My first weekend out and about

Hi Everyone!

My first weekend has been a blast.  I finally have Internet access here in my German House! 

First things first: My house.  I am living in the Pastorius House in Bad Windsheim Germany.

Built in 1668 (putting it older than our country...which is an odd concept to wrap your mind around),

we live on the third floor in a giant room with bunk beds (there's 7 of us up here...a little sorority house

in Germany :)).  I landed a bottom bunk (away from the windows and the early rising sun).  However,

no matter where you sleep the church bells will jar you out of bed each morning (either with guilt or

with overpowering tenor).  Word is that the local church is a protestant one (Lutheran?  We'll see).

 

My roommates:  Amelia, Danielle, Becca, Laine, Jamie (who I've taken to calling Jim), and Katie.

Amelia and Danielle are Californians and already finding it a little chilly for their tastes.  Laine and Becca

are Minnesotans (so they are still decked out in summer wear).  Katie is an Ohio native and Jim is from

Montana.  All have been really fun to live with so far and we have different working areas so we will have some

time apart.

 

My age group?  12m to 2 yrs (my main assignment) and the little, little guys: 6wks to 12 months.  I already had

one day of observations and they are hilarious.  We read a couple of stories and bandaged up a couple of wounds from

the top heavy tots.  All in all a good day (but when they have naptime I am so jealous!  I need a nap time as well).

 

My first weekend in Germany's theme: VOLKSFESTS

My home town had a small Volksfest (people fest...so similar to a county fair) our first night here.  We got to check out

the locals and the local brew.  We learned cheers: Prost!  Which we were then able to use on our trip to the Nurenburg

Volksfest (Nuremberg in US English).  We went to the fest, rode a huge farris wheel and then meandered around the city.

We also stumbled upon a giant open field with a WWI memorial that Hitler used to give a rally speech to his Nazi officers.

We were up there, looking out from the spot where Hitler stood, and trying to imagine the sheer number of officers that

would be standing out in that field but 60 years earlier.  Many Eerie moments like this to come as I make my way around

Germany I'm sure.

 

I also ordered my Eurorail pass (great discount online at STA travel).  So I am officially going to: France, Austria, Switzerland, and Hungary

sometime in the next few months (I have friends living in all but Paris...so I'm excited to see them and have my own private tour

guides).  More to come as I figure that out.  Oktoberfest is coming up in 2 weeks :)  Can't wait.  We also will be heading up to a

giant winefest in the town next to ours (I am smackdab in the middle of wine country...LOVE it).  Franconian whites and reds...so far, so good.

 

Well, sorry for the length (I hate not having it broken up into easier to digest pieces) but it has been awhile since I have been

at a computer. 

 

Ciao!
Megan M. Gallagher

My house is older than my country

Hi all! I moved into the historic Pastorius Haus and i love it already-
pictures to come soon. The house was first built in the late 1600s
(like shakespeares era). Last night was the volksfest here in my new
home town and the girls and i got to meet our new neighbors-who
already knew we were the 7 americans new to town-apparently small town
gossip transcends cultures. The beer here is fabulous and the locals
are even better. We had quite a few german and english conversations
that seemed more fluent after each cheers(prost!).
side note- i just bought my eurorail pass! So more to come from my
end from: swiss, hungary, france, and austria! Cant wait.
Sorry for the super short entry. I have many more details for the
future- but i typed this up from my ipod so i am keeping it short
(haha felder my ipod is worki g while all the computers are struggling)
More to come!

Sent from my iPod

Getting Ready for Work

Well so far I have gone from one information session to another.  Yesterday was all about health stuff and SIDS (which made for a long day).  One of these days we learn how to change a diaper according to Army standards (yes--they do have regulations on diapering in the Army--who knew?). 

 

This Friday I move to Bad Windsheim, Germany and have my new base (Illesheim).  I am super excited for this because most of the time our interns live on base the whole time.  I will get to live in Germany (and catch the train to and from work each morning like a grown up :)).  This Friday we are to Nuremberg for a Volksfest (and for our first chance at catching a German Brew since we've been here--here's a fun little fact they neglected to mention in my countless emails...we are not allowed to even have a sip of alcohol for our first week here...but less than 32 hours from now to go...but who is counting?).  I also had my first German grocery store experience this week.  If it is super expensive at home it is super cheap here (fancy cheeses run around a dollar or so).  If it is super cheap at home, expect it to break the bank over here (peanut butter...in the smallest pb jar you have ever seen in your life...will run you about $8).  So I will some how have to live off the finer things in life and scrape by (for lunch I have been enjoying Brie, raspberries, and fresh bread...$3.00 investment...I don't know how I can continue on like this ;) ).

 

The architecture on the bases is very different from our style at home.  I asked about it, and that is because we didn't actually build any of these bases, but rather took them over from the Nazi regime.  So the idea of living and working in the same buildings as the Nazi party occupied some 60 years ago does have an odd sort of feel about it (probably not something that I will ever really get over).

