My First True Love

This has got to be the best and most perfect winter of mine yet. Wait, hold on to your seat. I think I've finally experienced my first love. :) 

:)

The saying must be true: If a guy teases you, it is only because he likes you.

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I used to passionately hate him and his cold wrath. 

He regularly destroys my sunny days and steals my sultry summer tan. 

Just this season, he has hidden 2 of my mobiles and my snowball-making gloves under his thick white blankets, 2 of which were lost forever to his Houdini-like powers.

After years of loathing him, I've finally come to see his real beauty.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

How he stole my heart...

I've had the chance to experience old man winter this season on two different continents/countries/cities, which is how I discovered my true feelings.

First up was in lovely Munich! Snow began to fall in mid-November and I couldn't help but loving every bit of it from start to end. Even on the very day of my flight home, my last moments breathing the Munich air were spent frozen waiting on the S-bahn bench with one of my best friends Heather. 

Surprisingly, the cold didn't even get to me as much as it normally would because I was just so distracted by the perfectly-shaped snowflakes softly piling on my legs and suitcases. 

Every snowflake to me in Munich was just impeccably hypnotizing. Each flake glistened with such a peaceful character that I was just automatically drawn in to discover each's hidden mystery. Even in the company of dear friends, I would drift away with the schools of flakes floating past me just wanting to follow them wherever they were traveling off to. 

He started up one night while we were in one of our hot hang out spots, Jäger's, enjoying my last Maß night of the year, when I just flew outside the hostel and danced around in the snow-covered street with my mouth open wide catching the landings of the tiny beauties. It felt like my little glimpse at heaven. Onlookers were weary of my amazement, but I was in another world and had no time to even care. I even stole friends, Heather and Daniel, from the warmth to dance under and catch the falling beauties. Time stood still that night.

He was even distracting at work, as I just peered out our office's big glass windows each time he decided to show his face. My manager would catch me sometimes and double check what really caught my stare. To her surprise, every time, it was only him. I was definitely in love. It was one of those "can't-eat, can't-sleep, reach-for-the-stars, over- the-fence, world-series kind of" loves. Undeniably, 'twas my winter heaven. 

A group of dear friends and I traveled to the Chiemsee Christmas Markets one snowy day. We put on one of the best snowball fights EVER. :) Snowballing should become a professional sport! Who wants to help me lobby?!

Final destination, good 'ole home on the range! Old Man Winter is being very generous with us this season. He just keeps sending this beautiful white fluff to us in heaps. We've had at least 3 good doses and 2 or so other flurry nights. Normal winters he gives us maybe 1 good dose, if that! But I can't complain, I'm enjoying each snow day to it's fullest with the best of fixings - company of family and friends, hot chocolate sippings, bonfires with s'mores, the wonders of nature, and the silent beauty of the little white gifts sent from above. 

I dove into that perfect sheet of snow to make my angelic mark :)

And the difference between a German and an Arkansan winter-man? 

Simple.

True Appreciation.

It was the Germans who taught me to appreciate the 4 seasons, all the rainy, cloudy and sunny days. Reason being, they have one of the best seasonal variety packs I've experienced compared to the imbalanced-plethora of gorgeous warm sunny days and skipping of some winters and falls in Arkansas and Texas. Weather was always a daily hot topic when I lived in Germany. Whereas in Arkansas and Texas, we are used to our regular schedule of hot sunnies and chilly drearies. I used to hate rain that would destroy the chance for yet another blissfully sunny day, but now I've come to appreciate the variety as the Germans do. I guess I will have to agree - it does keep things interesting and the weathermen well-known! 

However, just as the Germans have taught me the topic of seasonal appreciation, I almost never saw them appreciate anything but those perfect sunny days. They cursed winter - slow traffic, the winter tire law, etc. Odd? Why yes, I do think so! Although I wasn't too fond of anything but sunny days before, I've come to see just how much more appreciated the variety of weather is here in Arkansas. Being one of America's top crop producers, farmers here depend on the rain and sun for a season of good crops. Still, when old man winter comes our way, you better believe we are all on our tippy toes awaiting our first, second, and third snowy forecasts with snow-day excitement. So, only when I came home did I learn how to appreciate the seasons and, specifically, him.

Well folks, hope you all are enjoying this wintry season as much as I am. Old man winter ain't nothin' but a big hunk 'o love, and if he ain't sent some love your way yet, I'm sure it's a comin'! Who knows? Maybe he could be your secret Valentine. :)

I'd like to conclude my personified love of winter banter with the words of Albert Einstein: 'Imagination is more powerful than knowledge.'

