First Impressions are Not Always the Best

So we made it to Germany, and I've been hesitant to write this post. Partly because my computer IP address now reads that I am in Germany so all my websites that I typically go to (such as this one) are now in German :\ This took me a while to correct. But I also hesitated because it is hard for anyone who has not lived overseas to understand that moving to a European Country does not equate to a 2 year vacation. Being an immigrant is hard! But if I am to write about our experience living abroad, then I need to relate the bad with the good!

So I think I will add posts speaking directly to particulars about moving here (such as driving, shopping, people...) in the future. But for now I will just relate our major issues now. Basically, we arrived here the week of Thanksgiving to a pretty good size hotel. That first week was pretty much a wash since it was a holiday week. So the following week we focused on finding a house. To give you an idea of what that is like...we are still looking :(

First off, let me just vent that the Housing Office here is absolutely useless!!! Granted, they really don't do much for you in the States either. But at least there, you know the language and can read the street signs and maps to figure out where you are going. Once we got here, we were told to check out the website every day to see what houses opened and are available...that is it! I know it is unfair to compare one country to another, but just so you understand our frustration, when we arrived in Italy the Housing Office showed us a book of homes available, brought us to the ones we were interested in personally (since they already had a licence, a car, spoke the language, and knew where they were going!), and they would set up the lease with the landlord. Oh yeah, and if you were there longer, you got first priority on any new listings! Here it is pretty much a free-for-all, and it is all on you to set everything up! And you only have 30 days to do it, otherwise the military will no longer pay for your hotel.

So our first cultural experience we've had is that Germans do not return phone calls. You pretty much have to reach them, or forget about talking to them at all. This makes it very hard to set up appointments to see houses. We've essentially had to have the tenacity of a telemarketer (a good option for Dean if this Navy thing doesn't work out) in order to get in touch with anyone. And despite the fact that Realtors here charge you 1-3 months rent, we decided it would be money well spent, and contacted FIVE of them, and still nothing. In fact, you know it's bad when a Realtor calls and says "yeah, I have nothing for you!"

When situations like this happen, your mind begins to search for any possible reasons as to why things are not working out for you. We've gone from we're calling at the wrong time, they don't like dogs, it's who you know, they don't want to deal with Americans, and/or it is just the wrong time of year. I personally believe the last reason has a lot of merit to it. I mean, seriously, how many people do you know who thinks: yeah, forget decorating, baking, shopping, wrapping, visiting family, and just generally having a nice holiday season, and let's move instead! And without anyone vacating, there is no renting! We are seriously getting frustrated and stressed out. Particularly when we found out the 2 other families that came over on the same plane with us both found houses a week and a half ago!!

We are seriously hoping for things to pick up after Christmas. In fact, we have been here 5 weeks, and we just got to see our first house yesterday...and I was really concerned that this was all our money was going to get us (I later discovered it was considerably less than what we could afford). It was a complete and utter safety hazard, especially when you have actual, living, breathing kids you hope will remain that way once we leave Germany, and not fall down flights of stairs immediately outside their bedroom door (no, seriously...the doorway stuck out 6 inches past the stairs!). But we are hopeful that this means things are starting to pick up and we will have a house by the first of the year. Particularly since our 30 days are up and we will now have to pay for our hotel room. But the good news is the hotel owner likes us and is allowing us to stay here until we find a place, saving us from trying to find an apartment (none of those available either) and move ourselves in the middle of winter.

So...this is our experience so far. This may sound like we are regretting our move to Germany. I admit we have each experienced our moments of doubt. But thankfully, we have our time in Italy to fall back on. We have also had some good experiences already as well. So no, first impressions are not always the best, and we are very well aware that once we settle in, we will be able to relax and enjoy our new surroundings!

A few pictures of the hotel: Christmas tree in the living room, the unusually large European kitchen, the master bedroom, the kids' bedroom where they share a bed (greeeaaaat), and the view outside our window where a market popped up the day after we arrived (but is no longer there)...

And We're Off...