 

Well, I have to go learn the Army regulations for bottle feeding in a few minutes (and to check my laundry before that). 

More soon,

 

Megan

Safe Arrival

Well, after being awake for, what is nearing, 37 hours (watching 4 movies on a plane while a nice German man napped on my arm) I am finally at Ansbach!

Housing situation--better than anticipated!  For now we are in a hotel until Friday (happy day!).  After that me and 6 other girls are being moved to a "guest house" off base in  a German town :) (I can't remember the name for anything right now...sounds a lot like Ellis Island..but that's not it).  This is really exciting news!  Everything in the town is within walking distance (as is the train...which I get to ride each day to work!).  If I had to stay on base I would be four miles from town and have to look for rides to go anywhere--so I will have a lot more freedom now. We've been calling it the sorority house for our program--there's 12 rooms (so the odds of not having a roomie are looking pretty decent right now).

Tomorrow I start orientation, and training on how the Child Development Center is ran here (no actually seeing kids until Friday).  I think this weekend we are going on a day trip to a really cute German town not too far from here...but more on that later.

So far, so good :)

Megan M. Gallagher

What Exactly is this Internship?

Many people have asked why I will be going to Germany as an intern to work with the Child Development Center.

I recently received an e-mail from Camp Adventure (the program that the DoD contracts me through) that outlines the purpose of

the program rather nicely. 

Here is a note from the coordinator that summarizes it quite nicely:

 

The Internship Program was established in 2004 to help with the Deployment
Cycle of troops "Down Range" (i.e., Afghanistan, Iraq).  Their are four main
parts to a Deployment:  Pre-Deployment (troops getting ready to deploy),
Deployment (troops leave for 12-15 months), R&R ­ Rest and Recuperation
(Troops leave in the middle of their deployment for 2-3 weeks for a
vacation), Reunion / Reintegration (Troops return from deployment, but are
required to participate in specific briefings related to reintegrating back
into the real world), and Block Leave (30 days of leave with family).
Interns are heavily involved with this process as they help to cover for CDC
caregivers whose spouses have been affected by the deployment.  Depending on
what part of the cycle the soldiers are involved with will determine the
role of the interns (i.e., providing child care during FRG meetings,
covering shifts for caregivers on block leave, etc).  As an intern you will
witness first hand the affects of the deployment and the impact it has on
the children and their families.

As caregivers in the CDC, many of you will become in essence, the child¹s
primary caregiver.  Interns and fellow caregivers are often the ones
spending the majority of time with the children and will witness many
firsts, which include teaching children their ABCs and reading with them,
watching the first steps of young children, and teaching children how to put
on their coat.  Some interns will also have the opportunity to witness
reunions between a solider and their child after being gone for almost 15
months.  It will be an emotional, but self-rewarding time as you are
directly supporting the troops down range by providing quality care to the
children.  As interns, we can only guarantee for the nine hours the children
are with us they are receiving the best care possible.  We can¹t control the
stresses and frustrations the children and families face outside of the
center, but we can help an ensuring positive, fun, and age appropriate
growth when they are in our presence.

 

My flight itinerary:

I leave STL to Chicago around 2p Sunday.  I have a lovely three hour layover before my 8hr and 43 min flight to Munich (9:50am).  Another couple of hours layover (and navigating the German airport) before I hop on my last flight to Nuremberg and I arrive, happy and healthy (but, perhaps a little tired) at 12:05pm German time (7 hours ahead of us for now...after daylight savings..only 6).

 

That's all I know for now.  For this program one has to be ready to adjust to whatever they are asking of you and be pretty flexible.  Example: I have absolutely no idea where I will be staying (or how I will be getting there from the airport).  What I do know is that I am boarding a plane tomorrow and getting ready for whatever is thrown at me these next couple of months.

Megan M. Gallagher

Iowa Tour Completed...Next Stop Deutschland

Before Leaving across the pond I went on a quick tour or the great state of Iowa to see my Iowans (looks like I am trading one population of blonde/blue eyed farm folk for another). My tour was extensive, hitting all the main attractions: Des Moines, Waukee, and Knoxville for the 49th annual Knoxville nationals.

DSM gave me a chance to say goodbye to Brieeves and Muhm before they moved to Chicago to start their new lives as City dwellers (and grad student).

In Waukee I met up with Kristin and got to help set up a fifth grade classroom as well as visit with my favorite sorority sister :)

The 49th Annual Knoxville Nationals was an experience all its own.

I got to visit with my Iowa family, Buck and Ames all in one trip...not to mention I saw my first bikini contest (with a guest appearance by a scantily clad distant cousin of Buck's--haha), challenged Dylan's dad to jello wrestling (which he declined-whew!), rode my first mechanical bull (but sadly Jeff outlasted me), saw some sprint cars, ate free burnt chicken at midnight, saw ultimate fighters, go-kart raceing without a seat belt, tour of the city's water supply, climbed a former water tower, and had my hair teased for the Friday night concert.

Then made my way home for one last dog sitting opportunity and packing before I leave for Germany.

All in all, a busy week.