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

[ZZZen]

reden wir weiter...

Yes, birthday celebrations definately over the top in UK and it doesn't stop when they are older, infact it gets worse. In my day you stopped having parties at 11 or so.

I'm abit worried about dd, she had a horrid birthday last year as we had just moved and no dc to invite and this year she can't invite anyone really as we'll still be in this tiny flat in October by the look of things. I'll have to try and take a few of them to the cinema, well 2 friends really as I can't fit any more in the car unless I get rid of ds.

Hupa, we are actually inviting the entire class including some from her former nursery. We are doing a joint birthday party for dd and her friend who lives close by and is in her class and her birthday is a couple of days after dd's. So the friend's mother who is a primary school teacher is doing the games and prizes and I do the food (I'm a decent cook and baker). And I tell all parents who reply to feel free to bring siblings along and to stay for a cup of coffee or tea themselves if they like. Since we rented the village hall we might as well fill it up and it's a good occasion for everyone to get to know each other.

Phew, is everyone elso exhausted on Fridays? Even if I could I don't think I would have the energy to go out in the evening! DD had swimming lessons today so we didn't get back til late.

Hupa did you find a film to watch? I fancied seeing that Brüno film for a laugh but it's not even on in Hannover anymore. Have to wait for the DVD which is maybe better as I'm not sure how it would come over with a German audience.

Gracelo, do you think we should re-word our ad for next week? We're getting that cooped up feeling slowly in this 1 bedroom flat. I put something liek Akademiker sucht 4 Zi. Wohnung/Haus, evtl. EBK für sich und Familie aus England nähe Gymnasium then house and mobile numbers.

Can't wait to go home either. It's been a long week.
Admylin, can you copy the exact text in? It's good to put Akademiker in the ad. Vermieter like Akademiker. Not sure if I would put in that you are English, not because I think that would be a problem for people but because they may think you are only planning to stay for a short time, like a visiting academic.
I've seen the first blue sky for well over two weeks today but it's so windy that my office windows are rattling.

Gracelo, that was it : Akademiker sucht 4 Zi. Wohnung/Haus, evtl. EBK für sich und Familie aus England nähe K-S-Gymnasium then phone numbers. I suppose I could add langfristig ?

I am really hoping there will be a few more places on offer tomorrow as it's the beginning of the month and Kündigungen will have gone in. That means if you send the Kündigung in now you have 3 whole months left so we're going to have some double rent to pay if we find some where this month say for November we can't even Kündige until end of December (I'll be trying to find a Nachmieter of course).

admylin - I think Gracelo has a good point about dropping the reference to being English as people may well think you´re only there on a short term contract.

Gracelo - I bet the party will be great and after what you´ve had to oversee at work for the past few months will probably seem like a walk in the park to organise.
I can´t remember exactly where you are in Scotland, but hopefully well away from any flooding.

We didn´t get to the cinema - couldn´t find anything we both wanted to see (just for a change). We went for a meal instead which was great.

sorry crossed posts. Couldn´t you just say Akademiker Familie sucht..... I hope you find something, it must be a nightmare living in such a small space.

Yes, could be right about dropping that part. I am torn though because dh, although an academic, is Indian born with German passport and some people are against foreigners - well they were in the south west in smaller villages, it was quite a shock to experience racism first hand back then so I always think I should prepare people for some sort of foreign-ness!

Scotland and the north has really had bad luck weather wise this summer. Think I got away just in time actually, it's been great over here since we got back!

Right, me and dh NEED a night out too. I haven't got a babysiter. In Germany they leave dc alot earlier than in UK so if I left an 11 and nearly 10 year old (if they are OK about it) would it be OK? Woudl you do it?

Lol, it's easy to keep clean though, so quick! Trying to see the positive side of things still...

I really wouldn´t worry about preparing people for "foreign-ness", although I can understand your worry living in small town Germany myself. Hopefully people in a large city are more open minded.

If you´re dc are sensible and they´ve got your mobile number I don´t see a problem with going out. I probably wouldn´t go too far, so you could get back quickly if there was a problem.

