Wills and Won'ts
At the end of my previous entry, I said I was thinking on typing up a list of things I won't miss about Germany. Sounds awfully negative. I'm still going to do that, but I'm going to intersperse it with things I will miss. I have three (read: five) things I've already listed about things I will miss, and I want to make sure with this, I'll match one-for-one wills and won'ts so I'll come away with more things I will miss.
1. I WILL miss:
My Friends - In the comment section of my last post, I talked about how -as a child- I didn't want to make friends because I knew I'd leave them. Well, now is the technological age where I don't have to say goodbye forever. Facebook and Skype are there for me, and I don't expect they're going away any time soon. So I'm not afraid of making friends anymore. There is a great family of four living right across the street from me, and I made a bunch of new gal pals within the roller derby league. All of these people have helped me form memories I will cherish forever until I get dementia.
This is when I sewed up Seth's finger because he was too damn stubborn to go to the ER when he had the proper supplies and a willing student on hand.
I WON'T miss:
The Weather - Fuck this weather. Fuck the snow. Fuck the cold. Fuck the dreary clouds. Fuck the bitter wind. Are you sensing a theme here? My summer clothes spend all of a month in my wardrobe before it's time to pack them all away again. I miss REAL Summer. I miss warmth. I miss the sun. I miss laying out and getting a tan. Have you seen how pale I am these days? My skin has gone damn near translucent. NOT. ACCEPTABLE. Also, it's a widely known thing to always have extra clothes in your car 'cause you never know when the weather is going to change. Even the weatherman can't tell you (note: I don't watch German weather stations, but accuweather and weatherchannel have both been wrong enough times that I take what both sites say with a grain of salt).
2. I WILL miss:
Rollergirls of the Apocalypse - Yes, when we move, I will find the nearest derby league and sign up. I'm not saying I'll miss derby because I won't stop any time soon. But I will miss this league in particular. This point is different than missing the people simply because they're my friends. They're also my team mates. They're the ones who taught me how to stop, how to fall, to make a wall, to bridge, waterfall, positionally block, give a hit, take a hit... how to get back up, not bother with wasting time to dust off, and getting back in there (legally, so as not to get a cutting penalty). There is SO MUCH I have learned since September. There is so much more to still learn. But it started here, with RGA. This league will always be special to me.
I WON'T miss:
Not Knowing The Language - This is my fault entirely. As soon as we moved here, I was gung-ho about learning German. We bought Instant Immersion (cheaper version of Rosetta Stone) so we could all learn. The kids and I went through about five lessons together. And then I realized with every lesson I went through, I was forgetting previous things. Not to mention, it's very difficult to wrap my tongue around some of these words, so I wasn't even certain I was pronouncing things correctly. German is a HARD language to learn. I shouldn't have given up, but I did. Conversationally, I learned just enough to ask if someone can speak English, ask for help, ask where the bathroom is, and basic pleasantries (hello, good morning/afternoon/evening, how are you?, goodbye). I also know a few other words in print (if not pronunciation) so I know what I'm buying at the market. Most people here know enough English that they can communicate with me. And they seem to get a kick out of my broken German. So I guess we both win?
3. I WILL miss:
Traveling - We don't even do it that much, but when we do, it's an adventure. I have the ability to say that I have driven to France, Switzerland, and Holland. I even stopped in Belgium long enough to tick a mark off my bucket list:
Who doesn't love Belgian waffles? When we move, I need to look at the states surrounding my state (whichever it happens to be) as their own countries. That way, I'll be just as excited about travels back home as I am about travels here.
I WON'T miss:
My Neighbors - It's a specific family, and I've griped about them before, but it's mostly him. This is the guy who blocks my driveway because they won't park far enough forward with car #1 to fit car #2 into their drive (even though there's PLENTY of room). Or, when he parks along the side of the road, he leaves a good foot or more of space next to the curb, giving Shawn literal inches on either side of his truck to squeeze into the cul de sac between said car and a fence (which he may or may not have bumped a few times to avoid bumping someone's car). The man always walks with the long, swift stride of importance, like there's always somewhere he has to be, and he should have been there five minutes ago, even if he's just puttering around in the yard. He gives off an air of stuck-up-ed-ness. I still smile and say hello to him when we see each other across the fence, but I only ever get a curt nod in response. But while his wife at least smiles and says hello back, she isn't peaches and cream either. Shawn has witnessed her pick up trash out of her yard, walk to our fence, and drop it over into our yard. Look, if my kids had left trash in her yard, I could understand her wanting to do that. It's kind of a shit thing to do; you have the trash in hand, just take those steps you're already taking to the trash bin instead of the fence. BUT IT WASN'T EVEN OURS!! What the hell, lady? She has also yelled at Ian after her bratty little kid busted ass and started crying. Ian wasn't anywhere near the boy when it happened, but she didn't see that (nor did she see me watching from my kitchen window), so he got the wrath. Yes, their kid is a little shit stain too. He likes to throw his toys over our fence, insist that Ian or Callista retrieve them for him, and then he does it again. Even after my two say, "Nein" when they give it back. It's like he's forcing them to play fetch. Because when they don't get the toys, he starts crying and shitting and running for his mom, who will make sure my kids give the boy his toys back. I'm not saying my kids are perfect. Far from it. But this woman is enabling her kid to be a brat. And now he has a little brother who will likely be walking before we move. Keen.