Real quick, since time is short...but we are finally leaving for Germany tonight!! WOO HOO!! We are very excited - but I think we are more excited just to have all the details done. And we've been dealing with details until the last minute!! We got our passports, Jake's health record, sent one car a week ago, did all 3 shipments, rented our home and got it ready for the movers, and just sent our second car out today (there's more, I'm sure).
Yeah, yeah...I know. Now I'll have to deal with all the details of finding a home, getting our shipments delivered, getting the kids settled in and Laney set up for school, not to mention finding some way to celebrate Thanksgiving this year and shopping for Christmas when I don't have a license to drive in Germany yet (or even know where to shop yet). But I guess that is just all part of the excitement ;) For now, I am just going to relax on the plane for the next 6 hours (assuming my kids will let me) and know I don't have anything to do during that time frame (which has been so rare lately)!
Not sure when I will be able to write again - all depends on Internet service available to us. So I wish all a Happy Thanksgiving!! And the next time you hear from us, we will be in Deutschland!

The Craziness Truly Begins...

I know...it's been a while. Silly me, I actually thought I would have time to blog once my husband came home. As it turns out, we were extremely busy trying to get as much done as we could before he had to leave again for a 4 week school. Just a few of the things we managed to do:

-turned in passport paperwork/pictures
-scheduled our 3 moves (express, regular, and storage)
-finished our Overseas Screening physicals and dental appointments
-lots of household projects (like fixing a hole in the wall where the toilet paper holder used to be!..yes, that was the kids)
-going through lots of boxes trying to figure out if we really need this stuff for the next couple of years, especially if they stayed in boxes for the last 3 years
-turned in our old (big) SUV for a smaller CUV

We also managed to make a quick trip out to Oklahoma so Dean could see his family since he hadn't been home in 3 years. It wasn't the best timing, and it was a LONG drive, but it was nice to see everyone before we left. And while there, we got some excellent news: we found a renter!! They are only signing on for 18 months, but that's why we got a property manager...we'll just deal with it later when we need to. Meanwhile, that is one major weight lifted off my shoulders! Especially since it means I don't have to try to keep the house show-ready at a moment's notice - with organizing our moves, two small ones and one big dog, this is a big relief!!

Things we still need to do:

-ship our cars overseas.
(We decided to ship one of our cars ourselves (the Navy ships only one for free). Most families need two cars, and Dean was going to buy a used car once there. But we heard through the grapevine that the prices for used cars there are highly inflated! So we crunched the numbers and figured we would save a LOT of money just by shipping our paid-off car than buying a used one!)
-sort-out Laney's school/transcript stuff
-set up Jake's vet appointments/paperwork to bring him over
-deal with Pack-Outs and Pick-Ups by myself since Dean is gone, while trying to keep the kids and dog out of the way (UGH!)

So as I expected, this week is when the craziness truly begins. Besides the fact that Dean left for his school, and our first shipment (the Express one) is scheduled this week...I now have to deal with a medical issue for my son. His Dr. wanted him to be checked before he leaves for an eating problem he's had since he was born (couldn't they do this any time in the last 2 years, since I had been telling them there was a problem since day 1?!). So he now has 2 Dr appts this week I'm trying to fit in, as well as a very early procedure next week in DC (meaning, we have to leave by 5am to get there in time with the rush hour traffic). I really didn't need any extra stress added on, but I knew the move was not going to be the fun part of living overseas...it never is no matter where you go!! I'm just keeping my eye on the prize :)

FYI

Just letting anyone reading this know that I did just put up a new post...but because it was a draft I worked on before, it kept it's original date rather than today's date (9/15/09). So don't be confused. "Binge and Purge" should appear above "Update." Just so you know ;)

Update

So I finally heard from the woman in charge of Overseas Screening...after I started calling around looking for her Supervisor. I wasn't exactly impressed when I met her in person either. She didn't bother to explain what we are doing, just told me where to go next...and she still isn't returning my calls (Grrrrr). People under the stress of moving overseas should not have to deal with such incompetence! We will definitely be filling out a customer survey after this one.

