a series of small serendipities...

Austria is AWESOME!

2011-01-20T01:34:00.001+01:00

A friend and I took a trip to Innsbruck a few days ago. We had a day off and decided to get out of town and see something. Innsbruck, Austria is about an hour and a half away by train. The train goes straight into the alps and plops you down in an awesome town. I didn't really know what to expect from the city. I knew that Swarovski Crystal was headquartered there but that wasn't very interesting to me. I checked out a few books on the area from the library and we read them on the train (when we could peel our eyes away from the amazing views out the train window... seriously, it was INSANELY beautiful!). I figured out that there was an "Innsbruck Card" available for 30 euro that gives you unlimited access to their train and bus system as well as admission to all museums and touristy sites in town. This ended up being the key to a very successful trip to Innsbruck.

Since we had the card, we took the cable car up to the summit of Nordkette mountain, we saw The Hofburg (the Emperial Palace), the Golden Roof (which didn't seem too impressive but they see it as the key tourist attraction in their city?) and a few other sites in our 8 or so hours in town. Here's some photographic evidence of our awesome day:

New Years Day

2011-01-13T00:46:00.000+01:00

Better late than never - Here are some pictures and such from the Ski Jump competition I went to on New Years Day. It was so much fun and definitely a new experience! They jump from such great heights - it's really remarkable! At one point, when the competition was put on hold for about an hour due to wind, everyone started dancing. It was group dance songs (think German style Macarena, chicken dance...). At one point I was in a conga line with more than 20,000 people. It was pretty entertaining!

Bringing in 2011!

2011-01-01T11:05:00.002+01:00

I'm always hoping for an awesome New Year celebration. However, usually the evening comes up short. Tonight, however, exceeded my expectations! I anticipated being bored by the festivities but, the Germans really know how to throw a party! I'm generally annoyed by DJ's of all forms and performers who attempt to interact with the crowd (Shhh... just sing, that's what we paid for. You're not-so-witty comments are just that, not so witty!) However, the Germans had a lot of entertainment! They had a band, a DJ, a light show and a fireworks display but the most important factor is that they kept you on your toes. It's totally acceptable here to shoot fireworks at people. Not just your friends but anyone. So, if you're walking down the street toward the main event/party and an 8 year old shoots a bottle rocket at you... that's totally normal. All night I was very aware of my surroundings because people were shooting things at me and I was scared! A. I didn't want to loose an eye. B. I don't want a hole burned in any of my clothing, C. I was really hoping these kids had some sort of supervision! It didn't seem like they did though! I wonder how many injuries there were last night?

Above is a video I recorded for your viewing pleasure! Happy New Year!! Please enjoy a German New Year vicariously through my iPhone camera!

Merry Christmas!!

2010-12-25T12:00:00.005+01:00

So, I lied - it's like 20 degrees but whatever. It's cold and beautiful and a wonderful Christmas Day. I'll be working today from 2:00pm-10:00pm my time (that's 7am-3pm Eastern time) so prepare for a Christmas phone call from me in the late afternoon (your time) late night (my time)!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

SNOW!!

2010-12-24T08:53:00.001+01:00

After a few days of above freezing temperatures, much of the snow has melted off. Yesterday, it was around 40 degrees so by last night only little snow drifts left over from the streets being plowed remained in Garmisch.

Today is Christmas Eve. I woke up around 8 am, looked out the window and saw snow pouring from the sky! That's right, cue the music, bring it on Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney - It's going to be a WHITE CHRISTMAS!!!

A Journey to Narnia, er... Munich!

2010-12-20T08:06:00.003+01:00

Yesterday morning I woke up early and walked down the hall to go check the community information board to find out when and were church services would be held. As I was staring at the board, Renee, a new friend of mine, walked passed. She said she would be going to the 11:00am protestant service at the Army Chapel. I invited myself along.

