It's a Dog's Life

Ok, I get it.  Shopping is an exhausting pastime.  There have been many times I have wished I could just drop down on the floor and rest after a shopping spree.  This fellow is no different.  I found him lying, just like this, at the Oberpollinger Cafe in central city Munich.  I asked his owner if it would be ok to take his photo and she agreed.  He never so much as fluttered an eyelash as I flashed my camera.  He was even snoring!!  Poor fella.  

WEDNESDAY HODGEPODGE

Wow! Wednesday creeps up before you know it, doesn't it?  Thanks once again, Joyce, for the interesting questions.  Joyce's Wednesday Hodgepodge is open to all so if you're inclined, head on over by clicking on the badge above.  You will enjoy it, I promise!

1. National Read a Road Map Day falls on April 5th. Would people say you have a good sense of direction? Do you rely on a GPS when you drive somewhere new? When was the last time you used a map?

Ha!  Good one, Joyce.  I am so directionally challenged, I get lost in my own closet!I LOVE GPS, but curiously I also love to collect and display maps. We travel a lot and we like to collect maps of our destinations. We have a world map in the study that we use to pin point the different locations we've traveled. 
The last time I used a map was yesterday on Google Maps, an app on my i-phone that I rely on to guide me throughout Munich. I couldn't do without it.


2. What's your favorite cookbook?
Believe it or not, my favorite cook book is one I bought at Disney World.  It is called, "From the Lands of Figs and Olives," by Habeeb Salloum and James Peters. It has over 300 delicious and unusual recipes from the Middle East and North Africa.  My favorite dishes are from the Middle East and we love the recipes we have tried.

3. What painting would you like to "walk into" and experience? Why?
Joyce, this is a most intriguing question!  I am instantly drawn to any of Gauguin's paintings so that is the one I chose.  I would love to actually see the world as the French Impressionist painters did.  Blue trees, pink skies, and yellow clouds would be my preferred way of seeing the world, without the use of any hallucinogenic drugs, that is.

4. What annoys you more- misspellings or mispronunciations?
Neither, I try not to judge; one of the professional hazards of having been an English teacher, I guess, *sigh*. 

5. What is something your mother or father considered important?

That loving someone is a choice you make each day.

6. Do you like or dislike schedules?

I HATE schedules and have great disdain for people who swear by them.  People who make lists and try to plan life just plain annoy me.  Life is meant to be lived and flexibility is an attribute that is far too underrated, in my opinion.  I try to avoid people who feel they need to control everyone's life with obnoxious schedules, calendars, and lists.  Get over it already!  As a result, I attend what is convenient for me or I forgo it.  It works for me.

7. Let's have some fun with National Poetry Month (that would be April)...write your own ending to this poem-

"Roses are Red

Violets are blue..."
I've thought too hard about this.
How about you?

Incidentally if you'd like to read the history behind that little ditty you'll find it here.

8. Insert your own random thought in this space.
Getting older is nice in some ways....

"LEAVING, ON A JET PLANE....."

     It has been a wonderful visit back home in Ohio for six whole weeks. I was able to greet Spring, the Easter bunny, and many construction and repair workers during my stay here at home.

     Orlando with my son, his wife and the three kids, was everything I'd hoped it would be. My sister who lives in Ft. Myers was able to spend the Easter holiday with us in Orlando and then brought her 7 year old granddaughter to spend a weekend with us there and go to Disney with the gang. It was one of those "Once in a Lifetime" events for all of us and we were delighted that everything went so smoothly without any problems.

     Two weeks ago, my sister flew up to Ohio from Florida and we drove to Lexington, KY to see her daughter for her 29th birthday. We had a lovely day at the races in Lexington and then shared dinner at Merrick's Inn, a restaurant that used to be on a horse farm. Again, a special visit we girls will remember. Next year are milestone birthdays for my niece and I so we are meeting my sis again in Las Vegas then. With a lot of luck, it might be a very, very special week!

     I spent a very special weekend with my 9 year old granddaughter and we went to see Wicked.  She was so excited and it was fun listening to her sing the words to the songs and hearing her reaction to the play.

