in Antwerp at the toastmasters Spring conference

Have you ever been to Antwerp? No? I have not been there before last weekend either! And it also was my first time to go to a toastmasters district conference! My friends and club mates Kai Ley, Niels and Günther came a long and we all where really exited! Kai Ley was to be in the English speaking and the evaluation contests and of course we hoped she would be able to win. But that was not the only high light. I was really looking forward to the jam packed program with workshops, contests and social events. And even a city tour so there would be a change to get at least a little glimpse of the beautiful city of Antwerp!

The fist day started with a bang: a story telling workshop with Ed Tate, the 2000 World Champion of public speaking. I had informed myself about Ed and what he does a little before going to the District Conference, but of course it is always different if you meet someone for real. And Ed was much better in real that I had expected. He was giving us tons of information in a very short time and we had lots of fun, too! Lots of new ideas and inspiration to help me in my own speeches...;-))
After the workshop I we went to the official registration and got our first impression of the Stuurboor and meet some people. Everything was a bit confusing at first and I needed to find the right place and people, since I was to be a timer in one of the contests. And I wanted to be ready when the semi finals of the English speaking contest would start. Kail Ley was in those and of course Niels and I wanted to be there and give her our support by being in the audience! She did a really great job and we were anxious to find out if she would go on to the finals. Unfortunately she did not. The contest was on a really high level and I was glad I was not one of the judges. It was a hard job for sure! We had a short coffee break and Kai Ley had to go into the next contest: the semi finals for the English Evaluations! I was a timer for this contest, but of course in the other group, since you can not be on the tech or judge team, if there is someone from your club in the contest. Just like the contest before, the evaluations where really great and I enjoyed it very much to hear such a lot of quality speeches/ evaluations! Even when I could not concentrate full on them because I had to concentrate on working the lights first! Kai Ley did not get into the finals for the evaluations, too, and so we had some sad moments, but they did not last for long and the program went on. In the late afternoon I was at another workshop, by Serge Pegoff. We did some very intresting group work and I had some insights about how to be more persuasive! We where really hungry and went to a beer tasting event just next door. Unfortunately it was out doors and just had some tents and I was not dressed warm enough for something like that! And it was quite hard to find any vegetarian food!!! But it was a good change to do more talking and getting to know more fellow toastmasters...;-)) And, as if that would not have been enough for one day, we also decided to go to a local Karaoke bar and have some fun, sing and dance....;-)) I was half dead when I finally found my way to my bed!

On Saturday we had more workshops (another on with Ed Tate, with Anne Kathrin Jansen from Köln, Jack Vincent and Robert Cockburn) and the finals of all speaking and evaluation contests. So it was definitely more food for thoughts, inspirations and great speeches to listen too! One of my highlights was to meet so many nice people from all over Europe and connecting to them! And of course we all could not wait for the evening program: the Gala Dinner and the Award ceremony! I was sitting next to toastmasters from Colone and Bonn and Switzerland on the other side and that combination was of course the guarantee for a hilarious and short evening! The food was great and I was really amazed at how quickly all 400 of us where served and it seamed that we did not have to wait at all! The award ceremony was very touching and more than one tears where shed. The atmosphere was nearly electric! And after handing out all the trophies, metals and gifts to many many people we got treated to music played by a live band and a chocolate fountain! It was another long night with dancing and having fun. It was not so much about talking any more (too loud for that!) and I was happy to see my bed again in the small hours.

