The Longest Week

Honestly, the last week is a bit of a blur.  I know I did a lot.  But details are a bit fuzzy right now.  Ok, honestly, with jet lag and all, EVERYTHING is a bit fuzzy right now!  Here are a few things I know I did and did not do this week:

• DID- pack up all the essentials in the house.
• DID- learn that "essential" doesn't mean what I used to think it meant.
• DID- give about 5 full pick-up-truck loads of STUFF to the Salvation Army
• DID- sell my car
• DID- contact all of our utilities, banks, and other folks we typically do business with and canceled services and let them know we were moving
• DID- hand the rats over to a good home
• DID- miss them more than I expected
• DID- hand over and begin missing the cat to a different good home

• DID NOT- learn much German- plenty of time to do that now that we are here!

• DID NOT- find a new home for much of our furniture- anyone wanting bookshelves or kitchen islands or china hutches or folding tables or a washer or dryer should feel free to break into our old house and take them.  I can tell you where the key is hidden.
• DID- adjust my expectations to accept that I did not find a home for much of the furniture
• DID- fit all the boxes and the three beds into our 2 liftvans.
• DID- fit the cedar chest from the end of our bed, 1 folding table and 4 folding chairs
• DID NOT- fit any more furniture than that.  IKEA will be our friend!
• DID- remember to pack a pair of sandals and a pair of shoes in my luggage
• DID NOT- remember to pack the rest of my shoes for shipping to Germany... whoops!

• DID - Realize and remember just how lucky I am to have the family that I have!  I come from amazingly helpful and generous people! 

Special Thankful Shout out to my Mom, Mark, Dad and Connie who all came out and lifted and cleaned and erranded and hauled and provided support on moving day.  I could never have pulled this off so successfully without your help!!!

 When I get them from my dad, I will post some photos from Moving day.  Until then, I will go work on describing the trip here and first impressions :-)

The Next 1-Week Countdown

David's first day back after his sick day, he was feeling rather cranky.  

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He still hadn't been able to find a market that he liked, he was tired, sick, missing us and frustrated by the not-so-affluent village vibe (and accompanying inconvenience) of our local digs.  It was late night for me and first thing in the morning for him as I tried to help locate likely shopping zones.  Specifically we wanted ones that might be able to supply him with some of the items on his growing list of necessities (soft toilet paper and a working razor being chief among them).  He was a little snappish, and I wasn't all that patient.  His ride Sanja, arrived as we were still making up.  So, I went to bed a little out of sorts, but pretty well exhausted.  I think I am fighting his cold.  How I could be fighting his cold from the opposite end of the world I don't know. Sympathetic illness indeed.

The next morning I slept in as well as I could.  DS had his science class, so we couldn't rest indefinitely.  Reluctantly, I dragged myself out of bed and over to the computer- 

where I was greeted by no fewer than *6* emails & 4 open writes- from my usually impassive husband. One even bore the subject "Yay Yay Yay!"

THE WORK PERMISSION CLEARED!!!!  Woohoo!

(Happier David!)

Not only that, but one of the locations I had pointed out on the map had yielded a small mall that included a full supermarket and an electronics store (Point to Stephanie)!  

And his work group was going to Sucker Punch that night! (....ok, 2 out of 3 ain't bad.  He did say that is was rather a bonding experience to have the entire company sitting there together, uncomfortably squirming in their seats, though!  Ouch....)

The Move is ON

All that was yesterday morning.  Yesterday I spent coordinating with friends and family to try to figure out when I could work in the actual move. Turns out, with some effort, I THINK we can do this thing pretty quick.

So, now it is up to me to make this thing happen.  I contacted our top pick movers, Suddath, to accept their bid.  It was actually one of the more expensive ones, but we liked what we researched about them and they had proved relatively easy to talk with.  Our move coordinator, Michael, requested that I fax him our signed bid, which I did.  At which point he turned us over to Jessica, who is taking over for the rest of our move.  She immediately emailed us (getting my email address wrong, so it only went to David) with the following (emphasis mine):

Dear Mr and Mrs. Paris,  

I am pleased to confirm that I will be handling the coordination of your household good move to India.   I will be your main point of contact concerning this move from now until delivery and below you will find all my contact details.  The best form of communication is by email and it will be my most frequest form of communication with you.  If I am not in the office, my emails are always monitored.  

