Work

Lets see... so it's been about 3 weeks of work already.  I cannot believe that.  I feel like I'm still in my first few days of work.  But, I can say that I'm becoming a lot more familiar with the bakery with what exactly is going on and how everything all works together.  The people are extremely nice and helpful and I am so thankful for that.

Sleep...
Sleep is another story.  This is still so hard to get used to!  I still think it's all about the mind playing tricks on you.  I go to bed when it's daylight out and I wake up when its dark.  I wanna say: Come on mind! Get with it! It's reversed now so get used to it!
This week was hard because the times changed.  Monday through Thursday was still the same 4am, but I worked for 9 1/2 hours each day.  So Friday and Saturday... well, Friday started at 2:30am.  Saturday? Well, you  may not believe this but I started at 12:30am.  Not kidding.  I don't kid about mornings, and I certainly don't kid about sleep.  As it turns out, I asked about the super early working hours, because before I was coming in at 4am everyday, and the reason was because of the Sail event happening in the city down by the harbor.  So then I also found out that this tends to happen around Christmas/ New Years, Valentine's Day, and Easter.  Oh well.  I worked just about 55 hours this week.  Thats a whole lots of plums!

Speaking of plums...
The amount of plums that I cut this week was astounding.  Did you know that plums smell?  They do.  Did you know that plums make stains on clothes and fingers that is near impossible to get out?  They do.  I think I would be okay if I never saw a plum ever again in my whole life.  But with that thought, being around plums all day a work does give me a fond memory of my childhood... lets go back in time about 12 years...
Once upon a time, back in Newark, Delaware at my home, we had a plum tree that made enormous amounts of plums one summer.  My brother, two cousins (Regina and Maggie), and I thought we would pick all the plums and sell them out of my driveway.  As it turns out, we really didn't sell that many plums, but it did turn into us all throwing plums at each other.  Maggie was getting really upset about this and screamed, "WHOEVER THROWS THE NEXT PLUM, I'M GOING TO DO THIS TO THEM!" And then proceeded to smash plums on her own head to prove a point.  I'm sorry Maggie, I cannot let you live that down.  It was hilarious!  So, everyday I am reminded of that memory and that makes me happy.

A lot of the products that I've been making have been relatively similar since my last post about work.  Beliners, Pflaum Kuchen, Pflaum August, Rumkugeln, etc.  The worst part is, is that I have full access to all of these during lunch (or breakfast you might want to call it).  I have to do some serious resisting.  But it seems many of my co-workers do not.  Why are they not fat?   I can't understand that.  I'll let you know when I do, and then I will become a millionaire because I will have found out the secret to eating cake and doughnuts while maintaining weight... amazing.


I do have to say that I've never worked so hard in my entire life.  College?  Nope, that seems like a walk in the park compared to this.  Any of my jobs before?  Please, give me a break.  I could do them all with my eyes closed... at the same time.  I've said before that I've never met such a hard working large group of people.  On top of that, the quality put into each and every product that we make is unbelievable.  Quality is checked daily, and there’s no question as to why there are over 20 stores of Engelbrecht in the city of Bremerhaven.

The language?
You may be wondering about my progress on the German language.  Well, for me it seems as though I'm inching along.  I do have to remind myself it has only been a few weeks.  There is only one thing that I want.  I want to be able to understand people when they talk to me.  You cannot possible believe how frustrating it is. But, with that said, I am sure having a crazy experience and learning things that I could not possibly learn otherwise.  Being throw into a new language is hard and frustrating, but in the end, it all works out, and is even a little exciting. I'm learning so much on a daily basis that I don't even know what and how much I'm learning. The key is just to speak it.  Even if you know it's not right, just speak it and they will correct you.  I'm laughing to myself because it is an absolute terrifying thought, but it's true.  Going for it is the fastest way to learn, but it's horrifying. Trust me.

