone said something in German and I said, "I'm here for dinner" and they responded in English. Yay. Since I was late, everyone was done eating and were in clean-up mode, but they served me some food. I ate with a lady there who were visiting her in-laws (the senior missionary couple). Then met some people and really enjoyed the spiritual thought.

I'm excited for the YSA FHE tonight.  Work so far is nice. Petra picked me up from my flat this morning to make sure I got to work alright. One of the heads of the project I'm working on is here giving us more details. It sounds AWESOME! Especially since they're sending me to England for the next week and a half for stuff. I have to option of flying back here for the weekend or staying there. I think I might get a hotel (on the company) in london and say there for the weekend. WOOT!!! Lindsay heads to Italy tomorrow for work. But I'm excited.

I have a lot to do today when I get home. I need to get a wifi thing and a SIM card to get a Germany number. I forgot i was going to make friends and want to contact them. Plus, there is a family the sister missionaries are teaching that I can go visit them with, so i need a number so they can contact me. (SUPER excited about going out with the sisters). And I need groceries, well to find a supermarket.  "Wo ist der Supermarkt?" Petra taught me that this morning to help me out.

All in all, it's lovely and I'm excited. I'll post pics of my flat later this week. It's so Europe-tiny. I forgot how small things are in Europe. Oh well. It will help me learn to work with less.

p.s. my US cell phone is disconnected till I get back in September. I'm going to hopefully get my new Germany SIM card tonight so I will have a German number

Prepping for Work

I just got back from New Zealand, and I've been getting ready for work this week.

Monday: Woke up after maybe 5 hours of sleep to see off Uncle John and Grandma. Due to the lack of sleep and stress of all the work paperwork I was doing, I was pretty crabby most of the day. Went shopping with James at West Oaks and The Galleria. He left me after about 2 hours. Best news: Express dress pants fit me like they were made for me. The funny part is: I have to wear the petites, so it makes me feel super dainty :)

Tuesday: Got to sleep 13 hours. Glorious. However, in the first 9 hours I was awake, I was shopping for about 7 of them. Spent the day at Katy Mills Mall. Had someone told me there was an Express there, I wouldn't have gone to West Oaks yesterday. Got a suit. Super classy. Shout out to Banana Republic because they are my work brand with Express. Other pants that fit me well. I just have to have mom hem the pants. They're too long. But it's okay. It is sooo hard to find pants that fit. True story. And I had a 50% of coupon for NY Company, but didn't find anything. Lame.

Wednesday: I was still shopping and making sure I had everything. I was soooo exhausted. I could barely move by the afternoon. We were going to go up to San Antonio, but it didn't work out because I still had so much to do and I was too tired to go to San Antonio. It was sad.

Thursday: more organizing. I'm doing a lot of donation boxes. It's kinda ridiculous how much crap I have. Even with all the boxes of stuff out of my room. It barely made a dent. I want to become a minimalist, but everything i have has a purpose. How can you choose?

Friday: It was Jamsie's birthday. We went to Coco's for brunch. It was soooo yummy. and it was nice to see my bro. Then I fell asleep on the way home, and continued to nap the entire day away. I was in intense denial about the whole moving thing. So instead, I went to Barnes and Noble to read a book. It was lovely. Then I locked myself inside the house because I was home alone for the night. Then when mom and dad did come home, mom was messing with the doorknob, so i thought someone was breaking in. I'm such a paranoid person!

Saturday: Woke up and went to CityCentre to have brunch with Nay. It was awesome!!! It's funny because we haven't seen each other in literally...years. But it was like no time had passed at all. It was awesome. I think it's because Nay is so chillax; she thinks its because we know so much about each other that it's hard to not get along. Lol. Then I went home and packed for hours. HOURS!!!! I showed mom and dad NZ pics and then went over to Hollister's and we painted toes and caught up. I went home to finish up some packing and the freak-out set in. Anxiety and Nerves. Bah humbug.

Hoy/Sunday: I barely slept last night. Woke up at 5:30. Sooo early. but mom took me to the airport. My freakout was still there but not so much. Got to Kansas City and met with Jon, one of my co-workers. we chatted the whole way to work and it was really nice. He's from Michigan and he's such a gentleman. It was cool cuz we had the same kind of questions, and we were both nervous. I'm glad that we just got along so i have a little friend. And he as a girlfriend and he just says the sweetest things about her. it was ADORABLE! Anyways, im sitting in my hotel.

First day of work tomorrow. Eep!!!