Holy moly!  Not the best way to make a first impression!  David mailed Michael who confirmed that she was, in fact working with him and that he was sorry for any confusion her "minor typo" had caused.  Minor Typo to them, different continent to us!!!

Germany = Orange, India = Green

So, here was my day: 

• Get up  and return emails
• Messenger my way through helping Hubby set up our flights through the less-English savvy admin while she works with a German travel company... that is right, 4 layers of "Telephone" to get that puppy done.  But, other than calling DD "Mrs." and being completely baffled by our long, confusing, non-German naming rubrics, everyone did eventually make it through fairly unscathed.  Knock wood!
• Grab donuts at the place next to the UPS store
• Wait for old man with the bum leg and wrong fax number to remember the real one so the clerk can fax his 15 page document
• Fax the movers with the signed quote
• Get the kids' hair cut
• Pick up 2 additional full adapters and several plug adapters at Radio Shack
• Drive past the defunct Staples and the defunct Office Max on the way to the remaining Staples to purchase $30 of cyan & yellow ink so my printer will permit me to print an all black and white document
• Stop at Target to get socks for DD and pick up a supply of Lactaid for the trip (no way I am skipping milk-based goodies just cause we can't find the right store to purchase a solution!)
• Grab lunch
• Return home and start on paperwork
• Take a facebook break
• Send emails trying to coordinate with the nice family buying my car, the nice family taking the rats, my aunt, my mom, my dad, the moving company, and a couple other sets of friends.
• Field phone calls from many of those parties
• Fill out more paperwork.  Did you know you need an Employer Identification Number (EIN) in order to hire a company for an international move?  The IRS supplies it, but the Census Bureau requires it! The census bureau?  The census bureau only has a job every decade or so.  When they team up with the IRS to create paperwork hoops, you KNOW you must be doing something serious!
• Try to renew my prescriptions so I will have meds for the trip
• Field phone call from my doctor telling me I haven't been to see her in almost 2 years.  Re-explain that we are moving to Germany!  Scripts should be on the way.
• Scan in all our passports (for customs) and the contents of my wallet (credit cards and drivers license for records).
• subdue panic attack by working on my blog!

Where do we stand now?

Saturday- Pack, set up online statements for everyone who still sends me stuff snailmail

Sunday- Pack and/or go out to Rennaisance Faire (looking less likely as I think on it)

Monday- Dad comes to help us pack and deal with Stuff, order Euros, cancel utilities, etc.

Tuesday- Pack and see friends who will take rats

Wednesday- Not sure how I am working this one yet... final packing, kids are supposed to have a play date and I am selling my car.... Stay Tuned

Thursday- MOVERS

Friday- Plane!

Saturday- Arrive in Germany (Also, DD's birthday!)

Wow, a week doesn't look very long when you put it that way, does it?

 

May not blog a ton between now and the flight.  We shall just see.  Now it is dinner time and then bed for the kids and packing more in my bedroom.  More when I have the chance!

Today's Adventure: Laundry

Poor David was actually feeling sick enough to stay home today.  In our 20 years together, I can probably count the number of sick days he has taken on my fingers, so this is indeed an indicator of just how cruddy he is feeling.  He spent most of the day sleeping on the couch.  But, he also thought it might be a good time to brave the basement and get some laundry done. 

I think I may have mentioned in an earlier blog that we have a keen awareness of what "adventure" really means.  Think of any classic adventure story, say The Hobbit for example.  Now, all things considered, you would have to say that Bilbo is far better off for his time with the dwarfs.  Plus, it makes for a great story!  However, pick just about any page in between the time when he leaves his cozy hole without a hat or pocket handkerchief and when arrives back home with lessened respectability but some bitchin' mithril armor and a cadre of new friends.  That page probably includes fear, struggle, discomfort and maybe even bloodshed!  Given we are talking Tolkien here, it may also include a song or two, turves (look it up!) magic and elves.  But I digress ;-)  My point is that adventures usually include many aspects that are less fun in the experiencing than the retelling.  Case in point: the German washing machine.

