We are loving the new apartment. Really loving it! The garden is lovely, the furniture is comfy, the big screen TV is perfect for watching the olympics, the hard floors (no more spills on the carpet!) are amazing, and the dishwasher has revolutionized the way I feel about being in the kitchen. We really, really like it. Of course, no apartment, or house, is without it's flaws. The biggest one here so far is the laundry. In Boulder we spent $1 for wash and $1 for dry to do our laundry. That seemed a little expensive/annoying to me but it was cheaper than the laundromat, so, whatever... Our last apartment had free laundry. Which would have been really nice if it wasn't so far away (3 flights of stairs and around the building). This apartment however, does not have free laundry. Nor is it $2 a load. The laundry here is 1€ for 20 minutes. A normal cotton wash with this machine is 2 hours (?!). That means 6€ (roughly $7.50) just to wash. Drying usually takes about 60 minutes, so that's another €3 for a total of 9€ for ONE load of laundry. There's absolutely no way I will spend that much on one load of laundry. I could almost buy new clothes for that much (well not really, but still...). So I've taken up line drying my clothes, and I've been washing them on the super short cycle. So far I've done three loads of laundry on the super short cycle (it says it takes 15 minutes, but actually takes 27, weird...) two of the three loads came out completely sopping wet. The other one was fine. I'm not sure what that's about, I'll have to look into it more I guess. The line drying has been fine. The super sopping wet load took a couple days to dry, the other one dried in an afternoon.
I have very little experience with any laundry washing that doesn't involve dumping into the washer and then transferring to the drier. There's a big square clothes line thing in the yard I've been using for drying the clothes, and I've just been hanging everything out there. I have no idea what I'll do in the winter. Are there enough sunny days in the winter to line dry your clothes? Do you really stand out there in the freezing cold and pin every shirt and pair of underwear up? What about weeks where it's rainy all week? I have a "winter garden" a kind of sunroom/porch thing that's all enclosed but with windows all around and on top. Would that be a good place to dry clothes? Or would it take years for them to get dry since it's inside? It's also pretty humid here, how is that going to effect things? Is there a way to make the super short cycle more efficient, like something I can add to make the clothes get cleaner faster? We're talking about pretty dirty little boy clothes. These are all questions for, well, I guess for you. Surely there are some experienced launderers amongst my blog readers, right?! Email me, Facebook me, Skype me, comment, I need some serious help in this department!
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
New apartment
These pictures are not fabulous, I haven't moved the camera stuff yet, so I just took them with my iPad, but this is the new apartment!
There are two bedrooms, a normal sized one for Dylan and I and a small one for the boys. The bathroom is huge, and the kitchen is big enough for a small table and chairs. The living room/dining room is big and sunny and there's a sun room/veranda and a big yard. So far were really liking it!!
There are two bedrooms, a normal sized one for Dylan and I and a small one for the boys. The bathroom is huge, and the kitchen is big enough for a small table and chairs. The living room/dining room is big and sunny and there's a sun room/veranda and a big yard. So far were really liking it!!
Thursday, July 19, 2012
We're moving!
It looks like I'll be able to post pictures sooner than I thought. I decided to email them about the move in date, because you know, "the worst they can say is no". I asked if we could move in a few days before September first so we could be settled before Sandy, Brendan and Wes come to visit (August 29), and they're letting us move in Monday! That's so much better than I ever hoped for. Apparently the current tenant is going to be traveling a lot in the next months anyway, so he'll just stay in some temporary housing while he's here, and save himself the trouble of spending a whole months rent. We're so excited!!! I guess I should get to packing!
Thursday, July 12, 2012
New apartment
Eek!! I'm so excited! We just finished looking at an apartment that would be absolutely perfect for us. I'm sure you can tell from my earlier posts that we don't exactly love our current apartment, and it's probably affected our opinion of Germany. Anyway, this new apartment is just perfect, it's ground floor, all one level has a huge yard, a dishwasher, eat in kitchen, comfortable furniture, hard floors, just everything we could have imagined. It's a little more expensive than the place we have now, but I think it will be well worth it. It's even a little closer to the subway station and James' kindergarten. If all goes according to plan, we should be moving in September 1st. I can't wait to share pictures!!
