Reminders of Home

While I was in Paris I saw a couple of things that reminded me of my family! Hopefully you’re all reading this and know that I’m always thinking of you!

Mom- I saw this shop called ‘Cycles Jean’ it was a motorcycle shop so I’m not sure if you would ever own this, but still!

Dad- A guy on the tour bus was wearing a gopher colored hat & a t-shirt that says “Old Guys Rule” not that you’re an old guy, but it reminded me of something you’d say to a “butt-head” like me! :)

Leah & Beej- There are a lot of people who play instruments on the Metros to try and earn some money… Maybe you guys can try it next time you’re on the light rail? Also, a lot of bachelor/bachelorette parties here consist of walking around trains or cities and trying to get people on the street to buy things from you to earn money for your wedding/honeymoon—why didn’t you guys do this?!

Anyways, I just wanted you to all know that I miss you tons & am always thinking of you guys!! I LOVE YOU ALL!

Paris & the 4th of July

This weekend one of my life goals was accomplished: I got to go to PARIS! It was amazing! Since this weekend was the 4^th of July everyone on base had Monday off of work, including us! We all thought this meant a 3-day weekend so we planned on going to Paris. Unfortunately, we were wrong. It turns out that on Saturday there was a 4^th of July celebration on base that we were volunteered to work at…

Saturday: After getting a chance to sleep in (which is heavenly after a week of working with 1 year olds) it was time to work at the celebration on base! It reminded me of a typical celebration you would find back in the states with lots of fried food, carnival games, and live entertainment.  At the celebration I was signed up to work at the face-painting tent, which was HUGE! We worked from 5:30-10:30 and there was a never-ending line of children wanting to get their faces painted. Most were easy things to draw- butterflies or 4^th of July colored stars, or the flag- but a few things were not. One child asked me if I would draw a Chinese lake & sword…. I wasn’t sure what it was, but I gave it my best... I don’t know if he was impressed, but that’s what you get for having a difficult request!

Once we were done with face painting it was time for FIREWORKS! I was really looking forward to them because I didn’t get to see them last summer and man, these fireworks did not disappoint! I can say hands down that this was the best fireworks display I’ve ever seen! The entire show was like a normal show’s finale with non-stop fireworks! After watching the beautiful fireworks, we headed back to the place where we thought we were all getting picked up… Unfortunately we missed the memo that if you stayed for fireworks, you were responsible for your own transportation home. Oops! After waiting in line for the free shuttle for about an hour- we decided to call a director from one of the centers. Her and her friend were so sweet- they drove out to get us and take us home even though it was midnight! To make it up to her we decided to buy her some brownies and make her a card. Seems like an even trade, right?

Sunday: After a VERY short night of sleep, we woke up Sunday morning ready to hop on the train and head to Paris! Apparently we weren’t the only Camp A counselors were heading to Paris- there ended up being about 15 of us on the same train! The train left at 6:05 and after a long ride, we finally got to Paris at 1:45! The reason our ride was so long is because by the time we went to make a reservation for the non-stop train, it was completely full. I guess we learned our lesson for next time!

By the time we made it to Paris we were all ready to go out and explore! As soon as we left the train station we were greeted by beautiful old buildings and a gorgeous sunny day- what a way to start the weekend! After wandering around the streets of Paris for a while decided to call it quits and get a cab to our hotel. By the way, I learned in Paris that hotel is French for “large house”- you learn something new everyday! Our hotel was a ways out of the city, but later that weekend we found out that a metro would take us right there!

Our “home” for the weekend would be Hotel Cheap Beds. Leave it to me to book this place… It actually ended up being a pleasant experience! When we booked a 3-person room we expected 3 beds (as I assume anyone else would as well), when in reality that is not what we got. Our room ended up being a queen bed on the bottom, with a lofted single bed over it. Not your typical room, but it worked!

After getting settled into our new “home” we ventured into the city! Our first stop was McDonalds for some coffee and pop. I ordered a medium drink and to my surprise, a medium drink there is a child-size in the U.S. No wonder we struggle with obesity problems! After a long walk trying to find the train station (and someone who spoke English) we found our way to the Metro! It was only about a 5-minute train ride so definitely worth staying out of the city and saving a little money.

