An exciting game! Soccer World Championships that is....Did you watch it? We did! And Germany won after the extended play and then the 11 meter shoot-out. Now they'll play Italy on Tuesday. Here, they were honking their car horns as they drove down the street in celebration. Germany is in the semi finals!! An exciting time to be here. And I've learned a lot about football (sorry, soccer!).
I'm tired now, so this will be short.
Mostly, I just wanted to let you know that I have downloaded Skype, which is a free internet service to make phone calls, at least when the other person has Skype also. I still need to by a headset for the laptop. But if you have Skype too, let me know so that I can add you to my contact list. And if you don't, please look into downloading it so that we can talk....www.skype.com.
That's all for today. I hope all of you have a good long weekend. I'll let you know how my first day of work is (yes, I'll be working while you all celebrate Independence Day!).
28 June 2006
Feuerbach Apartment
Well it seems that I'm not as technically inclined as I hoped. I guess that the link didn't work. So, here are a few photos from the apartment......
Starting over
I'm reading this fiction book right now and one of the characters has a couple of lines that really struck me...."You can boil your life down to a single suitcase, if you desperately have to. It turns out what's important is not everything you've accumulated all these years, but those few things you can carry with you." Well, I didn't really have to pack my whole life into a single suitcase, but it kind of felt that way. I have to check on the air freight today and I don't expect my sea freight for several weeks, still. So I'm living out of the two suitcases I brought with me. Oh, and so are the cats. That's my excuse for not being able to pack everything into one suitcase, I guess....It's interesting, though, how little you actually "need." It's been two weeks that I've now been living out of these two suitcases and I really don't feel like anything is missing.
It's been a busy couple of days, but good. Monday, I saw five apartments. The difference in the standard of living here was not a surprise to me. I knew going in that I would have much less space then at home. But what was a surprise was how most people seem to think that I'm looking for too much space because I want a two bedroom apartment. They're suprised that I'm looking at two bedrooms when they find out that I'm single (you basically have to tell the landlord all about yourself, because not only do you have to want the apartment, they have to want to let you have the apartment). That, and it's difficult to find a landlord who will accept the cats. Even without front claws, people are nervous that they'll be destructive or a nuisance.
Of those five apartments, there were two that I really liked. One was in Stuttgart West, which is a really popular area for young people. The downsides - no reserved parking in an area where it's really hard to find a spot and it's up like six or so flights of stairs with no elevator. Can you imagine me hauling my suitcases up? I think it might take me an hour. Or when the cats need to go to the vet, then carrying them down?? So that's not good....
The other was in Stuttgart-Feuerbach, the same city that I'll be working in (you can see the pictures here if you want: Feuerbach). So it's like five minutes to work when there's not traffic (by the way, I've decided that we only think we have traffic in Michigan!! On Monday, a drive that normally takes me 35 minutes took 90 just because of Monday morning traffic - no accidents or anything!) This apartment has four rooms, which is really a lot! And a balcony, a garage, and an attic! It's a top floor apartment, which is only the third floor, but that means it has slanted walls. Which is okay, just interesting. Downside - it's a little more than Bosch budgets for rent, so I'm not sure about that.
Yesterday, I saw two more apartments. One I didn't like at all and the other was okay, but not really in the area that I want to be in, although it's just down the street from Porsche.....I also opened a bank account. That was interesting - they have these machines in the lobby like ATMs where you can print your statement. And you have to print it every 90 days or else they mail it to you. If they have to mail it to you, though, they charge you for the postage....
I now have my work permit and I've also registered. You have to go to the town hall and notify them of your presence. And if you move, you have to change your address. It's like the Secretary of State, only stricter. And it has nothing to do with the driver's license. You should see the photo on my work permit - you can't smile, you have to look very serious. So it's like a photo on a "Wanted" poster. Very cute! ;)
Yesterday, we also went to the grocery store. Even though I've been before with different people, it's the first time I went knowing that I'd be doing this on a regular basis on my own. And I was happy to be shown a grocery store that's similar to Meijer (but not as big) and Walmart (but not as cheap) in that it has clothing, toiletries, groceries and even electronics. And while it's still closed on Sundays, it's open until 8 during the week, which is great for us working folks!! We also went to Ikea - yep, it's just like the one at home. I didn't buy anything, but I'm sure I'll be back. If you don't already know, most German homes don't have closets. So you know those wardrobes you see at Ikea? I'm definitely going to need at least one!
