Standing in Transition.

I've been back from Berlin for almost 2 months now and a lot has changed! (Miss you Helen King & Hayley Hatherall) When I first got back the newness of being home was exciting. I remember getting off of the plane, getting my bags and waiting in an elevator full of chatty people and thinking,  "wow, it's so nice to be able to understand conversations that are going on around me". From there I went home.

I got home on a Saturday and on that following Monday I started a brand new routine, one well worth the time.

My beautiful baby cousin, Peyton Grace and I got to spend a lot of time together while I adjusted to being back home, spending endless hours filling out job applications and ....well....filling out more job applications. We did a lot though! We did head exercises, tummy time (where she proved her set of lungs to the max), met with physical therapists, went for strolls, watched "Yo Gabba Gabba" and lots of Good Morning America (she liked that too) ;) This limbo in between Berlin and starting my career was a new territory for me. I'm lucky I had Peyton around to keep me focused! She's a good listener!

This time period lasted for about a month and then things got a bit shaken up after I was called in for 2 job interviews. One in Charlotte and one in Asheville. The interviews were back to back, Tuesday and Wednesday in the beginning of October. The one in Asheville lasted for 20 minutes, while the one in Charlotte lasted 2 hours. That next day I was invited back to the potential job opportunity in Asheville for a 2nd interview. I went and fell in love with the opportunity right off. I was excited that after over 75 job applications, hours upon hours of filling out, rewriting cover letters and revising resumes I was finally given a chance.

That Monday, I was called in for a 3rd interview in Asheville where I was offered my first salary based career. As of that day, I was proud to say that I was the newest employee of Toshiba. My first day was that Thursday, where I was sent to Raleigh for a quarterly meeting. I drove down, checked into my hotel room and met up with my co-workers. I was informed that Toshiba had rented out a section on the roof of a bar in downtown Raleigh, so we all went. The whole time all I could think was, "is this real life???" Well, the next day it was proved to be real life when I was asked to stand up in front of over 100 Toshiba employee's and recite the 7 steps of a sale, while being timed. All I can say is, thank GOD I studied. (No, the studying doesn't stop after college, sorry)

Thank you, Folgers and Coffee Mate for being my best friend during those hard long hours of the eye twitching job search. I have a new found understanding for the job market, it's pathetic.

On a more productive note, as much as I love this new technical career I've begun, my creative background is still dying to find it's place in the world. So, look out for my new website, it's still under construction but you can check out the preview page. It will be up and running within the next two weeks.

Morgan Carver Photography 

Enjoy and please be on the lookout for more information :)

I was standing in the middle of a riot...

Last night I was sitting in a friends flat drinking some coffee when I heard what sounded like a gun go off, although I think it was a flaregun or some sort of firework. I ran to the window to see hundreds of people flooding the street that were screaming ''fuck the police'' in German. Much more was said during the riot, but unfortunately the language barrier got in my way of understanding everything. After seeing the flood of people, we see about three German police vans full of fully armed policemen unloading on our street where they quickly tried to barracade the street to keep people from surging in. Of course, seeing all of this happening right outside my window, made my journalistic curiousity take over and I ran outside with two of my coworkers to find out what was going on. Fully functional with my PJs on and Flip Cam in hand, we started asking questions as soon as we got on the street. Luckily, two people were willing to answer our questions in English. I recorded what they said, but eventually I got shut down near the end.

The riot took place in the district of witch I live in, Kreuzberg. An protester for anit-globalization was shot by an Italian policeman on July 21, 2001 and on Saturday, July 16, 2011; people have once again stood up and reminded everyone of his death, raging against policemen. The protester was one of many in the demonstration that threw rocks at police vans and became quite aggressive. What one may note as defence, (Italy's interior minister) others will note as an unnecessary violent attack on demonstrators.
It was interesting to see how the police handled the riot last night. It was different than it would be in America. The police worked around the protesters, not against them. They did not stand infront of them, or yell back. They walked inbetween them in the streets and took the criticism. They created mild barracades around the district so that cars could not go through, creating a safer environment for bystandards during the protest. There was a helicopter hovering above to keep an eye out for the continuous moving riot location.