Watch out!! Professional snowballer here!! :D

Just imagine... (:

Beachy Daze on the Funny Farm

So maybe I have had a bit too much of this?

Hmmmm.....

I wish! 

It has been too many days to count since my last life update and experience tracking. Watch out folks, Jessica is back with an agenda! 

My adventures in Munich have been put on PAUSE since December 16th, 2010.

I really dislike whoever pushed that button. Now, I'm getting my player checked out, so the PLAY button will finally be working again. I've had to write up many applications and set up many interviews to find the right handyman. I feel I'm on the cusp of solving this mysterious dilemma. My PLAY button shall work - I can feel it in my bones. February is the month of the magical fix. 

Till then, here's my fantastic life on the Funny Farm in a nutshell.

Lots and Lots of beloved family time - The thing is, I just discovered this and felt super bad about not realizing this great advantage of being able to spend time at home without work obligations or others. Please forgive me beloved familia! I haven't had this much free time to spend with family since ummm...before I got a job at 16! I've been a workaholic since then, went off to Uni in Texas for 4 years and studied abroad and worked in the summers - leaving family time to just find it's place among my busy life. Even though this break has been detrimental to my social life off the Funny Farm, I thank God for this PAUSE. 

Applications and Interviews Galore - You don't even want to see all that goes into this. It drove me crazy in the beginning sorting it all out. But, now I've got such an amazing system of organizing everything that I feel like a real pro and I could teach my methods to other job seekers. So, here's an open offer for anyone wanting tips!

Hobby Catch-Up - This is mainly my wild crafty side. I LOVE creating. Anything. I've made a few nice selections of jewelry for friends and family - earrings, necklaces, etc. I've also thought of some great ideas for purses. I've got the medium, but now I'm on the hunt for the right covering/decorating materials. Also, cooking. Send me your fave recipes ladies and gents cuz I've got kitchen duty and I'm lovin' it!

Me Time - Much needed breathing time. Like I said before, even though it has just been less than 2 months of being home, I haven't had something like this since I was 16. I see it as a good pit stop in the middle of my journey. I'm out of the car and taking in the fresh air, preparing to step back in and slowly put on the gas to my next spot in life. I still can't decide which is better. Manual or Automatic? I guess it just comes down to the situation. Most of the time, I like to just go with the flow of the wind. But, sometimes it is all about stepping in and taking control of that gear, slowly releasing your foot from the clutch. The key? Balance.

So, let's Prost to the joys of family and friends and all that life brings. I'm off to enjoy another lovely family adventure and taking that sidekick travel bug with me! 

Riding Munich: Fahrräder, Nacht & Männer

One of the best gifts I've ever received? 

Mein Fahrrad. 

So it happened last Friday after such a busy day/week at work on a nice cool day in Munich. After rushing to finish all of my work and being asked to help with things even after 5pm, I finally took off from work at around 6ish to head straight to Munich's city center. I was off to meet Heather and a bunch of other friends at our beloved Happy Hour spot by at least 7pm--the start of the 3 € per liter of Augustiner beer Happy Hour. So it was just Heather and I sitting at the bar and chatting with our friend Annabelle who works the bar. :) Out of nowhere, she tells us that there are all these left behind bikes in their courtyard and takes me to check them out. All 5 of them were in good condition, but I took the most ridable one of course!! So, there was my bike. I was searching for one on eBay for about 3 weeks and trying to find one in Munich beforehand that wasn't too killer expensive. So, to say the least Annabelle was my first Friday night Lebensretter (lifesaver). Saturday I went to pick it up and have been enjoying it's speed and views ever since--minus the extremely high seat and the light that doesn't work at night! Now I can bike to work or even visit the city center in about a 20 minute ride! Amazingly lucky.

