On Thursday several weeks ago, I was asked to help prepare for a dinner for some important guests from the States. Board members, vice president of international affairs and the president of the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, TX came to visit Ingersheim as part of their trip for the grand opening of the European Study Center in Heidelberg. My company and UIW are 50/50 shareholders of this new joint-venture, and came for the innaguration.
After having set up, Silke (one of my colleagues) and I anxiously anticiapted their arrival. They couldn't have come on a more gorgeous day. The weather was perfect, and the atmosphere at the castle was a perfect way to welcome our international guests. I had a great time getting to know the board members, and enjoyed talking with them.
The next day, Antje (my office mate and mentor) and I picked up Heide (the American who has been with the company for more than 10 years, and who is on maternity leave at the moment) and drove to Heidelberg after a half-day at work. We helped with some last-minute prep before mingling with the guests, and once everything was ready, we sat in one of the large halls and listened to some very interesting speaches as part of the opening ceremony.
Afterwards, the champaigne flowed (thanks to me refilling everyone's glasses) and everyone was having a fantastic time. It was a really great party with many important guests (all of the UIW folks, members of the press, the German government, etc...). The party that I had been helping plan since I set foot in Ingersheim was finally off and running without a hitch. It was great, and I think people really enjoyed themselves. It was great to see everything finished (remember when Christine and I went to help move furniture and cleaned?), and that all the hard work pays off. It was a great success! I met many great people, and look forward to hopefully keeping in touch with them!
Spread the word! European Study Center in Heidelberg, Germany is now open for business!
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Castles with Katja
One of the major bonuses of living over here and that I live so close to some good friends. It makes being away from home that much easier. It is amazing to be able to take a break from the hectic work week and überstunden (overtime hours) and just let yourself relax and hang out with your friends. Appreciation, I'm telling you!
Weeks ago now, Katja and I went to Schloss Solitude. No wonder, given it's name, because this place was pretty serene. Perched up on a hill overlooking Stuttgart is this palace. In 1763 Duke Carl Eugen chose the site in the heights, southwest of Stuttgart, as the location for the palace. Hard-pressed by the Württemberg Diet and the "Reichshofkammer" (highest court) in Vienna and cut off from an increase in political importance, the Duke poured all his strength into the building of this palace, which he oversaw.
Fun fact that the tourguide told us: Duke Carl Eugen fathered, they think, more than 100 children. Uniquely enough he was a ginger (red head), and at that time and still today there aren't many gingers walking around Germany. So therefore, whenever a new baby is born in this area and has red hair, it is commonly joked that he/she is a descendant of Duke Carl Eugen. (So Ashley, you want to do a little more research? Maybe you have Germany roots...!!!)
A beautiful day for some fun in Stuttgart...love living next to a big city, and love being able to leave it at the end of the day.
Weeks ago now, Katja and I went to Schloss Solitude. No wonder, given it's name, because this place was pretty serene. Perched up on a hill overlooking Stuttgart is this palace. In 1763 Duke Carl Eugen chose the site in the heights, southwest of Stuttgart, as the location for the palace. Hard-pressed by the Württemberg Diet and the "Reichshofkammer" (highest court) in Vienna and cut off from an increase in political importance, the Duke poured all his strength into the building of this palace, which he oversaw.
Fun fact that the tourguide told us: Duke Carl Eugen fathered, they think, more than 100 children. Uniquely enough he was a ginger (red head), and at that time and still today there aren't many gingers walking around Germany. So therefore, whenever a new baby is born in this area and has red hair, it is commonly joked that he/she is a descendant of Duke Carl Eugen. (So Ashley, you want to do a little more research? Maybe you have Germany roots...!!!)
A beautiful day for some fun in Stuttgart...love living next to a big city, and love being able to leave it at the end of the day.
Where's Waldo???
G'schwind Geht's!
And with that, my second month is coming to a close! I have been living and working here for two months now. If you would have asked me at the beginning, I would have said that I wasn't sure if time was every going to speed up. Not that I wished it would, but I have this feeling that all of a sudden, time has really started to pick up its pace. It is as if I blinked and it has been another month. Crazy!