I need a moment.
*breathe*
Okay.
I know crappy neighbors are everywhere, but it's always a relief when you leave some behind.
4. I WILL miss:
The Food - When we first moved here, Shawn's sponsor invited us over for dinner. His wife wanted to introduce us to our first German cuisine: schnitzel. It was terrible. It was over a year before realized it was because she couldn't cook very well (I'm right there with ya, sista, but I don't invite people over and subject them to my bad cooking). Once I did finally taste well-cooked and served schnitzel, I was hooked. Then there's the schwenk and the many different types of brats. Dude, Johnsonville has NOTHING on real German bratwurst. Beyond that, I couldn't even begin to name all the different types of meats behind the deli counter. Holy crap. But we've gotten some of it anyway. Like the pork and pepper kebobs that were seasoned with a marinade that Shawn is chomping at the bit to figure out. I'm pretty sure there's a name for those, but I couldn't tell you what it is. And I don't know what they use to season hamburgers over here, but these are no ordinary burgers. Suuuuper good!
I WON'T miss:
The Lack of A/C - Okay, I've already bitched about how it's cold more than it's hot here. This is true. However, when it does get hot here, it gets up into the 90's and 100's, and it's miserable without an air conditioner. I can't cuddle my husband at night because we're both hot and sweaty and sticky and don'tfuckingtouchme. Truth: we have less sex during these few weeks of heat. That's a problem. We've learned to "cold soak" our house, where we have everything opened up at night, and then we close all the doors, windows, and rolladens before the sun comes up so we keep what little cool air we snatched from the night. But then, we have no sunlight in the house. In Summer. Seems wrong somehow.
5. I WILL miss:
The Architecture - While I tend to shy away from big cities, I can force myself to deal with all the bad smells and rude people (and that's everywhere, not just Germany) to enjoy the amazing architecture in this country. The churches especially are breath-taking. Even the simplicity of a normal house is still beautiful compared to some of the squares you see in the States. The daughter of a friend recently wandered through their village (that's cool too, I live in a village, not a town or a city) and took pictures just to remember where they live. I think that's a fantastic idea, and even though my village is much smaller than theirs (we have one gas station and two eateries and, erm, an Army base; everything else is residential or industrial), it's still worth my time to go do the same before we leave.
I WON'T miss:
The Architecture - What? I have my reasons! It's the walls and ceiling in this house, and I've heard similar complaints from other people in their houses. No joke, I think this house is made of solid concrete. I've broken two drill bits trying to put a hole in the ceiling so I could hang a wind chime. I've gone to the store and bought up special bits, and those can't bite into the wall for me to hang curtain rods. For privacy, we had to put up a window cling that reflects light (but only during the day, at night it's reversed because it's brighter inside than out) on all of the windows on the first floor. Shawn managed to hang some paintings his mom painted for us (she does commission work; hit me up for her info), and there happened to already be some nails here and there that I've utilized so I don't have to put my own holes in the walls. Not that I can do much more than chip through the plaster on the walls. Also, the paint is funky. Really, I have no idea what is wrong with German paint, but this stuff comes off. You cannot have children and not have to wipe down the walls every once in a while constantly. But when I do, even with just water, the paint comes off the wall (and whoever painted this living room RED before it was white, wtf is wrong with you? That's WAY too much wall space for such a bold color). When we first moved in, Ian was still playing in his own shit. I know you guys remember the breakdowns that would cause me. He smeared it on his bedroom wall, and when I cleaned the wall with 409 and water, all of the paint came off, revealing another color underneath. I had to paint his room; it was like I rewarded him for that nonsense. Terrible.
Alright, well...
