A week in the life of Mrs Bloomsbury

Since school started this week for our oldest small child, I thought I'd give you a glimpse of how my week went. As you can see, some things were very routine and commonplace. Other events and ongoing situations are unique to our circumstance. So here's my week in review:

Monday: The first day of school for my oldest small child. We were able to enroll this child in a German immersion class at school. It just opened up, so the teacher isn't fully hired yet. The class will be taught by a sub until the teacher's paperwork is processed. Once the teacher is permitted to start, the class will be taught in half English, half German.

After school, we celebrated a successful day with cupcakes for a snack and pizza for dinner at the corner pizzeria. While at dinner, I began to fret about the weather. Rain was forecasted for the next day and I worried about getting to the bus stop in the rain. The idea of putting a soaked kid on the bus swayed me into walking across the street to purchase an umbrella.

Tuesday: Thankfully, it wasn't raining hard going to the bus stop. However, we did discover my smallest small child's rain boots were no longer waterproof. We walked to a nearby store and bought new pink rain boots.

Now that child #1 is in school, it has become my mission to find a school for child #2. I had returned to the little kindergarten I had hoped to get #2 into and was told there's at least a year waiting list. I learned that it will be difficult to find space in the schools in town. They at least gave me a lengthy list of all the schools I can try. So this day I had selected 3 on the list and we set out on foot to track them all down.

School 1: I spoke to a parent who was at the school. She told me the person I would need to see wasn't there, but to send an email. I haven't received a reply yet. I liked the school from what I saw and the location is convenient.

School 2: I went to the address on the list, but it didn't appear to be a kindergarten anymore, so scratch that one off.

School 3: The address led me to a huge building. I went inside and it seemed there were lots of businesses inside. There was a desk with a glass window, so I asked the lady about the kindergarten. She pointed to the second week of September on her calendar and said they were on holiday until then.

 

Our route visiting the kindergartens took us down new streets, and on our way home we discovered a huge playground very close to our apartment! We arrived home feeling victorious, even though we hadn't succeeded in getting into a kindergarten, for having a super cool playground nearby drastically improves our quality of life!

 

Wednesday: We went to the farmer's market and bought very delicious pears and raspberries. We also visited a grocery store, where I purchased paper towels instead of toilet paper. Oops! I need to get better at learning to read German! And I am happy to announce that I unpacked our last box and made more progress at getting organized.

 

We also visited a fourth kindergarten. This one also seemed to be closed on holiday. I think many of them are until mid September, so we will try back. I liked the look of this one. It was in a more residential area with a fenced in playground in the backyard.

 

Thursday: Errands today included going to the post office to mail something I had meant to mail weeks ago, but it got lost during the move. We arrived at the post office at 9:30, but discovered it doesn't open until 11:30. So we visited the library. Luckily, a woman at the library sold me a stamp for my envelope and I didn't have to wait around for the post office to open.

 

Today also included another school visit. This one was in session, but had no openings. I don't know why some schools are on holiday and some aren't.

 

Friday: I took the car to get washed. They have laws about washing cars here. From what I understand, driveway car washing is forbidden because of the potential for wasted water and the potential of soap seeping into the ground. And it is strictly forbidden on Sundays and during quiet hours. However, Germans are car lovers and they are meticulous about car care. I thankfully remembered where I had seen a DIY and was able to complete the task without breaking any laws.

 

The oldest small child clearly enjoyed being back in school with the structure and routine, riding the bus like a pro by the end of the week.

 

Saturday: We made it through the week! Now, let's do something fun. How about a trip to France? OK!

And the winner is . . .

. . . Berlin!

I must admit, I was mildly disappointed thinking we went through all that risk and anticipation just to take a trip to another German city. However, I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed getting to know Berlin. Berlin is not just another German city. It is a city rich in not-so-distant history, unlike a lot of the places we've visited in Germany that are centuries old.

We arrived early on a Friday morning after taking a car, plane, bus, and subway to the hotel. Riding the variety of public transportation is an exciting challenge, especially with the small children, but they enjoyed the mélange and were thrilled about getting to ride in a double-decker bus.

After stopping by the hotel, we set out on foot to see the sights. Our trek took us past a collection of hundreds of gray concrete columns in varying heights, which was the impressive and sobering memorial to the murdered Jews in Europe. We then passed through The Brandenburg Gate, an Athenian-style relic from Prussian times and now a symbol of post Cold War peace and restoration. 

The Memorial to the Murdered Jews in Europe

Brandenburg Gate

On to less gloomy sights, we took the kids to the Ritter Sport chocolate factory, where we allowed them the enjoyment of selecting ingredients for their own chocolate bar. They each picked gummy bears, sprinkles, and smarties (m&ms). The next stop was another chocolate company called Fassbender & Rausch, famous for their giant chocolate sculptures. Notably the chocolate volcano, suspended airplane, and The Titanic.

