24 November 2008 - Monday

What can I say... it's Monday.

It started off bad since I woke up late. I am not used to the new alarm clock so instead of hitting snooze I turned it off. I didn't sleep until noon, but I did sleep an extra 20 minutes. So that was going to affect the timing I use to catch the right tram to work. After getting ready for work, I decided that I was going to 'downsize' the amount of stuff I take to work each day. My handbag had to go. I really don't need it, I think that like all women I believe that it is expected that I will carry one. So I got my 'money bag', the small zipper case that I carry cash and coin in (very little of both!!) and my keys and walked out of my apartment and took the lift down to the ground floor. I was just walking out of the building when I remembered that I did not have the case for my tram pass. That means I don't have a valid tram ticket with me. Knowing my luck, this would be the day that there was a 'fare cop' on board. The penalties are stiff and I did not feel like contributing to the tram fund today. So I went back upstairs to get it and it put me further behind to catch the tram.

Finally I have everything I need (I thought) and went to catch the tram. I normally have it timed so that I am at the platform at about 7:35. The tram gets there about 7:40 so I get to work before 8:00. That in itself is a big change from being at work at 6:00 in Moline for my daily meeting with the TCI programmers. So now it is about 7:58 and the tram would be there at 8:00. I round the corner of the building complex and see the tram about a block away. I ran to the street and frantically started punching the cross walk button. Here comes the tram, the platform is crowed with all sorts of young kids on the way to school, the light won't turn and there is too much traffic to just step out in front of it. Too bad my mom wasn't there. I always say that I take her with me since cars will usually stop for a woman with a walker! Finally the light turns green for pedestrians just as the tram is pulling up. I run across the street pulling my rolling computer bag. Of course the sidewalk here is not poured concrete, it is interlocking bricks so the bag will not roll smoothly and it gets caught on the side of the sidewalk. I almost pulled my arm out of the socket. Then as I run up onto the platform I see that the driver has taken pity on me and will wait but all of the students are looking at the strange person running for the tram. The only thing worse would have been if I had actually fallen.

So then I get to work and I reached into my bag to get my badge. It was not there. Of course it is at my apartment in the previously declared useless handbag. In Moline, that would not be a problem. I would just go to the back door of the building and tell the security guard and she would give me a temporary badge. Here in Germany there is no security at our building except for all of the badge sensors. So I stand in the lobby calling my coworkers and no one is answering their phone (because they weren't there yet). Then I thought about the secretary that gave me a temporary badge the first day I was there. Of course I could not remember her name! I really need to work on that. Perhaps that could be a development goal for me this year. At least they have posted an list of employees in the building, their position and phone number, in German. I started looking down the list and finally recognized 'secretary' and the name seemed kind of like I remember so I called her. I told her that I forgot my badge and needed a replacement but she hung up before I could tell her where I was. I could see through the window that she went to the other entrance and I thought that perhaps she would just think that I got in some other way and not come to my door. Finally I see her walk up to the door and I was so glad to see her that I started blathering on about all of the trials that I had gone through already this morning.

The rest of the morning went fairly well, I am working on documentation for program that I worked on 4 years ago but I like doing that kind of thing. About 11:45, Roland got up and looked at the menu for the week. I thought that I would impress him with all of the German that I learned Friday night from Detlev. That really only consisted of a few words from the menu that he went over with me, but I thought that I would just wing it. Well I recognized a part of some of the words but nothing was really what I had seen in the menu. So Roland and Guido told me what the options were. I thought that it was time for me to start trying some things that I had not tried before so I tried the 'big noodle'. Well it was not totally inedible, but it is not my favorite. It is a spinach on a large flat noodle that is rolled up and wrapped with another noodle. I was lucky that it came with German potato salad and that was very good. The cafeteria here gives you such large portions that even if you like everything it would be difficult to clear your plate. So I ate one of the 3 'big noodles' and all of my potato salad without getting anything on me which for those who know me would know is a major accomplishment.

After lunch I called the Goethe Institute and started the process of enrollment for German lessons. I will have classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays after work. They wanted me to enroll in intensive training, but that is 5 hours a day (8 - 1) for 5 weeks. I told them that I would not be able to do that because I work and the people that I work for are paying for the class. I will be having 1 on 1 classes because the next starting class does not begin until February and I would like to be speaking some basic German long before then. My coworkers are very good about using English when I am with them, but I feel that learning German is required since I am living in this country right now.

Next I called the person that will give me some driving lessons. They recommend that we take some lessons because of the major differences in signs and rules. The instructor asked me if I had much experience driving. I said not in Germany, but a lot in the US. I guess that 36 years would count as a lot of experience. He asked if I could drive a manual car and I said that I could but luckily mine is an automatic. We then setup a class for next Monday. If anyone is going to be in Germany next Monday morning, they may want to stay off the road.

The best news of the day was waiting for me in an email when I got off the phone with the driving instructor. My air shipment has cleared customs and the freight forwarder wanted to know if we could set up a time for delivery. I emailed back right away and set up delivery for Tuesday at 1:30. I can't wait!!!! I do wonder what the customs people thought when they xrayed my shipment. I have a lot of stamping/scrapbooking stuff in there. Those of you that know what I am talking about will laugh since the items are all fairly unrecognizable by a regular person. But anyway they put it through and tomorrow afternoon I will have my stuff.

Of course it is not everything. I have asked Amy to get me a couple of things and send it with the head of our department who will be coming to Germany next week. I sure appreciate everything that she is doing and hope that Duane will be able to get it in his luggage. Amy is going to try to get me a Vonage phone system so that I will have a Moline phone number here in Germany. I hope that she is able to work it out. I do miss talking to everyone and with the holidays coming up, I do want to be able to call and have people call me.

After work tonight I was able to get another week's tram pass all by myself. Last week Manfred went with me, but I thought that I would be able to handle it myself since I now had one that I could show the counter person and I would just gesture to try to get my point across. I am not one that talks with my hands, but Cathy told me Friday night that I should get used to it since it really helps her. Of course she is very petite and cute and I am sure that the gestures look much better coming from her. This time I was lucky, the clerk spoke some English.

I will be signing off now. It is 9:30 local time and I need to finish doing dishes.

Have a great day!