    Visiting back home from Germany means taking an objective view of the homestead and determining what repairs or updates need to be done. With the help of both of my sons and four of my grandsons, we made light work of the 7 and a half square feet of mulch that had to be laid over the flower beds.The photo above is my grandson, exhausted, sleeping in his fathers' arms. 

 I spent another couple of weeks hosting window replacement companies, garage door companies, and a cement guy to lay cement in our shed built under our screened in second story back porch. Good estimates will get a return visit and the work will be supervised by my son and his wife who live here in our home. It is so nice to have them here to supervise and keep the place up while we're in Germany.

    Having a home to return to is wonderful. The benefits are that three of our grandchildren live here and I have daily access.  The twins, a boy and a girl, are 5 and the oldest son is 6. They are well behaved and I looked forward to babysitting whenever their parents needed me. I enjoy my time with each and every one of them.

    I saw my great-granddaughter who is only 6 mos., but seems to be growing by leaps and bounds. My aunt, in her late 70's, my uncle approaching 90, my three cousins, Bonnie, Debbie, and DeLynn (I won't mention their ages!) and my very closest friends (all of you) made time to see me while I was here. Best friends, Linda, Cheryl, Lori, Renee, and Vicki also saw that they made time for me before I have to return home.  Thanks girls! 

   Last night I met some  my co-workers where I last taught and it was so good to get together again and reminisce. The previous day my friend Linda and I golfed for the first time this season and believe it or not, we did darn well! My husband assures me that there is a golf course in Munich near us that we can begin golfing at as soon as I return.  I am holding him to that promise.

   The only problem is that we are already fully booked for May  and June with travel. I'm not complaining, I love to travel with my husband in Europe, but golf will just have to wait until we are BOTH retired, I fear. Now is the time to experience all Europe has to offer and explore our environs.

    If only there were a way to bring our loved ones closer to us. For now, Skype will have to do. But one day, who knows??

ANTICIPATION, IS MAKING ME W...A...I...T...!

Image by Darwin Bell via Flickr

Spring is sure to come soon, at least I'm crossing my fingers!

I love Bavaria in the snow, but now the beauty of it has given way to its'  impracticality.  The snow has melted and  the diving temperatures have left sheets of ice on the roads and sidewalks making navigating in the city very dangerous.  The slushy re-frozen residue is ugly and the wind is bitter. 

 I'm afraid the fairy tale Bavarian Winter has run it course....at least for me.

My mind is months ahead.  Since we have lots on the agenda, I find that it is difficult to be in the "here and now."  I am dreaming of the months ahead and the events that will take us to the warm sunshine. 

Image by quinet via Flickr

I just want to escape the cold! 

I am looking at returning to the U.S. in late March to take the family to Disney World.  The warm temperatures of Florida are tempting me so much that it is all I can do not to book an earlier flight.

So many times I wish I could be in two places at one time.  I know I will return to Munich by May-- in time for my mother-in-law to arrive from Australia.   But,  in July, we have dear friends whose daughter is getting married back in the states.   The wedding, in the plans now, will be in Harbor Springs, Michigan where the bride has always dreamed it would be.

Image by sparktography via Flickr

In September, hubby has been invited to be a guest speaker at a conference in, YA HOO--  Brazil!  This will be our first first trip to South America where the temperatures are beckoning me now, as I blog.  Beaches, sun, warmth-- instead of -2 degrees and freezing. 

Bring it on!

Finally, in  October, we are planning to take a Mediterranean Cruise with our Shanghai Expat Friends Couples group.  Each year we plan a reunion and this year it will be on a cruise ship while exploring the Greek islands.

Meanwhile, I have to find a way to enjoy the present.

Image via Wikipedia

But as the map below shows, I'm hardly alone here in the Northern Hemisphere.

So, I will stop dreaming of the future and like millions of others braving the cold temperatures, I'll zip up my parka and don my ski cap and pray that Jack Frost is kind and spring isn't far behind.. 

Feeling More Like Home

Image via Wikipedia

It's been exactly six months since I arrived in Munich and I can now wholeheartedly report that Munich is  in my blood.  Let me explain.