Friday, July 6, 2012
We aren't on vacation
I know, I know, you all have known for quite some time that we are not on vacation. Clearly a move half way around the world (or a third) for 2-3 years is not a vacation. However, I've been living my life like it was. Or trying to make it one, or something.
We moved here with 6 pieces of luggage stuffed to the brim with clothes and toys. That is all. We got a furnished apartment, and were lucky to have it come with dishes, towels, bedding etc. Sort of like a vacation condo. When you rent a vacation condo, and you don't have everything you need, you just tough it out. And that's ok, because you can live for a week, or two weeks, or even a month without muffin tins, or a blender, or a microwave, or whatever it is your vacation condo is lacking. However, when you move somewhere and it's supposed to be your home, and you find yourself constantly longing for your return trip to the US because "when we go back home I can have ice cubes and muffins again". Well, to you that might seem a bit ridiculous, but for me, that's what I've been doing. For some reason I had it in my head that we couldn't buy anything that is not "absolutely necessary" and so even though it's a huge pain, we haven't had a microwave, or a freezer, or muffin tins, or cookie sheets, or a comfortable piece of furniture to sit on. (plus like a million other things, you get the idea) That's ok. Honestly if we were still in Boulder, I think it would be a good exercise for us to live more simply and eliminate some unnecessary things. However, when you've just moved to a new country, it's a little different. Moving is stressful enough without trying to radically alter your lifestyle as well. I don't want our time here to be something I have to "get through" counting down the days till I can return to all the comforts associated with "home". We need to make this place one that is comfortable and inviting. Because for now, this is where we're at. This needs to be "home".
This week I bought a freezer, and a microwave. They have revolutionized my life. I had almost forgotten how handy it is to heat up lunch in just a few seconds, and let me tell you, on a hot day, nothing beats a glass of ice water!
We moved here with 6 pieces of luggage stuffed to the brim with clothes and toys. That is all. We got a furnished apartment, and were lucky to have it come with dishes, towels, bedding etc. Sort of like a vacation condo. When you rent a vacation condo, and you don't have everything you need, you just tough it out. And that's ok, because you can live for a week, or two weeks, or even a month without muffin tins, or a blender, or a microwave, or whatever it is your vacation condo is lacking. However, when you move somewhere and it's supposed to be your home, and you find yourself constantly longing for your return trip to the US because "when we go back home I can have ice cubes and muffins again". Well, to you that might seem a bit ridiculous, but for me, that's what I've been doing. For some reason I had it in my head that we couldn't buy anything that is not "absolutely necessary" and so even though it's a huge pain, we haven't had a microwave, or a freezer, or muffin tins, or cookie sheets, or a comfortable piece of furniture to sit on. (plus like a million other things, you get the idea) That's ok. Honestly if we were still in Boulder, I think it would be a good exercise for us to live more simply and eliminate some unnecessary things. However, when you've just moved to a new country, it's a little different. Moving is stressful enough without trying to radically alter your lifestyle as well. I don't want our time here to be something I have to "get through" counting down the days till I can return to all the comforts associated with "home". We need to make this place one that is comfortable and inviting. Because for now, this is where we're at. This needs to be "home".
This week I bought a freezer, and a microwave. They have revolutionized my life. I had almost forgotten how handy it is to heat up lunch in just a few seconds, and let me tell you, on a hot day, nothing beats a glass of ice water!
Yep, the freezer and microwave are in the living room, because there's no room in the kitchen. But you know, it is TOTALLY worth it!
mmmm.... cold and delicious.
So a tip, for anyone thinking about making a big relocation type of move. Everything outside your home will be different, so try to keep your home as comfortable and "homey" as you can. It really helps the homesickness if you don't upheave every little thing in your life all at once.
Friday, June 29, 2012
Update
Sorry I've gone so long without posting a good update. Life's been busy I guess! We're doing well. The "honeymoon" phase has worn off, and we're starting to settle into regular life, which has been hard. Harder than we expected, but it's good. We mostly like it here, and we're figuring ways to enjoy it more/appreciate it better all the time.
