So now that I have been here almost a week to get a feel of this place, I have a mixed bag of emotions. One thing I am certain of is that I will have to constantly remind myself of why I am here and what it is that I want to get out of my time in this place. I have decided to keep a low profile for the next month due to several reasons. First, it will help me out economically in the long haul and I will be able to cut down on excess spending. Second, I'm going to observe my surroundings and the people in it in order to learn the motions of this place and figure everything out. And third, It will help me plan out what the remainder of my year will play out like.
My Christmas here was completely uneventful, but not unproductive. I finished my first milestone of German on Rosetta Stone, hit the gym a whole lot, as well as continued with my learning plan in French. I joked with my mother a few days ago that I've been taking in so much foreign language that when I sleep I don't even know which of the 4 I'm dreaming in! I also spoke with many of my friends and family, and after speaking to Eugene my first big trip in Europe came to light. I'm meeting up with him and a few other people the last weekend of February in Barcelona. This is extremely exciting for me considering that it's one of the places I've always wanted to visit and learn about. I find Catalan culture to be immensely intriguing and fascinating. Before I left the States, I created a bucket list of places that I wanted to visit possibly during my first year here. On that list, amongst others were Gibraltar/Tangier, Brussels, Amsterdam, Stockholm, Lisbon, and Prague.
One of the advantages of the military is that you always know when you're going to get paid (the 1st and 15th) and also the exact amount of income you should expect in your check. After balancing out my finances past bills, savings, and random expenditures, I have decided to make at least 1 weekend trip every month to a different part of Germany or Europe. By this time next year, that would equate to 11 different trips I've made throughout the year, and that would be excluding any leave time (30 days paid!) Not too shabby :)
This week I only have to "work" 3 days, I get Thursday through Sunday off again. If everything goes as planned, the week will be a very lite one again, and I'll be able to bring in the new year with loads of determination and anticipation. Cheers!
December 27, 2010
December 24, 2010
Photos of my room from the day I moved in.
Just Arrived
My small walk-in
My desk
Kitchenette
Latrine
Uniforms are good to go.
Halfway unpacked.
Starting to look like a place to live.
December 22, 2010
Longest day of the year.
Yesterday was my first day at work. The awesome thing of it all is that because everyone is either on block leave, leave, or just on a half day schedule...practically nothing got done. I showed up to work at 0900, and was out by noon. The great thing is that I ran into one of the other guys that was in-processing with me at Fort Jackson, turns out he's stationed here also and lives on the second floor of my building. At least I know somebody now.
I've seen more of the installation now, whatever there is to see of it at least. It's extremely small, but I don't really mind that. One cool thing is that I get to walk through the heli-pads everyday to and from work and check out all of the Apache helicopters do their thing. Those are some bad ass motherfuckers. My unit seems to play things very much by the book, that means Ill go in everyday, do my job, and keep a low profile from there on out. At least people are very amicable and approachable.
There is talk of bringing me into the unit the right way tonight, they're taking me out to a nearby town called Bad Windsheim. I dunno what awaits me, but I've been warned to drink a lot of water until we go out. Some of the girls and guys here have several bottles of Grey Goose, Patron (my archnemisis), and JW Blue lined up, to name a few. Siiigggghhhhh. haha. Anyway, I'm off to the gym. I'm setting up my internet and phone tomorrow, will be able to call unlimited to the US. That's it for now. Cheers!
I've seen more of the installation now, whatever there is to see of it at least. It's extremely small, but I don't really mind that. One cool thing is that I get to walk through the heli-pads everyday to and from work and check out all of the Apache helicopters do their thing. Those are some bad ass motherfuckers. My unit seems to play things very much by the book, that means Ill go in everyday, do my job, and keep a low profile from there on out. At least people are very amicable and approachable.
There is talk of bringing me into the unit the right way tonight, they're taking me out to a nearby town called Bad Windsheim. I dunno what awaits me, but I've been warned to drink a lot of water until we go out. Some of the girls and guys here have several bottles of Grey Goose, Patron (my archnemisis), and JW Blue lined up, to name a few. Siiigggghhhhh. haha. Anyway, I'm off to the gym. I'm setting up my internet and phone tomorrow, will be able to call unlimited to the US. That's it for now. Cheers!
December 21, 2010
Willkommen zu Illesheim, Deutschland
After traveling more than 4700 miles, I have finally arrived at my permanent duty station in Illesheim Germany. First and foremost, I would like to apologize to everyone that I haven’t been able to get in touch with and update with my progressions. For the past 2 weeks I have been living out of my bags, all while being on the go from place to place. Nevertheless, I can finally say I’ve settled in and am almost ready to start my life anew here in Germany.