Yesterday, I took the day to wander about my newly adopted city when I realized that the S-Bahn (train system) no longer confused me. I also took the U-Bahn (underground subway system) to transfer to another part of the city and was equally adept.  When did this happen?  Blending in with the crowd, using the ubiquitous novel or ipod as my travel companion --yep, an ordinary routine.  I've become aware that sporting the European neck scarf; something I would have abhorred  ignored back in the states, is quite natural here in Bavaria.  This acculturation thing -- so subtle--how and when did I assimilate?

 

Although my language training has yet to formulate, my pseudo Deutsch appears to be doing the trick.  I not only was able to make a purchase at Karstadt, but was given a step-by-step instructonal training on how to use the product.  From there I learned that the clerk was from Holland and we were even able to share a few laughs!  Sure, I know this is an everyday occurrence for American shoppers in the states, but what amazed me was that I didn't  have to resort to my old bag of tricks--pantomine, not once!  This spelled success.  Whew!  No more walking out of a store empty handed grumbling about how much easier it would be to live here if all Germans spoke perfect English (sarcasm implied here--I'm not that ignorant Yank stereotype all of the expat community keeps ragging about :-).  Lamentedly, I'm just her snarly sister on a past few occassions.  Shopping excursions can only get better, I reckon.

I was so successful navigating about that I cycled to my fitness center, completed my workout, relished in the sauna (sans towel like the Germans do--abandoning my ultra Puritan American upbringing--Egads!) and made it to Karls-Platz using the S and U-Bahns with accuracy to see my doctor.  She speaks good English and hooked me up with an OBGYN in her same building.  I took the elevator down two floors and, Voila!  I scored an appointment with the office assistant on the first go.  Remarkable!  It gets better folks!

My newest obsession, knittting and crocheting, has taken on a new dimension.  Let's just say that having been modestly successful in creating a few hats and scarves, I'm ready to step it up a bit and challenge myself with a more advanced project.  Pasing-Obermenzing, where we live in Munich, has a lovely little Italian yarn shop run by a German woman whom I've had the distinct  forboding pleasure of attempting to communicate.  Here is where the magic begins.  Turns out, the lady really could speak English, WTH?   I have been in her store a half a dozen times doing my pantomine schtick and here all along she was just amusing herself watching me go through every conceivable charade I could imagine!  The revelation that we could banter with one another overcame me and the horses were let out of the gate, so to speak.  Yada, yada, yada, and the next thing I knew I had signed up for a course in Schwabing at her second shop in kniting--something I could only dream of doing that easily months before.  Then it dawned on me!  She has come to know me and know that I'm here to stay and I will continue to frequent her shop.  Imagine!  I'm a repeat customer and no longer a stranger in a strange land!  Vielen Dank!

LANGE NICHT DER MUSEEN

Tonight was the Lange Nicht der Museen, The Long Night of the Museums, in Munich. All 80 of the city's prestigious international museums were open to the public until 2 am! We spent the evening walking from one museum to another in our quest to enjoy all the evening had to offer. Great museums of international stature were awash in splendid outdoor lighting identifying themselves as open for business. It was a true artistic and cultural event. There were exhibitions, performances, tours, and live music.

My favorite museum was the Neue Pinakothek, one of Munich's newest and most reknowned museums. European art throughout the centuries are displayed in a total of 22 galeries. Munch, Klimt, Monet, Picasso, Renoir, Cezanne, Manet, Van Gogh and Gauguin were some of the artists' work that was exhibited. Some of these paintings, I have only seen in art books --never in person! Having a degree in Art, I was reeling with pleasure at finally being able to see paintings such as "Sunflowers", by Van Gogh and "A Woman Ironing," by Degas.

Aside from the Impressionists, I saw Albrecht Durer's famous "Self Portait" of 1500 and many other famous paintings in this superb and extensive collection which includes paintings from the Middle Ages through the end of the Rococo era and well into the 20th century and contemporary times.

At the Haus der Kunst we experienced a completely different art exhibition by an artist named Ai Weiwei, from China. His art focuses on political debate in China and internationally. He believes that there is a new polictical culture "whereby failure is excused following an apology, which he sees as an avoidance of responsibility by politicians." (The Art Newspaper). He has made his views public and has disseminated his views on a blog that reaches 10,000 people a day and is regularly closed down. His largest installation is in the front facade of the building. He used 9,000 colored backpacks representing the thousands of children who dies in the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. This exhibition was much different than the Neue Pinakothek in every way imaginable, but equally rewarding.

