Deutschland

Well, we are in Germany. There's so much to catch up on, blogging-wise, and there's also SO much to do to get settled here--our house is a disaster. However, I feel like I gotta get some thoughts down before I forget because this is a major change in our lives.

So, here's a grand recap: about a year ago, our tour in Guyana ended and we came back to the U.S. to prepare for our next post: Frankfurt. That meant spending a year in Washington, D.C. so Sevak could learn German and go through consular training (in Guyana he was the GSO--General Services Officer--so now he has a different gig). During our time in the states, we bought a house in Clermont, Florida to use as a home base of sorts. I also spent most of the year being pregnant with Zinnia (I was a few weeks pregnant when we left Guyana, unbeknownst to me). The kids entered their schools half-way through the academic year but eased in quite nicely. Simon and Jasmine then transferred to a new school at the beginning of the following school year. I gave birth to Zinnia in our little apartment. I taught a lot of Zumba. We saw a lot of D.C. It was a great year. In November we finished up and packed up for Germany--but first had a month of home leave. Home leave is a mandatory requirement for Foreign Service Officers. In between every post you have to spend 20 business days on "vacation" in the states. I guess this is so you don't forget how to be an American. :) We had already had plenty of time in the states because of Sevak's training, so I guess this is more crucial for officers who don't need to come back home to train before their next post. Anyway, we spent Thanksgiving with family in CA and then headed to our place in Clermont for the month of December. It's on a big, quiet property with a big lake, so the kids had fun fishing and kayaking. We also went to Disneyworld for a few days. At times it was a bit tough because we didn't have any social connections there and we had to deal with the kids 24/7 because they were obviously out of school, and Zinnia is still very needy, but overall it was a lovely time. I'll have to post about it later. But now, here we are: Germany!!

We arrived on the morning of January 2nd after a flight from Orlando-Charlotte-Frankfurt. Our sponsor family, the Vaughans, picked us up from the airport and drove us home (in two vehicles to accommodate the six of us and our luggage).

 

Leaving the airport...I think Jonette said this was the first real snow of the season!

We were pleasantly surprised at the size of our apartment. It's actually more like a condo, although we are in a building with five other units. Our unit has two levels and a total of five bedrooms, 3 bathrooms. After we took a short nap, Jonette introduced me to a couple of ladies from the ward and took me shopping. The grocery store--Rewe--was not very foreign-feeling at all. There are some differences here and there, like needing to use a coin or token to get a grocery cart. The store was was clean and well-stocked. Jonette made us some macaroni and cheese for dinner and we tried to get some sleep despite the trauma to our circadian rhythms. The next day our shipment from Guyana came and it was an explosion of stuff in the house. I think Sevak had gone into work so it was me telling the guys where to put boxes and so forth. The kids were overjoyed to see their old toys. In the afternoon a nice lady from the ward took the older three to play at her house, and had us all over for dinner that night. Gotta love Mormons! The next day we went to Rose and Simon's school to check it out and finalize registration. The kids also had to take a placement test. Meanwhile, Jonette took Jasmine to the military base to get a manicure and lunch...that was so sweet! ISF is quite an impressive facility--indoor pool and everything. That night we went to a döner kebab place with the Vaughans for dinner. I should say that there are a lot of Turks here, and döner kebab would probably be to the Germans what tacos are to Southern Californians--a foreign fast-food that has become so integral to the local food repertoire.

 

Döner sandwich

 

At the kebab place...Martin on the right.

On Thursday Jasmine went to her first day of preschool here. She's at an English-speaking school right in our little American community. She did just fine and seemed to like it.

 

She wore curlers the night before to have curly hair for her special first day. :) She is wearing "indoor shoes," a requirement at her school.

On Friday Rose and Simon went to their first day of school. The night before, there was a lot of angst because supposedly the afternoon bus sometimes leaves before all the kids get there. They were also nervous about being able to find their way around campus. I was nervous too! Thankfully in the morning a nice older boy on the bus said that he would make sure the bus didn't leave without them and when they got home that afternoon they were bubbling with enthusiasm and couldn't wait to tell me all about their day. They continue to have a good attitude about their school, so I'm glad they are settling in. One new thing for them is eating food from the cafeteria every day. I guess most of the kids from school purchase lunch, and it seemed like an efficient and reasonable thing to do for our family. So they get a warm, well-rounded meal daily. Most things on the menu are Germanic...meat/potatoes/veggies kind of stuff. However, some of it is more international: gyros, Chinese noodles, curry, even calamari (Rose is getting that later this month)! I also want to mention that Rose and Simon are part of just a handful of kids who go to this particular school. Most kids here on the Siedlung go to FIS. We were originally thinking of putting them in a local school, but in the end I chickened out. But that got us thinking of other school options and we went with this one because it was a little smaller, maybe a little closer, and seemed to be more focused on academics. They also have a swimming pool. :)

So far we haven't had any major culture shocks. We're living among a bunch of Americans and I haven't ventured out much. Yesterday a friend did show me how to use the U-bahn and we went to an Asian grocery store near the Hauptbahnhof (Central Train Station). That was actually more familiar to me than being in a German store. :) It's one thing to be amongst foreigners in their native land, it's another to be amongst foreigners when you're BOTH non-native.

Here are some little tidbits I've picked up since being here:
- The water here is very hard so German shampoos are supposedly formulated to combat the damage to your hair...so you gotta buy German brands.
- You have to put special salt into your dishwasher and washing machine for the same reason.
- People are really quiet on the metro.
- You buy metro tickets on the honor system...you don't have to scan them anywhere. Occasionally an authority comes aboard to make sure everyone has their tickets.
- There's a store here called DM which is like a CVS or Walgreens, but they don't actually sell medicine. You have to go to an Apothecke for that. Also, supposedly even for over-the-counter meds you need to talk to the pharmacist before purchasing.
- Jasmine needs to wear indoor shoes for her school, and I think that might be a common thing in German primary schools. I think it's so muddy boots don't make a mess in the classroom.

That's all I can think of for now. I'll for sure keep posting about our adventures!

 Zinnia has started eating her first solids! She has also started rolling over...lots of firsts in this new year and new country!

 These are like cheetos, but peanut flavored.

Jasmine made a snowman after school but was super disappointed that it didn't have a carrot nose. I told her we would go out later on the way to pick up Rose and Simon from the bus stop. By the time we got out, the rain had melted her own snowman, but she was still ok putting it on another random one she found.