BBE - Best Boss Ever!

I have long had the suspicion that I might have the best boss in the world, but a couple of weeks ago it got confirmed. When talking to my boss about an upcoming business trip to Germany, I was cautiously exploring how long I would be able to extend my stay before going back to South Africa.

My boss started off by saying that the meeting would be from Sunday afternoon until Tuesday morning. So in theory I could have flown to Berlin on Saturday night and back on Tuesday evening. But my boss said with a smile on his face:

"Well, it might be good if you could stay another day in Berlin in case there are some questions; and then on Thursday you could go to Eschborn to speak to the colleagues at the GIZ head office and on Friday for meetings at the BMZ in Bonn. And then you might just as well stay the weekend and come back on Sunday night."

 And so I found myself on a "business trip" to Germany that started on Friday morning with a visit to my grandparents in Frankfurt…

 ….followed by a day of chatting with Tina and Julia in Munich…

 ….two days of work in Berlin (meetings, receptions and more receptions)…

 

 …and then six days in Cologne with my family.

I managed to keep the trip a secret from my mother and sisters and just "turned up" at my family home and surprised them. After a minute of disbelieving silence, my sister shouted "Ey Alter, ist das geil!" ("Dude, this is fucking awesome!") and my mother was lost for words altogether, leave alone any this poetic.

My grandfather joined us on Wednesday, my middle sister introduced her first boyfriend on Friday night (and he won us over by pantomiming a peeing dog), my baby-sister turned 16 on Saturday and on Sunday it was Mother's Day (sadly with an absent mother). 

 

In between so much lovely family time, I managed to meet up with much missed friends: have coffee with my old dance partner Thomas, enjoy sundowners with a view over the river with Vaneeesa, catch up with Christian while cheering on my sister during her football match and check out Cologne's new it-bar with a bug, a chicken and a chocoholic.

Definitely not a bad "work" week! 

Definitely not your average nine to five.

Definitely not your average boss.