Der Herbst ist da - wir wollen aber kein Regenwetter: Life in Germany cont/d

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Too lazy to scroll through the other long one.

Here for Obst und Blaetter - guess what d came home from school singing yesterday?

All welcome, Austria & Switzerland & any German-speaking Leute too

Good luck on your search for a decent outfit - I find it really hard to get clothes here in Germany. The sizing is also funny. Where do you think you'll try to get something? Last summer I did get some nice stuff in Karstadt which I wasn't expecting but the other high street stores were usually rubbish (like Galeria Kaufhof and C and A)

I've managed to make the serviettes look like a flower! Well sort of! Now going to get the new bike out of the cellar and set it up in the dining room so she can see it - it's not totally screwed together yet but my dad will do that when he comes. I do sometimes ask myself why I have a husband, I mean that's part of being married isn't it ? The man does some of the fixing type of jobs, sigh must remind my dd to check out the handyman potential of her future husband before it's too late. By the way I didn't get a single bit of praise about getting the shower thing done either.

Just swanning in to say hi everyone and catch up on all the gossip. Am blissfully relaxed these days, so no doubt you will not recognise me in my new guise
Tis truly me though.... omm.........

Enjoy the party admylin, little girls are (still) nice at that age, aren't they?

Hi ZZZen, nice to hear from you, Ommmm. I could do with abit of that actually - off to do some yoga maybe!

Great to hear from you ZZZen. Are we allowed to know why you´re blissfully relaxed - does it mean you´ve escaped Germany?

hi hupa, admylin.

Yes hupa I felt the need to escape for a while, in particular from the dreaded s scene (hiss boo) and it feels like a MASSIVE burden slipped off my shoulders. Now if only the kilos would slip off too, almost all would be right in my world. Dd and I needed to get away from it all but dh is still there ploughing away at his job and we will be traipsing back and forth a fair bit with cheapo flights till Feb.

Actually, something Ernest wrote about recently got me to thinking I could honestly try living in UK and h could just fly over when he gets time. Ernest told us about that South American woman I think it was who left because she couldn't stand Germany and felt too homesick but they still managed to stay together in the end. I mean UK isn't really far nowadays and the cheap flights are great...I must stop thinking like this by Friday - I have to behave myself infront of my parents.

well you see there is this airline that offers a silver card (is it Ryan Air or Air Berlin now, dunno?). Anyway you pay practically nothing for 12 tickets but you book the dates well in advance (you can change them last minute though) and if you do this you pay something ridiculous like 40Euros a ticket. Must give you all the details, I'm supposed to be organising it myself but too zenned out these days to get in a flap about anything.

I think seriously admylin if by Chrsitmas you are not feeling happier there, you might well consider moving to the UK in spring, after all your secondary school there is brilliant and it's such a lovely place for kids to grow up there in the Lake District. I don't know how expensive property is there but maybe you could consider investing in a holiday apt type of thing you could rent out when you are away? Maybe then dh could use the cheap tickets to visit you all there, do him good to get fresh air and go for nice long walks and recover from his job here.

did the South African woman go to the UK or back to South Africa?

sorry South American I see now

I knew a couple who did exactly that - the woman and child moved back to the Lake District and the husband who worked for television in Munich just came on visits - but he eventually left his job and moved to UK too as it is such a great place.

She hated Mumich and her dd was a thousand times happier when they moved. All my old school friends are slowly coming back too with spouse in tow. Either you stayed put after school or like me and alot of my friends we all spread out over UK and the world. Slowly though, everyone is coming back even from Australia, Canada all bringing their foreign husbands with them and setting up businesses or getting jobs really quickly. The few who moved to places like London and other big cities can't wait to get back either although for alot of them it's a job problem like for my h - there are no big research labs or universities in Cumbria!

How do people there feel about foreigners and people from other places moving there? Do they resent them a bit?