Renee was getting a ride to church with her friend, Jennifer, and I was able to join them! The service was nice - it was non-denominational but it might as well have been Methodist (it was very similar). They close every service at the Army chapel with a benediction sung to the tune of Edelweiss from "The Sound of Music". Um, yeah - I think I may have found my place on the first shot!

After church there is a free meal - this week it was Subway sandwiches! At lunch I learned that Renee and Jennifer were going to be driving to Munich to go see a movie at the English language cinema. They had reserved tickets so, I couldn't go. I decided I wanted to just ride along with them and that I would explore Munich while they were in the movie. Two other girls, Vandi & Jenna, went with us as well. When we got to Munich, Jennifer and I went to park the car while the others went in to pick up the movie tickets. They ended up getting one for me too so I went to see the new Chronicles of Narnia movie in 3D. I haven't seen the first two Narnia films so it was a bit confusing, but it was enjoyable none the less.

I enjoyed seeing all of the commercials/previews before the movie. Many of them are the same as they are in the US but with German actors. For Example, the Windows commercial for their "Cloud" software/functionality where there is a family trying to take a picture and they can't get it right. Then, the mother says "To the cloud" and goes and edits the picture. Yeah, they had the same thing, same set, everything accept the family is more European looking and they speak German.

After the movie, we walked about half a mile to a Medieval Christmas Market. Bavaria (southern Germany) is famous for its Christmas Markets. They are outdoors and have lots of little stalls where merchants set up shops with gift items, food, crafts, and Gluhwein. Gluhwein, or Mulled Wine, is basically hot wine. I tried it - it was really sweet and not very good, in my opinion. Some people love it, others not so much. It's as traditional as hot chocolate here though - a winter must! This Medieval market was very interesting. Merchants were selling bows and arrows, instruments from the middle ages, lots of leather goods and furs... you know, medieval stuff. Christmas markets are usually "modern" and sell hats & scarves, ornaments, artwork, jewelry and other normal things. It was a very interesting experience at the Medieval market - it was packed with people and we got to see a fire spitting contest and a mini parade with Medieval street dancers. After about an hour at the market, we headed back to Garmisch via the autobahn.

See the Images below of us at the The Propylaea gate in Munich and then at the Medieval Christmas Market. It was dark so you can't see much but I tried to capture it!

Serendipities and the Food Service Weight Loss Plan!

2010-12-17T01:54:00.002+01:00

Today was full of small serendipities! Some have asked what I mean by "A Series of Small Serendipities" - my blog title. Well, serendipity is the development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way (Thanks Webster's). Serendipities are blessings, God things and divine interventions on my behalf. My life seems to be filled with small serendipities. Big ones come along from time to time, but almost daily there are small chance happenings that work out in my favor. Charmed life? Maybe. Too blessed? Most likely. Sometimes I do think it's too good to be true!

I've heard it said that having a positive attitude breeds positive outcomes. I don't always have a positive attitude or positive outcomes but, on the whole, I'm pretty optimistic! Today I was feeling particularly cheerful - positive results ensued. Here's what happened to me today:

I was up early this morning to go to a child abuse prevention training class in preparation for my volunteer work. The walk to the meeting was going to take me about an hour, considering I had never walked it before and had little clue where I was going! So, I was heading out of the guarded staff quarters where I live and had walked about a block when I stopped to let a car pull out of a driveway. The lady in the car rolled down the window and asked if I would like a ride. She was British and looked a little like Christiane Amanpour from CNN. I'm a fairly good judge of character and she seemed really great so I got in the car. Turns out I was right - she was awesome! She saved me from a long walk and from getting very lost and potentially being late for my meeting. Turns out she works in the conference center at the Resort (where I think I might like to transfer later). She gave me lots of helpful suggestions about future career moves, at Edelweiss and beyond, as well as some tips on life here and travel. Her name is Sue and she's my new buddy! It was definitely a small serendipity that I ran into her this morning!