Today the weather is rainy and cool, a nice change from the heat of Sunday and Monday! Simi's mom is working today, but tonight or tomorrow she'll show me how to use the washing machine so that I can do some laundry. It's funny to me - I took it totally for granted that I knew how to handle things at home - how cell phone plans worked, how to operate the washing machine, what got recycled and what didn't, driving rules, how insurance works, leasing a car vs. buying. All familiar things. And here, nothing is the same. So I have to constantly ask questions and everything is a learning experience. Part of my job at home was to help people with these questions. And now I'm on the other end - the one that needs help and is asking all of these questions. So, I feel like I'm starting over.....
It's been a busy couple of days, but good. Monday, I saw five apartments. The difference in the standard of living here was not a surprise to me. I knew going in that I would have much less space then at home. But what was a surprise was how most people seem to think that I'm looking for too much space because I want a two bedroom apartment. They're suprised that I'm looking at two bedrooms when they find out that I'm single (you basically have to tell the landlord all about yourself, because not only do you have to want the apartment, they have to want to let you have the apartment). That, and it's difficult to find a landlord who will accept the cats. Even without front claws, people are nervous that they'll be destructive or a nuisance.
Of those five apartments, there were two that I really liked. One was in Stuttgart West, which is a really popular area for young people. The downsides - no reserved parking in an area where it's really hard to find a spot and it's up like six or so flights of stairs with no elevator. Can you imagine me hauling my suitcases up? I think it might take me an hour. Or when the cats need to go to the vet, then carrying them down?? So that's not good....
The other was in Stuttgart-Feuerbach, the same city that I'll be working in (you can see the pictures here if you want: Feuerbach). So it's like five minutes to work when there's not traffic (by the way, I've decided that we only think we have traffic in Michigan!! On Monday, a drive that normally takes me 35 minutes took 90 just because of Monday morning traffic - no accidents or anything!) This apartment has four rooms, which is really a lot! And a balcony, a garage, and an attic! It's a top floor apartment, which is only the third floor, but that means it has slanted walls. Which is okay, just interesting. Downside - it's a little more than Bosch budgets for rent, so I'm not sure about that.
Yesterday, I saw two more apartments. One I didn't like at all and the other was okay, but not really in the area that I want to be in, although it's just down the street from Porsche.....I also opened a bank account. That was interesting - they have these machines in the lobby like ATMs where you can print your statement. And you have to print it every 90 days or else they mail it to you. If they have to mail it to you, though, they charge you for the postage....
I now have my work permit and I've also registered. You have to go to the town hall and notify them of your presence. And if you move, you have to change your address. It's like the Secretary of State, only stricter. And it has nothing to do with the driver's license. You should see the photo on my work permit - you can't smile, you have to look very serious. So it's like a photo on a "Wanted" poster. Very cute! ;)
Yesterday, we also went to the grocery store. Even though I've been before with different people, it's the first time I went knowing that I'd be doing this on a regular basis on my own. And I was happy to be shown a grocery store that's similar to Meijer (but not as big) and Walmart (but not as cheap) in that it has clothing, toiletries, groceries and even electronics. And while it's still closed on Sundays, it's open until 8 during the week, which is great for us working folks!! We also went to Ikea - yep, it's just like the one at home. I didn't buy anything, but I'm sure I'll be back. If you don't already know, most German homes don't have closets. So you know those wardrobes you see at Ikea? I'm definitely going to need at least one!
Today the weather is rainy and cool, a nice change from the heat of Sunday and Monday! Simi's mom is working today, but tonight or tomorrow she'll show me how to use the washing machine so that I can do some laundry. It's funny to me - I took it totally for granted that I knew how to handle things at home - how cell phone plans worked, how to operate the washing machine, what got recycled and what didn't, driving rules, how insurance works, leasing a car vs. buying. All familiar things. And here, nothing is the same. So I have to constantly ask questions and everything is a learning experience. Part of my job at home was to help people with these questions. And now I'm on the other end - the one that needs help and is asking all of these questions. So, I feel like I'm starting over.....
24 June 2006
I'm here!
