Today was started out as a great day...we had orientation starting at 8:30 this morning. Had breakfast, was alittle late to the meeting spot (thats okay so was the POS). We first had to go learn about food handling and take a quiz..i only missed three, you would fail if you missed more than 8. I KNOW I KNOW..im smart...S-M-R-T! Then we had a little over view of some rules about Camp and what goes/is going on at the CDC (Child Development Centers) and then some HOTEL ETIQUETTE. Oh boy! The morning went really well. We ate lunch, all together, in the dinning hall for $4.25 and then headed to get out Military Passes. Now, there is a reason why I rarely wear my hair up, and my pass shows the reason why...IT WAS HORRIBLE but oh well, I can live w/ it. After we got our passes it was time for observation at the CDC.
There are two CDCs on the base, a newer one and of course and older one...who would have thought...any way, I got put into the newer one today w/ the preschoolers. I'LL TELL YOU WHAT (famous words from Larry the Cable Guy) today was a good day to start....I GOT BIRTHDAY CAKE!!! It was a little girls b-day and I got the help celebrate it...okay more like just sing happy bday and eat the cake but hey what can you do when the give you a nice big piece of choc. cake...refuse it..I THINK NOT!!! I also got to play outside w/ the kids for about an hour...we ran around, they put me in jail, sucked my blood...you know the normal things kids do :) But here comes the best part of the day...While we were outside they wanted me at the front desk...my thoughts a first was like okay what happened, I must have not filled out my papers right, or they are sending me home or something, but then it hit me....
MY LUGGAGE!!! It came Tamara called to say that the luggage would be at the hotel at 10:30 tonight...oh my heart skipped about 50 beats, its was almost better than Christmas Morning...ALMOST!! Then when it was about time to go, a little boy drew me a B-E-A-Utiful picture of a butterfly....i think ill keep this pic!
We had a meeting at 7 tonight, to talk about some more rules and what was expected of us as far as checking in, going to bars, how we should act, yada yada yada...and we planned some trips too! We have a few family trips but I'm not going to tell you where they are too. You'll just have to find out later :) But I'm off to take a shower now! Hope you are all having fun reading this! Things can only get better from here!! I'm OUT!
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Monday, January 18, 2010
ARE YOU FLIPPIN' KIDDING ME!?!?!
So, right now I'm sitting in my ginormous hotel room in cold, foggy Vicenza, Italy w/ my roommate who has also been my travel partner and this outrageous adventure.....let me tell you about it...
Monday Jan. 17th -7:45 A.M.: Jamie's Log (get it like captains log on star trek...okay give me a break I've had a long two days)...I wake up late...imagine that huh...but I get every thing around okay! Mom, Jawny and Dad showed up about 8:3o and we packed up Dad and Eric's cars! We left right on time too...how that happens IDK but we did. The morning is foggy and the roads are wet and thats when we find out Eric's car is a pile and his stupid washer fluid cord is broken so we had to dump water on it the whole way to Des Moines so he could see to drive...but that isn't the worst of yet!
10 am - 2 pm I get all check in fine w/ the air lines....Me, Mom Eric, Jawny and Dad go grab a bite to eat and then check the schedule to make sure everything is okay...well the flight is delayed about 30 min which was fine because I has a lay over in Dallas...so we go sit down again, look through the gift shop and decided to check the departure times again...well now we see my flight is delayed again and we determine I would miss my connecting flight in Dallas so we go up to the desk...as we are talking to the lady she tells us the flight is CANCLED...seriously what now...what can go wrong...so the lady was nice and got my flight switched....I was now going to fly into Chicago then to Madrid and then to Venice...well once again we go sit down and wait...Dad, the man that he is was constantly checking the flight times...thank goodness for that this time around..
He came back saying my flight was delayed to Chicago and I was going to miss the connecting flight to Madrid...AWESOME!! Eric swore that the car thing and these flight delays was a sign that I shouldn't go but I was bound and determined!! So dad and I got back to the desk and they put me on a flight to Dallas again, this one was suppose to leave at 10 am but got delayed till 240...by the time I got put on that flight I had to get through TSA fast but I made it...up at the Gate I met Steph, another girl going to Vicenza...she was nice and found out she was a music spanish major...at first I thought oh boy am I going to have to listen to spanish, like listening to my father, but little did I know her spanish was going to come in very handy!!