So, Sue dropped me off at the hotel. Since I was much earlier than I anticipated I was able to get breakfast - this was great because in my rush to grocery shop yesterday, I didn't buy any breakfast food - oops! Then I walked over to the base/garrison for my meeting. There were only three of us in the class and the other two guys have been here for more than 2 years. After the class, they showed me around and offered lots of advice. And one of them offered to teach me how to snowboard and to give me a tour of the mountain on skis - score! Serendipitous meeting, I think so!

This afternoon I went in for my first day of work. This is a little less positive but, I'll put a spin on it at the end, don't you worry! Remember, I'm a consummate optimist! Alright, so the first day of work started at 3:30pm with a meeting with the Restaurants manager of the resort. He went over the basic HR stuff - time off, leave, harassment policies, etc - and gave us a tour of the kitchen. Then we went to work and now I'm in so many kinds of pain I don't know where to start! Want to hear me complain a little? Continue reading otherwise skip this paragraph:
<Rant> Today Ashlinn and I, the two new girls, were scheduled on the dinner shift. 2 people called in sick leaving one person on the floor who wasn't new. Talk about flying by the seat of your pants! Luckily, I worked in a restaurant the summer after my freshman year in college. I really thought this experience would never come in handy (Other than the understanding I gained of how difficult the food service industry can be). Well tonight I felt a little like I knew what I was doing. I already know the lingo and understand the pace and the fact that yelling isn't a bad thing at certain points in the evening. HOWEVER: we were basically doing two people's jobs since half the staff called in sick. I feel bad for our supervisor and the one guy who wasn't new. I'm sure we really stressed them out - not our fault, we are new but still! I guess this will make my next shift seem pretty easy! All of this was in addition to the fact that I couldn't sleep last night. The jet lag finally caught up with me - or maybe I'm just getting back on "Kacey Time" (Kacey time is the freak time zone where staying up until 3am every night is normal). So now I have aches in all kinds of new places! It will get better but it's not going to be a fun first few days! Also, I'm suffering a little from walking in the snow! You know how after walking on the sand at the beach for a few days your legs begin to feel a little sore in weird places because you are using different muscle groups. Yeah - the snow is just like that. I need a yoga class stat! </Rant> So what's the upside? Well, I think I did really well! Or maybe the supervisor is just really nice? It went swimmingly for sure. Though I'm a little sore from standing on my feet for 6 hours, I'll get used to it soon and, if I can do well in this position, it will be easier for me to be moved to another position that is more desirable. Also, I'm thinking working on my feet like this will be a good weight loss program! No eating for 6 hours while walking, bending, lifting... it's going to be good!

When leaving work, the one guy who wasn't new who had been working with us, offered to drive us home. His roommate is out of town for the week and let him use his car. Thank goodness for this! Otherwise it would have been a 45 minute walk back to my room at 10:00 pm in 4 degree weather. Again with the serendipity!

To sum it all up: My life is stinkin awesome right now, I'm happy as a lark and am certain that I am in the right place at the right time with the right intentions.

I'm not working on Saturday or Sunday so I'm trying to come up with something to do this weekend. I could continue to get acquainted with Garmisch but I could also go up to Munich or to Salzburg or something... oh the possibilities! I don't want to waste any of my free time! I have a to-do list I need to start hacking away at! Leave some comment love about what you think I should do this weekend!

Details

2010-12-16T02:14:00.000+01:00

I have so much to share and no idea where to begin! I think I'll just give you a run down of what I've been up to in a bulleted list format. Additionally, I've included some pictures from around town. I'm not sure of the names of the streets, mountains, streams, shops, etc. just yet, but I'll know one day soon! I'm still pretty lost here. Eventually I'll get my bearings but until then I'm walking around with a map looking like a tourist!

