Stepping off of the plane in Munich, Germany was surreal. Being my first time traveling overseas I was not sure what to expect. The airport was extremely quiet and had a sterile feel to it. The realization that I was surrounded by people who did not speak my language was a little nerve racking. I was instantly regretting not taking a German class before I left! As I walked through customs, it was such a relief seeing the Edelweiss Lodge and Resort sign. I was then greeted by nine other “newbies”, which we came to be known as this first week! Thankfully, I was on the last plane to arrive to Germany for our new group of ten, some had been waiting at the airport for over three hours after landing! Shortly after I arrived, we all loaded into a couple of vans and headed to our new home, about an hour and a half drive away. Going over 100 mph on the Autobahn was a great first experience in Germany!
My first week here was long and extremely informative. My first four days were spent in classes and orientation (getting military ID, lots of paperwork, etc). I learned a lot more about the history of Edelweiss Lodge and Resort. Edelweiss is the newest part of the AFRC’s (Armed Forces Recreation Center) 60 year tradition in Europe. It was built in 2004 to replace the former facilities throughout Germany. The resort has 328 rooms and is generally at 90% occupancy. Edelweiss is a Non-Appropriated Funds business, which means we get no funding from the government. This means that every dollar earned goes back into running the business. It is not designed to make a huge profit, just to continue to stay open for future generations.
I was hired to work at Pullman Place, which is the steakhouse at the resort. Eventually, I am going to be a server, but I am still in training as of now. Everyone has made it clear to me that working at Pullman is the coveted job in the resort because you can make the most money there. Back home I would probably have a cockier response, but I am truly humbled to have been placed where I am. Everyone I work with is really fun and it seems like a close knit group. We are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, so I will always have the same days off! It takes me just over half an hour to walk to work, and thankfully, I can always get a ride home from one of the other servers who have cars.
Life at the Abrams is like being back in college - there is always something to do and that usually involves drinking! I share a room with one other girl. We got the short end of the stick as far as rooms go though, no sink or mirror!! We have already put in a request to switch rooms, so hopefully we will get to upgrade soon. We have a fridge in our room and there are kitchens throughout the building to use. I am mostly eating sandwiches and things that don’t require cooking! It is funny to remember how I pictured it before I was here. I pictured it a bit more rustic or campy. I guess I was thinking of what Camp Advenchur looked like when I lived there. The building is a lot bigger than I was expecting, it used to be a hospital for the Nazi soldiers, so I know there are some ghosts lurking around! The gates at the Abrams, Edelweiss Resort and the Base have security guards and you have to show your military ID, so I feel very safe.
The city of Garmisch-Partenkirchen is adorable. Picture Leavenworth sans the Disney influence. Every home looks so quaint with German paintings, shutters and antlers hung on the outside. It has been said that Seattle is like living at base camp, but it does not hold a candle to Garmisch. The foot of the mountain is literally right outside my gate! The mountains are absolutely breathtaking. The weather has been great so far, no snow yet. Once the sun is shining in the valley, it gets very warm.
I finally feel settled into my new home, took a little tour of the city today with my roommate:
Shopping Center in Town
Latte & Pastry Time!
No comments:
Post a Comment