No they don't resent them as they've married into a local family - even the German guy is now a well known and liked member of the town mafia ! They don't mix so much with the ones that come alone though.

Even h loved it last summer and was amazed that everyone who had been introduced to him once - this is Admylin's husband - remembered him and he would be walking down the street and people would be saying hiya to him! He was joining in and getting invites for nights out with the lads (from BIL's friends) and that just doesn't happen in Germany or maybe it does if you marry a local?

hia, lovely warm day here. met up with the Gabster. Only the 2 of us, and no cake got a danish tho, but no cake. Maybe we need to organise a regular meet and go on a weekly cake hunt. For research purposes only.

Admylin, I did 6 months where dh was in Milan while I was in Switzerland, and believe me, it was very very hard. And the fact that Mrs Ecuador didn't split from her husband is more
miracle than anything else imo, but really sorry you don't enjoy it so much that you'd seriously consider it

TQO; glad you had a positive experience with ds at KG

Got eaten alive by evil mossie last night, so spent most of this morning giving a good impression clawing at my ancle (after turning up 20 minutes late , due to tube train breaking down, and us getting hoofed off)

Hey Ernest - thanks for the meet. Yes, will have to go directly to cake shop next time and no messing. Ooooh sorry, forgot to sort you out with that gnat bite stuff too

So, for anybody else out here to, wonder stuff for getting rid of gnat bites - you need to get "staphisagria" from the Apotheke, and then get some walnut oil from the health food shop. Mix them 10 parts oil to 1 part dodgey stuff, and ideally put it on within an hour of being bitten (keep it in your bag). Totally safe homeopathic type thing for DCs too.

Congrats on the job Tiapo!

Happy Birthday to DD Admylin - hope it was a nice day.

Got home to find "sick" husband asleep on sofa. After walking dog, convincing DS to get another 30m nap and feeding him, doing the supermarket shopping, bathing and bedding DS, cooking the dinner, washing the dishes, walking the dog again, sorting out the clothes washing, sterlising bottles, and so the list goes on ..... have just sat down. Oooooh, lovely - just in time to go to bed!

How on earth do those of you with multiple DCs cope? Seriously? I just don't see it. I really don't want DS to be onely/lonely child - but how on earth ....?

Morning girls,
Admylin
sorry to hear that you are feeling so homesick. I do think that the first couple of months are the worst, especially you move Summer/Autumn. We moved to Düsseldorf in Spring, so had the whole summer out and about meeting people.

Saying that, my Mum did the school run yesterday and got chatting to loads of other mums and dads. I guess it depends on how outgoing you are.

We thought about doing the commute thing when DH go the job here, but I really need him here in the evenings, at least some of the time. I would rather do the whole move and accept the homesickness and stress of the move than be apart from him more than need be.

I have a friend whose English DH works in UK and flies back and forward to Germany, it works well for them. Perhaps because her children are older. I would find it tough with my wee ones, but even now I cope better with being alone than I did when the DCs were babies.

ZZZZen
You sound relaxed and happy, that is great. I am glad for you.

Good to hear that the Munich meet up went well, even if sans cake.

Taipo
Well done on the job, hope you enjoy it.

Well dd was OK with her mini birthday celebration and teh second celebration will be on Friday when my parents come! I managed to put her new bike together and she went to school on it this morning but half way there a pedal fell off so I must tighten all the screws when she gets back later.

I usually don't have any trouble going up to parents at school either and I always made a point of speaking to new parents when they joined the class. It bugs me when other mothers sort of ignore you when you are new. My dd has made friends with a girl and her mum is so snooty she can't even answer me when I say good morning, so rude. I mean what does it take to go up to someone new and ask how their child is settling in and how they like the new city, did they move here from far away etc .. there are so many ways of starting a conversation. Anyway as I'm not in the mood for being social at all I don't care how snooty they are they can stick their snooty noses up their frustrated back sides!