My roommate's name is Gina. She's from Michigan and has been here since August. I lucked up and have one of the biggest rooms in the complex. The bed is much more comfortable than I thought it would be, I don't have much storage space but it's adequate for the things I have with me. The room is warm (I have my own heater to regulate that) and there are two large windows that look out to a nearby mountain. I've been opening the window in the afternoon to let in the fresh air. It's SO nice!
My first night in town I went to dinner at a very traditional restaurant in Partenkirchen. The town where I live is like a mini, German version of Minneapolis/St. Paul in that it is a twin city. It is called Garmisch-Partenkirchen. I live in Garmisch but you can't tell where it ends and Partenkirchen begins. Anyway, the restaurant was in Partenkirchen and it was my first trip there. I ordered sausage and pretzels for dinner - why not? I'm in Germany!- and had a very large beer (Documented in the image below). It was different from, but comparable to, a Yengling (kinda, not at all really... eh?). Everything was great & it was a lovely first night. I went to bed at 11:30pm after having been up for 45 hours. I refuse to succumb to jet-lag!
I was issued my Post office box - SEND ME MAIL!!! Here's my new address:

          Kacey Swindell
            Edelweiss Lodge and Resort
            CMR 409 Box 192
            APO AE 09053-0192

I was issued my uniform and told my work assignment. I will be working in Market Station, a restaurant in the resort, as a waitress. The place is buffet style so - I'm not terribly certain what a waitress at a buffet does. We'll see. The work isn't ideal but that's the bargaining chip in this whole deal. I am getting my foot in the door with Uncle Sam, living in the heart of Europe, having ample opportunity for travel and personal growth ... so I'll deal :)
I was issued my Department of Defense ID - this process took quite a while but now I can go on any base in the world and have access to all kinds of benefits like the gym, library, PX, Post office, Commissary... If I travel, to say Italy, I can stay on a US base there and use their facilities too. This is definitely going to prove useful!

I did some shopping at the PX & Commissary - I now have plenty of pillows, a hairdryer, food and a Brita filter - the water here is not so great.
I signed up to do some volunteer work and it looks like I'm going to be coaching cheerleading for the 8-13 year old American kids who's parents are stationed here. It's not exactly what I was looking to do as far as volunteer work is concerned, but it should be very fun! Maybe when I learn more German I can get involved with some off base community programs.
I attempted to go skiing but ran out of time today. It costs $10 to rent all of your ski gear (including bibs and a coat if you need). There is a hill behind the lodge that is free. It's an easy blue, if that, but it's free and it has a lift. I plan to spend some afternoons learning to snowboard there.
I'm trying to figure out how to unlock my iPhone so that I can move it over to the German T-Mobile network. I have an iPhone 3Gs that is running on version 4.2.1 - If you are tech savvy and want to give me a hand here, I would greatly appreciate it! I already "jailbroke" the phone but now need to find a way to actually unlock it. There is a lot of conflicting info on the web about this process. I'd rather not hose the thing!

Ok, I think that's about enough - let me know what information I've left out that you need to know! Now scroll back up, write down that address and put something in the mail ASAP!! :)

I made it!

2010-12-14T14:53:00.000+01:00

It's been a journey but I'm finally in Germany. I had to come a day late thanks to the freak "Snow Storm" in the Southeast, I endured a few flight delays from Delta (as is usual in Atlanta), arrived in Munich where, for a moment or two, I thought my luggage had been lost (turns out the plane's cargo door had frozen shut and they couldn't get it open), finally got my luggage, found my ride and traveled by car to Garmisch. What a long 48 or so hours it has been! and it's only 3:00pm here! I will sleep well tonight, that's for sure!

It's beautiful and SO snowy - as expected! See the below picture from my bedroom window! I'll give a much more detailed update later when I have energy and a functioning brain!

Climb Every Mountain...

2010-12-08T09:11:00.000+01:00

"Climb every Mountain
Ford every stream,
Follow every rainbow
'Till you find your dream"

Or so sings the reverend mother/Boss-lady nun from 'The Sound of Music" (My all-time favorite movie!). What a great theme for a movie and for life - exhaust every resource until you achieve your dream(s)! Point taken - I'm working on it!