That's it.  Off to the left there.  Cute little thing, isn't it?  I think it may be about the same size as the fridge.  I am not sure why German appliances all seem to be so small, but so far, they do.  Front loading.  That can be efficient.  But, well, let me have David tell it in his own words:

So I tried to use our washing machine today and found it pretty cryptic with its entirely German instructions.  I even have a manual, but no luck there.  The words it uses are largely not in my dictionary so it wasn't making a lot of sense.  Finally I got it to run on what seemed a reasonable mode, and it did then finish.  Then I couldn't... open it... ever.

It simply would not open on any setting.  I ended up running everything again (twice) but no luck.  Finally I went and asked the landlord how to do it and he... couldn't open it either ;)

The water wasn't draining, so he opened a runoff valve and dumped water all over the floor and made a huge mess.  Then still couldn't get it open.

Fortunately the heavy guns arrived - his wife, along with their 2 year old son (they have a 9 year old son too).  She read the instructions and scratched her head too, and the husband finally figured it out - the door is a bit deformed so if you push it in at the right place you can get it open.  Yay!

He then unclogged the floor drain (leads to a big pit under the house and a runoff pipe I guess) and cleaned up the water and we were good to go.  The laundry ran.  There's a spin dry (which doesn't completely dry but it starts), and then you hang it on the rack after that.  Test load one eventually successful and now drying.

So, there you have it.  Yet another adventure, albeit with a happy ending!

Laundry drying.

David also defied his cold long enough to explore the immediate Auenheim area near the house.  Unfortunately the corner market we thought he would find seems to have gone out of business.  But, there area is pleasant.  Here are a few of his random finds.

Pretty sure this is a church!

David says a lot of buildings look like this.  The purple one is kind of fun!

Grave Stone Carver.... right next to the defunct grocery... things that make you go "hmmmm"

A kindergarten

War memorial at the supposed church

Stage Two Relocation

So, the kids and I are still in limbo, but David is now getting settled into the temporary house.  Apparently the company has kindly agreed to rent it for us for a month without taking it from our moving budget, so that is a nice thing!  Especially since food there is proving expensive and tricky to obtain without a car.  For comparison purposes, a McDonald's' Value Meal (burger fries and a drink) is 6 EU, which is the equivalent of about $8.65 right now.  Ouch.

He says this one is much nicer than the one he used.

And David discovered another unexpected expense: Pay Toilets!  1 Euro (a buck forty-four today) to enter a turnstyle that allows you into the restroom.  He says toilets in general are scarce by American standards.  Large restaurants have them and that is about it.  So, bring your iron-plated bladder and a pocket full of change when you visit!

It took David a while to get internet set up (needed the landlord to add the computer), but I now have photos and he is once again skype enabled! 

Catching Up- The Walk to France

So, lets see, where did we leave off?  Friday, I think, so I will load his Weekend adventures first.  Really just his Saturday adventures because Sunday he came down with a cold and took a 5 hour nap, the poor guy!  I guess it is sort of inevitable that you get sick when your body is under that sort of strain.  So, onward!

Saturday David got his exploration shoes on and trotted out to hike over the bridge to Strasbourg and explore France!

(again, click on any photo for a bigger version... except the bridge, that is as big as I have :-)  

THE Bridge!  This is a famous walking/bike bridge that connects France and Germany.  There is a small park on the German side and a larger one on the French side.  There are pictures of dignitaries (including President Obama) crossing this bridge.

The German side- complete with tourists photographing a statue

French side- or part of it.  David says it has streams and fun stuff like that.

A bit greener than our typical view in Santa Clarita!

Unfortunately, David's shoes gave out, so he didn't get any further into France on this day.

He did find some nice German bakeries, though.  Check out the pretzels in the lower right corner!

