Integration Course Take 2

So I have finally decided on the integration course I will take. After visiting the Volkeschule - the adult education school in Freiburg and discovering that their classes are four hours every week day, I am going with Berlitz, just three times a week for three hours! At least this way I'll learn German. I took a placement test and made things difficult, because my written/reading understanding was at the top but my oral abilities are not so good. So it looks like I'll skip Unit 1 and start with Unit 2. I feel ok about it.

Jan and I are both tired and a little sick so we have been trying not to do much which can be hard when you have to ride a bike to the grocery store and lug things back in a backpack. (I don't really have to do that often ... after one time Jan hasn't made me do it again). Me on a bike is not the prettiest site...but I'm improving my stopping skills.

Otherwise, we visited a Bank to find out about Banking and I filled out my insurance forms today. Sadly, first I need a bank account...so tomorrow I'll have to commit to one. It looks like there's no free banking for me.

Jan and I just had wonderful dinner on the balcony and now a woman in France is going to call me to talk about her Curriculum Vitae which I edited for 20 euros. (Not my idea, but it wasn't as horrible as it could have been and it's an easy 20 euros.)

Jan and I (mostly I) have dreams of going to Europa Park, but we will have to wait till August and it's open till 8, making the evening entrance option reasonable. (It would be 30 euros for the day, 13 euros for 4 and later.)

It's nice weather again, so hopefully we'll make it to the swimmbad tomorrow.

Ohh, and Harry Potter was excellent. Highly recommend it. I was holding out to read all of the Harry Potter books to my unborn children, but I succumbed and read the last two. There was no hope in being surprised with the movies which I also can't resist coming out anyway.

Well, Germany's treating me fairly well although I am depressed about the abandonment of my next door neighbor friend who went back to Russia for two months and more significantly, the return of Jane to the US. It's been so nice to have a sister here.

I think I won't have time to mope for long though, because half way through August, my job starts and then I will be busy.

Until next time,

Sarah

Furniture and Furnishings

I can't believe I've been in Germany for so long! It's wonderful though. I am getting adjusted slowly...

Recently we have been very busy with furnishing our apartment. On Wednesday we spent the day going to used furniture stores and IKEA, deciding what we might get. Then on Thursday we bought a bunch of stuff. Now it feels like we're making real progress. (although we still sleep on a mattress on the ground and have random piles of stuff everywhere). Our big exciting buy is a black faux leather L shaped couch. I really am excited about having a reclining section. That will fit perfectly into the living room.

We also have more storage space in the kitchen, although we probably should have bought a cabinet twice the size.

Anyway, it feels good to be creating space and getting settled. It just takes a looong time.

I also attempted to start German language lessons, but the class really wasn't good. I just went one day and decided it wasn't for me. I'm not sure that I'll really feel comfortable in any 'integration' class, given that I'm a very abnormal integratee. The teacher assumed my German was far better than it is and kept saying that I'd catch on quickly. Perhaps this is true, but I really have had limited formal German instruction. The other class attendants included two Russian women, six men, and two kids from Switzerland. They all did not participate much, so most of the class was the teacher talking. The other problem was that everybody had been attending for four weeks already, so I was way behind. Now I am looking into classes that will start from the beginning. I think that will be a lot better.

For the last two days I have also been a bit under the weather...really sore throat and exhausted when I have to walk far (or wander around IKEA for three hours). So I am sort of taking it easy. Hopefully I'll feel more energetic shortly.

I'm going to try to update more regularly while I have action in my life. When I do have time to update, it will probably be when nothing is happening.

Now I'm Officially a Resident

I've been really busy this week. On Monday I became a resident. I was excited about it because I can start 1 Euro per hour German courses. Then I realized that these German courses are going to consume my life for at least a year and I wasn't as excited about it. It looks like my best bet is Europa Schule in Littenweiler (where Jane lives). Classes meet from 6-9 four times a week. Even at that rate it will take about 60 weeks to finish the 600 hours of required German language. There's also a 30 hour course on German society and government. It will all be very helpful, but it's so much time...especially if I try to work more.

The other exciting news today is that we're going to watch Harry Potter tonight in English with the IES kids. I'm really looking forward to it.

Yesterday we bought six chairs for the kitchen so that we don't have to sit on outdoor chairs any more. They're really nice, wooden chairs, that are incredibly solid. So they'll last a long time. We got them at a second hand store so they were a good deal. Our apartment is still just partly finished with bare white walls and bare light bulbs everywhere. It's still pretty comfortable. We put the smelly older leather couch and chairs on ebay so they'll be gone around Sunday and Jan and I will buy a couch. We decided that a couch will be our wedding present to ourselves.

OK...breakfast time.

