A quiet evening at home...

Happy Independence Day everyone!!! I hope everyone enjoyed their day off. I had to work today. When the prez and I were discussing this trip he told me I was lucky since ze German's have so many holidays and I would have the opportunity to partake in them. Since I am here I don't get the American holidays. Also, ze German's had all their holidays for the time I will be here. So that means I miss two American holiday's and get 0 German ones. Oh well...

I left work at 4 today to go to Düsseldorf for some rock climbing. I found a gym called Mensch (Human) that is actually kind of cool. The climbing area isn't as big as I am used to, imagine a lifetime fitness climbing area with a bouldering section. But they also have indoor beach volleyball (I wish it wouldn't of been inappropriate to take pictures to share, but sorry all). Some beach soccer, and a fitness area. Turns out with all the time I have taken off from climbing I no longer have callouses on my hands... But Mittwoch is singles night at Mensch so I'll have to go on the regular. Although it's not that kind of singles, it's for lone climbers to find a belayer.

So being very tired and sore from climbing (I think I pulled a tricep) I decided to wander around Ehrenfeld for a little while then settle in for a movie. My buddy Frank loaned me an Xbox and a DVD player for the rest of my stay. It was very kind of him. I kind of invited myself over last night and it turns out that his mother and grandmother (Oma) were there. So I had dinner with his family and beat his son at some Mario Kart and Smash Bro's. At least he couldn't understand me when I was talking smack to him, haha... I was just planning on stopping by to grab the DVD player and head to Mensch, but our boss called and I ended up sitting down at the table, then dinner was ready... I really appreciate all his support. Without him I would be lost somewhere never making it to my first day of work...

I watched Dogma with German subtitles and learned a few new words. I need to devote more time at work to studying my phrase books. The problem is that the books are a different dialect than where I am at so the pronunciations are off. That and it's not like a basic German book, but just a few words and phrases. Beyond the travelling on weekends I need to do something useful here so I'll make due mit was ich habe. Plus I really need to rest constant sleep deprivation is not a good thing.

Tomorrow I plan on going to Bochum for a free open air music festival at the recommendation of the VP of global product development. Bonn the, old capital, is also having one, but the VP was right on about the public viewing so I'll take his word. The funny part was, in his email, he assumed I would be somewhere in another country... Maybe I'll go to Luxembourg though since it's only 2 hours away. Lorik and Vlad are both visiting family this weekend so I am alone. Next weekend, Paris will be my American last hurrah before Vlad goes back across the ocean and Lorik stays there for work. Maybe I'll save the smaller countries for lone trips... Regardless I got to use my new address as I had the return train tickets mailed to my apartment. €91 for a one way ticket... oh well that's what the college fund is for, cheers!