I arrived in Frankfurt very early in the morning of Friday, December the 17th. After a short period of in-processing into the Army’s European theater, I was notified I wouldn’t be able to get to my actual unit of assignment until Monday at the earliest due to severe weather conditions. Consequently, we were then bussed over to Wiesbaden (pronounced VEES-BAHDIN), which is a very affluent town about 25 minutes west of Frankfurt. Ironically enough, Wiesbaden is the city in which I would have loved to gotten stationed in because of the aesthetics of the community and it’s geographic location. Word around the Army has it that Wiesbaden is arguably the best place to be stationed in Germany, and our first night there attested to the fact.
When we arrived in our hotel in Wiesbaden, I decided to room with a guy I became good buds with while at Fort Jackson. Although Evans is black and from South Carolina, we hit it off quickly due to similarities in our personalities like our extroverted ways. Once settled in, we agreed to make the best out of our weekend snowed in, so we walked over to a nearby convenience shop and bought a handle of Brandy. We had convinced ourselves that Friday night would be an epic one as it was our first night in Germany, so when we got back to our room, we went upstairs and invited a few guys to join us for a pre-game at our spot and then eventually wander off into town. That was exactly what we did.
Around 2300 we made our way out and stumbled throughout a town we had no knowledge or bearing but still managed to get around. Only after a few minutes of walking around, we approached a small group of kids to ask for directions to any place we could crash. Turns out these 2 guys and a girl knew not a single word of English, but were from la Republica Dominicana and spoke perfect German and Spanish. Needless to say, the language barrier was no longer an issue for obvious reasons and they were more than happy to take us in and show us around. We walked in the heavy snow going from bar to bar until we found a spot we felt was good enough. The small venue was a hooka bar named Sahara, and upon entering, our group got the party started.
Sahara is a cozy and an almost too clustered place, so when we walked towards the bar we could face every single one of the tables filled with groups of people. As stated previously, Evans and I were determined to make the best of our night so we instinctively scoped out the table with the best looking girls. With no hesitation, we made our way to a table of 5 girls and invited ourselves into their dynamic with an irrelevant introduction. All of the cards were falling in place, and after about 2 minutes Evans got distracted and went back to the table where our group was hanging out. I spent the remainder of my night talking up the hottest girl of the bunch, her name was Vika (short for Viktoria.) The best part of it was that of all her little friends she was by far the most receptive. Bingo. I think she bit the dust after I made her laugh hysterically when I recited the story of a time I shit my pants last year. It always works :) I’ve already told some of you what the remainder of the night was like, so I’ll leave it at that.
After a successful night of interaction, conversation, and everything else…we spent the remainder of our weekend sight-seeing and mostly wandering about waiting for news of our departure. While my time in Wiesbaden was fun, it could’ve still been much better. I’ve definitely got unfinished business. Monday morning came around with good news, we were going to arrive at our duty stations. The rest of the day was all about moving all of our shit from place to place again, until we finally got on a bus around 1400 and made our way. For a trip that should have taken only 2 hours, I arrived in Illesheim about 3 hours later due to the heavy snowfall and dangerous road conditions.
I didn’t really know what to expect when I arrived here. It was difficult to get a good glimpse of what this base looks like because it was already dark out when I got here, but I get the sense that everything I read about it being extremely small is true. Furthermore, it truly is in the middle of nowhere. More in-processing awaited me inside my company headquarters, but after meeting my First Sergeant and a few other soldiers that I’ll be working with in my shop, I get the sense this place might not be too bad. A little bit of good news, I’m thrilled to have my own room as the whole trip leading up to this point I was under the impression I would have to share a room with someone else. The barracks are very similar to college dorms. I will post pictures of my room as it was when I first stepped into it for you all to see.
In my room I have a small bed, desk, two bed tables, and a small walk-in closet with plenty of room to fit everything I brought with me and the things that will follow. There is also a small kitchenette equipped with a sink, cabinets, microwave, and a medium sized refrigerator. My bathroom connects with the room next door, but fortunately it is pretty well sized and clean so I do not foresee any issues living here. I spoke for a little bit with one of the soldiers I’ll be working with, he told me about what my work days might be like here, traveling and getting around, deployments, and a few other things. Just to touch base on these very quickly…when the holidays are over, I should expect to work 5 days a week, PT everyday at 0630, but the work days won’t be strenuous or anything. I am located (driving distance) only 30 minutes from Ansbach, 40 minutes from Nuremberg, and 1 ½ hours from Munich. We also don’t expect to deploy until 2012, but of course that’s always up in the air…and not too sure if it will pertain to me if I do end up going OCS.
