This American's German Life

So...I know I should be keeping a record of the things that are happening during this exciting adventure that we are on.  But, quite frankly, between learning German and taking care of my boys, I don't have a lot of time for the sort of leisure activity know has writing.  However, it will be important to have little reminders for myself once the ol' memory starts to fade.  For those who know me best can relate and completely understand the greatness that is bullet points and spreadsheets.  For example, I have a spreadsheet list of all the places we'd like to go, how long we'd like to stay, and lists of a few fun things to do there.  It's just how I think. So, as a compromise with myself, I've decided to keep an OUTLINE of our experience here in Europe.  This format is a bit more wordy than my spreadsheets, but doesn't get bogged down with fluff. I will add to the outline as we go on, so look for new things in previous posts!

So without further ado...

(Posted 27.5.14)
I. Things I LOVE about Germany

    A. Going grocery shopping.
          a. I can walk less than 5 minutes
          b. Takes only 30 minutes or less to choose my items
          c. The produce is SO MUCH BETTER (who knew that fruit actually had a flavor)
          d. Food is less expensive

    B. No need to drive EVERYWHERE (Americans have no idea what a pain in the ass their car really is).
          a. The U-Bahn goes all over Stuttgart
          b. The city is very bike friendly
               i. Space on U-bahn
               ii. Bike trails/lanes
               iii. Bike parking everywhere

          c. Everyone else walks because all shopping necessities are built where people live.

    C. Playgrounds here are AWESOME (Sorry, but American playgrounds are wussy in comparison) I'll post pictures over the years to prove this point.

Konstanz, Germany

Strasbourg, France

    

D. Simon would say, " The Autobahn".  

          a. If you have a fast car, you can drive it. Really. Fucking. Fast.
          b. Germans DO NOT RIDE IN THE LEFT LANE.  It is for passing only.

    E. German honesty.
          a. A German will not take something they see on the street (ex. A jacket) because IT DOES NOT BELONG TO THEM.
          b. People actually take things to das Fundbüro when they find them...amazingly refreshing.

    F. Bread and pastries...everywhere.  I don't think I have to explain this one, but I'll start taking pictures of the delicious treats I eat...just to remember.

Growing in new soil...

Living in a new place is always exciting to me because I like to explore things that I've never knew existed.  When that move takes you to a new country, that excitement (and uncertainty) increases exponentially.  Our little family just moved to Germany and every day I am amazed and grateful for all of these new experiences in our future.  There is so much to see and do that I can't decide what to do first.  Right now I've been focusing on learning the German language.  I have been really surprised at how much I'm enjoying learning it.  It's hard and the grammar rules don't make a lot of sense to me, plus this silly thing of masculine, feminine, and neutral nouns.  I'm slowly learning, though, and I hope that after we've spent our time here that I will be fluent.  Time will tell...

So far, I am really liking the lifestyle change.  I am so much more active during the day because we walk almost everywhere.  Everyday, Simon and Gavin walk to the U-Bahn station to go ride the train to school.  Logan and I walk to the grocery stores or the bakery two or three times a week to get what we need.  Then in the afternoon we take the train to get Gavin from school.  Everything is just so accessible that we've not needed to drive much at all.  Last weekend, I even went with a new friend on the train into downtown Stuttgart to do a little clothes shopping.  This was an interesting experience, since I had no idea of my European size.  I was expecting it to be an unpleasant experience, but I was pleasantly surprised with what I found...and yes, it included a pair of skinny jeans.

We bought a car mainly to go on excursions that the train can't take us to, like German castles or IKEA.  We went to Berg Hohen Neufen, a castle in ruins, several weeks ago to go hiking and we've made several trips to IKEA to purchase things to help organize and store things in our new German house that doesn't have closets (this is typical for German homes).  At this point, I think we are mostly settled in the new house and can focus more on sight seeing the many wonderful things that Europe has to offer, like bread and pastries.