Dylan is really liking his job. The hours are a little more relaxed than they were in Boulder which means he gets to spend lots of time at home, and we get to do a lot of fun things on the weekends.
James is doing really well. He's excited to go to Kindergarten (German preschool) in the fall. For now he's really enjoying Kinderpark twice a week, and being in his "big boy class" at church. He's recently been really interested in bible stories, and his favorite right now is David and Goliath. You can frequently find him pretending one of his toys is a "slinky" (sling shot) and heading off to get Goliath. He's also really into his pirate playmobils and sword fighting! He completely gave up naps a few months ago, so during nap time he's learning how to play quietly with toys that aren't as well suited to David (play-doh, markers, playmobils, etc.) which he seems to really enjoy.
David is changing every day it seems. He still doesn't have a ton of words, but he's starting to use the words he knows more and more, and he's getting better at communicating what he wants and needs. Today he brought me an empty cup and pulled on my hand till I followed him to the kitchen, once there he pointed at the refrigerator indicating he wanted a drink. I handed him his sippy cup full of milk and he started gesturing, and shaking his head, and telling me "nein, nein" (his one german word!) making it very clear that he wanted his milk not in his sippy cup, but in the "big boy cup" he had initially given me. Once I gave him a drink in the big cup (against my better judgement!) he went away very pleased with his successful interaction! He's also very busy, constantly running full speed around the house which leads to him nearly constantly having a bump on the middle of his forehead. Poor little guy! He and James are really becoming the best of friends, of course they fight like all siblings, but they also really love and enjoy each other, and play together nicely. Yesterday I was in the kitchen cleaning up, and I heard so much squealing coming from the other room I thought someone must be hurt. I rushed in to find James crawling around on the floor and David "riding" on his back and squealing in delight. So precious!
I am doing really well most of the time. I still get really homesick occasionally, but aside from that I really like it here. I've made a few new friends recently, and that has been really encouraging. I'm also enjoying my German class which is wrapping up next week, and I'm hoping to start a new class in the fall. I started taking the boys to an English speaking women's bible study at our church once a week, and that's really helped feel more connected and plugged in at church, which is great.
I'm going to make an effort to update more often, and I finally charged up my camera batteries, so maybe I'll post some pictures as well!
Dylan is really liking his job. The hours are a little more relaxed than they were in Boulder which means he gets to spend lots of time at home, and we get to do a lot of fun things on the weekends.
James is doing really well. He's excited to go to Kindergarten (German preschool) in the fall. For now he's really enjoying Kinderpark twice a week, and being in his "big boy class" at church. He's recently been really interested in bible stories, and his favorite right now is David and Goliath. You can frequently find him pretending one of his toys is a "slinky" (sling shot) and heading off to get Goliath. He's also really into his pirate playmobils and sword fighting! He completely gave up naps a few months ago, so during nap time he's learning how to play quietly with toys that aren't as well suited to David (play-doh, markers, playmobils, etc.) which he seems to really enjoy.
David is changing every day it seems. He still doesn't have a ton of words, but he's starting to use the words he knows more and more, and he's getting better at communicating what he wants and needs. Today he brought me an empty cup and pulled on my hand till I followed him to the kitchen, once there he pointed at the refrigerator indicating he wanted a drink. I handed him his sippy cup full of milk and he started gesturing, and shaking his head, and telling me "nein, nein" (his one german word!) making it very clear that he wanted his milk not in his sippy cup, but in the "big boy cup" he had initially given me. Once I gave him a drink in the big cup (against my better judgement!) he went away very pleased with his successful interaction! He's also very busy, constantly running full speed around the house which leads to him nearly constantly having a bump on the middle of his forehead. Poor little guy! He and James are really becoming the best of friends, of course they fight like all siblings, but they also really love and enjoy each other, and play together nicely. Yesterday I was in the kitchen cleaning up, and I heard so much squealing coming from the other room I thought someone must be hurt. I rushed in to find James crawling around on the floor and David "riding" on his back and squealing in delight. So precious!
