We are getting ready to leave for the airport to pick up our first official visitor. My Mom! We are so excited to have her here and to be able to show her around and spend time together. Luckily the weather is good (supposedly 60 today) and we should be able to have a nice tour around Frankfurt.
We had our first sighting of snow last weekend (just in time for Spring) and it even stuck to the palm trees out back! We are glad that is over and hoping it was a one time thing.
Well, I will write more but we have to head to airport now!
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Easter
Frankfurter Blog: March 22, 2008
We have been taking it pretty easy over the past few weeks, Matt has been working on a project at work that has started to equal some very late hours at work, so I continue to hold down the fort over here! I had my first paying babysitting job the other day, which was exciting! I suddenly felt 14 all over again. The Mom was there (working from home) and the kid was sick so he proceeded to cry for 1 hour straight. Now, to elaborate a little more, he is a Gaelic, English, German speaking child who was crying hysterically and I couldn’t understand most of what he said! But, everything ended well and when the Dad came home we went for a walk to the park. That is when I realized that even the Irish think the Germans are a little crazy! They have been here 9 years and still get frustrated with the “German way”. That makes me feel a little better, although, it seems to be a recurring trend that I hear. My big bonus is that I am getting paid in Euros…which I think we all know is the way to go right now!
It is Easter weekend and we don’t have much going on. It is a 4 day state holiday here so everyone has Friday to Monday off. I find it interesting in a country where people don’t join churches because they are state run and have to pay taxes, that they give everyone a four day weekend BUT that is the “German Way” and who am I to argue? We are hoping to make it to Darmstadt this weekend to see the town and go to Frankenstein Castle. But, the weather is not cooperating. It has been rainy and cold, so hopefully at least the rain will stop and we can get out! So, we will be celebrating Easter by sleeping in after watching the MSU game at 2 a.m. here!
We are getting very excited for our first official visitor here! My Mom will be coming to visit next weekend and we will be taking a trip to Edinburgh, Scotland! So today is off to IKEA to get some necessary things for a visitor! She is being brave and staying with us in our apartment! We are making the necessary changes to provide a comfortable and enjoyable trip! Hopefully, if she enjoys herself, she will recommend us to others and we will have more visitors! As well, she will be bringing over my new computer which will be instrumental in me posting more blogs (sorry, web logs) for everyone to enjoy.
For my parting thought/comment/idea I would like to explain the “German Way” of saying IKEA so that when you go there you can sound authentic. It is pronounced Ick-ee-ah. Lovely huh?
p.s. Happy Easter and thanks for the comments!! (yes I just found them!)
We have been taking it pretty easy over the past few weeks, Matt has been working on a project at work that has started to equal some very late hours at work, so I continue to hold down the fort over here! I had my first paying babysitting job the other day, which was exciting! I suddenly felt 14 all over again. The Mom was there (working from home) and the kid was sick so he proceeded to cry for 1 hour straight. Now, to elaborate a little more, he is a Gaelic, English, German speaking child who was crying hysterically and I couldn’t understand most of what he said! But, everything ended well and when the Dad came home we went for a walk to the park. That is when I realized that even the Irish think the Germans are a little crazy! They have been here 9 years and still get frustrated with the “German way”. That makes me feel a little better, although, it seems to be a recurring trend that I hear. My big bonus is that I am getting paid in Euros…which I think we all know is the way to go right now!
It is Easter weekend and we don’t have much going on. It is a 4 day state holiday here so everyone has Friday to Monday off. I find it interesting in a country where people don’t join churches because they are state run and have to pay taxes, that they give everyone a four day weekend BUT that is the “German Way” and who am I to argue? We are hoping to make it to Darmstadt this weekend to see the town and go to Frankenstein Castle. But, the weather is not cooperating. It has been rainy and cold, so hopefully at least the rain will stop and we can get out! So, we will be celebrating Easter by sleeping in after watching the MSU game at 2 a.m. here!
We are getting very excited for our first official visitor here! My Mom will be coming to visit next weekend and we will be taking a trip to Edinburgh, Scotland! So today is off to IKEA to get some necessary things for a visitor! She is being brave and staying with us in our apartment! We are making the necessary changes to provide a comfortable and enjoyable trip! Hopefully, if she enjoys herself, she will recommend us to others and we will have more visitors! As well, she will be bringing over my new computer which will be instrumental in me posting more blogs (sorry, web logs) for everyone to enjoy.
For my parting thought/comment/idea I would like to explain the “German Way” of saying IKEA so that when you go there you can sound authentic. It is pronounced Ick-ee-ah. Lovely huh?
p.s. Happy Easter and thanks for the comments!! (yes I just found them!)
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Wind, Strikes and Babysitting
I am not sure if anyone heard about the winds here this past weekend but they were crazy. We woke up early on Saturday and it sounded like a hurricane was on top of us. We later read that parts of Germany and Europe where hit with winds up to 150 m.p.h. There was even a plane that had to do an emergency landing in Munich I believe and couldn’t land straight. I am really not sure why they let the plane take off in the first place but who knows.
Then, this week we are facing strikes throughout Germany. Different public sectors walked out the other day demanding an 8% pay increase (wow, that would be nice) and were upset because the government came back with 5% and a longer workweek! So today the transit workers went on strike. But, not ALL of the transit workers. Only half. So the buses were affected and half of the underground/train system. There is the U-Bahn and the S-Bahn (not 100% sure the difference but I will leave that) and only the U-Bahn workers went on strike. Now, as a non-German speaker try to find this on the internet and you are out of luck! A day out with a friend was cancelled only to realize later that walking two train stops would have allowed me to take the right train! Ah well. Luckily the strike will only last today and everything should be up and working on Friday. Of course, there is talk of another strike on Monday so we will see.
I have started a new “business” here. I have decided that since I am unable to legally get work here I had to find something under the table. So I put an ad on an English speakers forum that I was available to baby-sit for those that spoke English in the area. I have already met with one family (Irish) and I am meeting with another family (American) next week! I have had a few requests for full-blown nanny positions but I don’t think that would be fair given the trips planned. So for now I am a free-lance babysitter!
Other than that things are pretty quiet around here. I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the snow!
Then, this week we are facing strikes throughout Germany. Different public sectors walked out the other day demanding an 8% pay increase (wow, that would be nice) and were upset because the government came back with 5% and a longer workweek! So today the transit workers went on strike. But, not ALL of the transit workers. Only half. So the buses were affected and half of the underground/train system. There is the U-Bahn and the S-Bahn (not 100% sure the difference but I will leave that) and only the U-Bahn workers went on strike. Now, as a non-German speaker try to find this on the internet and you are out of luck! A day out with a friend was cancelled only to realize later that walking two train stops would have allowed me to take the right train! Ah well. Luckily the strike will only last today and everything should be up and working on Friday. Of course, there is talk of another strike on Monday so we will see.
I have started a new “business” here. I have decided that since I am unable to legally get work here I had to find something under the table. So I put an ad on an English speakers forum that I was available to baby-sit for those that spoke English in the area. I have already met with one family (Irish) and I am meeting with another family (American) next week! I have had a few requests for full-blown nanny positions but I don’t think that would be fair given the trips planned. So for now I am a free-lance babysitter!
Other than that things are pretty quiet around here. I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the snow!
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