Tuesday Jan 18th 10 am- 3:30 p.m Madrid Spain time: We have just arrived in Madrid...Toto we are definitely not in Kansas any more....good thing there is English under the signs and Steph knows Spanish. The flight was really good...it didn't seem like 9 hrs at all. I slept and watched a movie so it went by pretty fast. The flight wasn't full either so I had two seats to myself so I could kinda lay down. The food was NASTEY...I had roast beef and mashed tators...the tators were think and kinda hard but I was hungry for some real food (if thats what you want to call it). As we look for a connecting flight information, Steph finds out that the gate and other information wont be posted until an hour before our flight...so we have from 10 am to about 3 pm to worry about where we are going to have to be and to get food.
It was a long lay over and towards the end I could barely keep my eyes open...I tried to call mom when we landed but the number would go through or something. stupid stupid stupid!
6:30 p.m - present Vicenza, Italy (same time as Madrid): The flight was good alittle crowded but I slept most of the way....got of the plane in a good mood and that changed real quick when I go the luggage pick up. YOUR WORST NIGHT MARE HAPPENED...you guessed it, my luggage didn't come off the plane...i don't even know if it was on it..im guessing things got messed up when I got switched to 3 flippin different flights in Des Moines. I just wanted to call my mommy and cry but i couldn't b/c i couldn't find a phone and who even knows if it would have work any way! I held it together though...its kinda hard for a Big Beautiful Woman to find clothes in an unknown place but I'm praying they will get here tom. A Marco Polo goes and checks the air port once a day to see if there is any luggage that needs to be brought to the base b/c the air port can't just bring it here, and its even harder here b/c I don't have an address or phone number for them here on base to call and let me know the status of my bags....err...its one thing after another i swear...After talking to the claim lady, who was very nice and I could at least understand her, Steph and I head out to meet Michael, my project coordinator. He will take us on the hour drive from Vince to Vicenza...and yes I fell asleep on the ride but only after I hear Michael say this is the nicest facility he has been on...and he was right..
Right now I am sitting in my hotel, on base, which is kinda separated into two rooms...there is a bed room and then a common area...the common area has a pull out couch, and that is wear steph said she would sleep so i get the bed...AMAZING already. There is a little kitchen w/ a microwave, little stove, freezer, fridge, plate and silver wear. There are two closets, two tvs, and I even have two pillows to sleep w/...three if i really want another one :) I have internet so I can easily get on Facebook and check emails and my blog!
I haven't really seen much yet, we came in and night and it was really foggy...I haven't really talked to any one either. We pretty much came from the air port straight to the hotel. The first meeting is at 8:30 tom. morning where I will get to meet the other interns...so I better get off to bed...I am 7 hours ahead so its about 11 at night here and 4 in the afternoon in the states. I have to check in my 1030 on the week days so I'll try to get on facebook or skype (jthom33) around then maybe 2 times a week...that may change as I will get to explore more as the weeks go on! Miss everyone!!! Lets hope things get better!!!!!!!!
Monday Jan. 17th -7:45 A.M.: Jamie's Log (get it like captains log on star trek...okay give me a break I've had a long two days)...I wake up late...imagine that huh...but I get every thing around okay! Mom, Jawny and Dad showed up about 8:3o and we packed up Dad and Eric's cars! We left right on time too...how that happens IDK but we did. The morning is foggy and the roads are wet and thats when we find out Eric's car is a pile and his stupid washer fluid cord is broken so we had to dump water on it the whole way to Des Moines so he could see to drive...but that isn't the worst of yet!