Sail 2010

Sail 2010!! I was so excited and intrigued by this event.  I had been seeing signs all over the city about this, and finally it has arrived!  It was really cool to see.  People come from all over the world with sail boats/ to see sail boats/ to drink while seeing sailboats, etc...

There were stands of drinks and food and candy (as you will see later in this post) and sausages (???) and ice cream and anything else you could think of.  

I thought it was kind-of cool to see everything and all the people with these huge boats.  By the way, nothing has made me want a sailboat more than going to this.  I will be buying one... maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow... but I will.  And no, I have no freaking clue how to sail.

Pictures!

This is the pirate boat that I will be comendearing to rule the seas.  I'm not kidding.

I can't believe I refrained from buying such delicious treats!  I severely regret this decision...

Of course there was a big tent with a huge bar for people to drink at and not care at all about the sailboats!

Blink-182

So last week in Hamburg Blink-182 was playing on their tour! I was able to go!!  Unfortunately, it poured during the concert and was freezing cold, and some of the people who think its fun to push and dance around while listening to music (otherwise known as moshing), but all in all it was good and they were really entertaining.

Let me rant a little bit first about the moshers before showing pictures:
I seriously tried really hard to understand the fun in this so-called dancing/raging style.  I found no one single aspect of understanding... Note to those thinking about attending a concert in this particular style of music:  don't even think about going close to the front.  Don't let that cross your mind as much as you may want to and think it's a good idea.  It's not.  We tried that and found out fast that it was a bad decision.  As soon as Blink-182 started to play mass amounts of 14-17 year old Germans thought it would be a great idea to rush into the stage and literally push and pull people as hard as they possible could.  We got out... fast... Let me ask this... How is that fun???????  Fearing that you're going to lose both flip flops (not the best choice of foot wear) is not fun.  Fearing that your going to lose the other person you're with in the mass of people is not fun. Fearing that you're going to get trampled to death is certainly not fun.  No fun sir, zero fun sir.

Okay so now for pictures!

I don't know why I was so surprised to see Travis playing because it was in fact a Blink-182 tour, but it was awesome!!

White Shirts and Aprons!!!!!!!

Let it be known that my work shirts and aprons are white once again!

Take a look at these fabulously clean and white shirts.  Note: There is this amazing smell of harsh chemicals coming from the clothes, but you can't smell that from this picture.  I wanted to let you know that it's awesome, I love that smell.

All props are given to: The new washing machine! The bath tub for its ability to soak large amounts of dirty clothes,  my ability to never give up (this one is less so), aaaand the ridiculously strong chemical I used (I don't know what it is).

Oktoberfest is approaching...

So while heading to the getrank markt (drink market), we decided that last night would be a good night to do some prepping for the Oktoberfest coming soon!  This beer is the original Hofbrauhaus in Muenchen (Munich).  They were 1/2 liters, so it took 2 of these bottles to fill up that glass.

This is what we did afterwards...

The bumper cars!!! Woooo! Not quite like the ones at Funland in Rehoboth Beach.  These ones reverse when you don't want to and definitely don't go in the direction you want them too... My driving skills were definitely sub par.

Saturday Farmers Market!

Here is the beautiful farmers market that is literally a one minute walk from the apartment.  Every Saturday next to one of the main streets in Bremerhaven (Hafenstrasse) a parking lot is blocked off and these venders come in with their fresh fish, vegetables, fruits, eggs, meets... etc.

Also, I'm trying out this new camera to see if I want to buy it.  So, I've been going a little picture crazy.

This guy is selling eggs and potatoes! A little bit different combination...

So of course we bought something again... can anyone guess what it was the we bought?

That is correct.  The little delicious shrimps again...

This is just me playing with the zoom on the camera...

Not one of my best moments...

Yesterday, I was severely exhausted.  I only have two aprons and they get so dirty everyday at work that I have to wash them every other day.  I can't figure out how everyone comes to work with such clean aprons.  We don't have a washing machine... yet... so hand washing these things is a must.  