Sunday, our last day, started with Ed Tate again and I tell you this amazing guy got better each time I saw him ( how does he do it?). After a short coffee break I went to two more workshops, one by Bob Mohl and one by Kirsten Ujvari. More great stuff to learn and before we all knew it it was time for the closing ceremony! What really hit me there was the introduction of all the new officers for the district 59! So many people are working for toastmasters and I had seen a talked to quite a number of them, but I did not realize who they where, or rather what they did in the TM team! Wohhh!
I was quite exhausted by then, but I still did not want to miss the chance to see a bit of Antwerp and joined the city walk. The weather was not too nice to us, but at least I was wearing warmer cloth this time! And it was totally worth it! Antwerp is a very beautiful city and I would not mind to come back again and see more! After some typical food ( chips with some kind of curry sauce and later waffels) we where heading home and since we all where a bit over the top already we had as much fun as you can have when reading sings in a language that you can not understand much of!!!
After that experience I only can say: I hope I will be able to go to Budapest in November, too!

 

so much fun

at the 2nd Polyclaykunst Spektakel in Wiesbaden! It was great to see everyone, play games, wake up everyones Muse and see wonderful demos! On Saturday evening we had our usual swap and raffel night! This time we swapped book marks! The red ones at the top are the ones I made, and the (funnily!) mostly gree-blue ones, are the ones I got in exchange. They were made by Sandra, Andrea, Filiz and Britta. Thank you so much for them, I really love them! ;-))

Wir hatten so viel Spaß beim 2. Polyclaykunst Spektakel in Wiesbaden! Es war toll alle wieder zu sehen, Spiele zu spielen, die Musen auf zu wecken und natürlich die tollen Demos zu sehen! Am Samstag hatten wir unseren traditionellen Swap und Verlose-Abend. Dieses Mal hatten wir uns für Lesezeichen entschieden. Die rötllichen oben im Bild sind diejenigen, die ich gemacht hatte und die blau-grünlichen unten im Bild sind diejenigen, die ich im Tausch dafür bekommen habe. Sie sind von Sandra, Andrea, Filiz und Britta gemacht worden. Vielen dank noch mal dafür! Ich bin ganz begeistert von den Schönheiten...;-))

The highlight was, of course, the raffle of the bead strand and this time it exceptionally beautiful, for sure! Britta was the winner and it was very emotional, also a tradition...;-))
Time was flying by and before we realized it, the weekend was over again and we all had to go home. Sad, but I think the next event is only a question of time....;-)) Well actually my next event starts tomorrow: I am off to Antwerp, Belgium, tomorrow!
Das Highlight des Abends war natürlich die Verlosung des Perlenstrangs und dieses mal war er auch wirklich ausergewöhnlich schön! Britta war die glückliche Gewinnerin und, auch wie üblich, war es sehr emotional ...;-))
Die Zeit vergeht im Flug, wenn man Spaß hat, und bevor man sich versieht, ist das Wochenende schon wieder vorbei. Traurig, aber das nächste Event ist ja nur eine Frage der Zeit....;-)) Um genau zu sein, für mich eigentlich gar nicht, den morgen geht das nächste Ereigniss für mich los: ich bin dann mal auf dem Weg nach Antwerpen...;-)

Take care and check back in soon!
Machts gut und schaut mal wieder rein!

...and off we go!

 "Love Letter" beads for the Spektakel bead strand - "Love Letter" Perlen für den Spektakel Perlenstrang

I am in packing mood again! Tomorrow I will be at the 2nd Polymer Clay Spektakel in Wiesbaden, Germany. It´s not a workshop and it´s not a retreat, it´s something in between. Anyway it is a lot of fun being creative for a whole weekend and I am looking forward to meeting old friends again and making new ones! I am doing an introductional speech, because this time we have a theme " Finding your Muse!" and so I had quite a bit to prepare! But now I am nearly done and can pack my stuff. Tomorrow at lunchtime I am heading north....;-))
Ich bin schon wieder am Packen! Morgen fahre ich zum 2. Polymer Clay Spektakel in Wiesbaden. Es ist kein Workshop und kein Retreat, sondern irgendwas dazwischen. Auf jeden Fall macht es sehr viel Spaß mit anderen ein Wochenende lang kreativ zu sein, und ich freue mich schon darauf alte Freunde wieder zu sehen und neue zu finden! Ich werde diesmal die Einführungsrede halten, denn wir haben diesmal ein Motto "Finde Deine Muse!" und daher hatte ich auch einiges vorzubereiten! Aber jetzt bin ich fast fertig und ich kann mit dem Packen anfangen. Und morgen Mittag gehts auf Richtung Norden...;-))

I hope you all will have a fun and creative weekend, too!
Ich hoffe ihr habt auch alle ein verknügtes und kreatives Wochenende!