10 am - 2 pm I get all check in fine w/ the air lines....Me, Mom Eric, Jawny and Dad go grab a bite to eat and then check the schedule to make sure everything is okay...well the flight is delayed about 30 min which was fine because I has a lay over in Dallas...so we go sit down again, look through the gift shop and decided to check the departure times again...well now we see my flight is delayed again and we determine I would miss my connecting flight in Dallas so we go up to the desk...as we are talking to the lady she tells us the flight is CANCLED...seriously what now...what can go wrong...so the lady was nice and got my flight switched....I was now going to fly into Chicago then to Madrid and then to Venice...well once again we go sit down and wait...Dad, the man that he is was constantly checking the flight times...thank goodness for that this time around..
He came back saying my flight was delayed to Chicago and I was going to miss the connecting flight to Madrid...AWESOME!! Eric swore that the car thing and these flight delays was a sign that I shouldn't go but I was bound and determined!! So dad and I got back to the desk and they put me on a flight to Dallas again, this one was suppose to leave at 10 am but got delayed till 240...by the time I got put on that flight I had to get through TSA fast but I made it...up at the Gate I met Steph, another girl going to Vicenza...she was nice and found out she was a music spanish major...at first I thought oh boy am I going to have to listen to spanish, like listening to my father, but little did I know her spanish was going to come in very handy!!
Tuesday Jan 18th 10 am- 3:30 p.m Madrid Spain time: We have just arrived in Madrid...Toto we are definitely not in Kansas any more....good thing there is English under the signs and Steph knows Spanish. The flight was really good...it didn't seem like 9 hrs at all. I slept and watched a movie so it went by pretty fast. The flight wasn't full either so I had two seats to myself so I could kinda lay down. The food was NASTEY...I had roast beef and mashed tators...the tators were think and kinda hard but I was hungry for some real food (if thats what you want to call it). As we look for a connecting flight information, Steph finds out that the gate and other information wont be posted until an hour before our flight...so we have from 10 am to about 3 pm to worry about where we are going to have to be and to get food.
It was a long lay over and towards the end I could barely keep my eyes open...I tried to call mom when we landed but the number would go through or something. stupid stupid stupid!
6:30 p.m - present Vicenza, Italy (same time as Madrid): The flight was good alittle crowded but I slept most of the way....got of the plane in a good mood and that changed real quick when I go the luggage pick up. YOUR WORST NIGHT MARE HAPPENED...you guessed it, my luggage didn't come off the plane...i don't even know if it was on it..im guessing things got messed up when I got switched to 3 flippin different flights in Des Moines. I just wanted to call my mommy and cry but i couldn't b/c i couldn't find a phone and who even knows if it would have work any way! I held it together though...its kinda hard for a Big Beautiful Woman to find clothes in an unknown place but I'm praying they will get here tom. A Marco Polo goes and checks the air port once a day to see if there is any luggage that needs to be brought to the base b/c the air port can't just bring it here, and its even harder here b/c I don't have an address or phone number for them here on base to call and let me know the status of my bags....err...its one thing after another i swear...After talking to the claim lady, who was very nice and I could at least understand her, Steph and I head out to meet Michael, my project coordinator. He will take us on the hour drive from Vince to Vicenza...and yes I fell asleep on the ride but only after I hear Michael say this is the nicest facility he has been on...and he was right..
Right now I am sitting in my hotel, on base, which is kinda separated into two rooms...there is a bed room and then a common area...the common area has a pull out couch, and that is wear steph said she would sleep so i get the bed...AMAZING already. There is a little kitchen w/ a microwave, little stove, freezer, fridge, plate and silver wear. There are two closets, two tvs, and I even have two pillows to sleep w/...three if i really want another one :) I have internet so I can easily get on Facebook and check emails and my blog!
I haven't really seen much yet, we came in and night and it was really foggy...I haven't really talked to any one either. We pretty much came from the air port straight to the hotel. The first meeting is at 8:30 tom. morning where I will get to meet the other interns...so I better get off to bed...I am 7 hours ahead so its about 11 at night here and 4 in the afternoon in the states. I have to check in my 1030 on the week days so I'll try to get on facebook or skype (jthom33) around then maybe 2 times a week...that may change as I will get to explore more as the weeks go on! Miss everyone!!! Lets hope things get better!!!!!!!!