Our sweet ride

Just enjoying the audio tour

After a venture into the city we decided to look for maps & tours that we could take around the city. Well, we must’ve looked like total tourists or like people who really needed help because a lady stopped and offered us tour tickets. They were for the local “hop on, hop off” tours that take you all around the city on a double-decker bus. Her tickets were good for all day Sunday and Monday for the bus tours and the boat tours! She had originally paid 44 euro for each ticket, but gave them to us for 10! How lucky were we?! She was even kind enough to walk us to where the bus picks you up and to explain the whole system to us. It turns out you could stand at any of their signs around the city, and they would stop to pick you up! It was a GREAT way to see the city and I would highly suggest it to anyone traveling to Paris, as there is so much to see! The bus even had a little place for you to plug in earphones and they would explain the history of the buildings as you drove by! It was awesome!

Joan, Kayla & I outside of the Louvre

After riding the bus for a while we decided to get off at the Louvre where we heard admission was free for the day! Unfortunately we missed the memo that the museum was closed, but it was still fun to walk around and see such a famous sight! I was amazed at how big the museum was, it’s no surprise that people said you could go into the museum and spend a whole weekend there! After looking like total tourists (snapping picture after picture) we decided to mosey on our way! By this time the open-air bus tours had stopped for the night so we decided to “try out our sea legs”. By this, I mean we decided to do a boat tour as the Seine river is right behind the Louvre. Before boarding the boat we stopped at a local café for a bottle of French wine! The three of us split a Chardonnay and it was amazing! You can definitely taste the difference between real French wine and the stuff I (slash my parents- thanks mom & dad!) get at home from Trader Joe’s! haha

After experiencing our first of French wine, we boarded the boat to the Eiffel Tower. The ride along the river was so beautiful as we went as the sun was setting—how romantic! Speaking of romance, as we passed under one of the bridges we noticed it had locks on it. It turns out couples come to this bridge, put a lock on it & throw the key into the river signifying that they’ll be together forever. As luck would have it, right when we drove by we looked up and saw a couple getting engaged! Needless to say, us three girls let out an immediate "awww"

With our luck we got to the Eiffel tower at the perfect time, as we were able to see if while it was light out, and also at night when it is lit up. The Eiffel Tower is truly breathtaking and definitely a sight to see! It’s also definitely a tourist trap as there are venders walking around trying to sell miniature statues of the Eiffel Tower & also key chains. Truth be told, I was one of the sucker tourists and bought a few. Hey- you’re only in Paris once!

After getting roped into buying unnecessary souvenirs, we decided to venture to the Arc De Triomphe and Moulin Rouge. Both being excellent sights to see, especially at night! The Arc de Triomphe is surrounded by a giant roundabout so in order to get to it you have to go through an underground tunnel that was filled with history about the structure. Once under the Arc de Triomphe we saw the tomb of an unknown soldier honoring all that died during World War I. At the top of the tomb they have an eternal flame that is lit each night by a different veterans group. It was very moving and cool to see.
By the time we had done all of this it was time for us to venture back to the lovely Hotel Cheap Beds to prepare for another day!

Notre Dame

 Monday: As you probably know, Monday was the 4^th of July. But in Paris, that means nothing so it was off to another day of sight seeing! After getting lost for over an hour we met up with Brittany at the train station. We decided to jump back on the bus and head on our way to see more of the city!

Our first stop on the tour was STARBUCKS! Not exactly a cool Paris monument but was our first Starbucks since back in the states so it was much needed! After getting our caffeine fix we hopped back on the bus and continued our tour. When we drove by the Notre Dame, Brittany and I decided to get off and head to the top for the view! We only had to wait for about an hour for the tour and had some entertainment in line as this guy walked around in a mask scaring people. After waiting for only about an hour it was time to climb up to the top! Earlier in the day we found out that the lockers at the train station were broken so we had to climb up all of the steps with our bags. The walk up was quite the workout, but the view from the top was totally worth it. 