Tomorrow (Tuesday) my first hit time is 0900 for more in-processing and other stuff, apparently that should take up about 2 days since we also have to drive up to a nearby town to do some of it. More updates to come soon, but until then everything is starting to take shape. My apologies for the length of this post, but I’m trying to fill you guys in with brief but concise details. Thanks for reading! Life is good.
December 15, 2010
Attractions
Welcome back to the Army. Bumps on the road are frequent and should always be expected when you're a grunt, that's one thing I've made sure to learn. It's not like I had forgotten this in the few months of my break in service, but I guess this is just a reminder. As of this morning, I was not going to be leaving to Germany tomorrow. This may be different now. Drive on.
These past few days have also been a reminder of other reasons why I am happy to have come back into the military, for example: the people I serve with. While the other 21 guys I'm currently stuck with come from all walks of life, the good ones outweigh the shit bags. That, by the way, is a compiment to the ones I like and as you know, I go easy on the compliments. Last night before I went to bed I had a very strong connection/conversation with one of the guys staying in my room. Secor is a very amicable and approachable guy from Florida. He's 24, married, and alhtough he's going through a difficult divorce he's still a father to 2 boys. One of the boys is his, the other he's not sure of but doesn't want to find out because he says he loves him just as much. To make matters worse, the kid is autistic. I've only known the guy for about a week, but he's genuinely one of the most sincere and friendliest persons I have met in a very long time. While he told me of all his pains, issues, and his toxic marriage back home it was clear to me that under all of the emotions and personality that he wears on his sleeves there is an immense amount of heartbreak and disappointment. It was especially evident when the dude shed a few tears at the thought of this autistic child not being his son.
At this point I felt like a real dick because of all the things I sometimes complain about and refer to as problems. I was lost and had to think of something to tell this guy. You know, it's funny how things work out sometimes; a few months ago Eugene introduced me to the Law of Attraction, and at the time I found it to be somewhat elementary and lacking in complexity, but after some self-identification and time alone with myself I have reconsidered. Secor explained that all of his life, just about every single one of his 'friendships' and relationships have been complete busts. He felt as though he brought it upon himself. Instinctively, I began to explain to him this law and how it declares that any energy in our lives, be it positive or negative, is energy we attract to ourselves. I told him that perhaps what he considered to be bad fortune could actually be a product of the things and the people he surrounds himself with and that it might be a good idea to reevaluate the people he wants to have in his life. Although things may seem like they're constantly taking a wrong turn, ultimately we control where it is that our lives are going, and that the only way to steer it in the right direction is to know what it is what we want and to make sure we achieve these things for ourselves, otherwise no one will care to do it for us. After hearing this, his emotions quickly yielded to thought and reasoning and he said he had never really though of his life in such a way.
Although it felt like I was counseling this guy, the advice definitely resonated both ways. This is something that I have been striving to achieve in my life lately. You may recall my post about a week ago about the things I would like to achieve in the not-so-distant future. I'm doing this to actively and continuously work on the development of myself, even though around here it feels like there is small support from my surroundings. I recognize that there are some things about myself I could never change, even if I wanted to. Some include my comedic and eccentric ways, my extroverted confidence, and also my outward and upfront personality. 3 days ago, one of the females that is in our building told me there is nothing subtle about me. Be it as it may. Nevertheless, I am and have been actively trying to fix/adjust many things about myself for the past 2 years that I know will only behoove me as an individual. I can honestly say that although at times I feel like I have a long way to go, it feels really good when you can help someone through a difficult time in their lives, boost them up, and make them feel better...if only for a little while.
Update: I leave tomorrow finally.
These past few days have also been a reminder of other reasons why I am happy to have come back into the military, for example: the people I serve with. While the other 21 guys I'm currently stuck with come from all walks of life, the good ones outweigh the shit bags. That, by the way, is a compiment to the ones I like and as you know, I go easy on the compliments. Last night before I went to bed I had a very strong connection/conversation with one of the guys staying in my room. Secor is a very amicable and approachable guy from Florida. He's 24, married, and alhtough he's going through a difficult divorce he's still a father to 2 boys. One of the boys is his, the other he's not sure of but doesn't want to find out because he says he loves him just as much. To make matters worse, the kid is autistic. I've only known the guy for about a week, but he's genuinely one of the most sincere and friendliest persons I have met in a very long time. While he told me of all his pains, issues, and his toxic marriage back home it was clear to me that under all of the emotions and personality that he wears on his sleeves there is an immense amount of heartbreak and disappointment. It was especially evident when the dude shed a few tears at the thought of this autistic child not being his son.