This film has been on my mind quite a bit lately as I prepare to venture to the Alps. I will be a mere 2 hours away from Salzburg when I arrive in my new/temporary hometown of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. "The Sound of Music" was filmed in Salzburg and is based on a true story that happened there. I once did a research paper on the fact/fiction of the movie - let me know if you want to talk details on the subject because I'm seriously a Sound of Music Nerd (Don't judge me... you have your quirks too!)! If you're the betting type, go ahead and put some big money down on seeing me on a hillside belting "The Hills are Alive with the Sound of Music" sometime in the VERY near future. It's pretty high on my "Easily Achievable European To Do List"!

This to-do list is a work in progress. I do hope to "Climb Every Mountain" while I'm there. Ok, maybe not every mountain but you know, I want to do lots of cool stuff! Here is the short list of things I would like to do:

See Salzburg - do all things Von Trapp!
Visit the Alte Pinakothek in Munich
Travel to Paris or Milan or Berlin (or all 3) for Fashion Week
Royal Wedding in April - be there, steal the groom before he says "I do", become princess, invite blog followers to tea party at my new palace!
Visit Rome at Christmas or Easter
Octoberfest (duh!)
BMWfest
Visit Wittenberg - Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the church doors here and thus began the Protestant Reformation... kind of a big deal...
Visit Berlin - Berlin Wall, Holocaust Memorial, Checkpoint Charlie, Reichstag and some of this random and interesting stuff ...
Go metal detecting in a battle area
Baden-Baden - casino, architecture, mineral baths (~~test own levels of comfort with public nudity~~ go in a swimsuit)
Visit the Black Forrest & buy a CooCoo Clock
Have passport stamped in Liechtenstein (Do you think they have any works by Lichtenstein in Liechtenstein? I would need to see that too...)

Like I said, this list is my easily doable list. I have much loftier goals but I won't list them for fear of not accomplishing them and having the entire digital world knowing my short comings! If you have suggestions for either my easy list or my "probably not going to happen but wouldn't it be awesome if..." list, please leave some sugestions!

Just wear it!

2010-12-04T21:57:00.000+01:00

I figured out how to photograph more birthday gifts... WEAR THEM! So here I am in my new Victoria's Secret tights and thermal top, 180s earmuffs, pink aviators, cream wellie liners (the rainboot's are old), and the hooded scarf with pockets!

I'm so ready for winter weather! Thank you to all of those who are helping me prepare for this!

Goodbyes & Great-buys

2010-12-04T02:04:00.000+01:00

I just experienced the world's best Birthday! I saw so many wonderful friends and was on the receiving end of an outpouring of B-day love. Last year I was a bit apprehensive about my birthday so, I wasn't sure how I would feel this year but so far, 25 is fantastic! I'm pretty certain that my impending move spurred elevated levels of emotion. I had to say goodbye to a lot of fantastic friends for a while-it wasn't easy. There were a lot of hugs and some tears... It's going to be a great year and it will fly by but it's hard, nonetheless, to part ways with good friends.

On the happier end of things, I made off with some sweet swag! My friends (and family) know me pretty darn well! Check it:

That's right! I can now use phrases like "Your outfit looks really cheap" (dein outfit ist echt billig), "No thanks, Meth isn't my thing!" (Nee Meth ist nichts fur mich) or "Shut your trap" (Halt die klappe), among other really offensive and potentially useful terms. Awesome!

Check out this precious houndstooth computer case! The red zipper/piping makes it the perfect companion for this Alabama fan and her MacBook Pro! Plus, it's big enough to hold all of my cords and things! Roll Tide!

There's nothing scandalous in that bag - just some really awesome tights and tops to keep me warm this winter. They are SO soft! I'm going to be one warm and comfortable lady!