Crazy Notre Dame stairs

Trying to navigate the
small areas of Notre Dame
with my GIANT Vera 

Once at the top they let you climb inside the bell tower where Quasi Modo once lived! (haha) We kept joking that no wonder he was a hunchback because all of the doorways are tiny and we kept having to duck into them with our bags on our backs. By the time we were done with the view it was time to head back down and get back on the bus! Our plan was to take the bus back to the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe, but unfortunately we ran out of time and had to head to back to the train station. Luckily we got to the train station just in time to shop a little before we left! Brittany and I bought matching rings to forever remember our weekend in Paris! Overall it was a GREAT weekend and definitely one I will always remember! J 

The rings Brittany & I bought!

 Brittany & I in the bell tower

Camp!

As I am working on my blog I realize that I talk a lot about traveling, and not enough about camp. As camp is the reason I’m here, I’m going to try and include some random stories as I go. For this first entry, I’ll just talk about the center. As I said earlier, I am working on Vogelweh Army base in the CDC (Child Development Center). In the CDC we provide care for infants through two year olds. Right now there are only two year olds as the “intermediate care center” is under repair.

Every morning we get picked up in front of our apartment at 7:45 in a 15-passenger van. We ride with counselors that commute to Vogelweh Army Base and Kapaun Air Force Base. We’re all usually pretty quiet in the morning so our 15-25 minute commute goes by fast with reading and listening to iPods. The ride home, however, is a different story. Everyone is hyper from playing with the kids and everyone tries to tell their stories so it gets pretty loud!! In addition, the back of the bus is a ride no one could forget! The van exaggerates every slight bump so you are flying all over the place. It’s sure to give anyone motion sickness! Not exactly my cup of tea after an 8 hour work day!

The Vogelweh CDC itself is basically an ‘L’ shape consisting of two hallways with rooms labeled ‘A’ through ‘I’. Rooms A through D hold 1 year olds, room E holds two year olds, and rooms F-I hold infants. Since I’ve been in the center I’ve worked in various rooms, but mainly in room B with my one year olds. They are so adorable and totally have me wrapped around their little fingers!

My favorite part about the CDC is their philosophy and planning. I don’t know if it’s because I’ve never worked with this age before, or if it’s because this is an Army center, but there is so much planning that goes on! Every activity they do in the room ties in with the children’s cognitive and physical development. They need to take observations on all of the children stating what they have noticed and what the kids need to work on. Then, the teachers need to plan activities that correlate to each child’s need.

In addition, everything in the center is preparing children to be self-sufficient. All of the toys are at the children’s level so they are the ones to take them out and put them back. When we eat meals or snack, we eat “family style” where the children are encouraged to serve themselves and eat in a style that encourages socializing. Then, the children dump and clean their own plates. It’s fantastic! The other thing I love about the center is their use of sign language. They encourage children to use baby sign to communicate things like “more” “drink” and “all done”. This way the children can communicate clearly without getting misunderstood and getting frustrated.

Overall, I’m really enjoying our work at the center! I’ll keep putting camp updates in my blog with updates on children and activities! Stay tuned!

Munich

Our second weekend here we decided to go to Munich, Germany. Or, as the German’s would say, Munchen.  It took us about 7 hours of train rides to get there, so we got to Munich around 3! We immediately checked into our hostel (Jaeger hostel) and were ready to explore the city! My first hostel experience was a lot better than I was expecting! One of the most interesting things about our hostel was the fact that you got a “free welcome drink” which ended up being a shot, obviously this hostel is made for college kids! The vending machine in the lobby even had beer as an option. We thought this was super random, but fun so we had to try it out & I must say, it wasn’t half bad! The room itself had 2 bunk beds, our own bathroom and 4 lockers for our stuff. I stayed with two girls I knew from camp and one random girl who was traveling by herself. She was from Australia and had spent the last 2 months traveling Europe by herself! I couldn’t imagine doing this all on my own! What a brave girl!

      

Jaeger's Hostel

Our room in our hostel

After meeting our new roommate, we were ready to hit the town! We found a lot of shopping and a massive glockenspiel. We stopped for a while to watch it and it made me think of my parents who would have loved it! Apparently the area it is in is called the Marienplatz and used to be an old town hall, Marain Column.

