Whew!  What a whirlwind the past month has been.  Our last week in the house in Neumarkt were unbelievably stressful.  Not just the logistics of packing up all our belongings, cleaning the house, and canceling this and returning that, but also the emotional weight of saying goodbye to so many friends who really became our family during this year.  I was a wreck!  The girls also really seemed affected, especially Serena. Andrew held it together thankfully - one of us had to see to drive away!  Our neighbors called in the morning asking for an estimated departure date.  "Oh, around 11:00"  I said.  Just after 2 pm, we heard a commotion a few houses down and lots of suspicious walks past the house.  So FINALLY around 3:30... we called to say we're ready. Our neighbors formed a parade to our house waving flags and a sign while "The Final Countdown" played.  So very touching!  Lots of hugs and tears and the 17th good-bye later, we climbed in the rental car. Unfortunately, we don't have a single photo of this wonderful procession -- can anyone send us one?

With all the people in our front yard, we couldn't really take our time and slowly walk through the house one last time so who knows what the Grafs have found... I'm sure a few extra Play-mobil figures.  There were a few overlaps in sets and we thought - when in doubt, leave it here.

The 8 hour drive usually is puncuated by some sibling squabbling every 40 minutes or so.  This time however, it was silence interrupted by the occasional memory and sniffle.  They just sat there.  A few hours in, I saw all three heads bobbing away in slumber and one drooler.  It was wonderful having Oma and Opa there the next morning to take the kids because my Lupus reared its joint-paralyzing head.  I could hardly use my hands for two days.  I'm afraid the adrenaline got me through those last few days and I finally crashed.

We enjoyed lots of family time but also some wonderful visits with my previous host family and friends from our life in Kiel which really seems an eternity ago.  One unexpected highlight was this critter in Oma and Opa's backyard.  Hedgehogs are quite common and the kids were thrilled when Andrew found this little guy.

Upon our arrival in Chicago, one of the first things to strike us was how colorful America is.  Let's just say our little village in Bavaria is very homogeneous...  Another thing that jumped out at us was the poor quality of the roads.  Germans build things to last and their highways are fantastic.  Not having the enormous span of temperatures that we have here certainly helps.

We found our van in the remote parking lot and the "Hey, I remember this.." marathon began.  At the house, it was wonderfully familiar coming home and yet, everything was slightly moved.  We even had to think twice what some light switches were for!  It was fun seeing what grocery items were left in the cupboards and fridge.  Our swap family must like Greek Yogurt.  How interesting - organic flour! Also, eye-opening was how they arranged our cabinets.   Kind of like the TV show "Clean Sweep" came in and introduced a new organizational system. In the meantime, I've changed most of it back to my system but eye-opening nonetheless.

So before we even had our luggage unpacked, the boxes started to arrive.  We had sent 10 boxes, ranging from 22 to 33 kgs a few weeks before we left.  About half of them were damaged like the one above. We started searching for homes for all our new trinkets and quickly recognized that since our house was full before we left, we're going to have problems fitting all this in!  In addition, the kids had grown accustomed to each having their own room there and now having to share a much smaller space to begin with, has taken some time.  In the early days in Neumarkt, the train kept me up at night.  Here it's each other and the cats! We're waking each other up just by walking to the bathroom!   The cats ran wild at night and George puked next to my head at 4:40 am.  Welcome Home!

Since Andrew and I started Teacher In-Service the same week we returned, we really had to hit the ground running. Two weeks later, school started.  Although it's not a wide-spread American custom, we gave Declan a Schultuete for his first day of 1st Grade.  Emma began 3rd Grade and she and Declan both attend the same school where I teach 4th grade.





Serena started 6th grade at Brookfield Academy where Andrew teaches.  BA was absolutely fantastic in supporting this exchange.  From the beginning, they did all they could to welcome Klemens and the family and make the year a success. All Andrew's colleagues rave about Klemens' teaching and how he fit in so well with the team.  This is often followed quickly by an awkward "Yeah, but we're glad you're back now..." :)






First Day of School - September 3, 2013

In our very brief summer vacation this year, the kids played in the rain (and the mud) in the back yard. Look at them!  Where were their parents? :) They LOVE having the trampoline again and I'll admit I'm enjoying it too!  Declan tried to recreate the zip line park we visited in Velburg.  Yes, that's a cookie bucket "helmet."




