OMG, I got so behind on my blog that I thought about skipping this whole trip. But no, I think there were some moments and pics i would like to remember years later. SO, now to attempt to make up for the last 4 WEEKS! yikes. It just has been so hectic. Since I am not in dudo so often I tried to take advantage and see all of my friends/colleagues for lunches and dinners. I was out literally every night and then ofcourse Gary & Lorraine came for 12 weeks most of which we spent in lovely turkey (later)
It has been a whirlwind 2 weeks and hardly time and energy to write in my blog. I came to Dudo for a 2 week conference with my department. It's a nice annual event when we don't have any audits planned and everyone is together including the regional folks.
I got here on Sunday the 3rd April and it was raining. Yep, I guess it's typical weather here. However, for the following week we got beautiful spring like weather with sun sun sun. A fellow expat commented that the germans are as happy as can be when the sun is out but can be pretty cranky when weather is crappy. Who can blame them?
My colleagues were so happy to see me, I got actual american hugs instead of the usual european air kisses on both cheeks. My calendar quickly filled up with dinner dates literally every night with different variations of the group. I must say that I have made some very good friends during this time. It has been a very long time since I have bonded so well with a department. Maybe it's because most are young and/or single that we seem to be going out all the time! Also catching up with some expats who are here in germany.
The team building events were none I have ever done. Some details I can't share here for certain reasons but it's burned in my brains anyway! The first team building day was at a kaiserswerth biergarten where we spent the day trying to solve a murder mystery. It took us 8 eight hours but part of that was spent drinking, eating, walking from one location to another for clues, and ofcourse more drinking. It was so much fun and I liked the area so much I came back with Gary & Lorraine a week later. The biergarten was right on the river and the trees are a vibrant green at this time of the year.
The second day we got on a bus and went south to a wine vineyard near Bonn. The host greeted us with a lovely glass of wine and we spent the next few hours doing team challenges such as rebuilding a wine barrel, and corking and uncorking bottles of wine, and putting up posts, etc. It was hysterical. The day ended with a wonderful dinner at the vinyard restaurant.
The third day was another day in the countryside north of dudo where we did more team competition including archery which I sucked at. The cakes here are so good, not too sweet.
Saturday night I went out to dinner with marietta and somehow we ended up meeting some colleagues at a nightclub. OMG, I haven't been dancing for YEARS and hear I was in a mosh pit with a bunch of germans dancing to old american music. I couldn't believe it when they played gloria estefan conga. It was even funnier when I'm watching them sing to these songs. Even I don't know the words!! It was so crowded on the dance floor that you have to learn how to dance with just your upper body because you are pinned to one spot. Once in awhile we have to turn around and push away someone who is just dancing to close in the back of us. I think I only lasted a couple of hours their but was proud of myself. I did feel like a cougar though. Actually I felt a little dumpy without my clubbing clothes. Wait, who am I kidding, I don't even own clubbing clothes. My short skirt and high heel days are way the hell over!
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