To continue on that Friday night, I drank 3 Maß of beer (3 liters) from 7 to 9pm and had to take off for some sleep before 10:30pm! It was such a memorable night--learning new drinking games, meeting Australians, and having good friend time. Jäger's is definitely a Happy Hour Hot Spot!! :D 

So my first time ever singing karaoke was in 2008 in Frankfurt, Germany. To reinforce my karaoke tradition, I continued my vocals at Shamrock's Irish Pub last Tuesday night. We sang so many songs: Spice Girls, Maroon 5, and whatever else was movin'! That was also the first time I gave myself a curfew to go home early enough to get up awake for another day at work. Curfew at 10:30  

Dating in Germany is pretty common as in the US it is pretty much fading out. I have been on a few dates here, but no one has really caught my attention at all. They have all been really nice and good-looking, but I find no passion in them, which tends to be a real turn off. I'm not 'looking' for any guys here at all actually, but it is always best to try a chocolate covered olive just to see how it is. After the langweilig (boring) dates and dull make outs, I've come to realize that German boys are just not my type and I will probably not end up trying them out anymore. They have all been about the same in attitude and their kissing--lacking passion. So sad, but true. But, I'm sure there must be at least one German who can disprove me. FYI: Of my international kissing scene, Germans have been by far the worst. Looks can definitely deceive! :D 

Festivals and parties in Munich are always in action. To know the action, one must join the action. Therefore, I have spent countless evenings rushing from work to go home and change for the next event in Munich. Sommerfest in Olympia Park was the entire month of August--FREE--with live concerts every night, German/Turkish fair food, roller coasters, and spinning bar carousels. Last Sunday was the best. I felt right at home. About 8 friends and I chilled out on a spot of grass with the numerous mosquitoes and tried to play different games we knew, shared some beers and fair food, and jammed out to the Bluegrass Band adjacent to us. Bluegrass music on a nice spot of green park grass wearing a skirt made me feel so at home and happy. I can't wait for the next Bluegrass concert in Munich!!! 

There is SO much I do here in Munich that is extremely hard to keep up with jotting it down and having a horrible memory can't help any! So I just write what I'm thinking about at the moment and hope that the rest will just come to me. :)

New Experiences

Owning a bike in Germany

Having a chocolate covered apple (from the summer fest in Olympia Park)

Having a German working for BMW tell me that my German is better than his English (I felt amazing since almost everyone here in Munich speaks pretty perfect English!!)

Hosted my first dinner party

Everyone Needs a Little Weekend Blush

My workweek is just so hectic nowadays. I just love Thursdays because I know the next day is Friday, which means a handful of managers in my office 'working from home.' Not that I don't do the same amount of work on Fridays as every other day, it just means there is less of a chance that I will get assigned even more work! So, after spending some thinking time trying to decide how to balance my life out with all of this work, the lovely friend Heather came to my rescue. 

Heather on our adventures through Munich! This was the monument tribute to Bavaria right in front of the Oktoberfest grounds.

After work on Friday, I collected all of my junk in my extra large backpack and even brought my laundry along for a sleepover weekend in Heather's mansion!! Wow. It was SOOO relaxing. Just about cured my desire for relaxation. :) We spent Friday night cooking up some Swäbisches Mahltauschen, which we are both in LOVE with! They are like large pocket raviolis with spinach stuff inside and then you just throw some sauteed onions and chives on top and vuala! Then I finally got to watch Mary Poppins for the first time ever!! Now, I love musicals and old films, but this was just extremely weird and not entertaining at all. If I wouldn't have had Heather there or our friend Zainab singing along in her sleep, then I would have turned it off. What a waste of good actors: Mr. Dick Van Dyke and Julie Andrews.  

Another one of King Ludwig I's castles. You don't have to venture far for this one, Schloss Nymphenburg, since it's placed right in the heart of Munich!

On Saturday, we slept in and took our time getting out for the day. Ahhh...it was sooo nice not to have to rush anywhere!! We went exploring the Oktoberfest grounds where they're setting everything up. Only 1 more month 'til the festivities!! We met up with our friend Eric and went to go meet our other friend Harry in Marienplatz so we could journey to Schloss Nymphenburg. Even though I've already been to see the castle, I love the scenary, the gardens, and the rows of statues in the backyard of the castle. After we took some pictures and enjoyed the beauty, we set off to go back to the city and have a drink at my favorite brewery! :) Of course we get on a bus that takes about an hour longer than it's supposed to take!! Oh well, we finally arrive dehydrated and hungry, so we find a table in the crowded Schneider Weiße Bräuhaus to enjoy some delicious spinach spätzle and beer. Then we take Eric to Jäger's for 3 Euro liter Augustiner beers (a typical liter beer usually costs around 7 Euro per Maß). It definitely is one of the best places in Munich for Happy Hour! We finished out the night missing our friend for a club meet up, but still met some really interesting people as we hydrated ourselves with some delicious liters of Augustiner. We ended up going home early and me giving Heather some peaceful sleep with my snoring. ;) 

The Tribute to Bavaria that overlooks the Oktoberfest celebrations. 