At this point I felt like a real dick because of all the things I sometimes complain about and refer to as problems. I was lost and had to think of something to tell this guy. You know, it's funny how things work out sometimes; a few months ago Eugene introduced me to the Law of Attraction, and at the time I found it to be somewhat elementary and lacking in complexity, but after some self-identification and time alone with myself I have reconsidered. Secor explained that all of his life, just about every single one of his 'friendships' and relationships have been complete busts. He felt as though he brought it upon himself. Instinctively, I began to explain to him this law and how it declares that any energy in our lives, be it positive or negative, is energy we attract to ourselves. I told him that perhaps what he considered to be bad fortune could actually be a product of the things and the people he surrounds himself with and that it might be a good idea to reevaluate the people he wants to have in his life. Although things may seem like they're constantly taking a wrong turn, ultimately we control where it is that our lives are going, and that the only way to steer it in the right direction is to know what it is what we want and to make sure we achieve these things for ourselves, otherwise no one will care to do it for us. After hearing this, his emotions quickly yielded to thought and reasoning and he said he had never really though of his life in such a way.
Although it felt like I was counseling this guy, the advice definitely resonated both ways. This is something that I have been striving to achieve in my life lately. You may recall my post about a week ago about the things I would like to achieve in the not-so-distant future. I'm doing this to actively and continuously work on the development of myself, even though around here it feels like there is small support from my surroundings. I recognize that there are some things about myself I could never change, even if I wanted to. Some include my comedic and eccentric ways, my extroverted confidence, and also my outward and upfront personality. 3 days ago, one of the females that is in our building told me there is nothing subtle about me. Be it as it may. Nevertheless, I am and have been actively trying to fix/adjust many things about myself for the past 2 years that I know will only behoove me as an individual. I can honestly say that although at times I feel like I have a long way to go, it feels really good when you can help someone through a difficult time in their lives, boost them up, and make them feel better...if only for a little while.
Update: I leave tomorrow finally.
December 11, 2010
Good News/Bad News.
Thursday was an entirely tiring and unnecessarily long day! I only got an hour of sleep the night before, and spent the remainder of the day processing in Baltimore and flying down to Columbia, S.C. Traveled distance so far is over 460 miles. I fully expect the milage count after I arrive at my duty station to be well into the thousands. Duh.
Anyways, Ill keep this short as I'm extremely tired and have a few things to take care of before racking out. I'm currently in South Carolina at Fort Jackson, the place I originally began my military career. When I graduated from basic training, I NEVER thought I would ever end up back here again...the world takes some funny turns. It's been really strange walking through some of the places I have strong memories of. Today I was being seen by the dentist, and just by looking down a hallway I somehow recognized being in 6 years ago, I had something like a flashback happen in my head. I instantly remembered lining up in that hallway waiting for some X-RAYS to be administered. I remember I was joking around with my newly-made friend at the time Matt Beyerlein. We ended up becoming really close friends throughout all of basic training. A few months after we graduated I had gotten bad news from a mutual friend/graduate that Matt had died in a horrible car accident in Fort Benning, G.A. while training up for his deployment to Iraq. The news hit me hard at the time, and the memory of my once good friend made me feel something really special today. I hope you now rest in the peace you never had at home man, this world was a better place with you in it.
Moving on. The good news is that everything is going just fine, and my final destination in Europe should become reality in a few days. The bad news is that it's going to take a few days. I'm here with about 21 other guys that are in a similar situation as me, apparently they'll all be stationed in Germany. When we get to Germany, we will then be sold out to different units across the country and the continent, like the cheap whores that we are :-)
I have a few things to take care of tomorrow early in the morning, but after that I have the weekend off and am free to go into town, roam around, and do my thing. We'll be going full throttle again come Monday, and we are expecting to fly out of here on the 16th. Clearly, this is a little longer than I expected, but it's not all bad. Just a bump on the road. Tomorrow I'll be calling some of you and elaborating on some further details, and will answer whatever questions you may have. That's all for now.
