What I was doing approximately one year ago...

My last weeks in the States were filled with work, people, and food. I was passing on as much info as I could to my colleague who took over my position. I was absorbing as much info as I could on my new position. I was meeting, chatting on the phone, and spending time with colleagues, friends, and family from close and far. And I ate everything I knew I would miss.

It was a whirlwind experience and I never would have survived it without everyone's love and support.

Unlike, my first two farewell parties, I wasn't up for a big (aka 150+ people) Oktoberfest celebration. I didn't even really want a party, but I knew I wasn't going to be able to see everyone one last time, so I had to make them come to me. We had a small-ish open house and it was lovely from what I remember -- it went so fast!

 

Beautiful surprise cake my mom ordered from Mariano's. Black frosting -- beautiful on cake, not in your mouth.

Going away cupcakes made by Aunt Cathy.

Chicago and Autumn themed treat table my last day in the US office.

And then I was (seriously) surprised with a Chicago-themed lunch. I'm pretty easy to fool apparently.

I'm pretty sure Amy headed the lovely decor.

Lou Malnati's (best deep dish pizza) with some of best colleagues you could ask for.

And then it was time to focus on the final stages (yes, there are many stages) of packing. I fit everything into two evenly split suitcases. It's always a daunting task to choose which belongings get to make the trip. I always feel bad (sad but true) for the things left behind. But I know they get visits from my mom and sister.

Can you spot two furry friends who knew something was up?

And then I took a really great and well-deserved nap with my sister and the dog.

Hydrangeas/Hortensie

Clearly you can tell than I thoroughly enjoy flowers, parks, and nature in general. I seriously enjoyed the hydrangeas over the summer. I don't recall seeing an abundance of them in the Chicago area, but in both Vienna and Hamburg I just fall in love with them. The blues, pinks, and purples are so vibrant it's surreal. There must be something extra in the European soil that makes them thrive.

I enjoyed this particular batch a minimum of twice a day as it was at the corner of my street. I meant to do this post sooner, but since I didn't, I'm showing you what they look like now. Still pretty in a dried-out-and-dead sort of way.

My intent was to collect numerous pictures, but there were just too many to capture or I didn't have a camera on hand. One lovely sighting occurred while running -- an entire front yard just full of large blooms. No, not a North-American-sized front yard, but still a wonderment.

1¢ short

I just broke down and bought some Christmas cookies. Spekulatius are one of my favorites and I was in the mood for a spiced biscuit. They only cost 99¢ and I knew I had a lot of change in my wallet. Well, only 98¢ apparently.

It's so much more validating when you can pay in all coins instead of breaking a bill.

Now I have an extra cent, so I'll have to find something else to purchase for 99¢ tomorrow.

Conversations with German Children

A few weeks ago, I maneauvered my way down the stairs of my apartment building on my way to the grocer store. Peering over the railing, I could see a little boy staring back at me. I smiled. He kept staring. I said, "Hallo!" He remained in the staring position.

We passed each other. I said, "Tschüss!" He stared some more and I kept on walking.

And then suddenly, he spoke: "Wir kriegen einen neuen Kühlschrank." (We're getting a new refrigerator."

"Cool!" I said. "Viel Spaß!" (Cool! Have fun!)

End.

You see, I love conversing with children, but I find it terrifying in another language. I think I'm most concerned that I will be corrected by a child and secondly concerned that I will inadvertently be responsible for them learning incorrect German vocab or grammar. I'm probably over thinking it.

And today on my walk to work, I came across some neon yellow shoe prints that were part of a freshly painted path leading to the elementary school. As I neared, some young girls sprinted past me and yelled out, "Das hier ist Kunstwerk!" (This is a work of art!).

I laughed and made sure not to step on the art.

Pedicures vs Oil Changes

As much as I love my orange Jeep Wrangler that's collecting dust at home (but only a little since my dad takes it out for regular cruises), I truly am enjoying life without a car. Sure, there are many times where it would be nice to have a set of wheels, but there are so many times I'm glad I don't.

However, there are some negatives to relying on my own two legs for transportation. I know I wrote about this before in another post called Shoes vs Gasoline, but I'm taking this one step further.

I think it's time to replace my quarterly oil changes with pedicures.

