**German Chat**everyone welcome* - macht es euch gemütlich

[ZZZen]

reden wir weiter...

Hi again everyone. I'm coming back to Germany on Thursday night - infact I'm running back, can't wait to get there. Phew, I never thought I'd say that!
Every time I say something negative I need you all to tell me off. I made a big mistake moving away from dh (yes, he is a Dh again) and I have cured my homesickness for a long time atleast. Anyway, I hear it hasn't been a long hot and humid summer in Germany so shouldn't be too much of a temperature shock when we get back.

Admylin!! I've just been catching up with everyone's news after a v. long self-imposed ban on MN. Last time I was on here you were just about to leave for the UK so your last post has come as something of a shock! Are you really coming back for good?

Congratulations Frosch on safe arrival of your dd. Hope you'll be getting some more full nights of sleep soon. I had to laugh at your rant in the doctor's surgery. Good for you, I say!

Ernest, your posts about your ds really struck a cord with me. I will post on the thread of doom as it's probably more relevant there.

Welcome btw to all the new posters on this thread. Always good to see new faces

Hiya Taipo so you're an "oldie" on our corner of MN?

I think we need to hear Admylin's news of her adventure in the UK. Please tell!

Yes, coming back and trying to be positive about it all. I will start making a list of the good things about Germany and stick it up where I can always see it, oh and maybe one with the negative side of being back in UK!

I am counting the days now, we fly out on Thursday night and we'll be camping in dh's one bedroom flat on the 3rd floor (guess it'll keep me fit after all the crisps and sweets) and for the first time we can take our time about finding a new house or decent sized flat. Found one already actually which we applied for but there were other applicants and it could be abit expensive but we'll see. House with a big garden would be great though.

Good luck Admylin, although I don't envy you having to move again! Will you look for something in the same area of Hannover?

Out of interest, what were the negative things about the UK that made you want to come back?

Maninadirndl, that's the first time anyone's called me an oldie on MN! Still think of myself as a newbie really but have been posting for over a year now.

Admylin - what is going on? i'm shocked at the news that your coming back! how do the kids feel about it? are you going back to the same area? tell all!!!!

ernest - hope things with ds2 have settled a bit this week - i'm no help with advice about his ADHD (is that right?) but just wanted to send you a hug from unterfranken!!

i've been a busy bee the last week or so - making good friends is making life so much easier! we were invited to a BBQ at friends on sat night in the village - was just lovely to walk there and back with the kids! must have looked like the worst parents though as we walked back at 9.30pm with our kids on their laufrads etc!!! and it was raining!! ah well - some of the neighbours think we're strange so we'll just make it worse!

oh my goodness, admylin, what a year for you. Very best of luck with the move,and I do hope all will go well for you.

man - sorry I dropped off the other thread, had a spot of bother this week.
meant to say, are you on the facebook group English speakers in Rosenheim? (used to be americans in rosenheim)
I am, and have not been to any of their meetups due to being disorganised and having no time, although they do sound a friendly lot.
also, did you realise there is a C of E church in Munich, conveniently located for access from the A8.

Hiya, no I can't use FB as my PC is too slow to load it! Maybe I'll try again sometime.

Whereabouts do you live?

hia, been really busy trying to organise kids stuff.

Welcome back Admylin

ok good things about Germany

better food in shops
smaller supermarkets are a good thing
kids are more independant and have more freedom
less horrible behaviour and swearing in the streets
cleaner
better public transport
letting the kids grow up bi-lingual is an amazing gift
I prefer the schools (so far)
being on mainland europe and being able to move around europe
more oder

toher people's ideas......

good luck with finding great flat/house

btw, dunno if it's different elsewhere, but so far, I cannot remember 1 dry day in the last month. It has pissed down constantly this entire summer, tho' today looks set to be nice

Good list Ernest.

The health care is top for me and the cost of living isn't that bad. Safety for cyclists is good too as there are loads of cycle paths. Hannover is great for that as it's also very flat!

I hope we hear about the house soon. If we don't get it it looks as if the next round of houses and flats will be advertized in August. This must be a quiet period as nothing is being sent to me now. It's pouring down here too but this is the Lake District so it's normal. I've just seen a great rain coat that I'm going to buy this afternoon. It'll get me through autumn and winter in hannover.

Nighbynight, bet I'm the last person you thought you'd read 'I'm coming back' from! You can maybe remind me what the kind of extra lessons are called that you get for your dc? How did the end of term go for your dc, any news on moving up?

Canella, yes back to the same place but in the bachelor pad that dh moved into at first, dc in teh bedroom, us in the living room on sofa bed (it is comfy though!) so I can take my time finding a nice place. It'll be good for us to start over and dh has learned how to do everything himself in my absence, he can even work the washing machine! Why do some of your neighbours think you are strange? Sounds like you have found a nice village to live in though!

Just bookmarking this so it is on my threads again. Back from hols, got my parents staying and they were down at the beach with the DC today and now both DC have sunstroke. Poor wee mites.

Looks like a sleepless night tonight for me.

hi all, need ideas/suggestions please. Dh wants the kids to only watch German tv.they don't actually watch too much now, but there does seem to be loads of crap, as on uk tv of course. I'd like suggestions for 'good' programmes - either things your dc love watching or is there an equivalent of what they like to watch? they like ( I do apologise) Total wipeout (think gladiators crossed with it's a knockout), you've been framed, raven, quiz shows, science & discovery shows, like that Richard Hammond experiments thing, anything typically boy, so bodily functions and snot-related type why is your snot green type investigation programme.