That's five of each will and won't. I probably should have set it up so I finished with a WILL and not ending this blog on a negative tone. Meh. I'm too lazy to switch it all around.
Look guys, Germany is swell, but the swelling's gone down. I just hope we get orders to a place I can get excited about.
1. I WILL miss:
My Friends - In the comment section of my last post, I talked about how -as a child- I didn't want to make friends because I knew I'd leave them. Well, now is the technological age where I don't have to say goodbye forever. Facebook and Skype are there for me, and I don't expect they're going away any time soon. So I'm not afraid of making friends anymore. There is a great family of four living right across the street from me, and I made a bunch of new gal pals within the roller derby league. All of these people have helped me form memories I will cherish forever until I get dementia.
This is when I sewed up Seth's finger because he was too damn stubborn to go to the ER when he had the proper supplies and a willing student on hand.
I WON'T miss:
The Weather - Fuck this weather. Fuck the snow. Fuck the cold. Fuck the dreary clouds. Fuck the bitter wind. Are you sensing a theme here? My summer clothes spend all of a month in my wardrobe before it's time to pack them all away again. I miss REAL Summer. I miss warmth. I miss the sun. I miss laying out and getting a tan. Have you seen how pale I am these days? My skin has gone damn near translucent. NOT. ACCEPTABLE. Also, it's a widely known thing to always have extra clothes in your car 'cause you never know when the weather is going to change. Even the weatherman can't tell you (note: I don't watch German weather stations, but accuweather and weatherchannel have both been wrong enough times that I take what both sites say with a grain of salt).
2. I WILL miss:
Rollergirls of the Apocalypse - Yes, when we move, I will find the nearest derby league and sign up. I'm not saying I'll miss derby because I won't stop any time soon. But I will miss this league in particular. This point is different than missing the people simply because they're my friends. They're also my team mates. They're the ones who taught me how to stop, how to fall, to make a wall, to bridge, waterfall, positionally block, give a hit, take a hit... how to get back up, not bother with wasting time to dust off, and getting back in there (legally, so as not to get a cutting penalty). There is SO MUCH I have learned since September. There is so much more to still learn. But it started here, with RGA. This league will always be special to me.
I WON'T miss:
Not Knowing The Language - This is my fault entirely. As soon as we moved here, I was gung-ho about learning German. We bought Instant Immersion (cheaper version of Rosetta Stone) so we could all learn. The kids and I went through about five lessons together. And then I realized with every lesson I went through, I was forgetting previous things. Not to mention, it's very difficult to wrap my tongue around some of these words, so I wasn't even certain I was pronouncing things correctly. German is a HARD language to learn. I shouldn't have given up, but I did. Conversationally, I learned just enough to ask if someone can speak English, ask for help, ask where the bathroom is, and basic pleasantries (hello, good morning/afternoon/evening, how are you?, goodbye). I also know a few other words in print (if not pronunciation) so I know what I'm buying at the market. Most people here know enough English that they can communicate with me. And they seem to get a kick out of my broken German. So I guess we both win?
3. I WILL miss:
Traveling - We don't even do it that much, but when we do, it's an adventure. I have the ability to say that I have driven to France, Switzerland, and Holland. I even stopped in Belgium long enough to tick a mark off my bucket list:
Who doesn't love Belgian waffles? When we move, I need to look at the states surrounding my state (whichever it happens to be) as their own countries. That way, I'll be just as excited about travels back home as I am about travels here.
I WON'T miss:
My Neighbors - It's a specific family, and I've griped about them before, but it's mostly him. This is the guy who blocks my driveway because they won't park far enough forward with car #1 to fit car #2 into their drive (even though there's PLENTY of room). Or, when he parks along the side of the road, he leaves a good foot or more of space next to the curb, giving Shawn literal inches on either side of his truck to squeeze into the cul de sac between said car and a fence (which he may or may not have bumped a few times to avoid bumping someone's car). The man always walks with the long, swift stride of importance, like there's always somewhere he has to be, and he should have been there five minutes ago, even if he's just puttering around in the yard. He gives off an air of stuck-up-ed-ness. I still smile and say hello to him when we see each other across the fence, but I only ever get a curt nod in response. But while his wife at least smiles and says hello back, she isn't peaches and cream either. Shawn has witnessed her pick up trash out of her yard, walk to our fence, and drop it over into our yard. Look, if my kids had left trash in her yard, I could understand her wanting to do that. It's kind of a shit thing to do; you have the trash in hand, just take those steps you're already taking to the trash bin instead of the fence. BUT IT WASN'T EVEN OURS!! What the hell, lady? She has also yelled at Ian after her bratty little kid busted ass and started crying. Ian wasn't anywhere near the boy when it happened, but she didn't see that (nor did she see me watching from my kitchen window), so he got the wrath. Yes, their kid is a little shit stain too. He likes to throw his toys over our fence, insist that Ian or Callista retrieve them for him, and then he does it again. Even after my two say, "Nein" when they give it back. It's like he's forcing them to play fetch. Because when they don't get the toys, he starts crying and shitting and running for his mom, who will make sure my kids give the boy his toys back. I'm not saying my kids are perfect. Far from it. But this woman is enabling her kid to be a brat. And now he has a little brother who will likely be walking before we move. Keen.