I am doing really well most of the time. I still get really homesick occasionally, but aside from that I really like it here. I've made a few new friends recently, and that has been really encouraging. I'm also enjoying my German class which is wrapping up next week, and I'm hoping to start a new class in the fall. I started taking the boys to an English speaking women's bible study at our church once a week, and that's really helped feel more connected and plugged in at church, which is great.
I'm going to make an effort to update more often, and I finally charged up my camera batteries, so maybe I'll post some pictures as well!
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Marionette theater
It seems like some sort activity or event is always going on in the town we live in. It makes it a really fun place to live. There are always signs plastered all over town for a few weeks, and then some fair or festival takes place. There was an Easter Festival with an oomph band, a children's choir, tons of stalls, and a small ferris wheel. Then for May Day there was a big to-do for raising the Maibaum (may pole), then there was the Hambourger Fischmarkt, which had nothing to do with fish and everything to do with weird cheap clothes, purses and household goods.
A few weekends ago there was a Marionette theater. (I'm a little behind on the blog!) The signs had been up for weeks, so James was really anticipating the "puppet" show for long time. On Saturday morning it was all he could talk about. Every 10 minutes or so he would ask me if we could go to the puppet show yet. Since it didn't start until 4:00pm, this made for a very long morning, but we made it through. Finally 3:30 rolled around and James and I headed out for the puppet show. We decided to leave David at home with Daddy, because I knew he wouldn't be able to sit still for more than a few minutes, and I thought it would be something special for James and I to do together.. It was a really special little "date" for us. It took place in a field near our house, so we could walk there without the stroller. The theater was set up by a traveling Marionette Theater group, and they had set up a big tent where the show would be. There was a little stage, and a concessions stand. The whole thing was really cute. Before the actual marionette show a little boy who was maybe 9 or 10 came out to introduce the show. I couldn't really understand much of what he said, but you could tell he had memorized his lines perfectly, and it was really darling. I'm pretty sure that he was part of the family that owned the puppet theatre, everything had a "family run"sort of feel to it.
The show we went to was the Rumpelstilzchen (Rumpelstiltskin) marionette show, and then a "Magic Puppet Show" where a bunch of marionettes came out and danced around, and juggled, and other cool things. I was afraid that we wouldn't enjoy the show very much because of the language barrier, but even though we couldn't understand much of what they said, you could tell what was going on, and it was really fun to watch. I let James get a soda and some popcorn from the concessions stand (he went up and bought it all by himself, ADORABLE!), and the whole thing was a pretty fun time!
A few weekends ago there was a Marionette theater. (I'm a little behind on the blog!) The signs had been up for weeks, so James was really anticipating the "puppet" show for long time. On Saturday morning it was all he could talk about. Every 10 minutes or so he would ask me if we could go to the puppet show yet. Since it didn't start until 4:00pm, this made for a very long morning, but we made it through. Finally 3:30 rolled around and James and I headed out for the puppet show. We decided to leave David at home with Daddy, because I knew he wouldn't be able to sit still for more than a few minutes, and I thought it would be something special for James and I to do together.. It was a really special little "date" for us. It took place in a field near our house, so we could walk there without the stroller. The theater was set up by a traveling Marionette Theater group, and they had set up a big tent where the show would be. There was a little stage, and a concessions stand. The whole thing was really cute. Before the actual marionette show a little boy who was maybe 9 or 10 came out to introduce the show. I couldn't really understand much of what he said, but you could tell he had memorized his lines perfectly, and it was really darling. I'm pretty sure that he was part of the family that owned the puppet theatre, everything had a "family run"sort of feel to it.
The show we went to was the Rumpelstilzchen (Rumpelstiltskin) marionette show, and then a "Magic Puppet Show" where a bunch of marionettes came out and danced around, and juggled, and other cool things. I was afraid that we wouldn't enjoy the show very much because of the language barrier, but even though we couldn't understand much of what they said, you could tell what was going on, and it was really fun to watch. I let James get a soda and some popcorn from the concessions stand (he went up and bought it all by himself, ADORABLE!), and the whole thing was a pretty fun time!
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