germanlifeinapeachhouse-blog - Tumblr blog

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Oktoberfest memory

On Saturday night we sat under the stars in a biergarten at Oktoberfest in Munich, ordered “eis” sundaes for the boys and “zwei maß” (two one-liter mugs of draft beer) in our best broken German, and delighted in the moment while our American children debated the world’s best chocolate with a German and a Swiss native at our shared table. Although they agreed to disagree on the chocolate, she said Switzerland and they said Belgium, they did agree that Belgium can brag about having the absolute best fries in the world.

It’s hard not to be floored every once in a while when thinking about the life changing opportunities we’ve been able to experience throughout our time here.

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*sigh*

“I am the favorite In a fight that I can't win

So every morning I take another on my chin

But I never know, I never know, I never know the round I'm in”

Soooo so so so frustrated right now. When I left the states, everyone wanted to know what I would do here in Germany. The perfect answer was, “well I’m nearing the end of my online doctorate program, so this gives me a great chance to focus on finishing!” Last summer I submitted the concept paper and started my dissertation, thinking it’d be done by now.

One year later I have written chapters 1-3 yet STILL am waiting. My chair gives me feedback and changes to make but it takes WAY too long. I’m trying to keep my motivation up but it’s hard to keep going over the same 80 pages. I thought by now I’d be able to get IRB approval to start my interviews (data collection) but my chair hasn’t given me feedback in weeks.

I have no idea how to handle this. This woman is the one who approves my work so I’m scared to criticize or question her because what if that upsets her and she decides to make my life hell? I even consulted with another professor who supposedly talked to her about my progress and she was told things are great and I’m progressing nicely by my chair. How do I get through this? The thought of being finished is fading and I’m ready to give up 😔

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The dilemma

Being wound up and not being able to sleep because you have so much on your mind, which makes you tired and unable to cope with the things that are making you restless in the first place.

“Wake in a sweat again

Another day's been laid to waste

In my disgrace

Stuck in my head again

Feels like I'll never leave this place

There's no escape

I'm my own worst enemy”

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Confessions of a purse lover (addict)

I imagine someone might wonder why or how I’ve built up my collection. The why is definitely a more difficult question, but here’s some of my “how”, which can potentially give you some ideas for yourself if you want to save up!

We rarely eat out at restaurants and usually bring food, snacks, and coffee when we travel. I waste nothing!! Meals are intricately planned, leftovers salvaged or frozen, and everyone packs a lunch during the week. We also take advantage of free events on base, especially if food is involved (free bowling and tacos for Cinco de mayo, we are there!!).

At payday I move money into savings first in a variety of accounts which fund different things (vacation fund, Christmas fund, emergency fund, homeowners association fees fund, etc) so no surprise financial emergencies!! We also have a college 529 plan, IRA contributions, and TSP savings. We do have car payments yet no student loan or credit card balance so pick your debt wisely and pay yourself first! I’ve also tried a new monthly charity contribution in small amounts that’ll add up to a couple hundred by the end of the year. Budgeting is fun, it’s like a monthly monopoly game!

I have a husband who’s habits are much more affordable, lucky me!! Seeing the latest flick is his idea of fun and I’m happy to send him off whenever he wants because to me a $10 movie ticket is way too expensive (but $8,000 birkins make total sense). Date nights are usually a great local wine and catching up on the DVR, which gives us plenty of cozy adult time. We take advantage of visits with family to do more extensive date nights like weekends away for our anniversary (thanks nana and pop pop)!

And the purses! If I can, I have no problem buying “pre loved”. I have half a dozen resale websites I check frequently to find what I’m looking for. Some bags are 1/3 of the cost than at the boutique, some are styles I loved but didn’t buy (the one that got away), and some just end up being a great find! Nordstrom has great sales, RM has great sales, and I love outlet shopping. Value is personal, you have to weigh what it means to you and what it means to your budget. Only once did I go overboard (hello Hermès), but generally I try to get the best deal possible and make the most of my purse spending.