Munich preparing for the 200th Anniversary of Oktoberfest!! See the tower with the lion on top? That's the Löwenbräu tent I will be celebrating in with my co-workers!! :)

Enjoying my favorite beer at the good 'ole Schneider Weiße Bräuhaus!! Freshly brewed 0.5 Liters of Aventinus for only 3.80 Euro! :) I love to indulge here every other week or so with a delicious platter of Spinatspätzle. Mmmm. Can't get better than this! 

New Experiences

• Watched Mary Poppins for the first time
• Had my first sleepover weekend in Munich
• Made Schwäbisches Mahltauschen!
• Tried my first Löwenbräu Triumphator beer
• This was the first beer I've never been able to finish!!! It was disgusting!! I've never been able to say this about a German beer. How disappointing. Good thing Aventinus is still made! :)

Mission for this week: Job hunt, send postcard greetings, get more sleep, Shamrock's Tuesdays, find a dirndl for Oktoberfest, and a bike for convenience and of course exercise! :)

2 Months Later

My first picnic in Germany!! Heather and I grabbed a table near the Chinese Tower in the English Gardens to enjoy some good food and nice sunny Munich.

I've always wanted to share my experiences and stories with family, friends, and anyone interested. NOW, I've finally found the time and encouragement from Heather to sit down and start sharing my stories and adventures.

Just one of the many depictions of what makes München so special. 

Geschwister-Scholl Platz near Ludwig Maximilian Universität, which is where the White Rose campaign against the Nazi regime started by the Scholl siblings. I did a research report on this so it's just amazing to see the actual place of action! 

Let's start with me arriving in Munich, Germany on June 2nd, 2010. I'm sure you will figure out the rest of my history as the stories develop. Why am I here in Munich? Well, that started last summer when I studied here for 5 amazing weeks (after studying German for 2 years and International Business for 3) and fell in love with the efficiency and management of BMW. So, I tested my luck with a simple on-line application and telephone interview and now here I am. Living my dream.

My Dream come true made possible thanks to BMW!!

I work for the BMW Group, Alphabet International, and absolutely LOVE my job. After an unbelievably fast 2 months have already gone by, that means I only have 3.5 to go! I really do not want to abandon lovely Munich and all the amazing friends I have made here, so in these 3.5 months I will be on the hunt for an opportunity to extend my stay for a few years--if not more! :)

Karlsplatz Fountain: this thing never stops as nor my busy life in this city!

The most famous tourist site in Munich! Welcome to the center of Munich--the architectural beauty, Marienplatz!! This is also a central meeting point for many of my adventures. 

Aside from work, Munich is the city that sleeps, but just has something against me sleeping. There is just SO much to do here, things are always changing, and I'm always meeting new friends and enjoying time with the old that I have lost my balance. When I studied in Texas at St.Mary's University for those 4 amazing years of my life, I found my balance most of the time and rarely got side-tracked! I would wake up every morning at 5:30am and go for at least a 2-mile run plus some or hit the gym for an hour, then be ready for my 8am class, finish class and go to work such as when I interned at the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS), finish around 5 or 6pm, then go to my closet of a dorm room and write papers and study, then hit the bed around 11ish. That was the life. I hate routine, but with so much going on, it is very difficult to balance everything. That is the last time I found my balance between work, play, and my health. Now, the enticements of Munich have killed all of my attempts at establishing a balance. So, after 2 months, I am still on the search for balance and have not yet found my code. However, tomorrow is a new day and a new beginning for overcoming this battle of mine.

The Bavarian enticement (and work reservation to attend) of the annual Kocherlball. It's held in the English Gardens at the Chinese Tower with over 10,000 people starting at 5:45 on a Sunday morning and lasting til around 11am every July. A few amazing hours of the full on Bavarian culture: sat at our reserved tables with liters of beer, white sausage with sweet mustard, giant pretzels, German doughnuts, liederhosen and dirndls, and enjoyed Bavarian bands and dances!!  

*New Experiences of the Day (will catch up with the rest later! :))

• Cooked Tortellini in a homemade spinach-tomato sauce!!
• Got begged by the client whom I won over to come to the meeting in London with my boss, only to turn her down since I'm just an intern!!
• Made it to my Deutsche Bank during lunchtime.