Europe + Pastries = Ambrosia

News Flash! Being in Germany is basically as awesome as it sounds. My travels have been quite limited at this point, but the pastries alone are worth coming here for. The other day I ate a glazed pretzel- that’s right, I said glazed- that had pudding in the pretzel holes… you know, the part of the pretzel on either side of the twisty center. It was delicious! Naturally I couldn’t help but return to the bakery, so the second time I went I got some sort of twisty, cinnamony thing; it was also delicious. So there you have it, everyone should visit Europe if for no other purpose than to partake of the heart-attack-inducing, guilt-ridden, delicious baked goods.

On another note, I actually did take my first “trip,” so-to-speak, this weekend. I traveled to Heidelberg, Germany, which is about an hour and 45 minutes on the train from where I’m staying. No, it wasn’t Paris or Venice, or anything quite that exotic, but it was a good way to break the ice and start my travels.

While I was there I saw the Schloss Castle, Heidelberg University, a church whose name slips my mind, and a few other attractions. The city was beautiful! I will post some pictures below…

Oh, and not to get tangential as is customary for me, but I think I might end up with multi-organ dysfunction while I’m here; not related to the deliciously fattening foods (although I'm sure they'll contribute), but to dehydration. Did you know they charge almost four dollars for a bottle of water at some restaurants??? Gone are the days of free water. Whatevs, I’m sure I’ll survive… even if I end up with only one kidney or a diseased heart. It’s all part of the experience, right?

Anyway, so far things here are going really well! I’m sure I will have many more travels in the future to tell tales of, but for now I say “tschuess!”

What I've Learned

1) My blow dryer won’t work in Europe without a transmitter? Transistor? Oh crapola, I can’t even think of what the dumb thing is called!

2) Apparently being a nurse = a lot of sitting around at a hotel while my nursing knowledge slowly seeps away.

3) Chips Ahoy cookies (preferably of the chewy variety) and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are true delicacies when your only way to cook food is with a microwave.

4) It’s okay to sleep until 11:00 or noon when you can use the excuse, “I’m suffering from jetlag.”

Side Note: I don’t know how long I can get away with this particular excuse.

5) AFN (Armed Forces Network) does not provide enough entertainment to fill a weekend.

6) The Army actually gives me way too much money for a house… What kind of single person needs enough money to get five bedrooms and three bathrooms? I guess that’s why I went to school for four years…

7) Being directionally challenged is bad in the U.S., but it’s worse in Germany.

8) English is NOT a Germanic language! I don’t care what they say, but German doesn’t even seem to resemble English in the least little bit.

9) LTs really are at the bottom of the food chain… I hate being called “ma’am” by enlisted soldiers and NCOs who have been in the Army for years because a) they know way more than I do, and b) they hate having to say it even more than I hate having to hear it.

10) Even in Europe the first question people ask when they hear I’m from Utah is, “Are you Mormon?” The stereotype lives on. And no, I don’t have three sisterwives and 36 kids. Geez!

11) I really do miss the United States; this includes fairly easy access to all of my favorite people in one way or another, and Cafe Rio on a frequent basis.

12) Too much free time isn’t actually a good thing… it leads to thinking, which I have found doesn’t actually benefit one who is a habitual worrier.

13) Laundry still won’t do itself. I’m working on this one.

14) Only being able to see a little screen with my face on Skype makes it much more bearable to use.

15) And finally… as hard a transitional time as this is, I must “bloom where I’m planted” knowing that pretty soon things will be awesome!

Whirlwind Week in the States

Wow! What a crazy couple of weeks it has been! I feel like I’ve been on a rollercoaster with no barf bag available; I only mean this in the sense that everything that has happened recently has turned my world upside down and I feel like I haven’t really had any time to adjust to anything. Hopefully things start normalizing pretty soon.

Anyway, I guess I’ll start back to when I first got back to Utah after completing BOLC.

The night I landed in Utah I got off my plane and waited for my dad’s flight to come in. There was no going back to Riverton that night; we headed straight to Logan for my grandpa’s graveside service. This was definitely not exactly what I would call a happy reunion with all of my family, but it was necessary, and I am grateful for it.

The morning after I got to Utah was when the service took place. Talk about a difficult day! As we were walking to the gravesite, I saw that my grandpa’s casket was already there. But I was doing okay for the moment because he was still in the hearse; I couldn’t actually see the casket just yet. So while we waited for the service to start, we mingled with many people coming to pay their condolences (kind of overwhelming, especially when you only know 10 percent of them). At this point, I was starting to realize what had happened, but in all actuality it was still a bit surreal for me. I mean it felt like just yesterday that my grandpa was giving me my Oath of Office; how could he be gone?

Finally, my brother, dad, two uncles, and two cousins went to get the casket out of the hearse. It was a solemn experience for sure. There was my grandpa’s body, in a casket, draped with a United States flag. Yep, that was it for me. The emotionless person I am was apparently no longer emotionless.

As the service neared an end I was given the opportunity to present my grandma with the flag on top of the casket. Now THAT was difficult. As I saluted the old man who handed me the flag, I turned to give it to my grandma and struggled to gain my composure. When I finally did, I was able to barely audibly, I’m sure, hand over the flag and say, “On behalf of a grateful nation, we present you with this flag.” I’m sure I butchered it, but really, does it matter? Being able to do that was one of the hardest, yet proudest moments of my life. As I often like to remind myself, it’s the little things. J

The rest of my week at home seemed to speed by all too quickly. After returning to Riverton I was able to see family and friends before I left. These were bittersweet moments. It’s always great to see the people who matter the most in your life, but that makes it even more difficult to say goodbye. I kept thinking to myself, “when do goodbyes get easier?” I feel like over the past three weeks I have had to say more goodbyes than a person should ever have to. And when my mom and sister dropped me off at the airport to leave for Germany I think it finally sunk in how real this all is. I had been saying goodbye after goodbye, knowing in the back of my head that it would be a while (for some, a LONG while) until I would see these people again, but walking towards the security check it finally hit me; I was leaving, to a new continent, and probably wouldn’t see my friends and family again for at least six or seven months… if I was lucky. Living in denial before leaving seemed so much better, but let me tell you what… when reality hits, it doesn’t hit softly.

So now, here I am, in Germany, carless, phoneless, and without a place to live. It’s tough. People say, “Oh, you’ll love Germany!” and I’m sure I will… eventually. But right now I’m in the transitional phase. I know that once I meet some more people and start making friends that things will change for the better. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m still fully aware of how lucky I am to be in Germany, it’s just going to take some getting used to. In the meant time, I still miss you all and hope that everything stateside is going well! Keep in touch! Emails, Facebook messages, etc. are always appreciated! And as the Germans would say… Guten tag!

P.S. I apologize for the lack of pictures. I will post more as soon as I can!