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Goals

One of the things I wanted to work on in myself when we moved here was/is my reaction to stress. I am sure it comes as no surprise to those who read this that I can be a bit high strung at times.. ok most/all the time. Part of it is my work ethic and perfectionistic tendencies; perfect I am not, but I try to project an air of having my you-know-what together. So far, I would say I'm progressing but not at the point where I would be apt to say I am handling stress more effectively. Not working is a help and a hindrance at the same time. I needed to slow down but I also need an outlet for my racing mind. The job prospect I had did not end up panning out, and my gut tells me it happened for a reason. I am slowly progressing towards the end of my doctoral program (self paced at this point). We are all our own worst enemy and best asset, which is never more apparent than throughout this process. The part of me that wants to finish is slightly louder than the part which feels like I'm drowning, and for now that is enough. We've also set travel goals for living in Europe and have plans for as many family adventures as we can make happen. It feels like we are turning the corner to enjoying this experience; yesterday it dawned on me that once we move back we won't have the ability to drive 5 hours in one direction and be in Italy or the other direction and be in the Czech Republic, or hop on an hour flight and be in Paris. I have heard that mindfulness is the key. Listen to that little voice, have faith, and make every moment count. Life is a gift, that's why they call it the "present" 😘

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The local grocery store Rewe has an international section which includes American food (awesome, right?). They sell unique delicacies such as squeezy cheese in a can, pancake syrup, and microwave popcorn. My favorite item offered is a toss up between pop tarts ($7 a box) and Reese’s peanut butter cups ($1.70 for a two-pack). Fortunately we can buy these items on base for way cheaper, and I’m seriously considering starting a black market for pop-tarts since they only sell the strawberry ones when we all know that s'mores is the best flavor!!

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1- not tipping here takes getting used to, I still feel guilty! 2- I'm hearing that the sun sets over the summer around midnight (give or take) so this doesn't surprise me. Although in December it was closer to 4 pm which screwed up our bellies just as much 🤷🏻‍♀️ 3- I see German flags all over the place but not to the same extent.. jury is still out on this one 4- this is shocking since people drive like crazy here 🤔 5- again, so strange that the tax (19%, mind you!) is included in the price and things are STILL cheaper! 6- they are no help here and just assume you're not a dumbass. If you are a dumbass, that's your own fault 7- true. We have stopped eating at restaurants for this reason, the staring is unnerving! 8- definitely an American thing, but this I do miss! 9- and no ice either! 10- I haven't noticed that sizes are small, however things taste so good you don't want to stop eating! 11- And they charge extra for ketchup! 12- I dunno. They make us salute at the movie theatre on base, but I have yet to attend any German events so I'll get back to this (I hear we MUST attend a soccer game) 13- oh the pay toilets. That's been a sh!t show, for sure 14- German language all sounds like spitting to me anyway 15- I don't even like that junk so no comment 16- hallelujah, I actually love that things aren't overly sweetened, but the boys will only eat "American style" peanut butter! 17- all I know is that I'm still kinda pissed we can't wash our car at our house. 18- I know people who keep butter out at home, although here it's sold in a huge block and not sticks. That's strange to me, how do they know how many chunks to use in a recipe?

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Never thought I'd be able to say I ate porridge for breakfast 🙂

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Joe told me but I didn't believe him. Damn if he wasn't right. So while you guys back home "spring ahead" for DST, we're going to wait a bit and catch up with you guys later 😂

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I feel like at home you wouldn't be allowed to have headstones in your yard, especially ones over 100 years old 🤔

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Actual depiction of the once-monthly paper recycling pick up via tractor in our village. Glad they upgraded from horse and buggy 😂

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"The life you have led doesn’t need to be the only life you have.” – Anna Quindlen

Bitten by the travel bug, and have so many ideas for where to go next! Paris in June? Jumping out of my skin with excitement 😍

