Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Back in Deutschland

Hi guys,

As you’ve read, we’re back in Deutschland after a longish visit to the States and excited get back to our normal lives.

Oddly enough, one thing I noticed about our “normal” lives, however, is that they’re anything but normal compared to the pedestrian lives of those living in America. What the hell do I mean? Well, I’ve stolen a couple thoughts about the quirks of living here from expats and tourists and put them in one consolidated place (below) for your reading enjoyment.


There’s no deeper meaning about what I’m trying to indicate. I’m not indicating anything…just that life here is a little different. And here’s how:

German toilets. Seriously, what’s the deal? Other European toilets work much like their North American cousins. They are shaped a little differently, but the basic principle is the same: the excrement either lands directly in the water or it slides down a steep slope into the water, before being flushed away. Simple, effective and clean. See?

Not so the German toilet. The excrement lands on a bone-dry horizontal shelf, mere inches beneath one's posterior. Repeated flushings are required to slide the stash off the shelf into a small water-filled hole, from which it hopefully disappears. See?

What is the purpose of this toilet, you beseech? It does not save water - you must flush it eight or ten times to remove every last scrape and smear. It is not hygienic - the smell is ungodly. In fact, the German toilet is designed to facilitate stool examination via a built-in stool shelf. I wouldn't be surprised if the more expensive models include a digital scale: "Mein Gott, zwei kilogram!" exclaims Günter, joyful and relieved.

It’s a wise, healthy practice, argue Germans, a person's best defense against intestinal disease, water-borne parasites or worm-riddled, undercooked pork sausage. While this made perfectly good sense around 1900, thanks to improvements in public health the whole shelf business should have become obsolete shortly after World War II.



This is a ShotCode. Basically, it’s a circular barcode and apparently they're popping up all over. The circular sequence of black and white blocks represents a web address. The idea is people will be able to read and decode them via a mobile phone camera, thereby saving you from having to write down ormemorize a URL. Simply install the software on your phone and the next time you see a ShotCode, take a picture. The barcode is circular so it doesn't matter what angle the picture is taken.




Stasi, short for Staatsicherheit (State Security), were East Germany’s secret police. Starting next year, German school kids between 12 and 15 in the east German state of Saxony will be given compulsory "Stasi Studies" as part of their history curriculum. Why? Because of fears that the horror wrought by the infamous secret police will be forgotten.


Other things:
  • In underground garages, the reserved parking spaces for women near the exits.
  • In restaurants, that it's often harder to get the waiter's attention to pay the bill than it is to place your order.
  • I can open the windows inwards as well as outwards which means you do not have to go outside to clean them.
  • Public ping-pong tables in parks.
  • Drinking beer on the street/subway.
  • Doorknobs suck. No twist and open, close it from outside without a key.
  • Breweries/hotels/restaurants with "since [the medieval times]" as their statement of longevity.
  • Hiking trail distances measured in time instead of actual distanceEscalators which stop when not in use.
  • The German obsession with organic foods

Tuesday, January 30, 2007

An end of a weekend in Bavaria


Today Justin, Pecos, and I returned from a brief venture east into the Bavarian forest. Justin had some interviews to conduct for work in Grafenwöhr, Germany. Pecos and I decided to join him on his trip. We promised to behave very business-like and we're just not quite ready for another seperation, however brief it may be.


On Sunday, we drove down to Nuremberg to have dinner with Marc. We went out to a pizza place very close to Marc's apartment. The restuarant is renowned for it's huge servings, and the servings are huge. Justin and I ordered a salad and pizza to split between the two of us. We managed to finish both, but with considerable effort.



After saying goodbye to Marc and collecting Pecos from his apartment, we continued on to Weiden, the small town we were staying in. Though Justin recklessly disregarded the Mapquest directions I was reading to him, we found our way to Wieden and to our hotel. Our hotel room only had a single bed (I was a late addition to the trip), so Justin claimed the floor and Pecos the bed. Neither of them wanted to share their sleeping space with me.


Monday morning, I drove Justin to Grafenwöhr so he could do his work stuff. Grafenwöhr is a small town in Bavaria surrounded by forests and hills. The US military uses Grafenwöhr as a training facility. The base can be compared to Fort Hood, Texas (one of our former homes) in that it is in the middle of nowhere, with nothing going on, but plenty of space to drive tanks around.

Pecos and I spent the day exploring the base and then hiking in the snowy forest. We had a good time, though I was afraid we were going to be attacked by wolves. I don't even know if there are still wolves in Germany, but I think they would be where we were hiking. Fortunately, we survived largely unscathed (I pulled something in my back due to the combination of 20 pound snow boots and uneven footing. It's inhibiting my ability to clean the apartment. Shucks!). Overall, it was a beautiful hike and it only would have been better if Justin had been with us.



