Sonntag, 21. Juni 2015
Wir sind zurück!
durhamfamily, 19:32h
After a week offline, we're happy to announce our return to civilization. Being without internet for 7 days wasn't difficult exactly... it was simply inconvenient. We couldn't practice German with Duolingo. We couldn't follow up on Amazon orders (that REFUSE to successfully process the first time around). We couldn't settle arguments about which state grows the most corn or where to find the world's largest ball of twine. But, most importantly, we couldn't communicate with any of you. I'm glad I'm back to officially say: Happy Father's Day to a very magnificent father!
As promised, we kept this past week uneventful and free from shenanigans. The time was primarily spent assembling furniture, unpacking, and cleaning. The floor still needs a good scrubbing, but everything else is well on it's way to normalcy. We even found ways to rid ourselves of our styrofoam and cardboard (heartfelt thanks to Nadja and Susanne for their seemingly endless support).
In case you were wondering, our German-speaking abilities are still terrible. Learning a new language requires focus and time - neither of which we've been giving it. There are so many things for me to concentrate on when I get home from work, and language is low on my priority list... underneath unpacking, grocery shopping, paper signing, furniture assembling, and occasionally relaxing. This has to change soon. Work is growing less and less patient with my handicap. Perhaps the company policy should be that an employee reaches a certain level of fluency before they are officially transferred, because there are simply too many balls in the air as it is without throwing intensive learning into the mix.
On the plus side, we ate some fantastic pizza last night! Having a "pizza night" goes a long way to making this place feel like home. I think next time we will order the Pizza Opa, which is covered in cheesy noodles. We'll definitely take a picture of it for everyone. BONUS - the pizza place has a wide variety of ethnic choices: Italian, Indian, Chinese, American, Japanese... and they all come with a fortune cookie!
Lastly, I've spent the last several days exploring our town, running around the woods. It's kind of magical. I'll be going back there a lot. Unfortunately, the hill isn't nearly as steep as the hill in Bargau, but it will have to suffice.
That's all I have from my side. I promise I'll prod Elizabeth some more until she caves and writes some Blog entries of her own.
Bis nächste Woche!
As promised, we kept this past week uneventful and free from shenanigans. The time was primarily spent assembling furniture, unpacking, and cleaning. The floor still needs a good scrubbing, but everything else is well on it's way to normalcy. We even found ways to rid ourselves of our styrofoam and cardboard (heartfelt thanks to Nadja and Susanne for their seemingly endless support).
In case you were wondering, our German-speaking abilities are still terrible. Learning a new language requires focus and time - neither of which we've been giving it. There are so many things for me to concentrate on when I get home from work, and language is low on my priority list... underneath unpacking, grocery shopping, paper signing, furniture assembling, and occasionally relaxing. This has to change soon. Work is growing less and less patient with my handicap. Perhaps the company policy should be that an employee reaches a certain level of fluency before they are officially transferred, because there are simply too many balls in the air as it is without throwing intensive learning into the mix.
On the plus side, we ate some fantastic pizza last night! Having a "pizza night" goes a long way to making this place feel like home. I think next time we will order the Pizza Opa, which is covered in cheesy noodles. We'll definitely take a picture of it for everyone. BONUS - the pizza place has a wide variety of ethnic choices: Italian, Indian, Chinese, American, Japanese... and they all come with a fortune cookie!
Lastly, I've spent the last several days exploring our town, running around the woods. It's kind of magical. I'll be going back there a lot. Unfortunately, the hill isn't nearly as steep as the hill in Bargau, but it will have to suffice.
That's all I have from my side. I promise I'll prod Elizabeth some more until she caves and writes some Blog entries of her own.
Bis nächste Woche!
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