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Original poster

Fruehlingszeit in the German Corner - chat continues here

692 replies

SSSandy2 · 28/04/2008 09:47

"Deutsch or English
Native speakers, expats, anyone
From Brezeln to Bier

Please don't ask if you join in, everyone is welcome "

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admylin · 21/05/2008 08:04

Good news! The Maklerin just phoned to say she has recieved our documents and the contract is ready to sign on Friday - so we've got the flat we wanted!

I'm so relieved! An agent is coming to Berlin on Friday so we have to meet him to sign the contract and (only strange part) we have to bring the money to pay the Maklerin in cash. Would rather have payed it through the bank. Still, atleast it worked out and now we just have to hope that the people want to leave their kitchen in so we won't have the hassle of getting a new one.

Original poster
SSSandy2 · 21/05/2008 08:13

oh that's fantastic admylin, such a huge relief for you. Well done getting that sorted!

This kitchen thing is another one that's hard to get your mind around, isn't it? Kitchens have to be fitted really so what is the point in taking one with you? I really think rented accommodation should come with a proper kitchen in it.

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Original poster
SSSandy2 · 21/05/2008 08:14

How did you find this agent?

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admylin · 21/05/2008 08:22

She advertized and we applied for a 5 room flat that was being offered. She met us to show it to us and it was in such a state - a disgrace realyl and she apologized saying that it was the first time she'd been in and didn't realize how bad it was. She then phoned her Zentrale and they said it wouldn't beready anyway for August. I was a bit fed up then as she had kept us waiting and we'd taken a taxi to arrive on time etc so I told her it wasn't realyl what I expected from an agent and did she not have anything decent to show us. Then she took us around the corner to the place we got as she had just had their letter of notice. So we wer ethe first and only ones to see it.

I know, I hope they leave the kitchen, it was a really nice one too! Better than our bog standard white and grey one here in Berlin!

Original poster
SSSandy2 · 21/05/2008 08:24

boy that was good luck. Which part of Hannover is it?

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admylin · 21/05/2008 08:29

It's in Heideviertel/Kleefeld and all the taxi drivers we had said it was a good area with no trouble and the forest isn't far and lots of green - very refreshing after Berlin Mitte! Only one taxi driver couldn't understand us leaving Berlin, he kept saying Aber hier ist nichts los as if we were going to be bored to death!

Original poster
SSSandy2 · 21/05/2008 08:35

That sounds nice admylin. I'm sure you will like it once you're settled. The kids will love having their own room.

Well about nothing to do, of course it depends on your age and lifestyle really, doesn't it? Dd's Russian teacher is 60 odd, a theatre director from Moscow. His dd is 42 now, so he and his wife - who is also an actress - are free to enjoy the city life. They love it here, the state subsidises the arts so heavily, there is a lot of underground theatrical stuff going on and they can stay out all night partying with whacky people so I understand they love it here. If I was hanging around tango bars all evening and sleeping in till noon or something, I'm sure I'd like it better too.

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taipo · 21/05/2008 08:38

Congratulations admylin! That's one major thing sorted now. I hope you get the kitchen too. I found that really annoying when were looking for a flat last year - we knew we probably wouldn't be there for long (but didn't want to tell the Makler that) so we really didn't want to have to buy a new kitchen or have to pay thousands of euros (one guy wanted 15,000) for someone to leave theirs in. In the end, we paid 750 euros for the people we rented from to leave their fairly basic but adequate kitchen there. I guess the idea of renting short term is not very common here.

admylin · 21/05/2008 08:41

That's what I think. I would have enjoyed Berlin let's say 10 or 15 years ago! There is a lot going on but at the moment the calmer and quieter the better really and Hannover isn't that small, the taxi driver must have been homesick or something (he told us all about the house he'd bought in Teheran!)