Any suggestions for us too I suppose so we don't find a couple of crap things and be put off. ta.

summer's here. that's all I'll say on the topic.

i'm not the best help ernest - my ds's are a bit littler!! but all my dc love upps die pannenshow (?sp) which is you've been framed. You can get total wipeout sometimes (i laugh till i cry watching that!!) but not sure what else!!
i'm sure someone else will be along soon who knows much better (ps i think german tv is awful!!)
need to stop faffing on with MN - trying to book a holiday in Austria in August and dh has just appeared to harass me into sorting it out!

Oooh, I have had too much wine tonight.

Ds dies not want to go to sleep and two nights without sleep is too much for me

Ernest
do you know Die Sendung Mit Der Maus? It is great, as is Willi will es Wissen ( on Bayerische Rundfunk I think). Try the Öffentlich Rechtliche (ard, zdf and the regional Sender) rather than the privatsender like RTL and Pro 7 who buy the American and British prigeammes

Will return tomorrow when I am sober and able to think more clearly.

:-)

frau Lindt, hope you sobered up okay. Posting under the influence was an old habit of mine - still happens from time to time.

I've recently got into plant based madicaments and when I was down Johanniskraut really helped. When unable to sleep the last two nights I've tried Valerian and hop tablets. I found them in Lidl of all places, they really help calm you down if you get no sleep, no side effects.

My alcohol intake has dropped to very low levels apart from a few beers weekend.

I have a tpe in our loft of relaxation which I havent used for 20 years to help relax. I am thinking of transferring tit to MP§ and putting it on my MP3 player. Might that help?

Take it easy. The stress of living out here can take its toll.

Right off down the allotment. My weeds are of high quality this year!

Admylin - welcome back to Deutchland!
Mme Lindt - how was they wedding?
Ernest - agree with your list 100%.

My DH loves Die Sendung Mit Der Maus; watched it when he was a kid and sits down on a Sunday with DS and they watch it together. On the whole, I'm not too impressed with German kids' tv.

Watched Mistresses last night on WDR, cos I thought it would help improve my language skills without the hassle of following the story. Unfortunately, Katie is just as irritating in German! I'll stick with it, though. I need to learn "talky" deutsch, not this "my aunt needs to take the 10.20 train from Dusseldorf to Frankfurt" rubbish.

how's the jogging going canella?

manin has a good point! if anyone wants to borrow my pregnancy hypnotherapy CD, they are welcome... just ignore the "imagine your cervix opening like a rose" comments and you'll be asleep in 20 mins!

oh frosch you've bought back memories of hypnobirthing - it was the best thing i ever bought - i had an amazing birth with dc2 even though he was nearly 5kg after using it! for a while i thought of giving up my dayjob and trying to find a job teaching it to mothers!!

mme lindt - hope your head's not to bad this morn!!! why is your ds not sleeping?

feel bad about the jogging this week - felt a bit achey/fluey earlier in the week so i've not been and i've no time today! got to pick dd up at school at 11.15 to go and buy her friend in the UK a birthday present!! dread to think what we'll buy that we can post!

my german is definitely better than it was 4 months ago but i still dont know what to write in an email to the VHS to ask about deutsch lessons in september - any ideas? have asked dh but he's being his usual useless self and has forgotten to write it for me!

canella, can't you just phone vhs? I hate writing and avoid at all costs. Just call and say you want a german course. There's probably an info abend for you to go along and do a test to find out your level, then they'll allocate you the correct course, that's what happened for me. Our vhs is taking bookings now for start in october

thats what i'd maybe thought of doing ernest but i find talking on the phone harder than in person! had a look on the internet but couldnt see any courses for after the summer!

might ask my local friend to help me - her german is way better than mine!

meant i would take her with me to the town hall or to the VHS to find some info!

Canella, good luck with the VHS. I hate writing anything in German too, usually I'll get dh to check it for me before I send it off. Much prefer phoning.

Ernest, do you get KIKA? There's usually a cartoon on at 7pm which they watch. Their favourite one is Wicki (about a Viking family!) It's not on atm though. They also like watching Wissen mach Ah! which is on 7:25 or Pur Plus or Willi will's wissen, all of which are science/discovery type programmes. Then there is a 10 minute kids news programme called Logo that they sometimes watch.

Other things they've enjoyed have been 'Die beste Klasse Deutschlands' (A quiz show), plus some other adventure challenge types of programme which I can't remember the name of. These are usually on at 8pm. Occasionally dd is allowed to watch 'Wer wird Millionär'.

That list makes it sound as though they watch loads of TV

tis taipo, btw.

frosch I'd be a bit shocked if my cervix opened like a rose!

go to [[http://www.freerip.com/]this site] and drop the CD into the computer then "rip" it into an MP3 file. You can then share it out with whoever you want over the net. I digitized my entire CD collection that way.

My exciting nrews is I get a new computer - 2nd hand ex office via someone for free - but still way better than what I now have. Maybe I can then upload pics to Flickr of my garden activities such as jam making, apple juicing (I've just made two crates of juice).

Canella I'd go in person to VHS. Ask in your best Deutsch about coiurses. In person when they know you are a learner they are much slower and understanding than over the phone. Good luck. I need to improve my German up to the next level too. Prob is they don't do courses in the morning when my son is in KG. May ask around if there is a German teacher who will do it privately.