Rocking the Boat

Papa always told me that "the only limitations in life are the ones you set for yourself". Although I have always taken this heart, I think that I have just now realized what he meant. After having been stuck in a rut for the last four years of my life, I feel as though I have wiggled myself loose from a net cowardice.

Some have called these last few years of my life the "quarter life crisis". You know, the time in your life that nobody warns you about. The time when you graduate college, feeling as though you are at the top of your game. Feeling invincible and ready to take on the world. You start to apply for your dream jobs, only to find that nobody will hire you because you don't have real work experience. You find yourself lost and frustrated, just waiting for somebody to recognize your potential. Slowly you let go of your expectations and accept the fact that you have to work someplace that you never wanted to work...you have to pay your dues!

When I least expected it, someone entered my life and finally recognized my potential. A door opened that has allowed me to travel the world and see life for what it really has to offer. The boat has been rocked so-to-speak! I feel as though my view of the world has shifted and the possibilities in life are endless. Now I know, "the only limitations in life are the ones you set for yourself".

Happy New Year to all! I am in Edinburgh, Scotland, visiting my dear friend Angela. Good friends are hard to come by and I feel very privileged to have Angela as a part of my life.

I will post pictures and write again about my trip to Scotland upon my return to Germany.

Christmas in Germany

Wow! Christmas in Germany makes me feel like I'm living in an enchanted fairy tale. It is fridgedly cold, the ground is covered in white powder, and every main street is filled with holiday markets full of Gluewein (hot wine), brautwurst and sweets. Most every house is decorated in delicate, beautiful lights and stars. Many of the decorations remind me of my childhood at teh Waldorf Schule...school.

Picture is from the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall

event at the Brandendburger Tuer. We are standing in front of the fallen "Dominoes". I am standing with two coworkers...Lilit from Armania and Maria from Italy.

I went for a jog yesterday through the snow. I live near the Neue Garten park and the famous Holy Lake. As I jogged along, I looked to the right and passed the last castle that was built in Germany. To the left, I saw the bridge that seperated the GDR (east) from Western Germany. At the halfway mark, Soviet and American troops would pass back and forth between the east and west. The Berlin Wall once stood along the trail that I ran. My roomate who grew up in the house I am living in, and told me that he used to pass through the guards and walk along tanks and barbed wire to enter the city center for groceries.

I will be here alone for Christmas, but on the 29th will fly to Edinburgh, Scotland to visit my dear friend Angela. After I return I will work four days and then fly to Paris for a weekend. Life is rough!

GREECE

Well...I have wanted to visit Greece for most of my life. With a week and a half of vacation time, I decided to take my first trip to Greece. Receiving a paycheck in Euros is certainly helpful when it comes to traveling. Greece was VERY expensive, but amazing nonetheless. I spent around 40 Euros per day on food alone!

I arrived in Athens on a Sunday evening. The taxi ride to my hotel was terrifying. The Greeks drive like crazy people and consider the speed limit to be a suggestion rather than a law. Somehow, I made it to my hotel alive, dropped off my bags, then headed into the Plaka to find some dinner. The food was amazing, but expensive nonetheless.

Later I ventured into the Peloponnese mountains and on to Olympia, cradle of the Olympic Games. I travelled to Delphi where I hiked to the Temple of Apollo and the Oracle of Delphi. I ventured through the site where Leonidas and the Spartans were defeated and killed by the Persians, then on to the Monasteries of Meteora. Meteora was certainly one of the highlights of my adventure. The geography seemed somewhat surreal, but then again, so does my life right now.

After my adventures through the Peloponnese, I went back into Athens. I returned to the same hotel where I had spent my first night. This time however, I found myself getting eaten by bedbugs! Athens is a very dirty city filled with dirty old men, hagglers and bed bugs! I could have skipped Athens all together, but then again, I was at least able to experience it. I hiked up to the Parthenon and found myself sorely disappointed. The temple was hidden by scaffolding and many parts had been refurbished in recent times. However, the view of Athens from the top of this hill was outstanding.

For my last three days in Greece, I decided that I needed to experience the Greek Islands. I took a ferry to Santorini, where I rented an apartment on the water with a westward view. Although I would have liked to explore the island, I was so exhausted that I decided to spend my time sitting on the patio/porch/veranda…whatever you call it…and read my book. I cannot remember the last time I sat and watched the sun set. It was amazing and rejuvenating and made my vacation everything that a vacation should be. I sat outside each day with a glass of wine, the new Dan Brown book and some Greek h’ordeurves and soaked in all the sun I could take.

I could write for days about the ancient ruins and geography that I encountered on my journey, but I will spare you all the details and let the pictures speak for themselves!

Now I am back in Deutschland where it gets dark at 4 PM and stays dark until 8 in the morning. It doesn’t seem to bother me yet, but it was nice to soak in a bit of sunlight over my holiday.