It was funny, we lived in a small village and people pretty much ignored us until one day the daughter of one of the big mafia clans gave birth in the hospital in town, that night dh was on duty and he came to take a blood sample in her room with his white coat on - from that day on they all greeted us when we went out in the village!!

No floods here where I am at the West coast, Hupa, the ground is soaked and some fields look more like lakes but no flooding. On the bright site, for the first time in at least 6 weeks there is a sun on the 5 days BBC weather forecast. Monday we are having "sunny spells" supposedly.
I'm actually looking forward to the party. We are telling parents to stay if they like, there will be some beer and wine, so besides 25-30 children running around like mad there will be parents gettingsloshed having a drink and a chat. Sounds like a good way to spend an autumn afternoon. And I'm not worried about the cooking and baking. I am a competent cook. I'll be fine.

Admylin, put "langfristig" in there. I think people like to know that you are looking for something long term. I also think that your dh needs to use his Dr as much as possible in any conversation with possible landlords. Germans do like titles and especially a Dr med

He's Dr. rer. nat but when we say that he works at the neurochirugie abteilung they all seem to instantly like us!

I'll go in on Monday and change the advert again, thanks.

We always used to have those sort of parties when the dc were small with parents and friends dropping by too and the evening usualyl turned into a grown-up party after the dc had gone exhausted to bed! Trouble is when you move so often you start to run out of adults to invite. We have to work on our social life now but verdammt we need a decent place to be able to invite folk over.

We went out to an American diner last night (the whole family) but the food was rubbish. The place was cool with all the deco and juke box though. Then we found 2 huge asian stores further down the street that we didn't know about so we got mango jam and mango pickle and a big bag of basmati rice and they even had marmite. Funnily the Indian store owner had put teh marmite on the cosmetic shelf with the vics vaoprub and Indian hair oils - probably just noticed vitamin b on the front label and thought those strange Brits must rub it on themselves or soemthing.

I think I'd rather put Marmite on my face than eat it . I do love all things Mango. Tesco sells enormous cans with mango pulp so we make many mango lassis a lot. ds loves it.

My house would need a 3 days cleaning effort before I could invite anyone in, which is annoying because I actually quite like guests. I grew up in a big family where pretty much all the time there were a few additional people around.

My car wouldn't start in the morning. I've never seen a battery as flat as that, not even the warning lights would come on. My neighbour helped jump start it, took about 10 min before anything happened. Car is at the garage now and I'm sitting here hoping that it really is only a knackered battery and not the alternator or something equally expensive.

LOL at marmite as a brylcream alternative. My Grandad used brylcream and the smell of it always reminds me of him.

Admylin
I think you have to emphasise your DH's Dr-ness too, you know how the Germans are with Herr Dr. I had a friend in the south of Bavaria and her DP was a Dr in the village. The ladies in the bäckerei used to say "Guten Morgen Frau Doktor" to her.

I also agree with the langfristig and perhaps put the ages of the DC so that it is clear that it is not noisy bengel that you have.

You have probably already changed the ad now though.

Where were you at the diner? The one in Laatzen? It used to be quite good, but that is a good few years ago.

Have you had a bagel in Bagel Brothers yet? I wish they would open one in Geneva. I miss the yummy bagels.

Isn't it coming up for Grünkohltime in Hannover?

I got a huuuge shock today when DH's company emailed us to ask about the payment of the company who repaired the doors after the burglaries in Jan/April. For some reason they had not been paid and there was a moment of panic when I thought that the insurance company had transfered the money to us and we had not transfered it on to the carpenters.

I suddenly though, OMG, have we spent it without noticing???

I knew that we could not have, it was over 2000chf but that minute or two until I checked, my heart was racing.

The insurance company forgot to transfer the money, and we thought that they were paying the carpenters directly so never noticed.

admylin - I agree about emphasising the Dr -ness. We went to look at new cars a couple of years ago. It was a hot day so we were dressed really casually in shorts and T-shirts and all the salespeople completely avoided making eye contact with us. Dh eventually approached one of them and introduced himself with his Dr. title and you wouldn´t believe the change in behaviour. Suddenly they couldn´t do enough for us - providing drinks, finding toys/books for the dc. It really annoyed me and we decided we couldn´t be doing with buying a car from a company that was so fickle.