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Somewhere, out there.... We recently watched An American Tail, that movie about Fievel the rat. 80s babies know what I'm talking about, and now that song is stuck in your head 😝It's an interesting re-watch because the story is all about a Russian family who flees their country to head to the shining city on a hill where no cats exist-America 🇺🇸 The latent psychological seeds planted in young children who watched the movie may have some bearing on our opinions of the current state of the world, perhaps? It's interesting to see that this same issue causes concerns to this day, and can surface no matter where we are in the world 🌎

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This is our neighbor across the street. When we first moved in I'd catch that doll out of the corner of my eye, thinking it was a small child, and freak out! Now it haunts my dreams 😦

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Christmas, New Years, Halloween?? The local Real (think Walmart) and it's proud Fasching display. What's that, you ask? According to the children, who weekly participate in host nation class and know more about Germany than I do, it's a time for festivities meant to scare the winter away. I'm all about ending this winter, but this Fasching business doesn't seem quite right. After looking it up, it's basically a time before lent when people go crazy, do bad things, wear costumes, and blow off steam before they have to abstain and sacrifice between Ash Wednesday and Easter. Here are some of the highlights: Weiberfastnacht - Thursday before Ash Wednesday. This is mainly an event held in the Rhineland. The day begins with women storming into and symbolically taking over city hall. Then, women thoughout the day will snip off men's ties and kiss any man that passes their way. The day ends with people going to local venues and bars in costume. Fastnachtsdienstag - Besides some parades which are held on this day, you have the burial or burning of the Nubbel. A Nubbel is a life-size doll made of straw that embodies all of the sins committed during carnival season. It is buried or burned with great ceremony on Tuesday evening before everyone partys one more time till Ash Wednesday arrives.

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Let's talk about trash, baby!

You know your life may never be the same when you catch yourself, in earnest, saying something like, "I can't wait for Thursday, it's our first trash day!" Before you judge, remember that even the smallest things tend to be a much bigger deal here in Germany (see previous entry about laundry). Trash is SERIOUS business here, with five separate categories (color coded) of the waste which comes out of your home. Yes, FIVE; yes, color coded. Fortunately we have a pamphlet which we lovingly refer to as the "Handbook for the Recently Deceased" that lists all dates and pick up requirements in a color-coded chart. Brown- biological waste. We don't subscribe to this one, this can go in black as well. Black- non-recyclable trashiest trash you got. This you pay for by the amount and frequency of pickup. Yellow- the infamous gelber sack. Recycling only (heavenly chimes) but most of what we use goes in here, fortunately, and the pick up is free and unlimited. This includes plastics and metals of all shapes and sizes, Germany doesn't discriminate! Now all that's left is paper (still questionable at this moment, our handbook IS in German of course) and glass. Oh the horror of glass recycling 😱The grocery stores accept glass bottles, so we started there. We had a couple beer bottles to experiment with so we put one into the bottle return, only to be DENIED; the machine cited some German rejection based on the dark color of the bottle. Shamefully we dumped our bottles in the nearest trash and left, dejected but not defeated. My next big idea was to try a clear colored wine bottle in the bottle return at the beverage center (aka liquor store). Again, denied!!! From what I surmised I believe these bottle returns are only for soda or water, nothing else, and we don't drink bottled water or soda at home. Panic set in and I immediately swore off pasta sauces and bottled wine, family be damned. It wasn't until Sunday that we finally found our solution at, of all places, a nearby playground! The most beautiful sight so far in Germany- the glass return bins! Somewhat resembling a dumpster but divided by colored glass, the bins stand ready to devour our brown, clear, and green glass products, and my family can enjoy pasta night once again!

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"Kinder Surprise eggs, an Italian brand of egg-shaped chocolate candies containing a toy "surprise" inside, have been banned in the States since long before they were first manufactured in the early '70s. Nevertheless, Kinder eggs remain highly popular in America, and citizens regularly attempt to smuggle samples into the country despite a potential fine of up to $2,500 per egg." They beg for them during every trip to the local market (they're not sold on base due to the legalities). Let's just hope they don't become a gateway to more serious illegal addictions 😂