I'm a Frau

The other thing significant about yesterday is that now people will call me Frau, which is mildly traumatic. You know what a Frau looks like, right. Like the teacher in Matilda. Decidedly unattractive, thick forehead, round, old, maybe a wart or two on the nose. Definitely talking in a deep voiced, gutteral German (no, German almost never sounds like the stereotype of German). So, that's me. A Frau. However, a big difference is that I speak almost no German. And the German I do speak has a decidedly American accent.

German Civil Cermony

So!!!!!! The big day came and went and it all seems like a dream. I had an amazing weekend that was far more special then I could have imagined. I went into the weekend with no expectations, which made it all the more intense.

On Friday Jane and her friends gave me a very fun and unforgettable 'bachelorette' party. We hit the wine fest, the KGB Russian vodka bar, and Shooter Stars, a place for taking shots. Although it sounds like I got trashed, I was just a bit buzzed in a very good way. I got to wear a princess tiara and got a lot of attention from the very friendly Freiburgers. Another highlight was the bowl of honig vodka we shared and free rose flavored vodka wedding shots.

On Saturday Jane accompanied me to the incompetent German hair dresser who put my hair in the German version of a 'french twist' (nothing like a french twist). I only had to get Jane to tell her I did not want a giant poof of hair in the middle of my head once. Then as Jane and I arrived at her dorm, pling a bobby pin fell and half of my hair fell down. Luckily, Jane pinned it back up with no problem and it looked better than before.

I managed to put make up on myself (this is a VERY BIG deal for motor skill challenged and half blind me) and it looked pretty good. Then we got picked up by my next door neighbors and off to the town hall.

The building is beautiful and old and so so nice. Jan and I had no idea where to go and wandered around aimlessly for a while, then finally found the correct room. We waited some more and then entered a beautiful old hall. The town official talked for a long time about I'm not sure what, but Jan tells me that it was very appropriate. We were the 500th couple married in Freiburg this year on the auspicious 7/7/07 date. I of course do not believe in any of this luck stuff and think that all of the attention to the date is sort of tacky, but secretly my subconcious has persuaded my more cynical cynical consciousness (if that makes any sense) that it is sort of cool.

We walked out of the wedding hall to some song that I thought was the German national anthem but it turns out it was a wedding congratulations type of song. (Silly me, I forgot that Germans really aren't that into displays of national pride).

Then to the outdoors where rice and flowers were showered upon us. It was a big surprise for me. Especially because a large amount of rice made it's way into my cleavage and hair do and stayed there, somewhat uncomfortably, for the rest of the day.

We drank some champagne in the town hall court yard then headed to the Sun, a wonderful restaurant.

Oooooo, there's so much more to say, but I am going to have to save it for tomorrow because I'm about to pass out.

But here are some photos for your viewing pleasure (they're actually at the top because I don't know how to put them at the bottom)

The frontal view shows us sitting waiting for our officiant. The back view shows Jane in position as official translator. She did an excellent job!!

Friday

It's been a while... Things have been very busy. Jan and I spent the week running around Freiburg, attempting to organize everything for the wedding.

Monday - We went to the restaurant and made the big decision to have all of the reception activities there. The agenda: 1. cakes and hot drinks 2. a wedding walk (cute huh) 3. all vegetarian salad buffet and wedding cake. oh, and of course wine.

As we were going over what color table clothes and if we want flowers or not, the restaurant served us each a huge salad and delicious salad. As nice as this was, it was awkward eating while sitting across from somebody - who definitely was not eating - and trying to plan.

Tuesday - Off to the cake shop. We did not give enough notice for a fancy cake so we get a less fancy cake. It sounds good...two layers, the bottom with cherry liquor and vanilla, the top with raspberry marmalade and vanilla. The only slightly sketchy thing is that everything will be covered in white, tasteless, somewhat stiff edible material. What happened to frosting! Ohh and there will be marzipan roses. Yum

Wednesday - Off to Basel to learn about my job. So far so good...except for the fact that nobody knows what history I'm teaching and there is really no curriculum for anything. Also, I have a class full of 'difficult boys' which I thought I was escaping by leaving American public education. Sadly, that was only a dream. Hopefully, by difficult boys, they just mean they're a little precocious. There's also the exciting possiblity that I'll do 1 on 1 instruction. I really hope this comes true!!!!

After that I managed to be a slightly embarrassing older sister at a 4th of July party full of study abroad students. Doesn't happen often, so it was fun!

Thursday - Get signed up as a resident of Freiburg. That's not the official residency..we're going for that tomorrow. Also, a case of incredible cramps so a low key evening. I watched 'letters from Iwo Jima'...very moving and intense.

Oh, also met with the insurance man who says insurance is going to cost a lot. I'm conflicted...I want excellent insurance, but I don't want to be paying far more than necessary. It seems that I can't get public insurance, but only rich people get private. We'll see.

Court process/not spriritual marriage on Saturday. I'm excited but nervous.