Anyways, Ill keep this short as I'm extremely tired and have a few things to take care of before racking out. I'm currently in South Carolina at Fort Jackson, the place I originally began my military career. When I graduated from basic training, I NEVER thought I would ever end up back here again...the world takes some funny turns. It's been really strange walking through some of the places I have strong memories of. Today I was being seen by the dentist, and just by looking down a hallway I somehow recognized being in 6 years ago, I had something like a flashback happen in my head. I instantly remembered lining up in that hallway waiting for some X-RAYS to be administered. I remember I was joking around with my newly-made friend at the time Matt Beyerlein. We ended up becoming really close friends throughout all of basic training. A few months after we graduated I had gotten bad news from a mutual friend/graduate that Matt had died in a horrible car accident in Fort Benning, G.A. while training up for his deployment to Iraq. The news hit me hard at the time, and the memory of my once good friend made me feel something really special today. I hope you now rest in the peace you never had at home man, this world was a better place with you in it.
Moving on. The good news is that everything is going just fine, and my final destination in Europe should become reality in a few days. The bad news is that it's going to take a few days. I'm here with about 21 other guys that are in a similar situation as me, apparently they'll all be stationed in Germany. When we get to Germany, we will then be sold out to different units across the country and the continent, like the cheap whores that we are :-)
I have a few things to take care of tomorrow early in the morning, but after that I have the weekend off and am free to go into town, roam around, and do my thing. We'll be going full throttle again come Monday, and we are expecting to fly out of here on the 16th. Clearly, this is a little longer than I expected, but it's not all bad. Just a bump on the road. Tomorrow I'll be calling some of you and elaborating on some further details, and will answer whatever questions you may have. That's all for now.
December 9, 2010
The much anticipated day has come and gone
Wow, what else can I say about December 8th, 2010? It will certainly be a day I won't soon forget. So much excitement, happiness, loneliness, restlessness, wondering, and comforting along with a whole other assortment of emotions all wrapped up in one day. I had made it my goal to try to make the day as easy as possible for my mother and to make sure she could handle the emotions positively. I hope I succeeded.
My day began with waking up early in the morning with my mother to go to church. She's an avid church goer, I am not, but I knew that it would mean an immense amount if I asked her to go with me. I think that she enjoyed it. We attended the morning mass at a nearby church from where I grew up named St. Martin de Tours, some of you may know of it. It had been a very long time since the last time I stepped foot in a church, and even longer since I had been to this one. We sat down towards the front of the church, which I found to be especially creepy. At the top of the alter there is this statue-like Jesus hanging while nailed to a cross; the artist did an amazing job at conveying the feelings of pain this dude must have gone through as his face looked to be in agony, but the best part about it is that his head and eyes are tilted to make it seem as if he's starring right at you. The whole time I felt as though I was sitting at a principal's office after getting in trouble and waiting to be handed a punishment. Rightfully so?
It seemed to be quite the coincidence, the preacher's sermon was about the importance of celebrating mothers as he related it to the Virgin Mary. After he ranted on for about 20 minutes, I felt like the biggest sack of shit on the face of the earth, but nevertheless, who am I kidding? All in all, I was extremely impressed with his delivery and conviction as a public speaker. I really didn't hurt all THAT much to sit in there for about an hour, especially because I knew it meant a lot to mom. When the service finished, I knew it was time to truly start my day. I then began running a few errands in order to make sure everything was ready to go so I could be on my way. TJ came over to watch me pack my last few things, and once noon came around we drove over to my uncles house where several of my family members were getting together to host a 'goodbye' lunch for me. It was my last home cooked meal, and holy shit was it ever delicious! That was definitely a good way to send me off. I felt like the bad news bearer as after having lunch and conversation for about an hour with everyone it was time to say farewell, almost everyone cried haha.
Perhaps one of the best parts of today was the fact that it was a small reminder to me that I actually have a place to call home and many people that care for me. I am extremely fortunate and privileged to be able to say that, and I mean it with all my heart as I will be missing everyone in my own little way. After lunch I went back to mom's one last time to triple check I had everything, upon conformation, we loaded up and drove me to my recruiter's office to drop off my bags. We were given about an hour to grab coffee somewhere, we did, TJ left, and then it as just my mother and I. She drove me back to the station. This was the hardest part...
After awhile, my sergeant drove me to my current location where it is currently 1:34AM. I woke up about 2 hours ago after being able to sleep for only an hour and a half. I've been tossing and turning ever since and thinking about a million things at once. I continuously come up with various scenarios about how my life could possibly play out these coming months, and the only thing I'm left with afterwards are even more questions. Maybe I just need to stop thinking so much, or maybe....I don't know. What I do know is that I have a list of things I would like to accomplish in the near future and it goes something like this (in no particular order):
-Immerse myself as much as possible in the culture of whatever country I end up in.
