Same same, but different

Sunrise while walking to work

December greeted us with the first rain we’ve seen in well over a month. Apparently, this winter has been the driest on record for Bonn. The locals keep bundling up and carrying umbrellas, sure the bad weather will strike at any moment, but each day ends with clear skies and unseasonably mild temperatures. The Oregonian in me remembers what a valley in November is usually like, and is loving every gorgeous sunrise and sunset while they last.

Enough about weather...on to the good stuff.

Inside of Aachen Dom, Germany

Our latest observation on living abroad is that life is still, well, life. I still wake up every morning laughing at my alarm, thinking I must’ve set it wrong the night before because it can’t possibly be time to wake up yet. We still grocery shop, do laundry, clean, cook and do the dishes. I still go to work every day, stare at a computer screen for 8 hours, then come home ready for pajamas and a glass of wine. It all seems very banal and exceedingly...normal, even if everything is that much harder to figure out in German.  

I’m not sure what I expected, leaving everything behind and embarking on this new adventure. I think I just knew it was time for a change.  Change we got, though not as much as we might have expected.

Here are just a few examples of how things are (not so) different here in Germany:

Pledge:  Any housekeeper worth their salt knows that lemon-scented Pledge is the cornerstone to any positive dusting experience. Germany has Pledge, but it’s brown and smells like bug spray. #cleaningproductfail

Bonn Christmas market from a distance

Meat:  Jeff purchased a package of meat that looked a bit like SPAM. Thinking it was ready made slices of ham, he grilled it up and served it for lunch with potatoes. I was a bit suspicious, so translated the name on the front of the package.  Just so you know, LeberKase, means liver cheese. After further googling we discovered that liver cheese is not nearly as bad as it sounds, but I still refuse to eat it on the grounds that those two words should never be placed so closely together. In fact, if cheese is included in a two word title, it should ALWAYS be the first word. Cheese bread, delicious. Head cheese, gross. Cheese tortellini, bello! Liver cheese, no thank you.

Sunday: Is a day when you can do...nothing. We learned very early on that EVERYthing is closed on Sundays. Grocery stores, malls, laundromats, even the “convenience” stores close is observance of this day of rest. This last Sunday, we tried to take advantage of our day of nothing by hanging paintings in our apartment. Two nails in, we heard a knock at the door. It was our downstairs neighbor who asked, rather haughtily, if we were “working”. When we said yes, she stated “No working on Sundays! Too loud!”  And with that, we were silenced. Sometimes “Ze Germans” really need to lighten up.

Phones:  The local dialing convention is still a mystery to me. I always seem to dial the wrong number, or somehow dial the number so it doesn’t go through properly.  When trying to dial UPS to inquire after a package stuck in customs, I accidentally called a German phone sex line. I spent $6.50 before I realized what I had called and WHO I was speaking with. I don’t know who was more confused, me or her.

Gluhwein (and mug)

Gluhwein: Germans REALLY know how the do the holiday season. Now through December there are GORGEOUS christmas markets set up in the center of all cities. The speciality at these market is a hot, spiced wine called Gluhwein. When you first order Gluhwein from a booth, you pay extra to have it served in a porcelain mug, which you can then pay to refill as often as you want. Jeff and I thought we just needed to figure out how to ask for the “to-go” cup, and amassed quite a collection of these mugs over the past week. We just yesterday learned that you are supposed to RETURN the mugs and get your initial deposit once you are done drinking for the night. This weekend we’ll tour the market again and return all the mugs. Gluhwein kleptos no more.

We will be in Prague for Christmas and are still trying to figure out plans for New Years. We have looked into many different places, but may just end up staying in Bonn due to exorbitant prices this time of year. We are also trying to plan our trip calendar for next year, so if you plan to come to Germany, please put your request in now. Our IKEA fold-out couch is filling up for 2012 :)

All the best to you and yours, and may the end of 2011 bring many beautiful things.

Hillary and Jeff

The Ski Pole Ethic

One Month in Bonn...

Germans have a love affair with ski poles. Every Saturday, at train stations all across Germany, large groups of middle-aged Germans gather together to embark on outdoor adventures. Without fail, they are equipped with hiking boots, zip-off waterproof pants, day packs, and ski poles. Always the ski poles.