After our hike, Pecos was pooped. I made a "Pecos sandwich" on the hotel bed and he slept in the folded blanket for about six hours before bothering to get up. While he slept, I went and picked up Justin from Grafenwöhr. We went to the gym together (not a good idea with a hurt back), Justin slammed his finger in the car door, and we picked up some dinner at a Turkish restaurant. We then settled into our hotel room for the evening to eat the massive amount of food we ordered, watch King Kong (ridiculous movie), and then eat some more.
This morning, we woke up early and drove back to Wiesbaden. Justin was at work by eleven, and Pecos was snuggled in his dog bed by eleven-ten. What a life!

Friday, January 26, 2007

Hooty-hoo and a whupty-doo! After much ado, Kate is back and she has a blog for you!

The last time I posted a blog was a month ago. To say the least, this update is long overdue and just plain long. I am finally back in Germany (Justin and I flew back on Tuesday night) and I am relishing the relatively relaxing rate of life here.

So, what have I been up to? Glad you asked….(I can always count on you, my faithfully curious and imaginary reader).

Right after I last posted, I flew to Chicago for New Years’ weekend and was hosted by the welcoming and legendary Carole and Adam (our old neighbors). They are doing tons of work on their new house in Oak Lawn (a woodsy Chicago suburb) and can throw words like “aluminum alloy” and “corrosion resistant” like it’s nobody’s business. Their place looks great and I can’t wait to go back and be amazed at their progress.

While in Chi-town, I met up with friends from varying circles. There was lunch with coworkers on Friday, coffee with water-polo-friend Natalie on Saturday, and brunch with the Wicklanders (Andrew, Malie, and Leila – their baby) and John on Sunday. Also, Carole and I watched a lot of the first season of 90210 (when Andrea was only 37 years old) and hung out in the city. I do miss Chicago dearly.

On Tuesday I left the Windy City and returned to my parent’s house in Maryland, where I worked furiously until driving up to Pittsburgh on Friday. In Pittsburgh, the only city that considers itself a part of the Midwest even though the Census borough says “no” (they say Pittsburgh is in “Appalachia”), I stayed with Liz in her new house. She just bought a row house in the Lawrenceville neighborhood of Pittsburgh and moved in about a week before I got there. The new digs, however, were already looking great and the guest room was very comfortable. Thanks, Liz! Thanks also go out to Liz’s new dog Lucy, who is super sweet and cute and made my stay even more pleasant. I think she and Liz will be very happy together.

I left Pittsburgh on Sunday and on Monday went down to Barbara’s (Justin’s mom) house in Southern Maryland. As Justin already informed you, Oma peacefully passed on Wednesday (January 10). I stayed at Barbara’s until Thursday, and as sad and difficult as those days were, I am so happy I was there for Barbara. I am also happy that the last time Oma and I talked, she told me, in true Oma form, “I love you. I don’t know why, but I love you.”

Justin flew back to Maryland on Friday to be with his mother for the week. (I trained him well). After he landed, though, Barbara and Bill insisted that he and I spend some time together. So, although it had been five weeks of separation, I still thought (and still think) Justin should have been with his mom. But what do I know?

That night, a jet-lagged but super-caffeinated Justin had dinner with my family. The next day, Barbara and Bill came to get Justin while Dad and I went to the Maryland-Clemson men’s basketball game. Maryland won, btw. It was an awesome game and it was wonderful to spend the day with my father.

On Sunday (are you keeping up? We’re on Jan. 14…pay attention), I flew to Atlanta for a hectic week of super long workdays. I only left the hotel once during the entire week. But, as stressful and busy as the week was, I loved it. I enjoy my work and I truly miss working full time.

On Friday, I flew back to Maryland to spend the evening with my parents and on Saturday, my mom and I drove down to Southern Maryland for a party celebrating Oma’s life. It was sort of like a wake, except that everyone was required to wear Oma’s favorite clothing styles (leopard print, gold, silver, or anything German) and eat Oma’s favorite foods (KFC, coleslaw, shrimp, éclairs, and chocolate). Justin and his mom had prepared a slideshow of Oma pictures for everyone to watch, which was very nice. Anyway, the party was wonderful and it was great for everyone to come together to celebrate Oma’s life.

The next day, Sunday the 21st, Justin and I went back up to my parent’s house to spend the day with my family. We shopped with my dad, took the dogs out to play in the snow, and had dinner and played Pictionary with the family. Edward and Jen beat Justin and me in Pictionary…but only by using cheaters’ rules. We’ll have to have a rematch when they come to visit us at the end of March (Yay and yippee for that!).

On Monday, Justin and I drove down to Southern Maryland to celebrate what would have been Oma’s 92nd birthday. We met Barbara, Bill, Randy (Justin’s brother), and Gillian (Randy’s wife) at Red Lobster and had lobster – Oma’s favorite non-dessert food. Justin and I then spent the night with Bill and Barbara watching movies.