Enjoying Colorado (Part 2)

The next adventures are just a round the corner and I still have not caught up with everything! Ah well, will it ever be different? I don´t really think so...;-)) But now I will tell you a bit more about my last week in Colorado:
After meeting so many people, I also wanted to be nothing more than a normal tourist and see some things, well, that needed to be seen...;-)) Without many words, here are some of my impressions...;-))
Die nächsten Abenteuer sind nicht mehr weit und ich habe immer noch nicht alles aufgeholt! Aber was solls, das wird sich wohl nie ändern! Daher erzähle ich Euch jetzt einfach von meiner letzten Woche in Colorado:
nachdem ich mich mit sovielen Leuten getroffen hatte, wollte ich dann auch mal ein ganz normaler Tourist sein, und mir Dinge ansehen, die man halt so gesehen haben sollte. Also ohne viel Worte zeig ich nun noch ein paar meiner schönsten Eindrücke...;-))

At the Olympic Training Center of the U.S.A. in Colorado Springs.
Im Olympischen Training Zentrum der U.S.A. in Colorado Springs.

Garden of the Gods near Colorado Springs.
Garden of the Gods in der Nähe von Colorado Springs.

Lunch in Manitou Springs.
Mittagessen in Manitou Springs.

 Painted wall in Manitou Springs.
Wandgemälde in Manitou Springs.

In Fairplay, Colorado, also known as South Park City, Colorado.
In Fairplay, Colorado, das auch als South Park City, Colorado, bekannt ist.

At the hot springs near Mount Princton.
Bei den heißen Quellen in der Nähe vom Mount Princton.

At court (well, not really!) at the Pionier Museum in Colorado Springs.
Vor den Gericht (naja, nicht wirklich!) im Pionier Museum in Colorado Springs.

Visiting the Dinosaurs at Woodland Park.
Besuch bei den Dinos in Woodland Park.

At the Cliff dwellings near Manitou Springs.
Bei den Felsen"wohnungen" in der Nähe von Manitou Springs.

At the Serenity Springs Wildlife Center. They did not want to have any pictures of the big cats published, so I will just show the sign at the entrance!
Beim Serenity Springs Wildlife Center. Sie hatten darum gebeten keine Bilder von ihren Großkatzen zu veröffentlichen, darum nur ein Foto vom Eingangsschild.

And finally a couple of images from Denver, Colorado.
Und zum Abschluß eine paar Eindrücke aus Denver, Colorado.

I hope you enjoyed following me on my trip to the U.S. and I would like to hear from you, too!
Ich hoffe Euch hat es Spaß gemacht mich ein bisschen auf meiner Reise in die U.S.A. zu begleiten und ich freue mich wie immer über Eure Kommentare!

Enjoying Colorado (Part 1)

