So... I take pictures.... I like to mark my photos with a copyright and my 'photo name' (which was MKB Photography, but come to find out that there is a business in Texas with THAT name).
So what to do now... I am going to take down the photos, FOR NOW... until I can find something fitting for me. Little ole, frustrated, sarcastic, spontaneous, in your face... ME
MKB simply stood for my initials Michelle Kruse-Barth.... BUT I could go with Michelle KB or Michelle B.... ORRRRRR I could go with my nickname and come up with something that has to do with Chelle or Chellbell....
CK (nope, not without some kind of name rights lawsuit from good old Calvin). and MK is attached to some shoe label.
Michelle KB - its kinda ................. blah
Michelle B - will have to see if there is some rapper or singer out there with the name already.
Chelle B - see above
MCKB - looks like something out of a Roman book, might as well just use all the initials then... MCKKB... bleh... a bit too much and two K's together look like kahkah.
And yes, I prefer something with MY NAME in it, after all I am the one who takes the pictures, not some utensil or catchy wind/sky name... JUST ME.
And I have to pay attention to businesses or names that already exist, I would really hate to get caught up in some copyright infringement piss war over a name. AND on the other side of the coin.... I want to be known for what I do... not someone else who didnt take the photo!!!!!
So here is what we have to work with
Michelle - 1st legal name
Chelle (pronounced shelly) - preferred nickname
Chellbell - other nickname
Christine - mitte
Kelley - my adopted name (I was adopted when I was 8 years old, long story, I dont care what anyone says, they are.my.blood).
Kruse - my blood family name and the most wonderful family ever!
Barth (pronounced bart) - My German married name.... BUT and no offense to my husband (who really doesnt take interest in my little hobby anyway)... Mama always said to never attach a mans name to a womans hobby(oooor mayyybe that was Grams). Then it takes away from who SHE is. :)
This is something that has to be permanent... something that sticks.... and something that will live on after I do. After all, the photos dont have a shelf life. Well not anymore with the digital age.
So........................ HELP ME!
24.11.14
Red Tape Bondage.... not for the faint at heart
I've applied at quite a few firms and offices for an Ausbildung. I either get - no call back, no answer (by mail or email or middle finger), no..... nothing. Sooooo, I decide to go to a Caritas help center for Auslanders (really starting to hate that word).
The Lady is kind and patient and has a knack for speaking in German in a way that a non-native speaker can understand. It is soooooo comforting to be understood at damn close to 100% and to understand as well. She points me in a couple different directions.
1. Altenpflegerhelferin (Nursing Home Nurses Aid) - 1 year school/work training and then employed... salary at about 1800€ ($2400) a month gross... not bad but the idea of wiping butts all day and cleaning up messes is not my kinda thing. BUT the thing is, once you have taken this route, there is usually NO moving up the ladder. You chose it, now you work it.... forever
2. Altenpflegerin (Nursing Home Nurse) - 3 year school/work training and then employed... salary at about 3000€ ($4000) a month gross... my kinda thing with being a nurse and all it entails. There is slight improvement for moving up and possibility of making further Ausbildung for Diplom (bit better than a bachelor but under PhD) and better ability to switch from Alten to a new area (but would have to do yet ANOTHER Ausbildung and the older you get, the harder they are to find.).
So I opt for door number 2... I am qualified, I know I can do the job and the pay is decent. taxes here run at about 30-36% and that includes... income tax, social security, retirement, healthcare, unemployment, nurses insurance, aaaaaaaaaand any club fees or union fees. so I can expect to take home anywhere from 2100€-1920€ ($2800 - $2560). So..... I write the Caritas lady and tell her I am intersted in the Altenpflegerin. A little bit hopeful seeing how there is a HUGE shortage of nursing home nurses here.
*** A little behind knowledge - Ausbildungs here are very specific... you train specifically for the job in question, Once you have completed the training and tested successfully, you are qualified to work ONLY in that field. So if I take a nursing home nurse, then I am not qualified to be a labor and delivery nurse. That is a whole new class that has to be tested out after more training. ***
I get an email back letting me know in a not so friendly way that I should take door number 1 because of my age and that I need evidence of Mittelere Reife (proof of passing the 10th grade in German standards) and then I am provided a link of how to get proof, thankfully in English, along with a short 'good luck'. And then nothing since.
In short... I kinda feel assed out because I am not German born. If it was not a good option for me then why was it offered? Am I supposed to take the shitty job just because im 44 and 'not from here'?? Man... talk about bursting a bubble. WTFingF????
So I call the person in charge at the nursing home and ask what I need to do to make this happen. And sure enough, yes... I do need the proof of 10th grade AND I also need to have my level B1 German language certificate. Plus another string of red tape that I already untied myself from and needed to be able to live here.
I am really starting to identify with the aliens in the USA that take the little shit jobs just so they can have money.
THIS SHIT IS NOT EASY!