A big change is the length of time of the school day.  Emma and Declan were always done by 12:30, earlier on some days and Serena was finished by 1 O'Clock.  Now, their days run from 8:45 to 3:20 which leaves much less time for instruments and homework.  Usually they only get together with friends on the weekend.


Serena drives with Andrew: their day is from 8:15 to 3:15 and she is absolutely swimming in homework.  Usually 2+ hours per night, a few times 3 hours.  She's struggling with some English vocabulary especially in Math.  She knows, for example, how to calculate perimeter but doesn't know the word "perimeter" since she's only ever learned Math in German.  The first 2 weeks were hard but just last week I overheard her skyping with a German girlfriend telling her how "super cool" her new school is.... so I think she'll be just fine.

Ich vermisse euch!

During our year away, we missed the crazy variety at supermarkets and we found we have been overbuying just because we can.  Hummus and pie crust and carmel dip, oh my! The kids have never really been beggars at the store but now suddenly want to buy all these "favorites."  Emma asked if you can also get Hubba Bubba gum in America.  Pronounced /hooba booba/  Ever hear of it? :)  We have not been able to find any Fillys much to her dismay.  Good thing she's already got a boxful!

We also missed the wide streets, emergency stopping lanes, and open, grassy front yards.  There are few yards with high hedges here.  The vague "openness" of America is hard to articulate but you know it when you see it and miss it when you don't. Driving here is less stressful, less harried. Many more junker cars on the road here.  Germany's high standards for emissions and maintaining your vehicle would prevent many of these from being on the road.  Another thing to readjust to: sales tax.  In Germany, it is absorbed into the product price so there are no surprises at the check out.  We notice how everything here is catered to the customer from drive-thrus to 24 hour service telephone numbers.

I personally miss having leisure time!  Never again in my life will I have so few set demands on my time (oh, like a full-time job!)  I volunteered in Germany and taught a few classes at the Volkshochschule but for the most part, I was home with the kids when they got home. I know that life will settle and that the crazy schedule we have now will relax when it's no longer my first year in this grade level and when I'm not taking evening classes.

As I wrap up my last post for this blog, some questions that people ask us frequently come to mind:

Are you happy you went:  YES!

Did the kids want to come back? No, the girls both wanted to stay.  Quite passionately!

Any problems with the swap family?  No, we are blessed to find such a compatible partner for this venture.

Which country do we like better?   In a word: both.  There are a million fantastic things we love about Germany: enviromental awareness, social healthcare, proximity to tons of tourist sites as well as Andrew's family, and a treasure chest of history and culture.  There's also a certain modesty I appreciate.  Germans don't scream from the rooftops that they're the best in this or the fastest in that.  In public, Germans are not the obnoxious drunk people making a scene.  Of course there are also a million wonderful things about the US but one trumps them all:  this is where our home is.  Anyone who's traveled can appreciate the intangible comfort that the familiar brings.  We had such an exciting, emotional year and are grateful beyond words that everything fell into place with the Grafs.  Our new family of friends in Neumarkt better keep that old pull-out sofa in the basement because you haven't seen the last of the Richardsons!

Auf Wiedersehen!

One of the inevitable realizations of living abroad (or even just from traveling) is discovering that there is more than one way of doing things.  Different is neither good nor bad, but simply different and often eye-opening.  This post will cover some of those neutral observations to "Wow - that is just cool!"

Above: standard sizes for sugar and flour.  Above right: vanilla comes sugared and in packets, like baking powder.

Jello sheets!

I've written before about the challenges of baking your tried and true recipes in another country. Different ingredients are always a wildcard. We've been surprised at the relatively small package sizes of some products -- no wonder people go shopping for often here and it's not just because of the smaller fridges!

Urban Farming at its finest!  Our friends Petra and Oliver have 7 hens and 2 roosters in a homemade coop in their front yard.  Fresh eggs most mornings although one hen, Lady Gaga, is withholding 3 eggs right now.  Chicks are expected within the week!

Tree huggers in the truest sense, they buy local and organic and serve meat rarely. This is the green roof on their garage.  Now that's what I call walking the walk!







Slugs here continue to fascinate us. We found this monster on the patio.  He had already constricted quite a bit by the time we fetched a pencil and the camera. 

Brown, black, beige and ... orange?