It just makes sense, right? Plus, they are priced about the same. During the "summer", my sandals and ballet flats seem to have really taken a toll on my poor little feet. I am a person who generally doesn't splurge on myself and I tend to paint my own nails at home, but I think this might fall under 'necessary'. It's standard maintenance and upkeep.

At least we have made our way into Fall which means boots, but more importantly it means I can start wearing socks again which tend to protect my feel just a little bit more than nylons or baring it all. I even just replaced the heels on my second pair of boots.

And, I'm now thinking that replacing my heels is more like getting new tires. But so much cheaper. Trust me, I put brand new BIG tires on my jeep almost two years ago. Not cheap.

A couple of weeks ago, on a beautiful, sunny day, I saw a topless Jeep cruising around and I did get a little bit sad.

I also miss the Jeep wave.

But I will continue to be 100% happy with my status as a pedestrian for now.

Summer version - ORNGE JP with her twin (currently driven by my brother, previously by my sister).

AUT 1 - 2 GER

Austria versus Germany. No, I won't be comparing my expat countries of choice, rather this was the "big" soccer game that was played last night. It was the "game of the year" for the Austrians, but just another game for the Germans.

And you could tell.

World Cup 2014 qualification games have already started and the Austrians came out playing really well. They dominated most of the first half before the Germans scored in the 44th minute. The Germans played much better the second half, but still had some lapses into lackluster playing. They scored on a penalty kick before Austria came back with a goal of their own.

To be honest, Germany got pretty lucky as Austria easily could have won the game. I think the Germans didn't play with an much heart as they needed and played down to Austria's level.

Even though a lot of Austrian players play in the German soccer leagues, they have just never been a big player when it comes to the World Cup or Euro Cup.

I do have to admit that it is really exciting to be watching qualification matches for the World Cup. It's hard to follow soccer in the US, unless you are extremely dedicated, outside of the two weeks of the actual Word Cup.

Last Friday, for the first game, Germany played a country I had never even heard of before. So not only did I get to watch soccer, but I learned a little geography on the way.

Have you heard of the Faroe Islands (Färöer Inseln)?

Balkan music with electronic beats

Between my itching bug bites and the fickle weather, I really had to force myself to find energy to go out on Saturday night. And then, of course, I had a great night. After a couple of drinks at a sofabar (think big old couches you might have found at your great-grandparents house) we walked over to Gruenspan. It's a club, but it wasn't so clubby in the fact that people weren't dressed that fancy.

The music that night was Balkan with electronic beats. From Wikipedia:

Shantel, real name Stefan Hantel (born in Frankfurt am Main January 1, 1968), is a German DJ and producer of Bukovina German Romanian descent, known for his work with gypsy brass orchestras, DJing and remixing traditional Balkan music with electronic beats. His grandparents on the maternal side were from the Romanian part of Bukovina.^[1]

It was really cool. Click here to hear some music. We basically danced to this for a few hours straight. Multiple breaks were necessary due to the extreme heat, but it was surprisingly fun to dance to.

Trying new things is fun. I have to keep reminding myself of that sometimes.

More reasons that summer is over

Now I have 100% accepted that summer is over. It's getting cooler. It's getting darker. And yesterday I saw Christmas cookies for sale at the grocery store. Obviously they don't need to concern themselves with Halloween or Thanksgiving, so it's time to dive right into Christmas.

In other news, this is now the first summer in my life that I haven't worn a bathing suit. I suppose I technically could have worn one a couple of days to just sit outside, but it just didn't work out. I'm a little bit sad about this.

Photo credit to Kristi Fuoco

Lastly, even though I had an amazing picnic last Sunday with some girlfriends at Stadtpark, I apparently made new friends with some type of bug or insect that proceeded to bite and or sting me at least 17 times. I didn't discover it until the next day, but my stomach and back are now covered with itchy red spots of various sizes.

I suppose it was my time as it seems everyone and their roommate has recently been bit or stung by something. I thought I would make it out unscathed. I thought wrong. My small circle of friends and colleagues has had mixed opinions about whether I need to seek medical attention. I'm currently waiting it out with a small tube of a Benadryl equivalent I picked up at the Apotheke.

Fingers crossed.