Last night I moved into my new home. I am now living in a Vegan commune in a city called Potsdam. My rent is very cheap here and the company is great. Hopefully I will learn German faster while living here.

Short one!

Last week I crashed hard off my bike and am now black and blue. The next day I met Rubia, our new distributor from Taiwan. I hosted her for three days and am completely exhausted.

Next Thursday I head into Berlin for a U2 concert at the Brandenburger Tor...free! What a life live :-)

Proposal

Ha! I finished my very first proposal for data sales to a company in France. It was one of the most stressful job experiences I have ever had, yet I somehow enjoyed it. I love my job. I feel important and appreciated. I feel like an equal to all those around me and people actually take the time to listen to my thoughts and ideas. I am satisfied in my career for the very first time in my life. I am working to build a company from the ground up and am involved with so may different aspects of the business. In addition, I am making connections with people from companies all over the world and I get to live in Europe. My body still tingles from excitement when I walk down the streets of Brandenburg. Life is good!

Tables are Turning

Last weekend I took a train ride over to the boarder of Germany and Poland with two of my soon to be roommates. We took a day hike (on flat ground) and then worked our way back toward the train station. While walking through the town, we stumbled upon a very unique cafe. The place was full of Bohemian furniture and tiling. The food was organic and they offered things like oat milk and soy milk. The walls in the bathroom were painted in a manner that reminded me of Waldorf School. This is very rare in eastern German towns, especially ones this far east. People tend to dislike change here, and often let buildings sit and crumble for 100 years rather than tearing it down. This little city was filled with industry at one point in history and was dotted with smokestacks and grey soviet apartment complexes that house thousands of people.

Last Tuesday I had a woman surf my couch while she was in town for an audition. Osnat is a very talented Opera singer from Israel and is one of the most interesting woman I have ever met. She left Israel and moved to Germany because she felt that people in Germany are the most open minded, non-judging people she has ever met. She feels that her country is filled with hypocrisy and she could not tolerate it any longer. I thought this to be very interesting since she lost a great deal of family in the Holocaust.

A couple weeks ago I met a new employee named Katerina. She is working part time in my department while finishing up a research job at the University of Potsdam. Once she completes her research, she will join RapidEye full time. While chatting with Kat, I mentioned my desire to find a new living situation in Berlin. She told me that she had a room for rent in her house in Potsdam. I had never considered Potsdam before because it is very expensive. It is halfway between Brandenburg and Berlin (maybe a little closer to Berlin) and one might consider Potsdam's relationship to Berlin as the Montecito of Santa Barbara or the Cherry Hills of Denver. Anyhow, I went to look at the place and met the 4 people I would be living with and agreed to take over the room. I will be living with an orange cat, three Germans and one Kiwi in a very unique old house (a triplex mansion) in a very classy neighborhood, close to a famous park and popular nude swimming beach. One of the girls is a Vegan and they all eat strictly organic. they make of point of eating dinner together every night. I think that means I may be turning into a Vegan for a while...

Miss you all,

Abiah

Life Without Internet!

I am now settled into my new apartment, but still no Internet or phone. Tuesday the 22nd is the day I meet the technician to set up my connection. I have gone three weeks without Internet, TV, movies, radio or telephone and it has been interesting. I ended up getting sick and staying home from work one day. I managed to finish my last book in English print and then nearly lost my mind from boredom. My fingers can only play fiddle for so long. Life ha sslowed down and I am starting to enjoy the peace of no-technology life. I friend has loaned me more reading material and I am back to reading.

Today I sit at the Wasch Cafe where I am doing my laundry, sipping a cappuccino and surfing the wireless Internet. This place might be the most brilliant place ever! Not only can I sit here and relax while doing my laundry but they also put my wash into the dryer for me and fold it for free.

Work is still fantastic. Little funny misunderstandings come up from time to time that can be frustrating for all. On the other hand, I sometimes get a good laugh. Last week my boss asked me what the word for pencil sharpener was. Everyone thought that there must be a shorter word for it, but no. Then the intern, Bjorn, picked up his eraser and stated that it was "a rubber"! I explained that you would not refer to an eraser as "a rubber". Then another coworker, Georg told me about his experience in Canada. He had purchased a map at a bookstore and decided that he needed a rubber band for the rolled map. However, he only knew to ask for "a rubber". The guy behind the counter nearly died laughing and explained that he wanted a rubber band for his map and not "a rubber".

I spent another weekend in Berlin. I met up with a coworker and we decided to have a ladies night on the town. On the way back to her apartment we walked by a karaoke bar and couldn't resist checking the place out. It was two stories high and had a front room with tables set up like a cafe. They also had roughly 20 private rooms. The whole place was filled with Japanese Germans with the exception of the two of us. On the screen was Japanese pop music blasting. Funny thing is, the Japanese music videos were much better than anything Americans make these days. I had a good laugh, needless to say and we ended up staying until 4 AM!