I received a few very unique and sure-to-be-useful notebooks. The one that says "Traveler" is actually "A Voyager's Notebook" (this might have been a fantastic blog title now that I think about it...). I've never seen anything like it. It has tabs inside for: Itinerary, lodgings, restaurants & cafes, exhibits & events, markets & shops and addresses. It will certainly be handy. The standing notebook is simply amazing! My dear friend Amy gave me this unlined journal and filled the first 15 or so pages with pictures of us and our adventures together as well as extremely thoughtful notes. It made me cry!

I received a handful of other fantastic gifts too but, some of them were pretty hard to photograph (like the super cool hooded scarf with pockets or the uber festive holiday apron!). I am so thankful for my thoughtful and gracious friends! They made some great-buys and made my day very special!

If you noticed, I mentioned crying more than once in this blog post. If you know me, you know that I'm not much of a crier! This week is going to be tough and has already been a bit of an emotional roller coaster. Beware of the tears - they are on the loose! I'll try to rein them back in but I can't make any promises! I'll be back to my normal, stone cold, tearless self in a few days! :)

Fantastic Friends

2010-12-01T07:46:00.000+01:00

I am so blessed! It's a little unfair, actually. I have so many amazing friends that I feel I may be hoarding these great people. I hope everyone has the kind of support system in his or her life that I am fortunate enough to have! If you don't, maybe I could lend out some of my folks! On the other hand, you can't have them, they are mine, get your own (Just kidding...maybe...)!

If you see me in the next few days and by brow is furrowed, I'm not angry, I'm just in deep thought about how I can go above and beyond on some thank yous that I need to dole out! I find myself saying a lot of "Thank Yous" lately and I need a larger gesture, some word with greater significance, some grandiose nicety... something. "Thank You" is said too often with too little meaning. How do you convey that you mean it more at this moment than you did before? How do you make "Thank you for saving my life!" greater than "Thank you for holding the elevator for me!"? I'm looking for a solution that is better than a thank you note. Suggestions are both welcomed and appreciated!

P.S. I'll introduce you to some of my fantastic friends if you ask nicely :)

Thanksgiving Traditions

2010-11-26T06:39:00.000+01:00

I tried my best to take in all that is **Thanksgiving** today since I won't be home for the holidays next year (maybe "I'll Be Home for Christmas" will finally begin to resonate with me?). I woke up early and watched Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade while intermittently napping. I assisted with cooking, decorating and table setting. I ate more than is reasonable or responsible. I watched a little football and caught up with my family while simultaneously experiencing the unavoidable "awkward" that is our family. It was a very well-rounded, all-American holiday celebration! Though, I did have a little trouble getting into the holiday spirit with the weather being in the 80's...so strange!

After all of the Thanksgiving-ness, I hopped in the car with my friend Amanda and drove to Tuscaloosa for the Iron Bowl tomorrow. Going tonight will help us avoid the certain-to-be-intense traffic in the morning. Thanksgiving weekend just wouldn't be right without the annual culmination of the biggest rivalry in college football. The stakes are even higher this year as Alabama is the defending National Champion and Auburn has a real shot at taking the title this season. It's going to be a great game - Roll Tide and Happy Thanksgiving!

Bavaria Bound

2010-11-24T21:23:00.000+01:00

I'm moving and this time it's going to require more than a Uhaul to get my things and I to our new destination. I've taken a job through the Department of Defense and will be moving to Garmisch-Partenkirchen Germany for 13 months to work at Edelweiss Lodge and Resort. Edelweiss is a US government owned and operated R&R facility for active and retired military and their families. It is about an hour South of Munich near the German border with Austria and Switzerland in the Alps. By all accounts, it's beautiful. I'm not sure what I'll be doing just yet, I'll know more when I arrive, but I'm excited for this adventure and for the doors this will hopefully open.

I will be leaving from Birmingham on December 12th. Before that happens I have a lot of packing to do, some shopping (let's face it, I'm from Alabama - I'm not prepared for "real" winter!), visiting/goodbyes with friends, Thanksgiving, a Birthday, makeshift/early Christmas and who knows what else. I guess I also need to work on acquiring some followers for this little blog!