Day 3 – Monday July 11, 2011 - First day of school, I mean work!

Today feels like the first day of school.  I have my backpack loaded and I’m walking to find my shuttle van to go to work.  I feel like someone should take my picture on this eventful moment!!!  LOL 

I made it to the T-Mobile office and found Starbucks waiting for me.  Ah yes, this feels so normal.  However, since I'm in Bonn, Germany you wouldn't think that I would run across a coworker from Bellevue, now would you?!  Yep, I'm randomly standing next to this guy as I'm digging through my backpack and all I hear is "Jennifer?"  And sure enough, I turn around and there is David!  Surprise!  David has been in Bonn for 3 years now but I use to work with him in Bellevue.  Small world!  

So, while I'm at Starbucks I try the T-Mobile Hotspot and of course, it doesn’t work.  I have had no luck getting connected to the internet with my work laptop or my iPad.  So frustrating!!!  Will have to work on that part later. 

I begin the day meeting people whom I will work with for the next month.  Of course, I have no computer, that would be too easy for the first day of work.  So, I’ve written down my meetings for today, old school style.  My badge doesn’t work yet to load money onto it so that I can buy lunch in the cafeteria (they do not accept cash payments).  Luckily, I can borrow from my new coworker in order to get lunch.  I also get introduced to a woman named Linda, who has been in Germany for years and years and is from the US.  Good to meet these connections!

Although, I have no phone and no email, I’m feeling very disconnected from the world.  Hopefully at some point, I’m online again.  I think that will make a big difference! 

After work I stopped into a neighborhood pub and everyone was very excited to have a pretty American in the place.  Did I mention they were all men?  They played some music for me and were so excited to have John Denver on the radio.  That really cracked me up!  Followed by the Rolling Stones!  You can’t help but laugh and have a good time.  The owner also called a guy named Michael for me to speak with and to be honest, I’m really not sure what that was about.  He spoke very good English and I’m not sure if they were trying to set me up on a date or just to speak English to this local guy.  All very interesting and entertaining!

I also took a cab ride home and of course, I don’t know my address and he spoke little English.  Come to find out he did speak French and so a little of my French came in handy from high school.  Go figure!  Life is full of little surprises lately!!!