 When the Synergy was over I was ready for some relaxing time! I did not even notice how much until afterwards! On Sunday morning I had to get up really early to go to Atlanta airport. This time I was traveling on my own and the airport was quite far off. I got really, really tiered on the Marta (the public train in Atlanta) and nearly fell asleep again. But I got there in time, did all the controlls, even met some more people from Synergy and waited at the gate. And waited and waited. At some point I thought "Well, this is taking a really long time!" And I looked at the clock to check ... and then it dawned on me: "I should be on my plain RIGHT NOW!" What had happend? I was waiting at the wrong gate! This has never happend to me before and I felt really stupid! On the information board I had droped down one line and got the right destination, but the wrong gate! Luckily everyone was really friendly and I got a stand by for the next flight to Denver, just 1 and a half hour later. Puhh!!! Well, actually I like to travel on seperate plains with my luggage anyway, so in case something happens, at least on of us will survive...;-))
Als die Synergy vorbei war, war ich wirklich reif für ein bisschen Urlaub! Ich hatte zu dem Zeitpunkt noch nicht mal bemerkt, WIE bereit ich war! Am Sonntag morgen mußte ich sehr früh aufstehen, um zum Flughafen in Atlanta zu kommen. Und nun war ich alleine unterwegs und der Flughafen war ganz schön weit weg. In der Marta (der U-Bahn in Atlanta) wurde ich sehr sehr müde und bin fast eingeschlafen. Aber ich kam rechtzeitig an, ging durch alle Kontrollen durch und hab sogar noch ein paar andere ,die sich auf der Heimreise von der Synergy befanden,  getroffen und setzte mich dann ans Gate, um auf meinen Flug zu warten. Und wartet und wartete. Irgendwann dachte ich: "Mensch, das dauert heute aber echt lang!" Und ich schaute auf eine Uhr ... und dann merkte ich "Sch....! Ich sollte GENAU JETZT eigentlich in meinem Flieger sitzen!" Was war passiert? Ich saß am falschen Gate! Auf der Informationstafel war ich eine Zeile runter gerutscht, gleicher Zielflughafen aber anderes Gate! Das war mir noch nie passiert und ich fühlte mich echt ziemlich doof! Glücklicherweise waren alle sehr hilfsbereit und ich bekam einen Stand By Flug nach Denver, der nur anderthalb Stunden später los flog. Puuhhh!!! Naja, eigentlich fliege ich sowieso lieber in getrennten Flugzeugen mit meinem Gepäck, das wenigstens einer von uns überlebt, falls was passiert...;-))

The weather in Colorado was not too grand, when I got there, but I really enjoyed the drive along the mountains and the scenery. And we went up and up and up! Colorado is the highest state in the U.S. and you really feel the altitude! And my friend lives right up in the mountains for sure!
Das Wetter in Colorado war nicht umwerfend gut, aber mir hat die Fahrt am Rande der Berge und die Landschaft sehr gut gefallen. Und dann gings hoch und höher und noch ein bisschen höher! Colorado ist der höchstgelegene Staat der Vereinigten Staaten und man kann die Höhe wirklich merken! Und meine Freundin wohnt wirklich ganz schön hoch in den Bergen!

The first week my friend still was working, so I meet up with other Colorado peeps...;-)) First with Donna Kato and Peg. Funnily they live only about 15 minutes away from where my friend lives. When I discovered that, it was hard to believe! They have nothing to do with each ather at all .... and live nearly right next door from each other, so to speak! Isnt it a small world?
Anyway Donna and Peg took me to Wilkerson´s Pass, where you have a spectacular view of the Rockies! In Colorado there are 54 14ers (54 mountains higher that 14.000 feet!), as they are called, and some of them are to be seen from this point! I was really wohh-ed at this sight!
Die erste Woche mußte meine Freundin noch arbeiten und so hab ich mich mit meinen anderen Colorado Bekannten getroffen...;-)) Zuerst mit Donna Kato und Peg. Es ist wirklich witzig, das die beiden nur ca. 15 Minuten von meiner Freundin entfernt wohnen. Als ich das heraus gefunden habe, konnte ich es kaum glauben! Sie haben wirklich überhaupt nichts miteinander zu tun ... aber sie wohnen schon fast neben einander, könnte man so sagen! Ist die Welt nicht klein?
Wie auch immer, Donna und Peg haben mich zum Wilkerson´s Pass mit genommen, von dem aus man einen grandiosen Ausblick auf die Rockies hat! In Colorado gibt es 54 14ner (54 Berge, die über 14.00 Fuß, also fast 4300 m hoch sind!), wie sie genannt werden, und einige davon kann man von diesem Punkt aus wunderbar sehen! Mich hat der Ausblick fast umgehauen!