-Learn my 4th language, proficiently.
-Save up as much money as I can, while at the same time making smart investments for myself.
-Find a local bar I like, frequent that bar (not too much), become familiar with the regulars and staff.
-Surround myself with positivity, and positivity only.
-Get back to the best shape of my life: Achieve a sound mind, sound soul, sound body.
-Make countless friends who I can learn from and will assist me in developing as a person.
-Find a Masters program I feel comfortable with, begin my Masters degree.
-Visit as many places possible on my travel list.
-Take care of my family, even from afar.
-Maintain an open-mind while exerting who I am and the many things I offer onto the world around me.
Just a quick list of the many things I have in mind. I know many of you are wondering what's next. It is now 1:50AM. I have to wake up at 4:30AM to get my day started. I will go in to do my processing in the morning, do my oath, and get to the airport sometime later in the day. If all goes well and as planned, at this time tomorrow I will be in Columbia, SC to do some further processing (and hopefully sleeping!) There I will have to go through some medical screenings and shit to have some shots administered, do even more paperwork, get my finances squared away (NIGGA GOTTA EAT!) hopefully find out exactly where I'm going, and a series of other bureaucratic things. When I'm done at Fort Jackson, I fly off to Europe and things begin anew.
I would like to tell those of you that I wasn't able to see before I left, sorry...maybe next time? If I didn't talk to you, I probably wasn't able to for whatever reason, and maybe didn't want to or didn't care to (except you Ly! I called you tonight and I saw you returned my call but I was asleep.) Most importantly, my sincerest appreciation to my closest friends and family that made my transition as easy as it was and who took time to see me off. It means a million and I'm excited to come back to you all with many experiences and stories to share. Thanks for reading, I'll update as soon as I can!
-WanderingTerp
My day began with waking up early in the morning with my mother to go to church. She's an avid church goer, I am not, but I knew that it would mean an immense amount if I asked her to go with me. I think that she enjoyed it. We attended the morning mass at a nearby church from where I grew up named St. Martin de Tours, some of you may know of it. It had been a very long time since the last time I stepped foot in a church, and even longer since I had been to this one. We sat down towards the front of the church, which I found to be especially creepy. At the top of the alter there is this statue-like Jesus hanging while nailed to a cross; the artist did an amazing job at conveying the feelings of pain this dude must have gone through as his face looked to be in agony, but the best part about it is that his head and eyes are tilted to make it seem as if he's starring right at you. The whole time I felt as though I was sitting at a principal's office after getting in trouble and waiting to be handed a punishment. Rightfully so?
It seemed to be quite the coincidence, the preacher's sermon was about the importance of celebrating mothers as he related it to the Virgin Mary. After he ranted on for about 20 minutes, I felt like the biggest sack of shit on the face of the earth, but nevertheless, who am I kidding? All in all, I was extremely impressed with his delivery and conviction as a public speaker. I really didn't hurt all THAT much to sit in there for about an hour, especially because I knew it meant a lot to mom. When the service finished, I knew it was time to truly start my day. I then began running a few errands in order to make sure everything was ready to go so I could be on my way. TJ came over to watch me pack my last few things, and once noon came around we drove over to my uncles house where several of my family members were getting together to host a 'goodbye' lunch for me. It was my last home cooked meal, and holy shit was it ever delicious! That was definitely a good way to send me off. I felt like the bad news bearer as after having lunch and conversation for about an hour with everyone it was time to say farewell, almost everyone cried haha.
Perhaps one of the best parts of today was the fact that it was a small reminder to me that I actually have a place to call home and many people that care for me. I am extremely fortunate and privileged to be able to say that, and I mean it with all my heart as I will be missing everyone in my own little way. After lunch I went back to mom's one last time to triple check I had everything, upon conformation, we loaded up and drove me to my recruiter's office to drop off my bags. We were given about an hour to grab coffee somewhere, we did, TJ left, and then it as just my mother and I. She drove me back to the station. This was the hardest part...