I am getting more and more responsibilities at work, taking on more tasks and learning more projects. I'm quite happy about this, and am looking forward to delving into more projects in more detail. Who doesn't love good feedback, but the other day I had to produce a flyer for a faculty-led program that we put together for a university in less than a day. Ok, normally you want more time because it needs to be revised, professors need to give feedback, etc. This time we couldn't afford to have to have corrections. The prof needed it quickly, so it had to be good on the first try. No pressure. Right. So I worked my hardest at putting together a top-quality flyer, and TSZACK! Feedback: The flyer is perfect. Your team did an amazing job. I know I put you under a tight deadline. Thank you so much. Woohoo! That felt good, let me tell you!
There are many things that I will update about, that have been happening the last several weeks. Clearly there has been blog silence...for good reason! I've been out and about in Europe. Enjoy the pics and commentary. Hope you are all doing well, and enjoying the fall season!
Love,
Kerby
I am getting more and more responsibilities at work, taking on more tasks and learning more projects. I'm quite happy about this, and am looking forward to delving into more projects in more detail. Who doesn't love good feedback, but the other day I had to produce a flyer for a faculty-led program that we put together for a university in less than a day. Ok, normally you want more time because it needs to be revised, professors need to give feedback, etc. This time we couldn't afford to have to have corrections. The prof needed it quickly, so it had to be good on the first try. No pressure. Right. So I worked my hardest at putting together a top-quality flyer, and TSZACK! Feedback: The flyer is perfect. Your team did an amazing job. I know I put you under a tight deadline. Thank you so much. Woohoo! That felt good, let me tell you!
There are many things that I will update about, that have been happening the last several weeks. Clearly there has been blog silence...for good reason! I've been out and about in Europe. Enjoy the pics and commentary. Hope you are all doing well, and enjoying the fall season!
Love,
Kerby
Saturday, September 8, 2012
First Month Recap - 2.0
I have been getting increasingly busy at work, taking on more projects, and getting more and more emails. I'm networking with institutions in the U.S. and in Europe on a daily basis, and am thoroughly enjoying it. I'm settling in, and am glad that I feel like my time is spent being productive.
Productivity. Productivity is the catalyst for this blog. I've been so "productive" lately, that I completely missed blogging about the one month milestone. Now that one month has come and gone, I feel like I am getting more and more integrated into the office life and more accustomed to my surroundings. I have been in Germany now for 7 weeks. Just 10 days shy of two months in, and just over one month in to the new job.
I am learning more and more every day about the business, how things work, and am enjoying working in an international environment. Networking with American universities is quite interesting; some people are just a pleasure to talk to, and others treat you like you are a telemarketer. In reality, yes, we are a business. We are an International Education Organization. However, we're not someone trying to come in to your house and clean your carpet. We offer the best products and services (seriously, the students who participate on our programs get the red carpet treatment!) at the lowest cost. More and more universities are seeing that we have the knowledge and expertise to provide quality academic programs in Europe at affordable rates. These are all good things!
There are many new business ventures happening, and I am right in the middle of the action. I love it! We are working with some pretty big names in the "learning German as a foreign language" world, and I am thrilled to be a part of this team. I really enjoy working with my office mate (though she only works part-time, and in the afternoons I miss having someone across from me to talk to), and am getting the hang of how they run the business here.
One month down! More exciting stories to come!
Productivity. Productivity is the catalyst for this blog. I've been so "productive" lately, that I completely missed blogging about the one month milestone. Now that one month has come and gone, I feel like I am getting more and more integrated into the office life and more accustomed to my surroundings. I have been in Germany now for 7 weeks. Just 10 days shy of two months in, and just over one month in to the new job.