Basically though, I was told all we needed to do was get the three of us to the dentist. Now, I wasn't worried about Delaney and myself, but could not believe they actually wanted me to take a barely 2 yr old (very clingy) child to get a dental exam!! Are they serious?! I knew there would be NO way he would sit still for them, never mind open up and say "ahhhhhhh." But my dentist was great. Even though they don't normally see children under 4 (gee, I wonder why), they did agree to try to see Donovan. Of course, I was right, and he was having none of it. The dentist even got a few raspberries in her face for her efforts :) So essentially, I was able to get him to smile once, and they said "okay, he's good." :)

So now we're just waiting for the Doctors to look at all the paperwork we filled out, and see if they want to see us in person to talk about any of our medical issues - I'm anticipating they'll want to talk to me about the slew of problems my son has had in his short 2 years of life.

We also had the realtor come out last week and take a look at our home. It's still weird to me that another family will be living in my home. I really hadn't prepared myself for this, especially since this move is completely unexpected. We anticipated staying here for at least another 5 years before moving. This is the first house I've ever owned, and we have been the only occupants. It is also strange to me since the house does not feel done to me. There was still so much we wanted to do - painting, wall hangings, patio, book shelves...It doesn't feel ready to show because there is still so much unfinished. But it is a great house and we were happy to hear that the realtor thought we could list at the higher end. We even had one inquiry already, but they needed the house immediately. Ours won't be available until Dec 1st, which isn't a busy time of year for moving, so keep your fingers crossed. And if you know of anyone moving to the DC area and they need a nice family home with a huge backyard, please let us know!!
Until next time!

Binge and Purge

I know, a crazy title but bear with me. Now, as I've said, Dean and I have lived overseas before. Therefore, I'm a little bit more equipped with what to expect this time around than last. For instance, I know I will no longer be paying bills online, but rather waiting in a long line for hours at a place most Americans would never dream of to pay bills (in Italy, it was the Post Office); I know I need to figure out exactly what clothes we actually need since there are no closets; kitchens and refrigerators are a size better suited for a doll house - these are just a few of the things I try not to dwell on, or I might just tell my husband he's going to be a geo-bachelor for the next few years!


Now due to this knowledge, I've found a strange phenomenon occurring...lately whenever my path crosses anything that I might not find in Germany, oh I'm picking it up! This is anything from Organic baking needs, picture frames, DVDs/CDs, cooking utensils...you name it, if it might not be there, I'm buying it! Now, we are by no means Rockefellers, so this is definitely something that I will need to reign in and fast...right after I get my Scout Pocket Pants, Corduroys, and Waffle Henleys from Eddie Bauer :)


But on the opposite end of this spectrum is the fact that I am moving a 3-story, 4 member (plus 95lbs dog) family home across the wide Atlantic. Weight limits apply...there is only so much we are allotted to bring, and only so much we can store. So along with the spending sprees, comes a very strange need that I haven't felt since I was "nesting" when expecting my two children. I am eliminating absolutely anything and everything I possibly can: loads of McDonald's Happy Meals toys, clothes that I haven't worn since said children were born, broken furniture that was always meant to be repaired but are still sitting in our basement...OMG, the basement! Loads and loads of boxes that have not been touched since our two households combined in holy matrimony. I can't even imagine the bachelor things I will find in those boxes...that's it, I need to get started.



UPDATE: Dean is coming home soon!! Granted, he'll only be here a few days before he has to leave again for a few days...but then he'll be back for a while after that before he has to leave for school for a month (life is a roller coaster ride!). We will have a lot to go through and figure out before he leaves!


We also have had several people interested in our home. Unfortunately, the timing wasn't right for them, but we are happy to see that there is interest and the price isn't a deterrent! In fact, we have someone interested and would like to take a look at our house this week...keep your fingers crossed!!

The Bad News Always Comes with the Good :)

Woo Hoo!! We got our orders today! I was able to take a sigh of relief before the onslaught of everything I need to do now hit me :) The first thing I did was call the lady in charge of the Overseas Screening and let her know that I am still waiting for a call from her...then I called her supervisor (but no answer there either) >:( But of course, with the good comes the bad. Along with the orders, Dean just informed me that he will be coming home a little earlier than expected - the end of September. However, he then needs to leave for a school for a month in October! Ugh. Not the greatest news...he will be around for a few weeks to help me set things up, but then take off during the really crazy month that I thought I he would be here for. I think I'll give my babysitter a raise, and hope for the best! :)