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Die Kaffeestube Teil 2 - virtual Kaffeeklatsch in Germany and Austria
951 replies
cheaspicks · 22/08/2012 09:57
OP posts:
LinzerTorte ·
25/09/2012 10:17
Antique So sorry about your SIL's sister and so 
for her husband and daughter. It must be incredibly difficult to lose a mother at any age, but it must be so hard for her daughter at this stage in her life.
Bienchen How long were you in the UK for? I wish my written German was as good as your English!
TheEnglishWomanInTheAttic ·
25/09/2012 10:48
Antique sorry to hear about your SIL's sister - that must be hard for her daughter (and husband obviously, but particularly difficult timing for her daughter)
I am 
that your DH gets up with DS though - mine gets up at 6am, gets in the shower, dresses and leaves at 6.15am - he says hello to the children if they cross his path in that 15 mins... He gets up on a Sunday with the kids if I make him but won't do so before 6am so I still end up getting up to DS2, then I plonk him in our bed in protest (something I don't do the rest of the week esp once he is wide awake, as he is from about 5am) and try to re-direct his bounciness towards DH, with little success til the clock says 6am and he takes him downstairs, along usually with Ds1 by that time. Ds2 sleeps a lot better than he used to, but he is still up during the night at least once, usually twice, and he is very hard to re-settle if the wake ups come after 4am so I often end up sleeping on the mattress in the boys room from the early hours - I feel about 100 most some days!
MIL is Croiatian by birth, maybe they are big Schnaps fans too, I am not totally sure - she makes all kinds of weird jams too (some lovely, rather too many contain carrot or pumpkin 
) and she and FIL spend days musrooming in the forest and sell the mushroom for quite good amounts of money to supplement their pensions - she wanted to sell the jams too but wasn't allowed if she made them in her own kitchen.
cheap :o at the newcomers zone - I don't think we're referred to as newcomers (2 families have moved to the village since we did, 5 years ago... :o ) but I know I was the Englishwoman (I attempted to start a German course in a town 20km away when we first moved here - gave up on it 
as it was just too much with a small toddler and tiny baby - but the teacher had heard of me as she had a friend in our village - a single friend but he had heard of the pregnant English woman who was always in the playground!) Nowadays I'm mostly DD's mother - she has a rather strong and outgoing personality and is quite well known, the boys are mostly known as her brothers too, poor things! DH is not very known, he turned up to watch DS1's football match a few months ago and many people were shocked he's German, though I'm sure I've said...
We have UK TV via satellite (smug emoticon) - I have Homes Under the Hammer on while DS1 is napping (should be preparing my English lesson as I start teaching on Thursday eve, then have 2 courses on the go til after Christmas) but I'm feeling a bit frazzled so ... we I'm watching daytime TV instead (I did go to the gym this morning though, the fact DS2 likes going in the kids room is what motivates me :) ) I haven't tried that website, sounds a good idea though!
Linzer I hope your DS gets used to school soon - do you think you being there makes it worse? When DS starts he will catch the bus with DD, so won't have a chance to cling - unless he runs home from the bus stop I guess 
He will be nearly 7 when he starts though so I hope not! DD wouldn't let me walk her to the bus stop after day 2 as it made her look like a baby (she was still 5)!
LinzerTorte ·
25/09/2012 18:37
English Yes, DS is definitely clingier if I (or DH) am around; I know that he'd never have refused to go into school if someone else had taken him, for example. I'll be taking him again tomorrow so am keeping my fingers crossed that Monday was just a temporary blip caused by DD1 going away. He was playing quite happily with a couple of friends here this afternoon; although he hadn't wanted to invite them (I felt obliged to for reasons not interesting enough to go into), he was fine once they were here.
Antique How sad for your SIL too; does she have family of her own?
Yes, we've whizzed through this thread - definitely time for a new one, so go for it. 
(I'm going to start composing the next thread's title now. 
)
worldcitizen ·
25/09/2012 23:11
Hello vegan, yes I think a trip to Scotland is something I would love to do again, but am aiming for a 2-week West country trip next spring and also am thinking to make it 3 weeks to combine it with a Wales trip. Already am planning...next time I go to Scotland it is going to be Hebrides time, can't wait to do that.
About books, I cannot recommend the local library enough. Of course don't know them in Hanover, but can imagine they are as great as they are here where I am. They usually have all the Classics and also all the ones you would usually find in the book shop...it's worth it to try them out and see if your little one maybe becomes a fan of a particular one, then at least you know what you're buying is truly a hit with your wee one.
But am sure, you will be flooded with great recommendations soon 
Ploom ·
26/09/2012 06:31
antique - so sorry to hear about your SIL's sister - its terrible when it happens at anytime but must be awful for the daughter to be having to do her Abitur when she's so upset.
Busy day here too - got the joy of the Frauenarzt this morning . Havent been for 2 years but thats still 1 year earlier than I'd have had to go in the UK. Off to go and shower myself thouroughly then find a very long top.