On Tuesday, everyone (me, Justin, my parents, Barbara and Bill, and Bill’s daughter and her kids) met up at a Chipotle by D.C. where Justin and I enjoyed the fibrously beany tastes that we’ve been missing here in Germany. It was great to eat those oversized burritos and spend one last meal with family before boarding a plane back for Frankfurt.

So, after a whirlwind couple of weeks, we landed in Frankfurt, saw our wiggly and licky little dog – who seems absolutely miniature compared to my parents’ horse-sized dogs – and said hello to jet lag. I can barely keep my eyes open past 10 p.m., but I think I’m just recuperating from six weeks of non-stop activity.

Overall, it was tough to be away from Justin and Pecos, but so wonderful to be home with my family. As my time at home wound down, I kept regretting not spending more time with my family. I eventually realized that I could never spend enough time with family, and I should just be thankful that I got to spend the time with them that I did. I am also thankful I have a husband who understands how close I am to my parents.

Please keep on checking back for posts as we will start posting more regularly. Anticipate posts about Christmas Part II, this weekend in the Bavarian forest, and my birthday (cough, February 9th, cough) trip to Rome.

Also, come visit us!!!! That’s a direct order!

Also, also, kudos to me! I got into grad school. I will begin working on my master’s in educational assessment and evaluation at the end of February. I am so excited!

And I am spent . . . phew.

Thursday, January 11, 2007

Sad news on the homefront

Shortly after a successful last trip to Germany this past November where she ate some German food, drank some German wine, and proudly looked upon her grandson as he forged a new life in her dear old motherland, Oma took a turn for the worse.

Whether it was the cancer she was diagnosed with seven years ago, complications from the cocktail of her serious medications, or the massive amounts of gross foods she ate while here (eel, for example), Oma couldn't hold on. Her stubborness was no match for the whisper of death.

So, in a very un-Gertrud-like manner, Oma went to sleep for the last time yesterday - quietly and peacefully.
Our thoughts are with you, Gertie! You will be missed.
Ein prozit!

Thursday, January 04, 2007

Still testing

OK, so it worked. But I can only get one picture per blog. That sucked. Here's one taken later that day, when Pec was getting a bit sleepy.
Posted by Picasa

Testing new software

It's Week 5 and I'm trying a new photosharing thing called picasa that apparenly posts things to blogger. This is attempt #1. Whadyall think of the pic?
Posted by Picasa

Wednesday, January 03, 2007

Week 4: While Kate is away....the boys laugh all day

As I'm sure you saw, Week 3, which included both Christmas AND Boxing Day, went by smoothly and quickly. So, unless you'd like me to talk about the belly dancers some more, I don't believe there's a need to elaborate any further on that particular week.

Week 4 also flew by. As you read (and hopefully watched), New Year's Eve was a blast this year. There were fires in our belly (thanks to the margaritas), fires in the sky (thanks to the Pina Coladas), and fires no doubt on the roofs of some of the surrounding buildings.

Also, to once again commemorate the festive holiday, here's a video I found that has to be the funniest things I've seen so far this year. Caution, do not view this at work (people will wonder why you're laughing so hard): http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2223302573352891263&q=bottle+rocket+ass

Finally, Pec and I have been having a good time when we're not shooting off fireworks or watching videos of people doing such. Here's a quick glimpse at what we've been up to:

Biting our balls:

Building nests:
Getting fleas:
Nibbling on ropes:
Being scared by the big city at night:

Getting all crazy and twisted:

Monday, January 01, 2007

New Years in Wiesbaden

Prosit neues Jahr aus Deutschland!

As is traditional in this part of the world, we shot off fireworks on New Years. Not just some fireworks, mind you. But enough to brighten the sky so that really small font could probably be read. From space.

Unlike us Staties, people living in Europe don't have the Fourth of July as an excuse to shoot off fireworks. They only have New Years - and boy do they get into it!

For New Years, I was with my dad and Linda's in Dotzheim, Germany - about three miles from where I live, in a much smaller, more family-oriented community. They live right above the central platz, where community events are held. Also in this platz, there are a couple small "animals" for children to ride - such as a horse and a fish that are attached to the ground with a spring. It's a cute little community that's really set up well for families with small children.

But the wholesome appeal of the place didn't disuade us from setting off an arsenal of fireworks. In fact, alongside us at the stroke of midnight (right at the heat of our 21-gun roman candle salute to each other) was a family consisting of at least two small, very impressionable children who could easily be led into thinking that fireworks are virtuous and natural (I couldn't really get a good look at how many there were because of the smoke that we were creating by setting off so many fireworks).

Here's a pic of my friend Mike Hogg aiming a Roman candle at a nearby balcony of a presumably innocent family. Ata boy, Mike!



Here's a poor-quality video I took of the surrounding mayhem: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8193393720597938581
Also this weekend, Mike, Breanna (Linda's daughter), and I attempted to go "clubbing." Unfortunately, I have to use the word "attempt" because we didn't know the one cardinal rule of going out in Germany - don't do it before 2 a.m. Because we didn't follow the rules, here's what happened: