The first week

July 18, 2012

It's the evening of the first full day in Germany. I won't have internet access until next week, so I'm just writing a doc and will cut and paste it later.

I'm camped on the floor in front of an end table, a German documentary on the T.V. in the background, steaming cup of green tea w/orange beside me. I'm trying to remember all the things that happened in the last 48 hours. Things that have flickered through my brain... “remember to put something about this in the blog”... I feel like I've been transported in time. The smells are so familiar. The sounds and sites are a little like coming home.

The flight, etc. went well all things considered. I was worried that some of our large suitcases would be over the weight limit. The heaviest came in with just a few 10ths of a kilo to spare! I also realized the check-in attendant didn't charge me for the one extra piece of luggage (we were 6 people with 7 pieces of checked baggage)! Thank you British Airways. The only departure hiccup was that as I was organizing the last bits of packing and putting things into the cars, I realized that one of our large suitcases was missing. I had left Joshua to bring all the heavy suitcases down from upstairs at our house when we left for his parents' on Sunday afternoon. I assumed that he'd brought them all down and didn't do another tour through the house. As it turned out, one of them was still sitting on the landing upstairs! So, Joshua jumped in his car while we got the other bits and pieces and children into the van. I called our house-sitter and he was able to put the suitcase in his car and coordinate with Joshua to meet somewhere off 81 between Bridgewater & Staunton and then he turned around and met us—only a few minutes passed our planned departure time—at his brother's house in Harrisonburg! Thank you, Phil! Well, something had to go wrong and at least it was fixable.

On the transatlantic flight the kids slept. I managed to get some sleep... interruptions from flight attendants trying to serve food at midnight aside. Security in London was interesting--note to self: don't wear underwire bra when flying. All the luggage arrived! We found Joshua's father (who had taken a different flight) and our German friends, Uli & Helga, right after we picked up our luggage from baggage claim. It took 3 push carts to carry it all! We loaded all the luggage into the back of Uli & Helga's van (back seats stowed) and then loaded the rest of us into the rental car and headed to the Autobahn for the 45 min drive from Duesseldorf to Bonn. I used the manual in the van (auf Deutsch!) to figure out how to set the GPS to our apartment address. Uli called our landlord on his “Handy” (cell phone) and told him we were on our way. Herr Schwede and his wife met us outside the building. We are on the 3^rd floor of a corner building. First floor is a Chinese & Italian restaurant—who knew we could get cheese pizza and cashew chicken to-go for our first supper in Germany?!

A bit of a funny story with our arrival: my father-in-law, John, wasn't sure whether he'd be able to pick out our German friends, Uli and Helga, but as he was waiting at the customs arrival door, he heard a woman ticking off names “Mary, Maggie, Hannah...” and joyfully thought, “Ah-hah!” :)

The apartment is more than adequate. The layout is circular: enter into a foyer with kitchen and bath off to the sides. A door to the left leads into a small bedroom (Mary's), then through another door into a second large bedroom (Maggie, Hannah & Grace), then through another door into our bedroom which has a door that leads into the living room/dining room which has a door that leads back to the entry foyer. The kitchen is small which I expected, but the foyer has a free-standing freezer so I won't be lacking in freezer space. However, the big surprise to the kitchen is it's lack of an oven! There is a range top, tiny microwave, small refrigerator and dishwasher, but NO OVEN! Who thinks of building a kitchen without even a small oven?! So, tomorrow's adventure is to find a kitchen store where I can buy a toaster oven. At least I'll be able to do some small items in that... I will have to get very creative in my cooking. A pleasant surprise was the huge attic with clothesline, a roof window, and more drying racks where I can hang my laundry no matter how much it's raining outside (there is no dryer in the apartment). We can also store our giant suitcases up there so they're not living in the corners of our bedrooms.

The neighborhood is quaint and exactly as I'd hoped: bakery and butcher in a nice little grocery store a short walk away on a little plaza that also has a pharmacy, ice cream shop, and bank. The plaza has a cluster of tables with umbrellas where many people were gathered eating ice cream and drinking coffee. There is a bicycle shop on a side street, a thrift store on another, old Fachwerk buildings and a large public woods with walking paths (see pics below). The elementary school is literally “down the street and around the corner”. The Frei Evangelische Kirche (Lutheran church) associated with the school is just a bit further. We hope to find some families to befriend through the church network. Perhaps I can find a playgroup for Grace...

The big hurdle that we crossed today was to figure out what to do to get internet in the apartment. There was a bit of a mis-communication between our landlord, myself, and the Max Planck assistant. One of us was supposed to make the push to get the internet set-up process rolling and none of us pushed! So, I asked the landlord this afternoon where I needed to go to get the ball rolling. After some wrong turns trying to find the Deutsche Telecom building, we finally landed in the right place. A very friendly saleswoman assisted me in ordering a high-speed DSL connection. The set up instructions and hardware will be mailed to us in the next few days and by Weds of next week we should have service. I could also explore our options for getting a cell phone plan at the same shop, but have to have a Deutsche Bank Konto (bank account) before we can set that up. Waiting for Joshua to arrive on Saturday before we can open the bank account. So, Monday morning's first priority will be to go to the bank and then back to the Telecom shop to get our cell phones.

Still in the air: car or no car? We could certainly function without one since all our needs are met within walking distance, but it will limit our movements when it comes to taking family trips and visiting friends and family far and wide in Europe. Trying to set up the internet and phone was overwhelming—so much technical vocabulary!--I can't begin to wrap my brain around what it would take to get a car. We will explore the possibility of finding an “executive lease” which might solve multiple problems (getting insurance, registering the car, etc.) that are currently to me so overwhelming as to be paralyzing.

The kids are a little “off” from jetlag and change, but as I expected, pretty game for everything. I'm very very very grateful that my father and mother-in-law came along for this first bit. I honestly don't know how I would have managed everything I've done in the last few days without them—probably just wouldn't have done half of them. But it has been such a blessing and relief to have their help with the girls and their moral support as I try to wade into German again.

One day at a time. Tomorrow we will go into Bonn Zentrum to find the Kaufhof with the kitchen shop (upon recommendation of a German friend) to buy a toaster oven, among other things. I hope to wake up at a reasonable hour (we slept until nearly noon today!) and have a quick run.

July 19, 2012

Mission accomplished! We visited downtown Bonn and found the Kaufhof. We were able to check a few things off the “need” list (more bath towels, small wooden cutting boards for “Abendbrot”, etc.), but no luck with the toaster oven. We returned to the apartment and ate some lunch, tucked little girls in for naps, then Mary and I headed out in the car to do some nosing around for a shop that sells small kitchen appliances. John had spotted a possibility in Bad Godesberg, the next neighborhood to the south of us. They didn't have them either but when I asked if they knew where I could go, they suggested a larger shopping center at a village about 12 km away. The salesman called ahead to see if they carried them which they did. With address in hand, GPS navigation system already mastered, we were on our way! When we found the shopping center and the specific electronics store, they were, of course, out of stock. We could come back next week and get one. Well, next week I won't have a car. So I sort of gave up on it, thinking I'd either find a different shop or another way to get to this one (bus?). Mary and I stuck our heads into a little toy store, then went to the next stores where we thought we might find some small, inexpensive table lamps. And what do you know, one of the stores had a display of toaster ovens!! Bingo!

We enjoyed the first afternoon rain shower since our arrival. It's quite cool, but the sun is out again this evening. Supper was a traditional “Abendbrot” (Evening Bread): sourdough artisan bread, deli style meats and cheese, cucumbers and tomato slices, sauerkraut, fresh fruit. Lovely!

All the suitcases are unpacked. I'm beginning to feel a little settled. The adrenaline and lack of sleep are starting to catch up with me though. I was awake until after 1 and awake at 6:20 a.m. I ran for 40 mins just exploring the neighborhood—which, if I haven't already said this, is exceptionally sweet and fine. I pushed through this afternoon without a nap hoping I'll be too tired to lie awake cranking away in my head tonight. Tomorrow we're taking everyone on a cruise on the Rhein to Lintz and Unkel.

July 20

A lovely day. We rolled out the door at 9:45, boarded the boat at a little after 10 and were on our way cruising along the Rhein (Rhine). Gorgeous old Fachwerk homes and churches—wish I'd paid more attention to my dad when he told me the difference between Gothic, Renaissance, etc. architecture when we lived in Germany! The hills overlooking the Rhein are sprinkled with old palaces and castles, some in ruins, some only a few (!) hundred years old. The kids did well, although the slowness of the boat didn't help keep their attention on the buildings and structures for very long. We broke up the cruising time by debarking the boat at Lintz, wandering the Aldstadt, eating lunch at an open air restaurant on the central square, then boarding the boat again for Unzel. Here we treated everyone to an Eis (ice cream cone), then poked around the Aldstadt, the Katolische Kirche (Catholic Church), and then back to the boat for a shorter ride back to Bad Godesberg. The return trip was much quicker since we were headed down river. This part of Germany has had a lot of rain this summer and the banks of the Rhein are quite high, though not threatening flood at this time. However, the speed of the water was clearly very strong due to the high water levels. One interesting thing at Lintz was the village wall's main gate. The stone wall was marked with date plaques showing where the Rhein's water's had hit a flood level. The highest flood level was in the 1400's—that's the year, not measurements!

When we got back, I checked the mail and there was the package containing our DSL unit and instructions for setting it up. We still have to wait until Weds. for the service to actually be activated (what's up with that?!) but the unit is plugged in and primed for use. Yippee!

Tomorrow Joshua arrives in the afternoon. John and I plan to go pick him up from the Duesseldorf airport in the afternoon.

July 21

My German is slowly getting easier to use. More words are coming back to me at random times. Sometimes they're useful, sometimes they're not at all! But it's hilarious to me that they will randomly become matter-of-fact, as if my brain is going, “well, what have you been waiting for? I knew that already!” I'm still having trouble going to sleep at night even though I'm well past jet-lag. My brain keeps cranking away and going over phrases and putting things together. Can't seem to stop long enough to fall asleep. I'm sure this will pass and is partly driven by adrenaline overload.

I ran to the Rhein this morning, then along the bank on the foot path for a bit, then turned back towards home: approx. 50 mins run in all and that was with a few stops for crossing major roads and trying to use the public transit maps to figure out where I was. It's nearly entirely flat because of the river valley, unlike my runs at home in VA! I might make this run a regular since it's so nice to run along the river, watching the barges moving slowly up-river, or fast down-river. The homes along the bank are incredible—some old, but most clearly built in the last 50 years. John (father-in-law) has found some historic plaques that have told of how much damage there was here from the bombing in WWII. This area was pretty well wiped out. The few Fachwerk homes we see would have been the smatterings that were somehow untouched!

I finally found a grocery store with lentils and a decent produce section. So far I had been unable to find any greens much better than iceberg with no kale in sight. :( But today I found a discount grocery not far from us that had loose leaf baby greens and a dark red lettuce. Still no fresh spinach or kale though. I had despaired of finding anything better than canned kidney beans and large white beans—neither favorites of mine—but the same grocery had red and green lentils and green split peas. Hallelujah! Curried lentils with zucchini for lunch...

For those of you who know the saga of Grace's potty-training-since-July-of-last-year, you'll be glad to know we seem to be finally free of pull-ups! We've even been out and about twice with no backup pants and have had no accidents. About time, I say!

We picked Joshua up from the airport without a hitch. Stopped at the grocery/bakery to get some of his favorites: Broetchen, Fleischsalat, Buttermilch drink. After a simple Abendbrot supper with the girls and grandparents, we went for a walk in the woods up the hill from the apartment. The girls have already found “forts” and “castles” in amongst the trees and have their own little paths off the main drag. It's muddy but they have such a grand time it's hard to scold them for it.

I'm anxious for some normalcy to begin to set it. I still feel like I'm “catching up” in terms of the house-nesting. We could still use a few items—for example, there's a shortage of tables for laptops and coloring and that sort of thing, but there's time to figure that out. Perhaps our friends in Koenigswinter will know of a second-hand furniture place where we could get a few things like that.

July 22

Sunday. I have awful memories of church in Germany when I was a child—terribly boring and stiff, but as an adult found much to be pleased about! The pastor spoke slowly and I was surprised to find that I could understand most of what he said and followed the general line of his sermon. There was a baby being baptized which fascinated the kids. Still, John left with them shortly before the sermon began, sensing that they were getting “squirrel-y” and would need to be released into the wild. The music was heavily organ accompanied, but there was a flautist who played for prelude and postlude as well. Lovely! The acoustics were wonderful and I noticed in their church-family brochure a picture of a choir. It's summer “Ferien” (vacation) at the moment, so it's hard to tell how many people normally attend the church and whether the choir is a regular thing or for Christmas/Easter. I imagine we'll go again, especially as school starts and there are more activities for the children.

The weather today was crystal clear and warm—proably 70's or low 80's at the most. After lunch and naps we took a long walk to the neighboring Nachbarschaft (neighborhood), Bad Godesberg, and climbed the hill to the ruins of the Godesburg (castle). The view from the tower was wonderful, especially given the weather today. A young man pointed out to us that we could see the Koelner Dom (Cologne Dome) towers from here! We had Kaffee und Kuchen (afternoon coffee & cake, the German version of “tea”) at the Godesberg restaurant. Then walked home again for a late Abendbrot. Bad Godesberg appears to be a sweet little “town” with a pedestrian shopping zone and open farmers markets. It's a bit of a hike though, so unless we end up getting a car or buying some bicycles (the later a definite possibility), I'll have to take buses if I want to shop there. It's also highly populated by immigrants—Afghan, Turkish and who knows where else. The shops are diverse as are the restaurants—anyone up for trying Afghani food?!

