Germany...

[dagibbs]

Being on the road is tough, but it is a lot tougher in a country with a language I don't understand. Sure, in tourist areas there is a fair bit of English understood/expected, but I'm not in the tourist areas. I'm in a smallish town near Stuttgart, and while the hotel restaurant has English on its menu, and the hotel employees mostly speak some English, the other restaurants nearby generally have all German menus, and the people working there don't speak English. In fact, last night I was called over to help take a phone order from someone who spoke English on the phone to the restaurant, because the waiter couldn't do it. I was able to write down the order numbers, so the restaurant people could prepare the food. Yup.

And, the time shift makes it so much harder to stay in touch with anyone in Ottawa. By the time leolac gets home from work, it is 11pm (or later) here, making it almost time for me to get to sleep. And I'm still tired, and jet-lagged, so that doesn't make it much better.

Also, not surprisingly, the hotel room is pretty small. It has a little table, that had a kettle and a bunch of stuff on it -- but I've cleared it off, and it just barely has room for my laptop (which is a monster) and mouse -- I don't have room on the table for my keyboard, too. Yup, really small.

And the phone system doesn't sound the same -- different sounds for dial tone, ringing, busy signal, etc, make it harder to use when you're having problems or not getting through.

Just three more days.

Comments

[thatguychuck.livejournal.com]

Good luck. Glad you're still out there, and thank goodness you can find internet access.

[thatguychuck.livejournal.com]

And by "out there", I mean it in the general sense. I'm not being a bastard saying, "Gee, isn't it great you're still in Germany for THREE WHOLE MORE DAYS?" < grin >

Hope you make it home soon.

[dagibbs.livejournal.com]

You know, I didn't even think of that interpretation. I took it as "glad to hear you're still alive and kicking" kind of way.

[dagibbs.livejournal.com]

Yeah, if I didn't have internet access, you wouldn't know just how depressed I was. :)

[dagibbs.livejournal.com]

That is, depressed about not having internet access.

[dagibbs.livejournal.com]

Actually, I won't be home until a week from Friday -- it is 3 more days until I leave Germany, but not for home, instead for California.

Thanks for the hugs.

Would be nice to see you sometime... how does May look for you?