Sunday, January 10, 2010
1 Week Till I Leave
For all of those who don't know, I am going to Italy in about a week. I'm doing Camp Adventure, through UNI, which is a program that sends students to work with kids (its like a Day Care) on Military Bases around the world. I got lucky and get to go to Italy!!!
Everyone has been asking me what am I doing, where I am staying, do I have any roommates etc. The answer to all of those would be I HAVE NO IDEA. All I know is that I'm going to Vincenza, Italy and that there will be 10 other students from all over, I believe. UNI set up a discussion bored on their thing called WebCT which I have been talking to a girl and a few others have responded just recently. There is one girl from Iowa, but I just replied to her so I hope to have some information about her soon!
I finally got my flight information in an e-mail. I was getting a little worried b/c I did't haven't it yet but sure enough it was sent today! Mom has made me a chart already with Iowa and Italy Times on it as well as flight numbers and duration of the flights and what not. Its all color corrdinated as well :)
I leave from Des Moines on Jan. 17th, next sunday, at 1:15 pm and I fly into Dallas/Fr Worth Texas and arrive there at 3:20pm. I leave Texas at 5:45 pm and arrive in Madrid, Spain at 10 am their time/ 3 am Iowa time. From Spain I head to Italy, but my flight doesn't leave till 4:10 pm Spain/ 9:10 Iowa Time, so I have quite the lay over in Spain. I will then arrive in Venice Italy at 6:25 pm thier time/ 11:25 am Iowa Time. I thought I would be coming back in May but it looks like I will be coming back April 10th.
As the days draw near and I'm getting the last of the information, I'm becoming extremely excited but extremely nervous. I've never been gone from home for this long and going somewhere w/out friends or ppl I know, alittle freaky. I know I'll be fine but I'm sure I'll get a little home sick. I just heard I need to keep myself busy and not call home as much...mom may advise me other wise :) Right now we are brain storming a list of things I need to pack and I'll get to packin my suit case this week, and Dad is freakin out and doesn't want me to go...well I say TO BAD, I'm OUTTA HERE :). I'm not sure how much internet access I will have in Italy but I will try to post on here atleast once a week if not more.
Everyone has been asking me what am I doing, where I am staying, do I have any roommates etc. The answer to all of those would be I HAVE NO IDEA. All I know is that I'm going to Vincenza, Italy and that there will be 10 other students from all over, I believe. UNI set up a discussion bored on their thing called WebCT which I have been talking to a girl and a few others have responded just recently. There is one girl from Iowa, but I just replied to her so I hope to have some information about her soon!
I finally got my flight information in an e-mail. I was getting a little worried b/c I did't haven't it yet but sure enough it was sent today! Mom has made me a chart already with Iowa and Italy Times on it as well as flight numbers and duration of the flights and what not. Its all color corrdinated as well :)
I leave from Des Moines on Jan. 17th, next sunday, at 1:15 pm and I fly into Dallas/Fr Worth Texas and arrive there at 3:20pm. I leave Texas at 5:45 pm and arrive in Madrid, Spain at 10 am their time/ 3 am Iowa time. From Spain I head to Italy, but my flight doesn't leave till 4:10 pm Spain/ 9:10 Iowa Time, so I have quite the lay over in Spain. I will then arrive in Venice Italy at 6:25 pm thier time/ 11:25 am Iowa Time. I thought I would be coming back in May but it looks like I will be coming back April 10th.
As the days draw near and I'm getting the last of the information, I'm becoming extremely excited but extremely nervous. I've never been gone from home for this long and going somewhere w/out friends or ppl I know, alittle freaky. I know I'll be fine but I'm sure I'll get a little home sick. I just heard I need to keep myself busy and not call home as much...mom may advise me other wise :) Right now we are brain storming a list of things I need to pack and I'll get to packin my suit case this week, and Dad is freakin out and doesn't want me to go...well I say TO BAD, I'm OUTTA HERE :). I'm not sure how much internet access I will have in Italy but I will try to post on here atleast once a week if not more.
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