Just a little information here: plum juice and chocolate... does not come out... ever.  I can't get these things clean, so naturally I balled my eyes out.  I understand that that maybe was not the best thing to do at the time, but that was a clean example of exhaustion at its finest...

Cuxhaven Beach

This is Cuxhaven.  As you can see its an actual beach! But a little bit different than Dewey.  First, you had to pay to get on the beach, huge bummer there.  But, when the tide goes out everyday, it really goes out.  It may be a little difficult to tell in some of the pictures but there is a long stretch of wet sand that was covered by water just a few hours ago.  So, you can basically walk all the way out in the ocean, and sometimes the marine life is still hanging out in the sand when the water goes away.

But it was a very relaxing area, with cute little beach houses to possibly rent and restaurants with fresh fish.  We even tried to stop by the fish market for something super fresh, but it was too late in the day...

Now I can say that I've officially been in the North Sea!

I though it might be nice to kiss the little crabby!

There was a fort right next to the beach!  

Overview of the first week

The first week of work:

The first week of work was great! The waking up super early in the morning.... well.... that's a little bit difficult to get used to.  Over the past few months, I was really really spoiled with the amount of sleep I got.  Now, this is another story.  Going to bed at 9 and waking up at 2:30 is seriously hard to do.  I think I will get used to it (and I sure hope so, fast).  Napping is must, but I wish I didn't have to.  Saturday, work started at 2:30... am.  I got off at 10 which was great and then was able to have the rest of the day to do whatever I wanted!

At work, I seem to mostly be a sous chef for all the full time workers.  At least for now, I think.  It's so hard not knowing what people are saying most of the time.  Think about your first time at a new job.  You probably listened to what people were talking about, hearing all the stories, and what people were saying to get a feel for their personality, how important they are within the company, and anything else you could gather.  I really don't have that luxury.  It is really hard being the new person AND not knowing whats going on and what the routine is.  But, I'll get used to it and find out my own way.  It sure is a experience, but I can't help but love it.

All in all, this week consisted of a lot of plums.  I even was getting dressed in the locker room at the end of the day and found a plum in my pocket... I kid you not.  Pflaume Kuchen is super popular, since it plum season, so we're making lots and lots of it!  This means that lots and lots of plums need to be cut.  Anyone wanna guess who gets to do the cutting?  That's right... me.  Its not bad once you get in a rhythm of it, but there's this weird plum cutting machine, and it doesn't always work.  My dad really wants me to take a picture of it.  But I don't think I'm allowed to have my camera in there.  I don't know though...

I also was able to make berliners (doughnuts without the holes).  And let me tell you they look freaking delicious!  I helped decorate some cakes, but unfortunately not the fun part (piping designs and flowers and such).  I wanted to say I swear I can do it even though I'm new! But, I know I have to pay my dues here.  

The first week was good, and now it's Sunday and I'm doing some serious resting because tomorrow starts week 2!

Wondering what this picture is?????

I'm about to make everyone reading this blog very jealous about my job.  This is my weekend take-home care package.  Yes, I get to take home delicious treats and bread!!!!!!!  Top left is cheesecake with cherries, top right is a full loaf of delicious bread, bottom left is berliners (doughnuts without the holes), and bottom right is a baguette.  Aaaaand I didn't even picture the croissant filled with chocolate and roll with cranberry things inside (thats because they were already eaten).

Let's just say this could be a serious problem getting this every week...

1st Day (1st actual day of doing work)

Yesterday was my first day of work.  5am. Gasp! Well, guess what time it is right now... 3am! 2nd Gasp!  I work at 4 am today... But, I got off work yesterday at 1:30 and I think today will be around 12:30.  I have the whole day!

Yesterday was a great day.  Utterly exhausting, but none the less great.  There is never nothing to do in the bakery, which is great in my book because there is certainly no standing around.