I need a moment.
*breathe*
Okay.
I know crappy neighbors are everywhere, but it's always a relief when you leave some behind.
4. I WILL miss:
The Food - When we first moved here, Shawn's sponsor invited us over for dinner. His wife wanted to introduce us to our first German cuisine: schnitzel. It was terrible. It was over a year before realized it was because she couldn't cook very well (I'm right there with ya, sista, but I don't invite people over and subject them to my bad cooking). Once I did finally taste well-cooked and served schnitzel, I was hooked. Then there's the schwenk and the many different types of brats. Dude, Johnsonville has NOTHING on real German bratwurst. Beyond that, I couldn't even begin to name all the different types of meats behind the deli counter. Holy crap. But we've gotten some of it anyway. Like the pork and pepper kebobs that were seasoned with a marinade that Shawn is chomping at the bit to figure out. I'm pretty sure there's a name for those, but I couldn't tell you what it is. And I don't know what they use to season hamburgers over here, but these are no ordinary burgers. Suuuuper good!
I WON'T miss:
The Lack of A/C - Okay, I've already bitched about how it's cold more than it's hot here. This is true. However, when it does get hot here, it gets up into the 90's and 100's, and it's miserable without an air conditioner. I can't cuddle my husband at night because we're both hot and sweaty and sticky and don'tfuckingtouchme. Truth: we have less sex during these few weeks of heat. That's a problem. We've learned to "cold soak" our house, where we have everything opened up at night, and then we close all the doors, windows, and rolladens before the sun comes up so we keep what little cool air we snatched from the night. But then, we have no sunlight in the house. In Summer. Seems wrong somehow.
5. I WILL miss:
The Architecture - While I tend to shy away from big cities, I can force myself to deal with all the bad smells and rude people (and that's everywhere, not just Germany) to enjoy the amazing architecture in this country. The churches especially are breath-taking. Even the simplicity of a normal house is still beautiful compared to some of the squares you see in the States. The daughter of a friend recently wandered through their village (that's cool too, I live in a village, not a town or a city) and took pictures just to remember where they live. I think that's a fantastic idea, and even though my village is much smaller than theirs (we have one gas station and two eateries and, erm, an Army base; everything else is residential or industrial), it's still worth my time to go do the same before we leave.
I WON'T miss:
The Architecture - What? I have my reasons! It's the walls and ceiling in this house, and I've heard similar complaints from other people in their houses. No joke, I think this house is made of solid concrete. I've broken two drill bits trying to put a hole in the ceiling so I could hang a wind chime. I've gone to the store and bought up special bits, and those can't bite into the wall for me to hang curtain rods. For privacy, we had to put up a window cling that reflects light (but only during the day, at night it's reversed because it's brighter inside than out) on all of the windows on the first floor. Shawn managed to hang some paintings his mom painted for us (she does commission work; hit me up for her info), and there happened to already be some nails here and there that I've utilized so I don't have to put my own holes in the walls. Not that I can do much more than chip through the plaster on the walls. Also, the paint is funky. Really, I have no idea what is wrong with German paint, but this stuff comes off. You cannot have children and not have to wipe down the walls every once in a while constantly. But when I do, even with just water, the paint comes off the wall (and whoever painted this living room RED before it was white, wtf is wrong with you? That's WAY too much wall space for such a bold color). When we first moved in, Ian was still playing in his own shit. I know you guys remember the breakdowns that would cause me. He smeared it on his bedroom wall, and when I cleaned the wall with 409 and water, all of the paint came off, revealing another color underneath. I had to paint his room; it was like I rewarded him for that nonsense. Terrible.
Alright, well...
That's five of each will and won't. I probably should have set it up so I finished with a WILL and not ending this blog on a negative tone. Meh. I'm too lazy to switch it all around.
Look guys, Germany is swell, but the swelling's gone down. I just hope we get orders to a place I can get excited about.