LinzerTorte ·
26/09/2012 08:17
Just popping in before I start work; need to catch my breath first as I've just been out running with my neighbour!
Ploom Good luck at the Frauenarzt; tunic tops are always good, I find! I've become very Austrian and have taken to going every six months. It's not as fun when there's no baby to see on the ultrasound, though!
world The West Country is lovely; it's where we always used to go on family holidays and I went to university in the area too. Are you planning on visiting south Wales?
Ploom ·
26/09/2012 09:04
wow I was only in the praxis for 25 mins - that must be the quickest frauenarzt appt ever . Has really freed up my morning - had anticipated sitting there for a while. My BP was a bit high but think its all the stress of thinking of having to get your bits and bobs out. All so undignified. Really think you're crazy linzer for going so often.
vegan - glad you had a good time in Scotland. Some of it is so lovely - sadly not the bit I'm from which makes me glad to live in Germany.
cheas - loved your dh's over 40 philosophy. Oh its so very true - I'm not quite there yet but definitely feel over 40 for those first few mins after I get up in the morning.
dh has gone back to work this morning so I can get on with the important task of watching British TV .
LinzerTorte ·
26/09/2012 09:28
English Isn't the cancer screening at the Frauenarzt? I remember a discussion about how to ask for an appointment for a smear test when I didn't know what to say when I phoned up; I discovered that it's just Termin zur Kontrolle here, but I'm sure that someone else said it's called something like Krebsvorsorge in Germany.
I just took the DC along to the gynae with me when they were little. I remember DD2 trying to fiddle with the ultrasound settings once, but otherwise they were pretty well behaved. I also need to make a few appointments; my one with the Hautarzt is overdue and I have the feeling I'm due for a mammogram soon as well.
Ploom Good that your appointment was out of the way so quickly! I used to make a profit on my gynae visits as she would give me a few packets of the pill every time I went, but it doesn't make any financial sense to go so often now - I should really cut down to going once a year!
LinzerTorte ·
26/09/2012 09:43
Ooh, shiny new thread - will pop over and have a look in a minute! Am intrigued by which line you've used, Antique. (And have a gold star for all those abbreviations!)
Yes, a smear test is called an Abstrich here too but when you're making an appointment, you only need to say that you want to make a Termin zur Kontrolle - possibly because it includes a breast examination as well. And I'm sure someone (maybe admylin?) mentioned Krebsvorsorge, which I've never heard used at the gynae (or in fact anywhere) here - and which is why I thought English might just need to go to the Frauenarzt. Have I confused everyone enough now?
worldcitizen ·
26/09/2012 09:43
Vegan I was once in love with a Lewis man, but I wasn't willing to make a final move to Edinburgh where he lives, they are really special kind of people with a wonderful accent, one of may favourite ones with Inverness thrown in there too
Linzer I have no real clue yet about what to do or see in Wales. Nothing set in stone like with the West Country trip. Would you have good suggestions? Would be happy to hear them 
FA atmosphere is different everywhere and the uncomfortable descriptions don't fit my experiences in various practices. But I have always lived in large cities, so the with great choice and all kinds of doctors with various patient and treatment philosophies.
I could not imagine to go for a check-up less than a year, and if it makes sense such as receiving contraception etc. it very much isn't uncommon to go twice a year. Not every check-up needs to have all the shenanigans done
Every 3 years is absolutely a no-go for me. I would pay private, if my health care provider wouldn't have regular annual check-ups on their list for FA visits.
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LinzerTorte ·
26/09/2012 10:12
Ploom An Austrian friend (so I assume unbiased!) was telling me that the outcomes in Austria are no better in the UK, despite the frequency with which smear tests are done here. I think it's the same for mammograms - you're supposed to start going at 35 here, but the doctor who did the mammogram basically told me there was very little point as the muscle was so dense he could hardly see anything (I needed to be twice as old and twice as fat, apparently!). But I still go.
world Like I said, I really don't mind going to the gynae - no bad experiences (with the one I see now) here at all. I do pay, but I think I'm only about ?12 out of pocket by the time I get money back from the insurance.
The south coast of Wales is lovely - the Gower is worth a visit, and we went on a couple of holidays in the Tenby area which is nice too, good for coastal walks etc. (although I vaguely remember the town being quite touristy). I've never been to St David's Cathedral, but that's also supposed to be worth a visit. What's happened to Cake? I'm not sure what area she's from, but she might have some more suggestions. You could also head up the coast to mid-Wales and its buzzing metropolis , although it's a little tricky/tedious to get to if you don't have your own transport.
Bienchen Wow, you must have been in the UK for over half your life. Do you still feel like Germany is "home", though? What kind of work will you be looking for there?
I attempted to make an Adventkranz (no s in Austria!) one year. It was an unmitigated disaster. I would say it looked like a child had made it, but I'm sure even a toddler could have produced a more successful attempt. Lots of people are very enthusiastic about making their own, but I seem to be missing the Bastel gene, as discussed on here before.
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