After awhile, my sergeant drove me to my current location where it is currently 1:34AM. I woke up about 2 hours ago after being able to sleep for only an hour and a half. I've been tossing and turning ever since and thinking about a million things at once. I continuously come up with various scenarios about how my life could possibly play out these coming months, and the only thing I'm left with afterwards are even more questions. Maybe I just need to stop thinking so much, or maybe....I don't know. What I do know is that I have a list of things I would like to accomplish in the near future and it goes something like this (in no particular order):
-Immerse myself as much as possible in the culture of whatever country I end up in.
-Learn my 4th language, proficiently.
-Save up as much money as I can, while at the same time making smart investments for myself.
-Find a local bar I like, frequent that bar (not too much), become familiar with the regulars and staff.
-Surround myself with positivity, and positivity only.
-Get back to the best shape of my life: Achieve a sound mind, sound soul, sound body.
-Make countless friends who I can learn from and will assist me in developing as a person.
-Find a Masters program I feel comfortable with, begin my Masters degree.
-Visit as many places possible on my travel list.
-Take care of my family, even from afar.
-Maintain an open-mind while exerting who I am and the many things I offer onto the world around me.
Just a quick list of the many things I have in mind. I know many of you are wondering what's next. It is now 1:50AM. I have to wake up at 4:30AM to get my day started. I will go in to do my processing in the morning, do my oath, and get to the airport sometime later in the day. If all goes well and as planned, at this time tomorrow I will be in Columbia, SC to do some further processing (and hopefully sleeping!) There I will have to go through some medical screenings and shit to have some shots administered, do even more paperwork, get my finances squared away (NIGGA GOTTA EAT!) hopefully find out exactly where I'm going, and a series of other bureaucratic things. When I'm done at Fort Jackson, I fly off to Europe and things begin anew.
I would like to tell those of you that I wasn't able to see before I left, sorry...maybe next time? If I didn't talk to you, I probably wasn't able to for whatever reason, and maybe didn't want to or didn't care to (except you Ly! I called you tonight and I saw you returned my call but I was asleep.) Most importantly, my sincerest appreciation to my closest friends and family that made my transition as easy as it was and who took time to see me off. It means a million and I'm excited to come back to you all with many experiences and stories to share. Thanks for reading, I'll update as soon as I can!
-WanderingTerp
December 5, 2010
My first night of Germany
Last night was a success on various levels. At the same time I suppose I could also consider it a failure because I had told myself I would stay in and not go out. This all changed when Eugene called me to demand my presence at a German party he knew of in College Park. At first I was hesitant and dismissive, but after further evaluation I thought to myself it may be the last time I get to hang out with Eugene before I leave, so I agreed to join him and, voila.
Apparently, this place we were headed to was a house occupied by 4 German students in studying in College Park. It is said that they host German parties once a month in order to bring their small German niche together and catch up, socialize, and party up. I'm not exactly sure how Eugene knows one of them, but he does, and he got me and a few of his other friends to join him. Upon arrival I quickly learned that these guys try to keep it very exclusive, they had a guest list outside and were handing out wristbands too. We managed to get past that and proceeded inside. Surely enough, the house was crowded and the music turned way up. Without a second thought, all of us got on our grind and began to socialize with people, left and right.
If you're wondering, no hooking up took place last night as I had promised myself I would keep myself in line; nevertheless, I feel like I still came out of there with a lot of knowledge. Naturally, a strong talking point for me was the fact I'm moving to Germany in 3 days, most people were extremely encouraging. I felt this was an amazing opportunity to reap some benefits form having all these Germans around me. The one exception was a certain girl I was introduced to by a friend. She looked like a burlesque prostitute that traveled into the future, haha, but she has some zest and wit to her personality. She basically told me I was stupid for wanting to move there, and that there is nothing of interest in Germany. I suppose I could appreciate her honesty, but I often attempt to surround myself with positive and cheerful individuals, negative people need not apply.
After speaking to and learning from a heard of individuals, I spent the majority of the night apart from my friends and talking to 3 girls I had become well acquainted with named Stephanie, Franziska, and Nicole. All 3 girls were German have been in the US for only a few months and are working as Au Pairs. Great personalities indeed. It was quite flattering that I had their undivided attention the whole time, and I guess other people caught on to that energy as our conversations were frequently interrupted by guys trying to jump into the little party of our own we had created. After much conversation, dancing, exchange in foreign languages, joking, and learning, my night had to come to an end. The biggest success for me though was not only picking up a few pointers here and there about my life abroad, but also making new friends from a place I will soon call home. If my interactions from last night are any indication of what my social life abroad will be like, help me god I cannot wait! As they say in Germany, PROST!