MmeLindt - don´t you just hate those moments. I remember once checking our balance online and really panicing because virtually all the money had been cleared out of the account. It turned out dh had tranferred the money to a new account and had forgotten to tell me.

Gracelo - any news on the battery?

It was only the battery, Hupa, thak goodness. I got the car back in the afternoon. I'm quite dependend on the car out here.

This German obsession with titles is strange. I can understand it professionally but what is it about using them when they don't matter? What I find especially bizzare is using titles in private announcements like marriage and death notices. Dipl Kaufmann (Uni) gets married to Dipl.Soz. Paed (FH) (that would be my brother and sis, btw) Why???? Why not just use your names??

Dh actually hates using his title and he can't understand when he reads Professor Dr. Smith or whatever because he says of course you are a Dr. to get to be a Professor so it's obvious and no need to write the Dr part, going by that dh should write Dr rer.nat. Diplom Biologe, MSc, BSc(hons)!

First parents evening at Gymnasium last night. Was OK and still early for the teachers to have much to say really. We sorted Elternsprecher, Eltern for the Klassenkonferenz (whatever they do?) and telephone lists etc. Dc managed to stay home alone for the half hour until dh got back from work and they said they wouldn't mind doing it again so night-life here we come...if I have the energy to go out and if dh comes home from work at a reasonable hour!

Mmelindt it was in Vahrenwald, not a very nice area, abit of it was ghetto like and alot of foreign speciality shops but the outside of the diner looked so authentic and we loved our old American diner in Berlin so we tried it. Haven't even been to Laatzen yet, must have a look around.

Oh, Admylin, your DH really has to make use of his doctorate, you will get much better service in Germany if you do. It is ridiculous but true. I would have Dr Lindt on everything official if DH or I had a titel.

I always laugh at the titles in the birth/marriage announcements. I wanted to do that,

MrLindt, BWL FH and MmeLindt, Einzelhandelskauffrau ...

DH would not let me

Glad it was just the battery, Gracelo. I dread anything bad going wrong with our car.

I'm so glad we have the car now. In Berlin we lived for 3 years without one but then we lived in Mitte and the U-bahn is great, otherwise we cycled. At first in Hannover I tried to walk everywhere but you just don't realise how long some of the streets are. Looking it up on google it was nearly a 4km round trip just to walk to the local shops! Dc walked 1.5km to school too. Now we drive everywhere not out of lazyness, just because it saves so much time.

I need to get dd's bike fixed (pedal needs changed) but last time I went to a bike shop to get dynamo lights put on ds's bike it came out at over 70? so I'm worried about where to take it to this time, how I wish I was a handyman type. I have watched videos on youtube 'how to fix your bike' even but I would not be able to do it and still think it will be safe to ride.

I would be stuck without a car. There is some public transport but not to where I would need it and I do think the people who come to work on their bikes during a dark Scottish winter, with heavy rain coming at them horizontally are just plain bonkers.
I cringed when I saw the death notice for my father last year and they had used both dp's and my Dr for it. I got no input in it because it had to be written before we got to Germany but I really didn't like it. Never told my mum and won't ever. It just looked so pompous.

I would be lost out here in the boonies without a car. Absolutely necessary. We do have a wee shop in the village but it is only for the essentials as it is twice the price of the supermarkets.

Talking of which, I need to go and get my online shopping done.

ah online shopping!!! i miss that!

dh rarely uses his Dr title but the kiga staff know what job he does - we went to the first Elternsprechtag and the kiga teacher said " Oh i feel all nervous that I have to speak to Herr Dr Canella!!" Dh just looked puzzled! he's so unimpressed with his own job! But there are plenty of knobby doctors out there who flash the title!!

can i ask a question - i posted this in the education topic but no great replies - how can i keep up dd's english now she's at school here - the class start to learn english this year (3rd class) - not sure what she's supposed to do during those lessons and just reading a book isnt a great challenge to her - she's a right bookworm!

wanted to get her some work that was similar to what she'd be doing in the UK in the literacy lessons - she'd be in Y4 - that would challenge her english comprehension/vocabulary!

what do your kids do in the english lessons? any ideas of where i could get some workbooks from?