I am learning more and more every day about the business, how things work, and am enjoying working in an international environment. Networking with American universities is quite interesting; some people are just a pleasure to talk to, and others treat you like you are a telemarketer. In reality, yes, we are a business. We are an International Education Organization. However, we're not someone trying to come in to your house and clean your carpet. We offer the best products and services (seriously, the students who participate on our programs get the red carpet treatment!) at the lowest cost. More and more universities are seeing that we have the knowledge and expertise to provide quality academic programs in Europe at affordable rates. These are all good things!
There are many new business ventures happening, and I am right in the middle of the action. I love it! We are working with some pretty big names in the "learning German as a foreign language" world, and I am thrilled to be a part of this team. I really enjoy working with my office mate (though she only works part-time, and in the afternoons I miss having someone across from me to talk to), and am getting the hang of how they run the business here.
One month down! More exciting stories to come!
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Visitors Are Welcome Here
This weekend was a great weekend! Lots of exciting things happening around here, so let me fill you in.
So, two of my colleagues left this week. It was time for two interns to head home, after their six month stint. They both need to head home to finish their studies (which start next month). They both said that the past six months flew by, but they both had really great experiences and enjoyed their time working here.
So, with Christine moving out, and Myriam, my other room mate needing to find her own housing (as she has been offered a one year contract), that means I get two new room mates. Ha, ha, now I am the queen of the castle! Ok ok, not really, but in the intern's apartment I am! I welcomed two new room mates and colleagues on Saturday. They are Connie and Svenja. They are both from around the area, so I hope they they will know of some fun things to do on the weekends.
Also, and actually even better, Caitriona came to visit! Caitriona is one of my very best friends, and I am so glad that she lives in Mainz, not that far away, and was able to come down to visit for the weekend! We were very adventurous this weekend, and very productive!
Saturday morning we made fresh blueberry buttermilk scones! YUM! They were delicious!
And in the afternoon (after welcoming my room mates), we went to the Horse Festival in Bietigheim-Bissingen. This is a big festival that they have every year in the town. There was a carnival type atomosphere with rides and games, and fair food. Pictured here is Caitriona enjoying a curry wurst!
We also made it to the mall, and to the Swiss market, and even went to IKEA. We traveled far and wide this weekend, and I enjoyed every minute of having a good friend here. She showed me this awesome app that I downloaded on to my iPad that is like free TV, and it has all kinds of British and American TV programs on it. I am in heaven! Though I promise to still leave my room...!
All-in-all it was a great weekend, and I feel ready and able to tackle this next week ahead. I foresee a lot of work coming my way, but I am willing and able to handle anything that gets thrown at me. Sundays are my days to reflect, and I keep centering on one common theme: gratitude. Thankful for good friends, and the time spent hanging out together like the good old days back in Mainz. I am thankful for living in such a beautiful quaint place, and am thankful that I feel safe.
Enjoy the rest of your Sunday, and have a great week!
So, two of my colleagues left this week. It was time for two interns to head home, after their six month stint. They both need to head home to finish their studies (which start next month). They both said that the past six months flew by, but they both had really great experiences and enjoyed their time working here.
So, with Christine moving out, and Myriam, my other room mate needing to find her own housing (as she has been offered a one year contract), that means I get two new room mates. Ha, ha, now I am the queen of the castle! Ok ok, not really, but in the intern's apartment I am! I welcomed two new room mates and colleagues on Saturday. They are Connie and Svenja. They are both from around the area, so I hope they they will know of some fun things to do on the weekends.
Also, and actually even better, Caitriona came to visit! Caitriona is one of my very best friends, and I am so glad that she lives in Mainz, not that far away, and was able to come down to visit for the weekend! We were very adventurous this weekend, and very productive!
Saturday morning we made fresh blueberry buttermilk scones! YUM! They were delicious!
And in the afternoon (after welcoming my room mates), we went to the Horse Festival in Bietigheim-Bissingen. This is a big festival that they have every year in the town. There was a carnival type atomosphere with rides and games, and fair food. Pictured here is Caitriona enjoying a curry wurst!
We also made it to the mall, and to the Swiss market, and even went to IKEA. We traveled far and wide this weekend, and I enjoyed every minute of having a good friend here. She showed me this awesome app that I downloaded on to my iPad that is like free TV, and it has all kinds of British and American TV programs on it. I am in heaven! Though I promise to still leave my room...!