Enjoy having your mum to stay. I enjoy it when my mum just takes over some small job like supervising homework, it's like a luxury for me to be able hand that over to someone else. How long are your boys out of the house Ernest? Is it a long day for them? Tell us where you went in Mumich then? I went to Munich a couple of times. Once to Oktoberfest (sorry, don't get it ) and on guided tour where the guide talked alot about Hitler. The main square was so busy and we went in a Brauhaus and sat on the Stammtisch by accident (never heard of Stammtisch before) and a big Bavarian with long white beard and Lederhose told us we were eating out Wurst wrong and it tasted awful!

Lol at eating your wurst wrong. How on earth were you eating it? I take it you were having Weisswurst. I quite like them actually, with süsser Senf. Yum. Bet I cannot get them here.

How annoying that the mums are so unfriendly, we seem to have a lot of expats here so they are all keen on making new contacts. One woman is quite unfriendly but she smiled at me the other day when her DS gave my DS a drawing, the boys seem to have hit it off. I think she is just shy actually and does not speak English so wary of speaking to me.

Somedays it doesn't bother me and other days I feel like going over and shaking them! I'm in a bad mood most of the time so better if I stay on the edge. I'm finding it quite hard to not show it to the dc as they have really done so well with settling in at school and they've been out with the neighbour and her dog - without me - which they would never have done before so they feel relaxed enough.

Atleast I've got the nice neighbour to talk to now and then - that's enough for now. Are you finding all teh food really different? Is it more French stuff in the supermarket? Yes we were trying weiswurst and he told her to take the skin off I think. I remember going in a bakery and having to buy several cakes to try as there was so much choice and all looked so tasty.

Any Munich was expensive back then so can imagine what it must be like now. Is everything so expensive in Switzerland?

Oh, if she was eating it wiht the skin then no wonder he was a bit shocked

Happy belated birthday to your DD, btw. Glad to hear that they are settling in fine.

I did an illegal border crossing the other day, I went to the supermarket in France just over the border. It is just as close as the Swiss supermarket but much cheaper and they have a bigger selection. You are only allowed to import 500g meat and a certain amount of dairy produce, and I was definately over my limit. Luckily our village customs booth never seems to be manned so most people tottle over without any problems. We get a lot more French food, a good bit of Italian produce as well. Some British stuff, I bought Lyles Golden Syrup, telling myself I would bake with it. I had a syrup piece when I got home, yummy comfort food

Oh I used to love going shopping in France when we lived near the Black Forest - it was quite a drive on winding roads but worth it every now and then! Even their ready made tinnes stuff tastes better than anywher else. The french version of baked beans - cassoulet was a favourite.

OOOOh - dead jelous of golden syrup!

Must admit, even from Munich have been known to go to Colmar for weekend to do French Hypermarket run with caravan (before DC obviously). Amazing how much red wine can fit under seats in small caravan!!

Dont be homesick admylin - not allowed! Consider - would you have felt safe letting DCs go for walk with neighbour and dog if you lived in UK??!! Plus, stupid mums/neighbours are just as bad here, and I live in small village where everyone knows each other. Some people just keep themselves to themselves. Friendliest people have been ones have least in common with for some reason.

Revel in lovely autumn colours, beautiful starry nights without light polution, and immiment glühwein/Xmas markets!!!!

Hi TheGabster. That's the worst part, back home in UK I know everyone in the small town where I grew up and it's so safe. It'd maybe be different in a big city in UK.

I know i'll feel better when my parents have been and we've had a nice time, a few drinks - must remember to get some nice wine and stuff in. They can drink more than me but that comes from practise! When I go back home they tire me out with going out and I can't keep up, I've gone rusty and my brain has stopped working too and I don't even bother getting dressed up and putting make up on. In UK I always make an effort and get ready in the mornings with make up and I wear dresses or skirts. Her eit's just jeans and fleecey.

TheGabster - your last sentence has reminded me of what is good here. I'm afraid I'm also homesick at the moment