Grafenwohr and family

I'm in Grafenwohr at the moment, eating lunch (a döner) in my transit motor pool (TMP) vehicle with the windows down, enjoying the sunshine.

The feel is different here than in Wiesbaden, which of course it should be. Graf is a small town in the country in Bavaria. Although they probably often feel overwhelmed by Americans here, the people are friendlier and more patient than in Wiesbaden. I actually have it on good authority that Wiesbadeners are rude, something the Germans refer to as "high nose", or something like that. I get no sense of that here in Grafenwohr.

The day is beautiful. My three reliable friends are not here, and I'm on travel without my family, so I'm feeling a little bit melancholy and a lot bit anti-social. I have ten minutes until lunch ends, and I'm going to stay away from my building until the very last minute. As I was sitting in the parking lot, a man asked me if I was enjoying the sunshine. Then he called us all, including himself, troglodytes. That feels especially true today. I should be out hiking!

The feel in Grafenwohr is also different from the feel on site in Israel. It's not just the country culture, either. Since we're not traveling to a different country, there seems to be less flexibility and a higher expectation for productivity. I understand that, and can certainly live with it.

But honestly, on a day like this, I should really be out hiking!

...It's the next day, now. I got to come home a day early, and that's a fabulous thing. But I was so blessed this trip, because I made a new friend, and she lives in Wiesbaden! Woo hoo!

Some people I know don't really like coming out to Graf, but I see goodness in it. It's slow and peaceful here. And this week, I had some good Chinese food from the restaurant called The Chinese. No kidding. I actually avoided it for almost a year because of its name. I had a McDonald's burger that actually looked like the picture on the menu. And I got to eat at Restaurant Böhm with my new friend. It's probably the best restaurant in Grafenwohr.

I'm glad to be home, though. This is already the last weekend with Pat and Jesse. How could that time have gone so fast?! We've certainly enjoyed having them here and will be so sad to see them leave. It makes me glad that this job is temporary and that I know its end date. It was hard enough saying goodbye to Jeanette. I didn't hang out with them all very much because I was trying to make sure that David got to maximize his time with them. They got to see a few things. I know one thing. They will surely be missed.

Giant burger at Restaurant Böhm