All-in-all it was a great weekend, and I feel ready and able to tackle this next week ahead. I foresee a lot of work coming my way, but I am willing and able to handle anything that gets thrown at me. Sundays are my days to reflect, and I keep centering on one common theme: gratitude. Thankful for good friends, and the time spent hanging out together like the good old days back in Mainz. I am thankful for living in such a beautiful quaint place, and am thankful that I feel safe.
Enjoy the rest of your Sunday, and have a great week!
A Fest is A Festle is a Fesht!
Any excuse to have a party, festival, champagne/mimosas, they do it!
Last Saturday Christine, Vanni (a colleague) and Alice and I went to a festival in a local town. The streets were filled with stalls selling all kinds of things from kitchenware to leather handbags. There were stands with all kinds of food (roasted nuts and chocolate covered fruit to name a few) and drinks.
All of the small side streets of this little town were filled to the brim with stalls and people checking out the goods for sale. Once we made it through the winding streets to the town square, we happened upon some singers.
It was really neat to see a different town, and to see the type of festival that this region puts on. There were all kinds of arts and crafts, and all kids of things for kids and adults alike.
Last Saturday Christine, Vanni (a colleague) and Alice and I went to a festival in a local town. The streets were filled with stalls selling all kinds of things from kitchenware to leather handbags. There were stands with all kinds of food (roasted nuts and chocolate covered fruit to name a few) and drinks.
All of the small side streets of this little town were filled to the brim with stalls and people checking out the goods for sale. Once we made it through the winding streets to the town square, we happened upon some singers.
It was really neat to see a different town, and to see the type of festival that this region puts on. There were all kinds of arts and crafts, and all kids of things for kids and adults alike.
Markgröninger Fest
Saying Goodbye
Even though I have only been here a month, it is already time to say goodbye. That is, to the two other interns. One being my room mate Christine, who I have really enjoyed getting to know and am really sad to see go, and Vanni, who I didn't get to know as well but enjoyed chatting with her in the office. Unfortunately the two girls' time here is done, with each going back to university to finish their degrees.
Christine and Vanni decided that it would be fun to have a going away party in the garden of the castle, so on Thursday we had a potluck dinner after work. The weather was great, and the food was good as well. Here are a few snapshots from the evening!
Christine and Vanni decided that it would be fun to have a going away party in the garden of the castle, so on Thursday we had a potluck dinner after work. The weather was great, and the food was good as well. Here are a few snapshots from the evening!
This is George (also an American, and has lived in Germany for more than 20 years). He is our IT specialist, and likes to give philosophical lectures. :)
A 6:00am Run Turns In To...
On Tuesday, Christine woke up in time to go running with me. We ran our 3 miles at a good pace, and watched the sun rise over the wine fields and the valley as we ran back to the house. It is great having a room mate that wants to come running with me, and that runs about the same pace I do. I am going to miss her a lot!
As we rounded the corner and turned up the last tiny hill before getting back home, we slowed our pace and as we approached the house, I saw our boss outside watering her flowers. This was just shortly before 7am, and usually I don't see anyone up that early. We said hello, and as I started to stretch she said, "Well, you girls are up early! Good for you! Oh hey, by the way, would you like to come with me to Heidelberg today to help move some furniture? We could use some help up there." I didn't hesitate one second, and said, "Yes! Sure! Absolutely! I would love to come and help!" My boss replied, "Really? You would? Great! I'll go call the guy who is in charge of the renovations and make sure that the furniture is coming today, and we'll leave the house about 9am!" Sweet! A chance to get out of Ingersheim for the day, to a bigger city which is very picturesque and beautiful! I jumped at the chance! I didn't care if I had to schlepp furniture, I was going to Heidelberg!