Ritter Sport

We spent Saturday and Sunday visiting museums:

- The German Museum of Technology - Well worth a visit. We looked mostly at ship and airplane exhibits.
- The Natural History Museum - Located in an old building, it was small and needed air-con. There were some beautiful presentations of animals, but all the descriptions were in German. There was also a kind of creepy room with shelves of specimens.
- DDR Museum - This museum presents life as it was in East Germany during Soviet rule. It was packed full of people, so it was difficult to see everything. The notable exhibit was the getting to sit in and take a simulated drive in a Trabant, the most common vehicle driven in East Germany.
- The Reichstag - The German Parliament building. A free tour gets you into a glass dome, where we enjoyed panoramic views of the city.

During the afternoons, the Mr. and I traded off naptime duties so that we could each enjoy seeing the interesting things that we felt wouldn't be appropriate for the younger audience. The Topography of Terror is a museum built along side a remnant of the Berlin wall as well as a wall from the former Gestapo (SS) headquarters. Mostly photos and text, it documents the persecution and terror from WWII. There was a large photograph of Berlin after the war showing the damage and destruction.

Looking through the wall

A length of the wall

The Berlin Wall and the wall from the SS headquarters

Nearly the same photo of the Berlin Wall from 1971

Walking through the streets, you can tell which buildings survived the war and which ones were newer, an interesting combination of architecture. And then we would come across something that was obviously from the Soviet era. It is a large city with short buildings, giving the city a stout feeling. 

The Sony Center

Checkpoint Charlie

A sign near Checkpoint Charlie

Soviet era TV tower

More Soviet stuff

I was amazed to discover that Germany is actually not a very old country. It's impressive what the Germans have been able to accomplish through it's tumultuous history. Walking though streets on the East side, some of the buildings have an address number crossed out with a new one posted beside it. There are still bits of the wall to see and touch. Souvenir shops sell little bits of it. Checkpoint Charlie is a tourist attraction where MP actors are available for photograph hire.

The attitude of the Berliners is about what I had imagined. There's still the punk rock feel and the graffiti seems to belong. Bright colors and prints in fashion. Gray buildings and streets. I can understand why it's listed as one of the top cities to see.

Blind Booking

There's a local airline called Germanwings. They offer a service called Blind Booking. And as the name suggests, you book your flight before you know the destination. Since we haven't been very many places in Europe yet, we thought this would be a thrilling and spontaneous way to plan a trip at a reduced cost.

The way it works is this: You select your departure airport and your dates. Then they offer you different genres of trips you might like, such as Sun & Beach, Culture, Metropolis, Nature & Hiking, and so on. You select the genre based on your interest. At this point, the ticket price is only €33 (one way).

Once you select your genre, they give you a list of about 12 cities that match your interest. We selected Metropolis and the list of cities we got was Barcelona, Budapest, Lisbon, Milan, Rome, Vienna, Zurich, Berlin, Hamburg, London, Prague, Stockholm, and Zagreb.

At this point, it allows you to deselect any of the cities on the list, but each city you deselect costs you €5 per passenger. We chose to deselect 4 cities, which added 20 to each ticket price. You are allowed one carryon item per person; each checked bag has a fee. Select your seats, enter the passenger information, pay, and then... Voila! You are presented with your receipt, which reveals your trip destination!

And the winner was...

Internet

It's been a long time since I posted, but I'm happy to announce: We Have Internet!

When we initially signed up for the service, we received a box and a USB mobile stick. The stick basically provided a wireless hotspot in our apartment until the actual line for the internet could be connected. This feature worked fine, although a bit slow for video calls. But we were happy to have anything at all, considering many people wait months for service.

Our scheduled appointment for the service technician to come connect the actual internet line was originally set for August 6. I stayed home all day waiting for the technician to arrive. Around mid-day, someone buzzed the main door to the building. I answered the call, he said he was with Telekom, and I buzzed him in. When he didn't arrive at our door a few minutes later, I ran down the 4 flights of stairs to search for him. No one was there. No truck. Nothing. He was gone.

That was a moment of extreme frustration and confusion. I called our salesperson, and he was helpful to call the company using his other phone and provide translation so that we could set up another appointment for the technician. There was no explanation for the service technician leaving without completing his duties. The next available appointment was for a week later.

Sometime shortly after this incident, the reliability of the USB stick began to diminish greatly until we basically had zero internet connection. It may be that the device had reached its expiration.

Finally, the day arrived when the technician was scheduled to reappear. This time, Mr. Bloomsbury was home and ready for the technician and greeted him at the entrance of our building. The technician appeared to do some work in our apartment and also worked on a "spaghetti" of lines in the basement. After a while, the technician informed Mr. Bloomsbury the line works and then left.