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VICTORIAN HOUSE AND VIKTUALIENMARKT

I decided that I would begin my official expat life yesterday and took the plunge. Some of the women who are fortunate enough to come here with their husbands, boyfriends, or significant-others and not have to work, do lunch once a week. They call themselves LOAHF
or the "League of Accidental Hausfraus." There are no set venues and the group seems to change from week to week. This week it was at the Victorian House which is an honest-to-goodness, true-blue, tea house that makes the most delicious scones with jam and clotted cream. Here is a photo of the gals doing tea.




As you can see, everyone is in deep conversation and enjoying their afternoon tea.


Above is a photo of another part of the room. It is very tastefully decorated in period style furniture that lends itself to an authentic British tea room. It was a wonderful afternoon and I met many new friends.


I decided to walk through the Viktualienmarkt on my way back to the train station. It was a chilly afternoon, but the sun was out and there were so many sights to see.
















Fall is in full swing and you can see by the variety of flowers that Munich is not lacking in color or texture. The fall plant beds and gardens are still as vibrant as ever.

It isn't only the gardens that are providing richness of palatte to the eye, these autumn vegetables are in a spectacular hue of orange, green, and yellow.

Beautiful pink artichokes were for sale and I could just imagine a display of them on my dining room table!

Colorful flower arrangements in every conceivable color were on display.

Not everyone in the market was a shopper. This gal had been festooned with flowers, though. Probably by a male admirer.

And then I arrived home to this lovely scene along the pathway to my front door. How beautiful is fall?

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MUNICH OR BUST!

My return flight is Wednesday back to Munich. I've already expanded from one suitcase to two for the trip back. No matter how I try to condense, I always end up taking back far more than I brought. I'm not sure how that works, but it's a ridiculous amount of stuff that obviously wasn't that important in Germany since I've done quite well without it for all of these months.

I've been so tempted to toss in my mix master with the pasta maker and bread hook, but it would practically exceed my weight limit alone! I've tossed in Ceylon Tea from our local Mediterranean store, some dried sage for the tea from my daughter-in-law, from Jordan, a backup laptop, lots of Advil, and the gifts from my children for my birthday in August. These items take up one large suitcase by themselves.

I hope the dried sage doesn't resemble anything else that's dried, but illegal!

I've started knitting and crocheting and I've got a stash of yarn skeins to smuggle back and a load of "How To" books. I've got a couple works in progress and I've managed to finish a few projects during my extended stay in the states. Judging by the length of time it took me to complete a couple of beanies and scarves, this new hobby may be more time consuming than surfing the net.

Of course, you can't come back to the states without doing a fair bit of clothes shopping. I've decided to bring the new garments back to Munich, and leave the summer ones behind here in the states. That switcheroo should buy me some valuable real estate in the large suitcase. Hubby's swim fins must go in the case, much to my dismay. But, you never know when you're going to need them--I guess...

Jewelry, camera equipment, books, and new laptop must go in the carry on. There, I think I will have enough room. Despite all of my plans, I know I will come up short. I could always wear the fins if need be.

ABSENCE

Image via Wikipedia

One of the sayings that my mother always pounded into my head as I was growing up was, "If all of your

friends jumped off a bridge, would you jump too?" She had many more like, "You have champagne taste and a beer pocketbook," which meant nothing to me as a young teenager other than I wasn't going to be able to get whatever it was that I was begging her for in the department store. She was a colorful communicator, yet she often resorted to popular phrases when she had an important point to make. She didn't always have to use them. She had the unique ability to create her own sayings to make illustrate or teach us a lesson.

For example, when the twins were very active and very small, they would race around the house. It was at times like these that she would yell, "Do you two always have to go racing around the house like mad-ass ducks?" For years we kids wondered what a "mad-ass duck" looked like

The one phrase that I hated was, "Absence makes the heart grow fonder." To a teenager this meant one of two things:

• 
  
  You are hanging out with your friends too much and I need you here to help with the chores.


• 
  
  That boyfriend of yours is bad news, get rid of him.

It wasn't until the 19th century that the phrase began to be used more widely, with Thomas Haynes Bayly's (1797-1839) song Isle of Beauty, published posthumously in 1850:
"Absence makes the heart grow fonder, Isle of Beauty, Fare thee well!"