Have you ever flown with pets? What an ordeal! Mac and Cheese went in the cargo and Jemma went on the plane. (By the way, there's no longer a price difference for international, so cargo or carry-on, it all costs the same.) I had to fill out papers for Mac and Cheese's crates. Then I had to take them out and hold them while they used the wand detector on their crates. Several people commented on Mac's size. Finally, a man came and carried them off. Then Jemma and I went through Security. They have this new machine at Metro that you stand in and these little jets puff air all over you. Needless to say, Jemma really did not appreciate that. She was perfect on the plane though. Somehow I ended up with a middle seat (I'm going to have to make sure that doesn't happen again!!) So it was a long flight. I thought I might have to answer some questions at passport control, but they didn't ask a one! (Guess it was just too early at 7 a.m.) Then I found my suitcases and the cats and a nice worker man helped me to load everything onto a luggage cart, so that it all fit (unlike at Metro where only the cats where on the luggage cart and I had to push them forward then run back to pull my suitcases - good times!).
Most of you know how I agonized over having the exact required paperwork for the cats to go through German customs. Well, there was not a soul at Customs. So I even walked through the "Something to Declare" line and nada, nichts, nothin'. So we're in Germany now, but do they know? Ah well, I think it's one of those things where if you didn't have it, you would have been checked. So now I have an Opel (don't know what model) and everything fit in and I drove myself to Bretzfeld (Simi's parents) without getting lost and I'm still standing, even without sleeping in about 16 hours. Guess I'll sleep good tonight!
The cats seem to be doing well. They're hiding under the bed, but I guess that's to be expected after what I put them through.
Finally, I'm here in Summer. ;) And the flowers are beautiful! My camera cords are in the airfreight, but I promise some pictures once I get a hold of that!
Most of you know how I agonized over having the exact required paperwork for the cats to go through German customs. Well, there was not a soul at Customs. So I even walked through the "Something to Declare" line and nada, nichts, nothin'. So we're in Germany now, but do they know? Ah well, I think it's one of those things where if you didn't have it, you would have been checked. So now I have an Opel (don't know what model) and everything fit in and I drove myself to Bretzfeld (Simi's parents) without getting lost and I'm still standing, even without sleeping in about 16 hours. Guess I'll sleep good tonight!
The cats seem to be doing well. They're hiding under the bed, but I guess that's to be expected after what I put them through.
Finally, I'm here in Summer. ;) And the flowers are beautiful! My camera cords are in the airfreight, but I promise some pictures once I get a hold of that!
15 June 2006
Moving Day
Or should I say moving days? The movers came yesterday and packed all of the items for storage and the air freight. They started on the sea freight and should be arriving any minute today to finish that. It's really funny to see the material "stuff" of your life go into crates and boxes. They had to send out a specialist to crate the glass top table. It was pretty cool - he came with a small box truck which had a generator, circular saw and everything in it and set up tables right in the street to make a custom crate. It only took him about 20 minutes.
It was tough for the cats. Poor guys, they spent most of the day closed in the bathroom, because the front and back doors were both open. Then they were in their crates for transport to the hotel. At the hotel, they were so freaked out by any noise from the hallway or anything. They've calmed down by this morning, but they're still really trying to figure out what's going on. The good thing is that they were really good and quiet in the crates, which bodes well for the flight. I feel bad that they have to go through so many adjustments in the next couple of months - leaving the house, hotel for nine nights, Simi's parents for around a month and then finally the new apartment. I read somewhere that cats are really attached to their location, not like dogs who attach to people. I just hope that's not true for my cats. I know people who have done this and their cats have been fine, so that gives me hope. :)
The movers are here, gotta go....
The movers are here, gotta go....
13 June 2006
The Countdown Begins....
It's almost here. 11 days and I'm off to Germany for three years. Unbelievable, right? The movers will come on Wednesday to pack all of my possessions into one 20 foot container. And I still have so much to do before they come. I've decided that when they say that moving is the most stressful thing you'll ever do, they're not kidding. But as stressful as it is, it's so exciting!
Now if only my house would sell! It's such a cute house. :) And it's worked out so well for me!! I think there must be someone out there who would like it.....
The countdown continues.......
Now if only my house would sell! It's such a cute house. :) And it's worked out so well for me!! I think there must be someone out there who would like it.....
The countdown continues.......
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