The Sheep are Freezing!

We are practically in the middle of June and the weather and sun patterns are becoming more interesting to me. First off, we are farther north than in Ohio, so the sun actually shines longer through the day. I usually wake up to the sun peaking through the window at about 5:00 am. It isn’t until around 10:00 pm when the light of day finally fades into night. The second interesting thing is the temperatures. Since June started, it has been cooler and wetter here. Honestly, I feel like we started with May, then we experienced June, and now we’re all the way back to April! Follow that logic? This week has been rain… clouds… rain… and temperatures in the mid-60s. I was talking with a co-worker today and he said that the “sheep were freezing.”

This is apparently a local colloquialism for the cold weather that comes at the beginning of summer (sort of the opposite of an “Indian Summer” for us). Sheep shearing time in Germany falls around Easter. Since then, they have not had their full coats. When the cold weather comes in June, the sheep are… well… cold. Makes sense, right?? No complaints here though. I enjoy the continuing spring-like weather. Open windows and cool breezes…

Here are a couple of updates from the shop. I have been continuing to setup cars for measuring and am becoming more self-sufficient each day. This week, I actually worked only on the structure that supports the dash board and steering column. I basically bolted it down to a giant table, placed about 25 sensors on it, hit it with a hammer in a few spots, and made some pretty pictures. Sounds simple right? Well, the entire process took me about two days. I’m still a little slow, but as the Germans say… “Ruhig!”

This coming weekend is another long one for the Germans. Everyone in Germany takes off work for Pentecost (in Germany it is called “Pfingsten”). I will be making another large trip for the weekend, and this time it will be for “business.” I will be traveling with two of our department heads, a fellow German intern, and Micah to Belgium for the weekend. On Tuesday, we have a demonstration to present to a technical school in Holland. Since our department head grew up in Belgium (which is near the technical school in Holland), we are staying with him and his parents for a few of the days. In the mean time, Micah, Christian, and I will be exploring Brussels and Bruges and other parts of Belgium. I’m sure there will be much to report when I return, so stay posted!

The next couple of weeks will be a little manic here. I’ll return from Belgium on Wednesday and next weekend I will likely be hanging out with a friend who will be here on a study abroad trip out of UC. That next week, I make my first return trip to the states for two of my best friends’ wedding. I am very excited for that as well! This is certainly going to be a great month! …well… except maybe for the sheep…