I hated that saying and I just knew that whenever she spoke it, something bad was to follow. How could staying away from a person you like to be around be a good thing? How could you be around them too much? Would being around them too often make them not want to be with you anymore? It was all too confusing and all too elusive for a young girl to conceive.

Through the years I have experienced the wisdom of this common saying, but not in the way that my mother had intended. When applied to a place, rather than a person, it becomes unbelievably clear to me. When I am in Munich, I so much want to be back home in the states. Now that I'm here in the states, I really want to return to Munich. It's such a contradiction!

What is it about not being somewhere that makes you long for it even when you're perfectly content where you are? I am so longing for the German simplicity of life. All I had to do there was decide was what time I wanted to exercise, go to town to do shopping, get a manicure or pedicure, work on my German, see friends, or play. Yet, when I was in Germany and doing these very things, I longed to be back in Ohio where I could see my dear friends, visit my beautiful grandchildren, visit our extended family, and catch up with some unfinished business back in the states.

Now, I absolutely know that I won't be back in Munich for less than 24 hours and I'll be wishing I was right back here...... where all of my loved ones are. But, I have to be truthful, with Germany comes a lot of "me" time and "us" time that equally fulfills me and strengthens our marriage.

I now believe that absence does make the heart grow fonder.... I do miss Munich.

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER

Image via Wikipedia

One problem I am facing while living in Germany is not knowing if a special sale or bargain is being advertised since I don't speak or read German, yet. So, although there may be a sale or a discount, I would have a difficult time recognizing it.

According to my constant companion, LEO (the English to German online translator), here are some German words that apparently mean "on sale:

der Kaufvertrag

Image by striatic via Flickr

Kauf und Verkauf


notarieller Vertrag



der Ausverkauf


der Gelegenheitskauf

günstige Gelegenheit

Exactly how they differ with respect to connotation, I'm not quite sure, but they are words that I should remember so that I might take advantage of any savings while shopping. I'm not aware if the German retail market offers coupons or savings incentives as the American retail market does, but I intend to learn.

This week, back in the states, I was presented with a free oil change from our Honda dealership when I took my CRV into the service repair shop and received the third punch on my key card. That was at least a savings of $29.99! Also this week, when I called Seagate Technologies to order a power cord for my external hard drive that was lost in our move to Munich, I was told it would be sent to me free of charge. Probably at least another $10 saved. Last week I took the kids to see the movie Aliens in the Attic and before it finished, there was a brown out. Guess what? We were given three free tickets to the theater to see another movie! I'm guessing the tickets were easily $30 in total. (I still don't know if the aliens or the humans prevailed, however...).

Here in the states we enjoy free refills on soda, free fresh produce from our church praise garden, and the same Honda service center offered me a free car wash after the free oil change. Do these things happen in Germany? Hard for me to tell.

After five months of living in Munich, if there are bargains to be had, I'm not yet aware of them. Comparison shop? At the moment I'm using my i-phone camera to record the prices at various shops in the hopes of finding out where I might make the most educated purchase. Short of that, I'm at a loss.

It's a learning curve, that's for sure. I'm not saying I'm the queen of 30%, but I would like to have the advantage of getting the same savings offered to me as the next customer. However, without knowledge of the language, I'm really at the shop keepers' mercy.

Another phenomena is that some of the retail clerks just assume that I'm an American tourist and I won't ever return to their place of business. I know this because I have heard them say to me,"Thank you, and I hope you enjoy your visit to Munich," after ringing up my purchase. This assumption might also prevent them from presenting me with information about specials, sales, or future bargains.

Shortly after I arrived in Munich, my husband and I approached a produce vendor about purchasing white asparagus and I learned something else about being a foreigner. At the produce stand, I reached out to select what I determined to be the freshest asparagus spears, but the clerk swiped my hand away and indicated that she was responsible for selecting the vegetable for me. I watched as she chose the less fresh, older spears. Unable to communicate with her, I just shook my head and wondered if she thought that my being an American meant I didn't recognize fresh produce? I'll never know.

The good news is that being uninformed as a result of a language barrier is easily remedied. Just one more reason to learn German!

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