For the most part, yesterday was all about the plumes.  Pflaume.  I took part in the making a lot of plume cake all made with fresh plumes, right off the back of the truck (this is literally speaking).

Also, remember those rum balls in a previous post I made at home? Rumkugeln?  I took part in the making of those at the bakery too!

The good thing about working in a bakery is that if you don't speak the language (such as my case) everything can be shown to you easily if you don't understand.  Plus I think my understanding skills are getting a lot better!

Well, off to work now!

1st Day

So today was the first official day of work in the bakery.  By work I mean a gathering of the employees and apprentices with a welcome drink and cake.

Everyone seemed incredibly nice and great people to work with for 3 years!  A lot of the employees even tried speaking to me in English (thank god).  All in all, it seems as though it will be a fantastic 3 years with a great company.

Tomorrow is the actual first official day of orientation.  I'm nervous- mostly due to the fact that I probably won't understand what they are saying.  I'm excited- due to the fact that this will my life for at least the next 3 years.  I also have feelings that I can't describe- due to the fact that I've never done anything like this before in my life.

Post on Food...

Well, in response to my last post... here is a post about some delicious foods! and even some baking!

These are little (very little) shrimps!  We found a great market yesterday right off of the main street (Hafenstrasse) and found these very reasonably prices, and very fresh little shrimps! They were so fresh that I even found a shell and a rock inside the bag... take that!

Does anyone see a problem with these?  I'm sure my mom will have an answer for that, she thinks they look like brains when they are peeled.  But, the problem is they are not peeled!!! Well this involves some serious time and some serious intense picking (more so than delicious blue crabs.... from Ed's of course).  And I wasn't supposed to eat them while I was peeling them.  So there was so immediate satisfaction...

The peeling process begins...

And goes a little bit longer...

Finally, the finished product!

These little shrimps are very typical here by the North Sea.  Apparently they are traditionally served with eggs (as shown) and a slice of bread (as shown).  Might I say it was freaking delicious...

Next...

Rumkugeln!

What do you ask is Rumkugeln?  Well, they are balls of cake made out of rum.  Who came up with this idea?  Well I assume the German people, but I was told that it was created out of left overs.  Kind of like how pizza was initially created and how nachos were initially created...

What are you supposed to do with your left over cakes and pastries that are too hard or dried out?  Throw them out? I don't think so!

And so the Rumkugeln was invented...

Ingredients include things such as Rum (of course), sugar, powdered sugar, eggs, butter, chocolate, chocolate sprinkles, and your left over cake!

I'm sure everyone has sort of created their own recipe of how they like their Rumkugeln to taste, so there are a ton out there.  CREATE YOUR OWN! 

...They are yummy, and no, unfortunately they do not get you drunk as well...

Baking???

So you may be wondering why the title of this little blog is "Baking My Way Through Germany" and there has yet to be a post about baking.  Well, the reason being, I haven't started work yet!  My first day is on  Monday the 9th and my first official day of work is Tuesday.

Also, maybe don't take the blog title so literal.  This is an experience and this blog is for anyone interested in a run down on my years spent here!  So that includes everything else that I do here in Germany that may or may not include baking.  But, I'm sure most of it will!

I hope you have been enjoying the posts, and that you keep coming back for more!

Crazy Cheap Wine

So maybe you're wondering why we chose to buy 6 bottles of the exact same kind of wine...

Well.... it was 90 cents!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't really care what anyone says, 90 cent wine is ALWAYS delicious

My Birthday!

For my birthday, Daniel surprised me and took me to Heide Park in Soltau, Germany.  This park is comparable to a Six Flags, but much more nice!  And, it's home to the largest wooden roller coaster in the world!  Woooo!

We had to wait in line for this one almost 2 hours! 

If I remember correctly, the Statue of Liberty is in New York?

 I really wanted to be the one playing the Cello...