International - Germany

[Vjumpstart]

Guess I'll be the first to post anything from Germany. Kinda nice to be first at something.

V.

[barbszy]

Vicki, I'm guessing there is a story here! Last we heard, you were in Louisiana!

[ajrsmom]

Welcome Back VJ!!

Like Barbszy, I'm thinking there has to be an interesting story about how you ended up in Germany!

[megrayau]

Louisiana, LA, Germany ~ there MUST be a story! I thought you had bought a house in LA??

[Vjumpstart]

Oh where to start!?!

We did buy a house in LA. Still own it too. However, my DH got orders (from the USAFR - United States Air Force Reserves) to do 7 months in Stuttguart, Germany. And even though it is over 149 days, the kids and I were not "allowed" to join him on his orders. But, we didn't want to have a 7 month seperation. So..... the kids and I purchased our own tickets and tickets for the mutts (we've acquired 2 since moving to LA) and came here "unsponsored". Durring the month that we were seperated, DH found a house in a little town called Merklingen (near Weil der Stadt - that's where Johan Kepler [the astronomer] lived.). We are very close to the Black Forrest and it is really quiet and quaint here. Just yesterday afternoon, the kids and I walked 4 blocks (down hill there and uphill back!) to the local Bakerei (the a should have the two dots above it - bakery) and purchased a loaf of bread for supper. The bread was super yummy and still warm when we bought it!!! They also have those HUGE, soft pretzles that are great dipped in mustard. I could get used to that. Each town also has its own Metzger (butcher) where everything is super fresh (some still live until you buy it!

We have been on some tours of Stuttguart and the surrounding areas. Including visiting a couple of castles. Next weekend we are going on a church retreat to Austria and the following weekend we are going on a golf trip with the ski club (who'da thunk it, skiers who golf) to the same area in Austria. DH won a silent auction at the Marines Ball for a weekend trip for 2 to Cologne, Germany. We plan on using it for our honeymoon (we never had one when we got married) especially since the Maj. DH works with offered to stay with the kids. We also plan on making a trip to the Netherlands (NOT Holland - that's a specific place in the Netherlands!) to visit a distant cousin and see where my mother grew up.

That's about all there is to the story thus far. I'll keep ya updated as we go.

BTW, we may endup staying here for a few years, and then I'll have to sell my 1 1/2 year old house and all my brand new appliances.

V.

[megrayau]

Wow Vicki,That is some story! The way I figure it is either2.35 or 3.35 in the afternoon there as I type this. Do you have Summer Time in Germany? (I mean does the time change for summer) and what season is it there at the moment?You could join the postcard thread while you are in Deutschland!Wie alt sind dir kindern? (HighSchool German, a bit rusty!! LOL.Sounds exciting. Maybe you could even post some pics??

[barbszy]

Vicki, that is amazingly adventurous! Sounds like you love it in Germany though!

Did your kids have to learn German or did they already know some? Is it hard to learn?

My DS starts high school in the fall and he chose to study German as his foreign language. I was a Spanish teacher; I can't help him with German, but that is the one he wanted to study. I figured that if he's motivated he'll do better than he would studying a language he didn't want. It may serve him well, though; I can see him going into the military when he's done school.

[Vjumpstart]

megrayau:

Meine Kinder sind; Junges sechzehn (fast), Madchen zehn (fast), Madchen acht, Junges sechs

Entschuldigen, Meines Deutsch ist schlecht. I had to use FreeTranslation.com to answer all that in German.

For those of you who don't sprechen Sie Deutsch (speak German), she asked how old my kids were and I replied; boy 16 (almost), girl 10 (almost), girl 8, boy 6.

Then I said: excuse me, my German is bad.

As for the time it is 2:28 here so on the East coast the would be 8:28, Central would be 7:28, and so on.

We do have the Spring forward/Fall back here, but ours is a week before the states. We didn't know that and the Sunday we had time change we were an hour late for church!


barbszy:

The kids know some German, we were here (Garmish-Partenkerken actually) in '02 for 3 weeks and they picked up some then. It is hard in some ways to learn German, but there are some words that the English took from the German (ie. Kindergarten - here though that is a daycare not what we call Kindergarten). We are trying to get into class German language class at the Volkshochschule (which is roughly the Adult Ed. Center). But every time I have tried to call the phone is either busy, or the answering machine picks up and I have no idea what it is saying I need to learn German so I can get into the German language class I guess

I'll try to get some pix to send. Right now, we are so busy trying to get caught up on school it is crazy. First Hurricane Rita put us 2 weeks behind, then I (finally) had my thorasic surgery (another 2 weeks), and lately it was a week off to pack and and a week to get used to the 7 hour time difference. That is 1 1/2 months behind. These poor kinder (children) are working their butts off - even doing some school on rainy Saturdays - so they can be off b/4 July.

BTW: German school is from 8 - 12, but most of the year round. Only 2 weeks off for summer.

V.

[megrayau]

Well done Vicki, I understood what you said even before I got to the translation!
Do you homeschool or are your kids going to go to school in Germany?
How do find going to Church in another language?
So many q'ns!! So much excitement!

[Vjumpstart]

Originally Posted by megrayau

Well done Vicki, I understood what you said even before I got to the translation!
Do you homeschool or are your kids going to go to school in Germany?
How do find going to Church in another language?
So many q'ns!! So much excitement!

German class must have stuck with you!

We homeschool. But have had some of the nationals (who give "getting to know" classes) try to convince us to put the kids in the German schools.

Don't go to a German church. Have only been to the post chapel. There is a Baptist church off post that is English speaking, and some of the German churches have earpieces that will translate for you.

Ask away. Can't guarantee I'll answer in German though.