However, the first order of business was to take my boss' husband to the airport in Stuttgart. So, along for the ride we went. It took us about 45 minutes to get to the airport, and then another hour and a half at least to get to Heidelberg. We finally got to Heidelberg at about 11:30am, looked around the new European Study Center campus (in a beautiful villa owned by the family I work for) and made a plan. The furniture wasn't going to come until 3pm, and the boss had a meeting, so Christine and I were to make ourselves scarce. We were told we needed to be back shortly after 2, but no later than 2:30. That meant we had about 2.5 hours to go and explore! Yay!!
We got a sandwich from a bakery and strolled through the pedestrian zone, through downtown Heidelberg and enjoyed being in a big city. In Ingersheim there are no tourists, so this was a huge change. Everywhere you turned around there were tourists, and lots of native English speakers. It was quite a big difference from Klein Ingersheim!
After walking around and a shopping a little (didn't buy anything, though I really could have!), we made our way back to the villa. Once we got there, we unpacked some white boards for the classrooms, took some tape off chairs and waited for the semi-truck to arrive. We waited and waited, and finally we heard that the truck had gotten lost, and couldn't turn around on the narrow streets! Finally, somehow the truck ended up at the back entrance of the villa, and we unloaded tables for the classrooms. After that was done, I asked where the chairs were. Apparently the delivery company didn't know anything about chairs. It turns out (I found this out on Friday...) that the factory that made the chairs and was to deliver them burnt down on Tuesday! Looks like we won't be getting new chairs any time soon....
I vacuumed and mopped one of the classrooms, and Christine helped as well. Then the renovations manager said, "You two! Kerby, Christine, please go make some coffee. We are going to have coffee and cake! We need coffee, asap!" Good thing Christine new how to make it, because I didn't have a clue! Though now I can say that part of my internship was to make coffee. We had to go down to the basement of the villa (I don't know what it is, but German basements are the creepiest!) to make the coffee, which took a good 20 minutes to brew! Finally, we were able to deliver the coffee and cake to the meeting with the bookkeeper. Good little interns we were! (And we got to have a slice of cake, too!).
After all the washing up was done, Christine and I joined our boss, a colleague and one of the professors from the States, who had just arrived, for dinner in downtown Heidelberg. It was quite fun to get out of Klein Ingersheim for the day, and experience something new (though I had been to Heidelberg before). I got to see our new campus, and can appreciate bigger city living and also my little village equally. It was a long day, but a very good day none-the-less.
I"ll leave you with some pictures of the newly renovated campus, and the beautiful city of Heidelberg.
As we rounded the corner and turned up the last tiny hill before getting back home, we slowed our pace and as we approached the house, I saw our boss outside watering her flowers. This was just shortly before 7am, and usually I don't see anyone up that early. We said hello, and as I started to stretch she said, "Well, you girls are up early! Good for you! Oh hey, by the way, would you like to come with me to Heidelberg today to help move some furniture? We could use some help up there." I didn't hesitate one second, and said, "Yes! Sure! Absolutely! I would love to come and help!" My boss replied, "Really? You would? Great! I'll go call the guy who is in charge of the renovations and make sure that the furniture is coming today, and we'll leave the house about 9am!" Sweet! A chance to get out of Ingersheim for the day, to a bigger city which is very picturesque and beautiful! I jumped at the chance! I didn't care if I had to schlepp furniture, I was going to Heidelberg!
However, the first order of business was to take my boss' husband to the airport in Stuttgart. So, along for the ride we went. It took us about 45 minutes to get to the airport, and then another hour and a half at least to get to Heidelberg. We finally got to Heidelberg at about 11:30am, looked around the new European Study Center campus (in a beautiful villa owned by the family I work for) and made a plan. The furniture wasn't going to come until 3pm, and the boss had a meeting, so Christine and I were to make ourselves scarce. We were told we needed to be back shortly after 2, but no later than 2:30. That meant we had about 2.5 hours to go and explore! Yay!!
We got a sandwich from a bakery and strolled through the pedestrian zone, through downtown Heidelberg and enjoyed being in a big city. In Ingersheim there are no tourists, so this was a huge change. Everywhere you turned around there were tourists, and lots of native English speakers. It was quite a big difference from Klein Ingersheim!