 A couple of days later I meet with Tejae and Jainnie in Colorado Springs. I have had contact with both for quite some time via internet, but we have not meet for real before. But we got on really well right from the start and it was like meeting old friends...;-)) First we went to the grounds of the Broadmoor, an international known hotel. It was still quite cold, but Jainnie was walking around without jacket! This girl is hot, I tell you! We had a short stop over at Jainnie´s house and then went straight to Michel´s to feed some of my crafty needs. There is nothing better that having fun with your crafty friends in a craft store, I can tell you! And it makes hungry, too! Since it was getting a bit late already it took us some time to find a nice place where this ol´vegetarian would also be happy with the food and we ended up in a wonderful, cool brewery with really nice food.
Ein paar Tage später hab ich mich mit Tejae und Jainnie in Colorado Springs getroffen. Ich kannte die beiden schon eine ganze Weile via Internet, aber in Echt hatten wir uns noch nicht getroffen. Wir haben uns gleich von Anfang an super gut verstanden und es war mehr wie wenn man alte Freunde trifft...;-)) Zuerst haben wir einen kleinen Spaziergang in den Anlagen des Broadmoor Hotels gemacht. Es war immer noch ganz schön frisch, aber Jainnie ist sogar ohne Jacke unterwegs gewesen! Diese Dame ist heißblütig, das kann ich Euch sagen...! Wir haben noch einen kurzen Zwischenstop bei Jainnie zu Hause gemacht und sind dann direkt zu Michel´s (einer Supermarktkette, mit Kunst- und Bastelmaterialien) gefahren, um meinen Materialbedarf  zu decken. Es gibt nix besseres, als mit seinen Künstlerfreunden in einem einschlägigen Laden herum zu stöbern, das kann ich Euch flüstern! Und hungrig wird man davon auch! Da es schon ganz schön spät für Mittagessen war, haben wir auch eine ganze Weile gebraucht, bis wir was passendes gefunden habe, wo auch alte Vergetarier mit der Speissekarte zufrieden sind. Wir sind dann in einer kleinen, freakigen Brauerei gelandet, die eine wunderbare Speisekarte hatte, mit der ich auch sehr glücklich war!

After all that, I took some quite time in the wild and watched the birds outside of the house and relaxed some more.
Danach hab ich mir wieder etwas Zeit zum Abschalten genommen, die Vögel vorm Haus beobachtet und ausgespannt.

And the next morning we even had some proper snow!
Und am nächsten Morgen hatten wir sogar richtig Schnee vor den Haus!

 Even the drive was covered! Sogar die Einfahrt was bedeckt!

But with lots of wood, enough food and good company, there is nothing wrong with some snow, right?
Aber mit genügend Holz und Essen, und guter Gesellschaft ist nichts gegen ein bisschen Schnee ein zu wenden, nicht war?

At the end of this amazing week, I had another meet up with Donna and we went to her favourite restaurant in town and got some nice desert afterwards. Donna´s was so huge, she had to take most of it home with her. I have eaten everything up myself (but it was much smaller!)...;-))
An Ende dieser wunderbaren Woche, hab ich mich nochmal mit Donna getroffen und wir sind in ihr Lieblingslokal in der Stadt gewesen. Danach gabs noch Doughnuts oder Kuchen. Donnas Stück was so groß, das sie das meiste mit nach Hause genommen hat. Ich hab meins natürlich komplett aufgegessen (war aber auch kleiner!) ...;-))

 I really liked the sign in that little doughnut place:
 Das Schild in dem Doughnut Laden hat mir besonders gefallen:

Okay, so far for part 2, I guess there needs to be at least a part 3, too...;-))
Okay, das war der zweite Teil, einen dritten wirds dann sicher auch noch geben...;-))