Our first week here...

Before we met, Paul and I both always had a desire to live in Europe for a period of time. Neither of us ever did it because it was something we always envisioned doing with a significant other (a.k.a. spouse). Until recently, neither of us had one! Ha ha. We are now realizing a second life-dream we never thought possible! We are official (temporary) residents of Deutschland! We have both been to Germany before so we knew what to expect. Transitioning into living life here as opposed to visiting on vacation is slightly different. Obviously, not speaking the language is a hindrance but most everything here is similar to life in the U.S., just on a smaller scale. And, almost everyone speaks a little English so that helps. Germany has many rules and the Germans are naturally a regimented, rule-following people. This makes things orderly but doesn't always make them more efficient. We are Americans and are used to instant gratification. If we want something, we can pretty much get it right away. Living in a foreign country definitely requires flexibility-we knew we'd have to be patient with getting set-up (bank accounts, cell phones, apartment) and that we'd need to rely on the help of others (hard for me). This first week in Germany has been a slight adjustment and we've had to learn some lessons in patience and trust but overall, we are blessed to be here and thankful to have this experience.

After landing in Dusseldorf on Saturday, January 14, we drove to meet Stefanie and her daughter Nina at Paul's new German workplace, Thyssen Krupp Bilstein's technical center in Ennepetal. Stefanie, who works as an administrative assistant at Bilstein, has been working on setting up our living quarters for the first month here in Germany since November. She even asked us what we would like from the grocery since it would be late when we arrived on Saturday and everything is closed on Sunday. We thought this was so kind of her at the time she offered but when we saw all of the things she purchased for us we were so thankful! We had enough food for the first few days which was so great to not have to worry about going out right away.

We knew we would be renting an apartment on a family farm property (http://www.bohmer.de/ -use google translate) before we got here but a few days before arrival got "upgraded" to a free-standing home. So, our little home is situated on this farm which functions as a vacation rental property in the summer. There is an indoor swimming pool and sauna on the property and is open to the public to use for a fee and by appointment. We were very pleased to see the open layout inside the home and it feels very cozy to us, like going to grandma's house. It also has all of the conveniences we need in the kitchen but again, on a smaller scale. The refrigerator, freezer, range, oven, sink, pots, pans, glasses, etc., etc., everything small. I told Paul that I actually kind of like the small quality of things here, it especially works well since it is just two of us. I also feel liberated to be living a more scaled-down, simple lifestyle. Everything in the U.S. is always so big and overdone. Of course, it is what we are used to and we love it but, it is nice to explore another side of life for a time.

walking in the front door

living area to the right of the front door

the kitchen

the bedroom

bath. it is so open because it is
handicapped accessible

area just outside of house-where we park car :)

the outside of the house

Paul's work is about 12 minutes from our house, so some mornings I drive him to work so I can have the car during the day. The first few days I spent getting our things settled and our boxes from the States arrived on Wednesday. Most days I have spent on the computer, doing research for future trips around Europe, communicating with family and friends, and trying to get my Rosetta Stone language software set up. The internet connection here is incredibly slow and there are many restrictions placed on it so that downloading certain updates and even looking at winery websites is forbidden by the network administrator. Ugh. We cannot watch movies or t.v. because sites like Red Box, Hulu, etc. are forbidden outside of the U.S. We have found a few English speaking channels on the satellite t.v. here but they are the BBC, CNBC, and CNN all with a financial or world news focus. We have seen some coverage of the U.S. Republican race, but all this week has been mostly coverage on the Concordia crash off the Amalfi Coast.

Stefanie has been so kind to reach out to me. She and her daughter Nina invited me over for coffee and cakes at their house. They took me on a little "tour" of Breckerfeld to show me where different things are located. This was so helpful! Stefanie speaks fair English and she enjoys practicing it with me. She also came over on Friday to take me to the farmer's market which takes place every Friday afternoon in Breckerfeld. I so appreciate having Steffi as a friend of sorts, and I would feel comfortable asking for her help with something if I needed it. I am thankful that God has provided this connection. Paul and I decided to try a Chinese restaurant in Breckerfeld on Saturday night. It was so interesting seeing an Asian person speak German! It turns out the restaurant is run by a Vietnamese couple. The husband spoke a little English so he came over to talk to us after dinner. I asked him why he didn't make Vietnamese food (I like it better than Chinese) and he said Chinese food was easier! Haha. The food was good but any ethnic food here still tastes kind of German. :(
After several failed attempts to try to get a German bank account set up at the Sparkasse across the street from work, Steffi took Paul to another location and we finally got set up with a German bank account. Hallelujah! We needed this set up so we can transfer money from our U.S. account and avoid paying foreign transaction fees, as well as pay for things here when we cannot use our credit card or U.S. bank card. Now, we just have to wait to receive some kind of access code and actual bank cards. Whew! One thing down, now we just need cell phones!
I go for walks when the weather is nice. We have had a few really gorgeous but chilly days. The super gray, rainy, dreary days get to me. I am so thankful when it is dry and the sun is out. We've had a few days of light snow and there is almost always frost in the morning. I think I have seen every cold weather condition since I have been here: snow, sleet, and hail. Here's to hoping for another day like the day pictured below!

walking path near house

lovely sunset

front of Bohmer family house

a little frost...

horses on property