I spent some time after supper dissecting the Bonn public transportation map. So far we've been getting around with our rental car but tomorrow John and Kathie will take it to visit Marburg and Joshua and I will have to get around on our own—two feet or otherwise! We plan to go to the bank to set up an account and then back to the Telekom store to finish setting up the internet service and get cell phones. We'll take a train just a few blocks from here to the Telekom store which turns out to be the same stop Joshua will use for work!

We'd love to have visitors, but are finding that even two extra people makes sleeping arrangements a little complicated. So for those of you wishing to visit us, we have found one possibility: a sweet little hotel, Hotel Restaurant Cafe Friesdorfer Hof, which is on a main street a few blocks away. I don't know the rates, etc. but it looks clean and well frequented, not shabby. www.friesdorfer.de

July 23

Well, the day did not go as planned. Apparently you must make an appointment to get a bank account—how annoying when we had shaped the rest of our day around the fact that we would have a functioning bank account after 10 a.m. So, we'll head back to the bank tomorrow morning instead. Then hopefully we can get our cell phones, a landline, and finish setting up the internet account. Joshua did find his way via public transit to the Max Planck where he'll be doing his research. After the bank mis-adventure, I took the girls to a neighborhood park where we met a girl, Vanessa, who is Maggie's age and attends the same school that she'll be going too!

After lunch I made my first shopping expedition without a car. What a disaster! I completely over did it and as I was checking out realized that I had enough bags with me but would have trouble carrying them all! I filled the rolling back pack with as much heavy stuff as I could and then piled the rest into the other bags, slinging 2 over one shoulder, setting one atop the rolling back pack (precarious), and draping the other 2 over my arm (the same that had 2 on the shoulder). Needless to say the 4 blocks home were murder. I've got to remember that I can't “stock up” and must absolutely stick to my list for just what's needed for the evening meal and the next day's breakfast and lunch! Still, the idea of going the store every day is going to drive me bonkers...

July 24

Bank account... check! Cell phones... check! Landline... check! Took the train for the first time to get to the Telekom shop. Pretty slick, though to take the whole family will be a little stiff. Occasional trips into Bonn will not be too bad, but I think we'll have to stick to shopping around our neighborhood, at least while all the kids are at home.

Spoke with the landlord about where we can store bicycles. We want to get a used one for Mary so she can bike to school. Her school isn't that far away but to walk is a good 25 mins and taking a bus involves getting on and off and switching at one point. Most likely she'll bike as long as the weather is good or when the weather is bad, walk part of the way with Joshua to the U-bahn stop where he'll head to work on the train and she'll go a little further to the bus stop to go to school.

The internet should finally start working sometime today! Our landline as well. We opted for cell phones with basically an unlimited-texting plan with limited calling minutes and we'll use the landline more instead. For international calls we'll just Skype! :) christine.fairfield

The kids are picking up little phrases and bits and pieces of German already. Grace just mimics back anything I say to her, so I'm back in toddler-mode, pointing things out and saying short simple phrases in German. We play question games “what color is the ____________” in German and that sort of thing as we walk around.

The neighborhoods here are like little villages smashed together with no discernible borders. My run to the Rhein actually takes me through 3 different “villages”, Friesdorf, Plittersdorf, and part of Bad Godesberg. Each neighborhood has it's own little grocery shops, discount grocery stores, bakery, bicycle shops, flower shops, and such. There are also very few high rises so we don't have the sense that we live in a city. There are bicycle paths and pedestrian only paths scattered throughout. Often when a street dead ends it's only for cars! Bicycles and pedestrians can keep going on a narrow, brick or stone paved path ending up on another street after a bit. There are also church bells every hour at least. Sunday morning there is a bell peel for calling all the people to church!

July 25

We finally have internet! Our landline began working mid-day and then I realized we needed to do one more step to get the phone to connect to the wireless. Joshua and his father fine-tuned things and here we are! I signed into Skype and "called" my mother. No answer, but I left myself signed in and 20 mins later she was calling me back. Gotta love Skype!  (Look me up: christine.fairfield). Joshua's parents spent a couple of days visiting Marburg, their old stomping grounds from a year abroad during college. They returned this afternoon and will fly back to the states tomorrow. 

It's another beautiful day--sunny and warm. I did a few housekeeping things this morning and then we headed into the woods to play. I took my Kindle, sat on a bench and told them they just had to stay within calling distance. Mary had her new "teens" cell phone along and I was able to text her when they got out of hearing range. Marvelous! Grace had her first full-on encounter with German nettles. Ouch! Welts on her shins, but amazingly she only cried for a bit and then complained that it was itchy. Twenty minutes later and she was fully recovered.

It's amazing how much less disoriented I feel now that I have a phone and internet connection. How I have adapted and grown accustomed to this information age!  Simple things like simply checking my bank balance and hearing news via email were missing.