After watching the glockenspiel and wondering about town, we made it to the Hofbrâuhaus House for dinner. It is a famous beer hall and apparently a former royal brewery of the Kingdom of Bavaria. Complete with long benches, men in lederhosen, a polka band, and giant mugs of beer, it was a very fun experience!! I got yet another meal of sausage and sauerkraut! I just can’t get enough!! Once we had finished the meal we continued walking in town to the Oktoberfest Museum. It was probably the most random & odd museum I had ever been too! It was on the top of a restaurant and was so tiny! Brittany and I (the tall girls) could barely fit through the doorways! But we had a lot of fun messing around and finding amusing things in the museum!

The Hofbrauhaus

Another German dinner: Beer, Bratwurst & Saurkraut

The "tall girls" couldn't even fit through the doors

Playing with the Beer taps in the museum

One of the most interesting things we saw in Munich were the bachelor/bachelorette parties! A tradition in Germany seems to be that the group of people celebrating dress up in matching outfits/t-shirts. They walk around and attempt to collect money for their wedding/honeymoon by selling nick-nacks or giving out drinks. Throughout the night we saw sixteen different groups- it was entertaining to say the least!

One of the many Bachelor parties trying to sell us stuff

On Sunday we got up early and went to Dachau Concentration Camp. It was one of the most unbelievably moving things I have ever done. It is so spooky walking around and thinking of this giant area being filled with people. It is so hard to wrap your head around. There was so much history in the museums and so many different stories to read, I was sad that we had to rush through it to make it home in time. This is one thing I think everyone should do at some point in their lives.

A memorial statue in the camp

The gate to the concentration camp with the words "work will set you free"

After a long weekend we were ready to get home! Unfortunately one of our trains was super packed and we had to stand/sit on the floor for the entire hour and half trip. It was brutal as it was really hot and really stinky! Us being the camp counselors we are sang camp songs and played games the entire ride, which really made the time fly by! We finally got back to the apartment around 10 and got ourselves ready for yet another week of camp!

Our First Weekend of Camp

After our first full week of camp, we were ready to relax and travel!

On our first Friday here four of us girls took a taxi into Ramstein Village. Our plan was to show up for a 9 o’clock reservation at Big Emma’s restaurant. However, it was a very short drive (about 5 minutes) so we got there an hour early. While waiting we decided to walk around and explore which lead us to find this Irish pub down the street. We all went in and sat down to hang out until our reservation. The pub was very American (American servers and lots of American music) but it was our first taste of German Beer.

Me and Kayla with our first German Beer!


Once at Big Emma's, we all ordered our food. Big Emma's is known for their GIANT portions, and boy, they aren’t kidding! Two of the girls we were with ordered HALF burgers that were the size of their heads! Imagine what the full would be! I opted for a more traditional meal getting Bratwurst, Sauerkraut, Spetzel and Beer. It was delicious and fun to have an authentic German meal! After eating we were all STUFFED so we decided to head home full and happy.

Me, Kayla and Brittany enjoying our first German meal at Big Emma's

Big Emma's GIANT half-sized Burgers

For Saturday we did our first day trip. We decided to go to Heidelberg, Germany because it was close and we were told it was a fun trip. The train ride there was about an hour and 15 minutes, which means I napped. J

Once we got off at our stop, we were overwhelmed with the wonderful sites of Heidelberg. It is a beautiful small town along the Rhine River and looked exactly what I would think of when I think of the typical German town. After taking some pictures, we walked into town and found our way towards the castle. On our way there we stopped at a little coffee shop and we all got coffees and pastries. I got a chocolate croissant and it was delicious! After scarfing down our food and buying a few postcards, we were ready to conquer the 300 steps up to the castle! It was quite the workout, but the view from the top was definitely worth it. We decided not to pay to go inside the castle, so we just walked around the outside. We stopped at the look-out point in the castle, and the view overlooked the entire valley. The view was breathtaking, and our pictures definitely don’t do it justice.

The view from the top of the castle in Heidelberg

After looking around the castle, walked down a different way to avoid doing the 300 stairs again. The streets were all cobblestone, which gets a little rough on the feet, but it was fun to look on the back roads. After making it to the bottom, we walked around the “tourist” area of town, which consists of shops and restaurants. There weren’t any local, small shops,  which was a bummer, just bigger chain stores aimed at the tourists. We walked in a few cool looking stores, but didn’t buy anything.