At this point, the box we have still showed no signs of life. Our first thought was that this technician had done nothing and we were still without internet. However, Mr. Bloomsbury started piecing translations together and called customer service. After almost an hour-long phone conversation with someone who did not speak English, Mr. B was able to figure out what he needed to do to get things connected. Persistence paid off! And I have some blog catching up to do!

School

This week I've watched my friends on Facebook post their back-to-school pics. It's hard to believe it's already that time of year. For us, our moving adventure began the minute school let out for the summer on May 23rd. And, aside from a pre-move trip we took to Colorado, our entire summer has been transition.

As soon as we began thinking about the possibility of moving here, I was online weighing our options for schools. From the limited research I could do stateside, my thoughts would swing heavily from sending the small children to American schools then swing back to hoping for the possibility of sending them to German schools. In the end, our choice was based largely on convenience. Our oldest small child will attend the American school, which starts in about 2 weeks. I am thankful for a few extra weeks to get settled, have some fun, and prepare for the school year.

For our youngest small child, we hope to enroll her into the German kindergarten that is close to our apartment. I went there one day a few weeks ago to inquire about enrollment. It was the last day of school for them before summer break and I walked into chaos. There were kids and parents everywhere. Some kids were crying, groups of parents stood around chatting, backpacks were all over the hallway.

I made my way through the hallways until I found a person working in an empty classroom. I approached her and asked if she spoke English. She did not, but she was able to point me in the direction of someone who could. Back out into the Hallway of Chaos I went in search of the stairs that would take me up to someone I could communicate with.

When I got to the top of the stairs, there was a group of about 5 (presumably) teachers standing around talking to one another. I asked if any of them could speak English. One of them answered, "A little bit." (which is the same exact answer you'll get from anyone here who speaks English, whether it is indeed a little bit or if they are completely fluent!)

I inquire about enrolling my small child. She explains they are about to go on break, something about 3 weeks, and gives me a specific time and day to return in September. At this point, I am grateful for any information. I thank her and go.

After I had some time to process this information, my brain kicks in with several more questions and it becomes apparent that I need some additional information before that day and time in September. One day, about a week later, as I was walking by the building I noticed someone was there working. Thankfully, I find it is the same woman who could speak a little English. I ask my questions and learn she wants me to return in a few weeks to fill out papers. That's what the 3 weeks meant. I may not have all my questions answered at this point, but I feel I've made some progress!

Moving Day

We got all our stuff! All 4,500 pounds of it, which, we are told, is less than the average American family. The truck showed up at nearly 1 p.m. The crew consisted of three guys: Andy (who spoke English and was presumably the crew boss), another German guy, and the driver. No one knew his name; they simply referred to him as "The Russian."

Upon their arrival, I break the news that we live on the top floor and there is no elevator. The Russian's task was to stay with the truck and open the six containers. The rest of the heaving and ho-ing was left for the two German guys. We quickly realize this is going to take some effort on our part if we wanted to have all our stuff up by the end of the day.

In between checking off box numbers and telling them where things go, Mr. Bloomsbury and I began carrying stuff up as well. It was intense 6+ hours of hard work. Eventually, the crew had reached their limits and Mr. Bloomsbury and I were the only ones left toting boxes up the stairs. By the end, we were all hot, sweaty, and exhausted.

Home Depot, Lowes, and Target

I've been on the hunt for a new vacuum. So today we visited three stores that could have been the German counterparts for Home Depot, Lowes, and Target: Hornbacher, Obi, and Globus.

I was told to plan on eating lunch at Globus, and I wasn't disappointed! One of my small children ate lunch for free: schnitzel and fries. The other got a "Kiddy Box," which included a Capri Sun, chicken nuggets, fries, and a bunch of loot: Hello Kitty puffy stickers, a lollypop, a balloon, and a wrist strap thing. The smallest child was disappointed her free meal didn't come with all that loot, so we compromised with a ride on the Monster Truck. (What is it about those cheap rides at the giant super stores?)

My meal was "goulash" (meat with gravy) and potatoes. Beer and wine are offered as drink options. In the food court. Of a "Target." (I guess that makes for happy shoppers!)

We ate for less than $15. That's pretty good for Germany.

After lunch, I found a suitable vacuum. It must have been the floor model because I couldn't find a price or a box for it. I carried it to the cashier and she called for someone to find the price. It took about 5 minutes of me standing there, she looking annoyed, me trying to keep my small children from climbing on everything, the customers behind me looking annoyed, and me not knowing how to apologize or explain the situation.

Finally someone arrived with the price. At this point, I would have paid for it if it was 1,000. But thankfully it was a reasonable price and we got out of there! Success!

"Home Depot"