After walking around and a shopping a little (didn't buy anything, though I really could have!), we made our way back to the villa. Once we got there, we unpacked some white boards for the classrooms, took some tape off chairs and waited for the semi-truck to arrive. We waited and waited, and finally we heard that the truck had gotten lost, and couldn't turn around on the narrow streets! Finally, somehow the truck ended up at the back entrance of the villa, and we unloaded tables for the classrooms. After that was done, I asked where the chairs were. Apparently the delivery company didn't know anything about chairs. It turns out (I found this out on Friday...) that the factory that made the chairs and was to deliver them burnt down on Tuesday! Looks like we won't be getting new chairs any time soon....
I vacuumed and mopped one of the classrooms, and Christine helped as well. Then the renovations manager said, "You two! Kerby, Christine, please go make some coffee. We are going to have coffee and cake! We need coffee, asap!" Good thing Christine new how to make it, because I didn't have a clue! Though now I can say that part of my internship was to make coffee. We had to go down to the basement of the villa (I don't know what it is, but German basements are the creepiest!) to make the coffee, which took a good 20 minutes to brew! Finally, we were able to deliver the coffee and cake to the meeting with the bookkeeper. Good little interns we were! (And we got to have a slice of cake, too!).
After all the washing up was done, Christine and I joined our boss, a colleague and one of the professors from the States, who had just arrived, for dinner in downtown Heidelberg. It was quite fun to get out of Klein Ingersheim for the day, and experience something new (though I had been to Heidelberg before). I got to see our new campus, and can appreciate bigger city living and also my little village equally. It was a long day, but a very good day none-the-less.
I"ll leave you with some pictures of the newly renovated campus, and the beautiful city of Heidelberg.
One of the classrooms
Interns in Heidelberg will work here:
The Library
Christine twirling in one of the classrooms:
Heidelberg city center
The Carl Theodor bridge over the Neckar river
Beautiful Heidelberg, and Heidelberg Castle up on the hill
So I've Been Busy
Hello!
Long time no blog, eh? Well, I have been busy, and haven't had the time or the energy to sit down and write about what has been happening over the last two weeks. I guess it hasn't been that long, but I have really been very busy. Don't think I haven't been taking pictures, and thinking about what my next blog would be. I really have, and am looking forward to sharing it with you!
Lets start by taking a look at last weekend!
Last Sunday, my room mate Christine and I made plans to cook lunch together. While she was on vacation with her sister and her sister's boyfriend in the Black Forest, she bought a special Spaetzle Shaker. This thing is so cool! It has the recipe for making these noodle-esque flour, egg and water noodles right on the bottle. All you have to do is add the ingredients like it says, and shake-shake-shake and voila! You have spaetzle! It is as easy as...
Then she invited me to come with her to Stuttgart to meet some friends of hers. We had a nice day out, and even on a Sunday, when everything was closed, there were still a lot of people in the city center walking around and window shopping. I was impressed!
We treated ourselves to a lovely piece of cake...yum!
Long time no blog, eh? Well, I have been busy, and haven't had the time or the energy to sit down and write about what has been happening over the last two weeks. I guess it hasn't been that long, but I have really been very busy. Don't think I haven't been taking pictures, and thinking about what my next blog would be. I really have, and am looking forward to sharing it with you!
Lets start by taking a look at last weekend!
Last Sunday, my room mate Christine and I made plans to cook lunch together. While she was on vacation with her sister and her sister's boyfriend in the Black Forest, she bought a special Spaetzle Shaker. This thing is so cool! It has the recipe for making these noodle-esque flour, egg and water noodles right on the bottle. All you have to do is add the ingredients like it says, and shake-shake-shake and voila! You have spaetzle! It is as easy as...
1.
2.
3.
Done! Yum!
Then she invited me to come with her to Stuttgart to meet some friends of hers. We had a nice day out, and even on a Sunday, when everything was closed, there were still a lot of people in the city center walking around and window shopping. I was impressed!
We treated ourselves to a lovely piece of cake...yum!
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