Arrival In Germany

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So I have finally arrived in Germany and am well on the way to getting
settled in to my new home.



I have decided to try and start an online blog so that those of you who have
time and are interested in what I've been up to can check it out online and
I'll only send you a quick notice that I've posted something new. That way
I wont bog down your inbox with pictures and long emails. Hope you enjoy
it!



The trip itself was quite long and obnoxious, it started out in Philadelphia
with a 1 hour flight to JFK. Then in JFK I had a lovely 4 hour layover :-)
That was followed by a 7 hour flight to Frankfurt, where I then had a
frantic race through the airport to catch my last and final flight to
Paderborn, a small airport about 45 minutes from Bielefeld. My new home
town!



Of course each one of my flights landed and departed from different
terminals so I got some really good exercise in between. The best was in
Frankfurt where I had to change terminals and go through 2 security check
points, all with less than an hour. I arrived just as they started
boarding, thoroughly sweaty and hot from dragging my 50 lb carry-on (hey I
had to fit all the stuff that wouldn't make it into my check luggage
somehow!), but at least I was there, and didn't miss the flight.



Once I got into Paderborn, Jens (Siggi is his nickname, don't ask why I'm
not sure either but I like it better than Jens) picked me up and brought me
to home. At this point it was 1:30pm Germany time which was 7:30am US time
and I left PHL at 1pm the day before so that brings my total travel time to
18.5 hours. Good Times!!



So I have spent the last few days dealing with the authorities so that I can
stay in Germany, car shopping and at IKEA. I have officially been accepted
into Germany for 5 years :-). After many visits to many car dealerships I
think I have finally narrowed my car choices down to 2: a SEAT Ibiza or a
MINI Cooper. I will update you later on the final decision.



The weather here is unbelievable! It has been sunny and between 75 and 85
degrees! All the flowers and trees are in bloom, I am a very happy camper.
If it keeps up I might have to can the Ibiza and mini cooper and look for a
convertible!



My first day of work is Wednesday May 2, and on Thursday May 3rd I am
already going to get to do some travel! I am flying to Istanbul Turkey for
3 days to attend a trade show and visit some jobsites. I am really looking
forward to the job and I am confidant it is going to present me with some
really interesting opportunities.



I will send pictures and more updates when I get back from Turkey! Hope
everyone is doing well, I miss you all and don't forget that if you are ever
in Germany or anywhere else in Europe let me know! I have plenty of room
for visitors :-)

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