The use of ski poles in Germany is not just confined to weekend hiking trips however. People walk their dogs with ski poles. Carry home groceries with ski poles. Ride their bikes, you guessed it, with ski poles.

Initially I regarded this practice as overly cautious, heinously over prepared, and more than a little silly. But, when in Bonn...

While I have yet to adopt the ski pole fetish, I have adopted a rather ski pole-esk philosophy on various aspects of my life here in Germany. I'll call it the ski pole ethic for lack of a better term. After all, it can't hurt to be overly cautious and uber prepared when setting the foundation for a new life in a new country.

Example #1: Friends. 

I have become a people collector. The first few weeks in Germany, I felt so isolated and alone that the sight of groups of people laughing together made me weepy (see previous post). I've never been one to wallow in misery (for long) about things I could not change however, so I've adopted the ski pole ethic to finding friends and am becoming overly prepared.

I've turned down no invitation, let no social gathering go unattended, and doggedly pursued promising people to interview for "friend" status. During coffee breaks, or lunch with likely people, I cautiously probe, ask questions, illicit conversations and interview (covertly) said person to be my friend. These things take time however, and shared experience, and usually alcohol, but I am quickly amassing an international coven of good people that may fit the bill. I do wonder however, when the time comes, how to confirm their friend status. Life is not so easy as Facebook. I think I will just revert to kindergarden and simply ask "Will you be my friend?" and hand them a lollipop. That will surely work.

Example #2: Work. 

After two weeks of basically creating my own induction course to the UN, including recommended people to shadow and courses of self-study, something had to give. No one was telling me what to do or what was expected of me. I was left to my own devices all day everyday while my teammates and boss buzzed around me singing the busy-bee song. Time to extend those ski poles. I looked at what was being done by others on my team, compared that to the key objectives outlined by the Board, and filled the gaps. I wrote my own work plan with objectives, tasks, and time lines and presented it to my boss on Friday of week two. He seemed a bit flabbergasted but approved the plan, and now I get to make honey too ;)

Example #3: Language. 

I WILL learn German. Even though everyone here speaks English and the grammar rules are ridiculous. Even though there are18 ways to say the word "the" and a single word can be as long as the Emancipation Proclamation, I WILL adopt the ski pole ethic and learn German. You just never know when it might come in handy. In regards to other languages, I've spoken more Spanish here than I have since leaving Mexico in 1998. Portuguese is also widely spoken and my next-door neighbor is Japanese. I find myself speaking tidbits of five languages on a daily basis, and love every moment of it, even if it does make me forget English. Yesterday, while on a day trip with a Columbian woman, it took me three hours to remember what we call the wire stir thing we use to scramble eggs. It's a wire whisk. In case you were wondering.

Example #4: Life. 

Last weekend, a very dear friend of a very dear friend, drowned while rescuing her son from a riptide near their new home in Costa Rica. She was an amazing woman who never said "I can't" and lived life with an unmatched fervor, passion, and spark. She accomplished more in her short life than most do in a full lifetime and leaves behind two young sons, a husband, and swarms of friends. My, and her, dear friend said it best when she said "She died as she lived; loving fiercely." I do not yet know how to incorporate the lessons of this tragic event. I do know however, that I will never again miss the chance to say  I love you to those I care about, I will forgive faster, and I will give daily appreciation to those who grace my life.

You can never be too prepared.

Nope. Nope. Yep!

Week one in Bonn-

We do everything wrong once, if not twice, before we get it right. That has been the theme of our first week in Germany. Everything from purchasing a bus ticket, to checking out at the grocery store, to ordering food to-go...we get it wrong. Germans seem to get pretty huffy about things when you don't do them according to protocol. I don't know this for sure, I'm just guessing based on intent gesticulations, rolling eyes, and general sounds of disgust. Stupid Americans.

Slowly though, and painfully at times, we are starting to get just a few things "right."

Successes in the first week:

Our Apt. Building

Cologne, Germany

• Apartment: We FOUND one. It's a 72 square meter two-bedroom flat on the top floor of a 19th century 4-story building. The kitchen is minuscule, the bathroom is minuscule x 10, but it's very cute and quaint. It's not perfect, but the locals think it's a miracle we managed to find a place so quickly (usually takes a month +) so we are happy to have it. We move in Friday the 21st.
• Cell Phone: We successfully activated my unlocked iPhone. You can reach me from the US by calling 011 49 152 3820 7694. We're 9 hours ahead PST.
• Travel/Transit: Buses, trams, subways, local/regional/long-distance trains, we've got them figured out (well...mostly) and have already done some exploring. We spent a day in Cologne and a few days across the border in Luxembourg. We could definitely get used to this.