There were a lot of loud noices, yelling and hurt in the air. However, there was no violence. What sounded like something incredibly horrendous happening, turned out to be much more remorseful and peaceful than presented. In America, I think one would be more likely to get punched while in a room with two opposing fans of the NFL, than last nights riot in Berlin.

"Standing in a Sea of Sparkling Water"

When in Germany...do as the Germans do...yes? Well one thing that the German's just can't seem to get enough of is Sparkling water. Sadly for me, I'm not much of a fan. When going into a restaurant or bar, asking for still water really isn't socially acceptable. Luckily today, I finally found the non carbonated goodness at a store called "Litle" which is like the equivalency of an "Aldi" or a "Go Grocery" in the US. The reason I was so adament about getting the gracious water was because my first 2 days in Berlin have worn me out. Would you like to hear about it; The story of the American girl blowing fuses, racing in Frankfurt airports, and losing a very important key?

Day 1 ---

Getting to the Charlotte airport was pretty smooth, aside from the TWO times I misplaced my wallet, luckily for me, someone turned it in each time. It would be unfair to not mention the $150 baggage fee I had to pay for the extra weight in my bag...word for the wise..don't over stuff your bag, just take two when traveling to Europe..you'll save about $100.

I got on the plane and was extremely wired about traveling that far. Eventually....well...9 hours later I landed in Frankfurt, Germany. Once in Frankfurt, I had to recheck my luggage....which was a huge hassle in itself. After getting the baggage situation settled and dumping a few bottles of soap and shampoo to reach the weight limit... it was 5 minutes until the plane boarded. I was told, "SPRINT RUN GO'' ...so I did.

I made it just in time too. The 45 minute flight flew by and finally, I was in the sexy city of Berlin!!

My project coordinator met me right at the door and I recognized the sign that read "City Travel Review" and he quickly helped me with my bags and we were able to get a month rail pass, and exchange my dollars for a few Euro.We got straight on a train a trailed our ways in the pouring rain to my new flat.

I ran into my roommate in our room and immediately asked her if she wanted to grab dinner...little did I know.. it was 11am in Germany and nobody in their right mind eats dinner at 11am; Jet lag much?

I settled in and then we went out for lunch where I had my first German meal. I had a Doner Kebab, which is what the picture is of on the right. It's usually lamb served with vegetables and a side of bread. It is one of Germany's most famous dishes.
Later on that night we went out and I had a Choco Coloda at a little cocktail bar on my street. It wasn't the best cocktail I have ever had, it was really strong and tasted like straight Baileys. After that, we went to a little mini mart where I stocked up on the ever so famous, pasta!! (Traveling isn't cheap, sooo...bring on the pasta!!) I also bought 3 different types of bottled beer. I only paid 2.50 Euro for 3 beers and I was very excited about that as opposed to ordering dollar PBR at the Bone Shack. I didn't like the first 2 beers that I tried, so I was hoping I would like the 3rd, luckily, I loved it! The taste is very similar to Blue Moon and I am so pleased that I have found a beer that I can enjoy while in Germany. It's called Schofferhofer, but I plan on keeping my still water and open mind. The mini marts around here are made up of 80 percent beer, 10 percent cigarettes and the rest is basically sausage.

After gathering the necessities (pasta and beer) we headed back to our flat only to find that we had locked ourselves out and had to stay at our neighbors flat next door who are also doing the project. It was a very long night, to say the least. The next day was much better, after we were let back into our flat, I washed the airline and jetlag stigma off and decided to dry my hair. Long story short, I used the wrong converter and blew a fuse and had my own July 4th fireworks. Luckily, no major harm was done and I went to work for our first staff meeting. The walk to work is only about a 15 minute walk from the neighborhood I am living in. We had an orientation meeting and discussed a few things about the expectations. That night my Europen flat mates and neighbors talked me into celebrating the great American holiday,July 4th. So we all put on our red, white and blue and headed out for the night! It was a great night. Germany takes a lot of getting used to, especially since everything..and I do mean EVERYTHING is written in German. Hopefully these German classes will treat me well and I'll learn to use the RIGHT converter, keep up with a key and stay away from Frankfurt airports for a while. All is good here, and I will keep you updated.