Lunch: Eine Frankfurter mit croissant und eine... well, I don't know what that is- David didn't like it because it had a cream filling.  Oh, and the Coke Light.  He says in bottles coke light is just like diet coke, but at the fountains it tastes weird.

Do those pavers qualify as cobblestones?  Whatever they are, they are certainly prettier than asphalt!

Turkish Delight

Which brings us to dinner!  We spotted this place on Google Maps before he even arrived and were fascinated by the name "Viking Pizza" along with the curiously middle-eastern looking font used on the signage.  Turns out there is a good reason for at least that last oddity- this is actually a Turkish restaurant!  It is owned by a Turkish family and they serve Turkish food and pizza.  The Turks occupy the "immigrant labor" position in German society.  Until recently, they were not even allowed citizenship if they were born in Germany, but that law changed in the 90's.  Still, David has noticed a definite social status stratification in Germany with folks of clearly Turkish ancestry toward the bottom.  For instance, in this restaurant only Turkish people would dine in- German folks would order carry out, but not sit in the restaurant.  David said the owner was visibly surprised when he asked for a seat and that the crowd eyed him cautiously, but not with any ire.  Doners are like Gyros by another (Turkish) name and Doner Stands are the local equivalent of a corner taqueria in LA- cheap and plentiful.  The pizza, in case you were wondering, was good!

No More Free Room-cleaning
 
In deference to David's drippy nose, I will skip Sunday and move on to Monday's moving day.  Here are a few shots to complete the image of our furnished temporary digs. 

But, first, some random coolness- Swans are to Kehl what peacocks are to Pasadena.  I am hoping quieter, though.

And, some random industrial public art.

Now- House...  In a lot of ways, this place reminds me of the house Mom rented for us in Morro Bay last month.  Not nearly so froofy or with the amazing view of course, but the mere fact that it is furnished sort of draws the equation in my mind:

Who doesn't love grey faux-woven linoleum and 70's style blue tile?  Seriously, though, looks like a pleasant enough place to get cleaned up in the morning.

Separate toilet room with its own sink.

I have NO idea how to work a radiator... help?  Actually, I would hope it won't be an issue this month, but if this is standard, we will need to get acquainted come October or so....

Luckily, the kitchen comes equipped with what looks to be a decent array of cookware, flatware, glasses, dishes and the like.  David says the water was not pleasant, but running it for a while helped.

Ah yes, this is what I had heard... that is indeed the entire refrigerator.  The little box at the top is the freezer.  I am pretty sure my dorm fridge was bigger!  This will take some getting used to.  But, at least there seems to be a working dishwasher there to the side.  So, yay!

David did go shopping at the local "supermarket" to garner a few necessities.  Things that surprised him: 1) the complete lack of recognizable brands (he had expected a smattering), 2) No bags at all- even his co-worker didn't have any, so they literally took armsfull of groceries and piled them into the back of her car! and 3) the carts are on a pay-trolly like the ones at the airport.  Put in your Euro, get a cart.  Return your cart, get your Euro back!

On the homefront...

Or at least, on the American side.  The kids and I continue our trudge toward packing and leaving.  A very kind gentleman and his brother in law came out to pick up the couch and bookshelves Saturday.  It was actually pretty fun watching them defer to each other and construct a marvel of engineering to wedge all the items into the back of a small pickup securely enough to drive all the way down to Ensenada!  We chitted and chatted for a good hour while they got everything loaded and they gave me a hug before they left.

DS continues to struggle with bouts of emo regarding all the things we are leaving behind.  He has associations with them all, so it is rough going.  DD on the other hand, can't wait to leave.  But, she does have trouble focusing.  She is a bit behind on her novel, but further along on her packing than anyone.  I am just trying to pace myself.  I want to get everything done without panicking.  But, I am really missing David at this point.  And I never do feel like I have done enough or gotten enough organized.  And I definitely don't feel like I know enough German, yet!  On the other hand, the weather is lovely, people have been really kind and supportive, I am enjoying the "farewell tour" of seeing our friends and family, and we can eat Asian food and Panera a lot more often without David's dislikes in our already-complicated food-choice mix :-)