I'ma bit worried that things like the library and swimming pool will be far away, it is quite handy in Berlin with everything easy to get to within each Kiez - Berlin is like lots of small towns stuck together.

taipo · 21/05/2008 08:42

We've moved to a very green area with little to do culturally but we couldn't really go out much in the evenings when we lived in London so didn't make the most of being in a big city. I'm getting used to the slower pace of life here and really it's very pleasant. I do miss the hustle and bustle of London or Hong Kong though, but I'm not sure why!

admylin · 21/05/2008 08:43

I'll definately ask for reciepts before we pay up if they leave it Taipo. It did look quite expensive but I don't care - about time I had a nice looking kitchen, after all I have to spend so much time in it!

taipo · 21/05/2008 08:46

Go for it! We just didn't want to pay loads for a kitchen we would only be using for 6 months and risk not being able to sell it on afterwards.

admylin · 21/05/2008 08:47

I hope we've found a good middle thing really. I was very depressed when we lived in a small village and I do feel better in Berlin although I don't use the things on offer atleast the option is there . In the village if we did go out you couldn't even have a drink as you had to drive. People didn't call round as it was too far out to just pop in for a cuppa, in our last place in the south of Germany people would call in if they were passing even if it was just for 10 minutes. Same in Berlin.

Original poster
SSSandy2 · 21/05/2008 08:51

is it a permanent position there admylin?

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Original poster
SSSandy2 · 21/05/2008 08:52

Think taipo is right, people don't tend to rent short-term here, so renting is really for the long haul and maybe that's why people like to install their own kitchen - the way you would if you bought a house.

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taipo · 21/05/2008 08:56

We've moved to a medium-sized, very middle class market town which is very similar in many ways to where I grew up and was desperate to get away from. Ironic really!

It does have a lot of advantages as there are plenty of shops nearby, dc can walk to school and have loads of green space where they can play out and it's not too far to the nearest city.

admylin · 21/05/2008 08:59

Initial period is for 3 years with option to extend but the good thing is it's an internal-stelle so the position exists and always will exist ratehr than his job here which only exists if the DFG or whatever other funding gets genehmigt so here dh's money comes from outside from a fund that his boss was given for a certain project and dh feels he'd be better in the internstelle thing. It's awful waiting to see if the next years funding will come through and that's why he started applying for jobs. His boss was applying and he just heard (last week I think) that he got another few years Forschungsgeld! So in the end if dh hadn't found the other job he could have stayed.

admylin · 21/05/2008 09:01

Honestly though for the kids sake I would rather get out of Berlin before ds has to go to Gymnasium!

taipo · 21/05/2008 09:03

That does sound better. That's no fun if you have wait for funding all the time. And I agree, better to move before ds starts Gymnasium

taipo · 21/05/2008 09:03

Are they coming round to the idea of the move?

admylin · 21/05/2008 09:09

Half and half. Want to move and get own room and get out of Berlin Mitte which they hate but they don't want to have to start new schools and be the new kids.

Original poster
SSSandy2 · 21/05/2008 09:11

They will all be new kids at ds' school though - first year Gymnasium - won't they? So they're all in the same boat. Trickier for dd.

What are you going to do about dd's birthday admylin? You're moving in September, aren't you? And her birthday is early September IIRC

let me just add to your stress .... sorry!

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Original poster
SSSandy2 · 21/05/2008 09:16

Admylin, these dresses for the wedding, do you want full-length evening dress style for the formal one or more dressy summer frocks?

Have been trying to iron my tennis dress for quite some time wondering why it isn't looking right and realised in the end I hadn't plugged the iron in. Uh duh, aufwachen! Funny thing at school this morning I was thinking you can always tell the English speaking mums because they're yawning and looking like death warmed up. The German ones are all used to this 8 am start but the foreigners really suffer, don't they?

Have to go to tennis now. See you all later.

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admylin · 21/05/2008 09:16

No it's in October and by then she should have made a few friends to invite. If not I'll do what I did here and just invite the neighbourhood kids to a kennenlernen party!
I've told them if they don't go and make friends then I'll go out and make friends for them! I'm not too shy for that sort of thing!

admylin · 21/05/2008 09:21

No I don't think I want evening dresses but now I'm not sure. I think I'll have to go and try a few different styles but where?

I'll need shoes too. Arghhh I hate clothes/shoe shopping in Germany. Why do they not have nice shoes here? I think we'vealready had this discussion aswell!

Taipo, how did you settle in your new small town? Did you get to know people through school or work? Church? I'm thinking I'll definately volunteer to do stuff at the dc's schools at first - not my idea of fun but it should get me out and about atleast.