Once we were shopped out, we were ready to take a little break! We stopped in a small restaurant for a drink and a snack. By the time we were done chatting and eating, it was beginning to get late so we headed back towards the train station. On the train platform we noticed people speaking English. Turns out there were a group of American Army Men from Utah that were traveling for the weekend. It was interesting to talk to them & it sure made the train ride go faster!

Brittany and I in Heidelberg along the Rhine River

On Sunday we decided to be lazy & take a day to relax. We all slept in till eleven and then made coffee while watching the Sound of Music. A few of us also thought of this as a way to honor our dad’s on Father’s Day because they love the movie. I remember growing up and watching the movie with my family. Heck, I still do!! Later this summer we are going to Austria to do the Sound of Music tour so this was also a good way to get us excited! Well that’s it for now! More later!

My First Blog Post!

            Hello! If you are here visiting my blog, you probably already know the drill- I will be living in Ramstein, Germany for 10 weeks while working with the program Camp Adventure. Camp Adventure takes place all over the United States at college campuses such as Iowa State University, California State University-Chico, Florida A & M University, University of Iowa, University of Northern Iowa, University of Oregon, University of San Diego, University of Toledo, and Washington State University.

The idea behind the program is that college students (like me!) can travel the world while helping out children. We get placed on a military base and work with the children of military families. This summer I will be working on Vogelweh (an army base) in the Child Development Center (a.k.a. CDC) with children that are infants through two years old. I’ve never worked with this age group before, so it should be fun!

Hailey, Amy and I in our super cool camp uniforms!

            The trip here was relatively easy- a 3 1/2 hour plane ride to Iceland, then a 2 1/2 hour ride to Frankfurt, Germany. I got through the airport easily by following a retirement group that was going to tour Austria, Germany and Switzerland. Once I got through security, I ran into BJ! It was nice seeing once last familiar face before I left! Then, once I got to my gate I ran into two other counselors that were traveling to Frankfurt with me! It was nice to meet some counselors right away and I was glad I didn’t have to travel by myself!

Once on the plane, I sat next to a girl who was studying abroad from Norway. She had been in Minnesota for high school for 10 months and she cried practically the entire time because she didn’t want to leave her new friends. I wonder if that will be me by the end of the summer?!

The ride went quickly because of the free movies and extra leg room (I sat next to the door so I had an empty area to stretch out my legs). Once we got to Iceland we had just enough time to get to our next gate and board our plane. We got to board the plane “celebrity style” where you walk up the stairs on the side of the plane. It was cool to say I’ve been out in the Iceland sleet! Once on the plane we realized we were supposed to be in “Economy Comfort” a.k.a. Business Class. The staff was nice enough to switch us around and it made all the difference! We had extra wide seats, complimentary food/coffee, and hot towels. Talk about riding in style! We’re going to make sure we get the same treatment on the way home!

Once at the Frankfurt airport, we found our luggage (luckily all of our luggage made it safe!) and then met Kasee Fuller, our program director. She was nice enough to meet us and make sure we knew our way around the airport. We had to sit around in the Frankfurt airport and wait for a couple of hours for another group of counselors to get there. Unfortunately they never showed up (their plane was delayed and they missed their connection), so we sat at the airport for nothing!

After a very LONG travel experience, we finally got to our apartment. As I mentioned earlier, we will be living on Ramstein Air Force Base, which is the headquarters for all of the Air Force in Europe. Because of this, it is the second largest population of Americans besides the states, pretty cool!  Our apartment complex consists of all 28 counselors for the 3 sites around here: Ramstein, Vogelweh and Kapaun. In our individual apartment there are 8 girls sharing 4 bedrooms (2 in each bedroom) a kitchen, a living room, 2 bathrooms, and a washer/dryer. It sure is different from living with 60 other girls in the sorority! In my bedroom I will be living with another girl from Iowa State who is also in Elementary Education. Our other roommates are from UNI, University of California and University of Toledo. They are all very nice and normal, so it should be a fun summer!

Our bedroom at the apartment!

Ok, that’s enough blabbing for now! Lots more later including travel updates and camp stories!