Apparently, this place we were headed to was a house occupied by 4 German students in studying in College Park. It is said that they host German parties once a month in order to bring their small German niche together and catch up, socialize, and party up. I'm not exactly sure how Eugene knows one of them, but he does, and he got me and a few of his other friends to join him. Upon arrival I quickly learned that these guys try to keep it very exclusive, they had a guest list outside and were handing out wristbands too. We managed to get past that and proceeded inside. Surely enough, the house was crowded and the music turned way up. Without a second thought, all of us got on our grind and began to socialize with people, left and right.
If you're wondering, no hooking up took place last night as I had promised myself I would keep myself in line; nevertheless, I feel like I still came out of there with a lot of knowledge. Naturally, a strong talking point for me was the fact I'm moving to Germany in 3 days, most people were extremely encouraging. I felt this was an amazing opportunity to reap some benefits form having all these Germans around me. The one exception was a certain girl I was introduced to by a friend. She looked like a burlesque prostitute that traveled into the future, haha, but she has some zest and wit to her personality. She basically told me I was stupid for wanting to move there, and that there is nothing of interest in Germany. I suppose I could appreciate her honesty, but I often attempt to surround myself with positive and cheerful individuals, negative people need not apply.
After speaking to and learning from a heard of individuals, I spent the majority of the night apart from my friends and talking to 3 girls I had become well acquainted with named Stephanie, Franziska, and Nicole. All 3 girls were German have been in the US for only a few months and are working as Au Pairs. Great personalities indeed. It was quite flattering that I had their undivided attention the whole time, and I guess other people caught on to that energy as our conversations were frequently interrupted by guys trying to jump into the little party of our own we had created. After much conversation, dancing, exchange in foreign languages, joking, and learning, my night had to come to an end. The biggest success for me though was not only picking up a few pointers here and there about my life abroad, but also making new friends from a place I will soon call home. If my interactions from last night are any indication of what my social life abroad will be like, help me god I cannot wait! As they say in Germany, PROST!
December 4, 2010
My last Friday in town.
I have to admit, I didn't exactly imagine myself sitting at home on my last Friday night in the United States. Be it as it may, at least I have this cold to blame it on. Wednesday was an entirely gruesome day of moving. After spending approximately 15 hours in the rain and cold, we finally finished around 12:30AM on Thursday. Seriously, all of my gratitude goes out to TJ for helping me out on this one, couldn't have done it alone.
After today, I will only have 5 days left before I fly down to Columbia, SC to ship out to Europe. Nevertheless, there is still so much on my list that I need to accomplish. Today I spent the day making address changes to all of my subscriptions and creditors, canceling some of them, as well as making sure that all of my finances are good to go come Thursday morning. Tomorrow I will be helping mom with our continued unpacking of the colossal amount of things she has. SO MUCH WORK! Sunday will be a much needed day of rest, although it will be bitter-sweet as I get to see Nick (my road dawg for the last 2 years) for one last hurrah! We're watching my Steelers play his Ravens, this is big as we've wagered $100 on this game.
Monday I hit the ground running again, but have dinner plans with another friend that night, I somehow have to fit Eugene in there too as he leaves the following morning. . I have to visit my cousin Alex and definitely have to spend time with my grandmother. I'm left with two days after that. Not certain exactly how Ill spend them yet, but I'm not really sure I'm looking forward to them because I want them to be as well spent as possible. Without a doubt I have to find a way to make these coming days special for my mother. Sigh, I guess the hardest parts are yet to come...
After today, I will only have 5 days left before I fly down to Columbia, SC to ship out to Europe. Nevertheless, there is still so much on my list that I need to accomplish. Today I spent the day making address changes to all of my subscriptions and creditors, canceling some of them, as well as making sure that all of my finances are good to go come Thursday morning. Tomorrow I will be helping mom with our continued unpacking of the colossal amount of things she has. SO MUCH WORK! Sunday will be a much needed day of rest, although it will be bitter-sweet as I get to see Nick (my road dawg for the last 2 years) for one last hurrah! We're watching my Steelers play his Ravens, this is big as we've wagered $100 on this game.
Monday I hit the ground running again, but have dinner plans with another friend that night, I somehow have to fit Eugene in there too as he leaves the following morning. . I have to visit my cousin Alex and definitely have to spend time with my grandmother. I'm left with two days after that. Not certain exactly how Ill spend them yet, but I'm not really sure I'm looking forward to them because I want them to be as well spent as possible. Without a doubt I have to find a way to make these coming days special for my mother. Sigh, I guess the hardest parts are yet to come...
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