A neighbor grew tired of people dumping their yard waste in this grassy lane alongside her house. So she initiated the Hochzeitsallee or Wedding Alley. Newlyweds can buy a tree and plant it along the lane, complete with a dedication sign.  Now everyone benefits from it!

At Declan's kindergarten - in summer, a place to park your bike, in winter your sled.  Living in a village certainly has some advantages.  We don't even lock his bike up.

Sliced French bread, sauteed bologna/Spam shapes and ketchup garnish.  A hit with the kids!

There seem to be local beekeepers on every corner and you definitely can taste the difference in the honey based on where the hive was.

Serena's school scheduled a Dirndl Tag!  Seems to go well with Schnitzel Tag which is every Thursday in the school cafe.

Walpurgisnacht takes its name from Saint Walburga, an English abbess.  Traditionally, witches were kept away with big fires and since the villagers were assembled around a bonfire anyway, they would dance, and drink and celebrate the upcoming growing season and, oh yeah, pray for protection from those pesky witches.  Nowadays, people celebrate Walpurgisnacht on April 30 by dancing their way into May - Tanz in den Mai. Mischief still abounds but no longer by those witches but rather bored teenagers.  Our swap family reminded us to pack all outdoor furniture away and lock all doors.  Apparently a few years ago,  some kids had pulled out the boards of their compost pile and redistributed them around the neighborhood.

Father's Day is celebrated on Himmelfahrt, or Ascension Day, which is 40 days after Easter, always on a Thursday and it's a public holiday.  Many fathers (and many non-fathers) will spend the day going for a walk, singing, and pulling their wagon filled with beer.

What happens on Mother's Day you may be wondering?  Often the mom cooks and cleans and hosts her family.  Apparently, nothing says "I love you Mom" like leaving her a heap of dirty dishes!


One of the coolest hikes we've taken is to a nearby steinere Rinne. a raised stone groove caused by the slow deposit of chalk by a trickle of water.  This specimen was thigh/waist high but some in Bavaria can be 5 meters high!  Since this is such a rare geotope, there are no signs whatsoever.  We spent 40 minutes searching!

Our very last visitors were the Richards family from Milwaukee.  Sadie and Stella went to school with Serena and Emma.









We all headed south for a long weekend in the Alps.  First stop: Oberammergau - home of beautiful, intricately painted homes and the famous Passion Play which takes place every 10 years.

We took the Zugspitzbahn to the first of two plateaus.  45 minutes, change to a cable car, then another 10 minutes.  At 2962 meters high (9717 feet), it is the highest peak in Germany and is sandwiched by three glaciers.

We were surprised how warm the summit was. All the mittens and scarves stayed in the backpack.

From the German side, you can walk a bit across to the Austrian border.

Just relaxing in the clouds...

Afterwards we headed to the Partnachklamm in Garmisch Partenkirchen.  It's 700 meters long and the deepest point is 80 meters.  Very loud and wet!  Although it was really cool to see how violently the water had cut through stone, the kids were so tired from the day that ice cream was the only thing that could lure them to the Klamm.

Just down the road, we discovered the Olympic ski jump built in 1923 and used in the 1936 Olympics.

We stayed at the most perfect hostel we've ever been to in Mittenwald.  This is the view from our window.  Austria is just to the left.

See all the little shacks dotting the field below?  A local informed us the each farmer uses that to store his straw harvested from his little plot.  Wooden spikes are used to dry the straw and it's gathered by hand. No resource sharing?

On our last morning, we visited the Geigenbaumuseum in Mittenwald.  The kids tried their hand at woodworking in the workshop.  We all gained some appreciation for the number of hours put into every handmade violin.   Maybe someday Emma....

 


Scenes from the beautiful town of Mittenwald

Finally, the most famous castle in Germany.... Schloss Neuschwanstein!  It takes a lot of effort to get there, remember to preorder tickets to avoid the 90 minute line, then hike 40 minutes up the mountain.  Your ticket allows you exactly one 10 minute window to enter the castle for the guided tour.  Just over 6000 people visit it PER DAY in summer!

Crazy King Ludwig II of Bavaria had this castle built as an homage to Richard Wagner.

The view from the castle...

The line was too long to ride the carriage up but it sure added to the magical atmosphere.  And yes, our children had ice cream on this day too!