Luxembourg City, Lux.

• Work: I managed to make it through my first two days on the job. It's too early to comment so stay tuned for blog posts to come. I will say the campus is beautiful, right along the Rhein with a great walking path. I have my own office. The cafeteria sucks. I've never heard so many languages in one day in my life. I locked myself out of the building on day one. They offer language and yoga classes at lunch. I have to figure out how to write everything in the Queen's English. Damn you Limeys.

My Office Building

We've been successful overall, but the week has still been a bit rough on our emotions. We miss our friends, our family, our house, our yard, and our Goober dog (Lucy). Every time I see a dog here or a group of close friends talking and laughing, I get all weepy (and those who know me know how much I LOVE to weep). I've had plenty of moments where I've thought, "WHY THE HELL DID WE DO THIS!?!?!"and wondered if we made the right decision selling everything we own, leaving our family and friends, and settling across the ocean where we know no one, don't speak the language, and own nothing but what's in our suitcases and a few boxes. I think, just maybe, we might be a tad bit crazy. I know my mother thinks so.

We've been in transition so long, we are both simply exhausted and deadlined-out. The last 8 weeks have been a whirlwind of details, to-do's, boxes, packing, goodbyes and hellos and that will continue as Jeff returns home Monday to wrap up final details in Eugene, while I continue to forge ahead here. It is just now sinking in that we are really here. Now what?!

German-pastry goodness

We know this will pass. Even with the sadness, we are glad to have each other and still have "pinch" me moments when we realize we are living in Europe, I am working for the UN, and we can hop on a train and be in one of 20 countries in a matter of hours. And THAT, is pretty fucking cool.

Still, I hope my tales of weeping have inspired you all to come see us SOON :) We have a spare bedroom and after Friday, you are all welcome anytime. Christmas, I hear, is an especially beautiful time to be in Germany, as long as you have thermal underwear, gloves, and some strong beer to keep you warm ;)

Love and hugs to you all,
Hillary and Jeff

It's Business Time

Day 1 in Bonn, Germany.

We've determined that business class is definitely, 100% for sure, the only way to fly. We feel qualified to say this, having spent hundreds of hours in coach, hunkered between odorous strangers, fighting for foot room and the arm rest, rifling for ear plugs to muffle the baby screaming behind you, all whilst holding a full bladder until the duty-free carts clear the aisle.

This trip was different. Courtesy of my new job (Thanks UN), we flew business class. As in, here is your very own overhead compartment all to yourself class. Or, have a couple glasses of champagne before taking off class. Or, I can't decide which of the 17 seat positions is best to watch the 60 selections of new movies and TV shows whilst getting a chair massage class. Or, would you like to pair each of your courses today with a wine selected by our special sommelier? class.

They used tablecloths on our pull out trays.  Need I say more?

The only bad thing about the flight was that is wasn't long enough. 11 hours is not sufficient to push all the buttons, eat all the food, drink all the wine and watch all the movies. Alas, all good things must come to an end. I only hope there are some business class tickets in my near future.

We arrived in Frankfurt noonish, and heaved, pushed, pulled and staggered our bags through one train ride, one tram ride, one taxi ride and several flights of stairs. I can safely say I've never travelled anywhere with that much baggage. We got several looks implying our bags were really simply just too large. I think the bags took it personally as the largest suitcase took a header down an escalator to end it all. Fortunately, there was no one on the escalator at the time. And, the bag was unsuccessful. He still rolls well and packs a ton.

Now we sit in Hotel Krug, a simple little pension hotel with a kitchen, which will be home base until we can find an apartment. We have a few appointments set up and continue to look for others. Tomorrow at 9am we are going to see what looks like a lovely two bedroom place....fingers crossed. It would be awesome to find a home so soon.

From the day I was offered this job, to today, 7 weeks elapsed. Those 7 weeks deserve a post as well, but my travel-addled brain forbids it.

More from us soon,

Hillary and Jeff