So back to square one... the step that should have been in the forefront the entire time... THE LANGUAGE ZERTIFIKÄT... without it, I can do nothing more than work as a slave in a place that caters to underpaid overworked Auslanders.... its a revolving door and one I dont want to get stuck in.
I feel like my hands are tied... my feet are bound..... and I have a gag in my mouth. I am not allowed to do anything. Ich darf nicht! I'm starting to believe I just might have a bit of a masochistic tendency! (no, not really.... cause I don't take any pleasure in this but for some reason I keep going back for more.... FML!)
The Lady is kind and patient and has a knack for speaking in German in a way that a non-native speaker can understand. It is soooooo comforting to be understood at damn close to 100% and to understand as well. She points me in a couple different directions.
1. Altenpflegerhelferin (Nursing Home Nurses Aid) - 1 year school/work training and then employed... salary at about 1800€ ($2400) a month gross... not bad but the idea of wiping butts all day and cleaning up messes is not my kinda thing. BUT the thing is, once you have taken this route, there is usually NO moving up the ladder. You chose it, now you work it.... forever
2. Altenpflegerin (Nursing Home Nurse) - 3 year school/work training and then employed... salary at about 3000€ ($4000) a month gross... my kinda thing with being a nurse and all it entails. There is slight improvement for moving up and possibility of making further Ausbildung for Diplom (bit better than a bachelor but under PhD) and better ability to switch from Alten to a new area (but would have to do yet ANOTHER Ausbildung and the older you get, the harder they are to find.).
So I opt for door number 2... I am qualified, I know I can do the job and the pay is decent. taxes here run at about 30-36% and that includes... income tax, social security, retirement, healthcare, unemployment, nurses insurance, aaaaaaaaaand any club fees or union fees. so I can expect to take home anywhere from 2100€-1920€ ($2800 - $2560). So..... I write the Caritas lady and tell her I am intersted in the Altenpflegerin. A little bit hopeful seeing how there is a HUGE shortage of nursing home nurses here.
*** A little behind knowledge - Ausbildungs here are very specific... you train specifically for the job in question, Once you have completed the training and tested successfully, you are qualified to work ONLY in that field. So if I take a nursing home nurse, then I am not qualified to be a labor and delivery nurse. That is a whole new class that has to be tested out after more training. ***
I get an email back letting me know in a not so friendly way that I should take door number 1 because of my age and that I need evidence of Mittelere Reife (proof of passing the 10th grade in German standards) and then I am provided a link of how to get proof, thankfully in English, along with a short 'good luck'. And then nothing since.
In short... I kinda feel assed out because I am not German born. If it was not a good option for me then why was it offered? Am I supposed to take the shitty job just because im 44 and 'not from here'?? Man... talk about bursting a bubble. WTFingF????
So I call the person in charge at the nursing home and ask what I need to do to make this happen. And sure enough, yes... I do need the proof of 10th grade AND I also need to have my level B1 German language certificate. Plus another string of red tape that I already untied myself from and needed to be able to live here.
I am really starting to identify with the aliens in the USA that take the little shit jobs just so they can have money.
THIS SHIT IS NOT EASY!
So back to square one... the step that should have been in the forefront the entire time... THE LANGUAGE ZERTIFIKÄT... without it, I can do nothing more than work as a slave in a place that caters to underpaid overworked Auslanders.... its a revolving door and one I dont want to get stuck in.
I feel like my hands are tied... my feet are bound..... and I have a gag in my mouth. I am not allowed to do anything. Ich darf nicht! I'm starting to believe I just might have a bit of a masochistic tendency! (no, not really.... cause I don't take any pleasure in this but for some reason I keep going back for more.... FML!)
20.11.14
Struggles of the now Unemployed Auslanderin
So.... had a job, pretty much as a slave.... in a hotel.... as the FRÜHSTÜCK FRAU
Then the hole in my abdomen (a hernia) kept getting bigger and more painful from the work, not to mention I had to constantly push my intestine back through the hole.... so I go to the doc.
He takes a look at it, sends me to a surgeon.... Surgeon looks at it and sends me to the hospital to another surgeon.... He looks at it, sets a date for an operation. Not just some minor operation, nope... I get put to sleep, they cut a 2 inch incision into my belly button and sow my abdominal wall up. Then sow my belly button back together after they insert a drainage tube and attach that to a wound-vac that I get to carry around for 24 hours before it gets yanked out (by yanked, I seriously mean every indication of this word). This was on Thursday.
On Friday I get a call from my boss asking me to come into work. HUH? Um, WHAT? I had been telling her for weeks about my surgery. She understood clearly what the surgery was for. Hallo? So I let her know that I have to go in for my after OP appointment on Monday and I will contact her and let her know what he says.
Monday after the doc appointment.... I am not allowed to do ANYTHING short of sleep and eat for a week. No strenuous activity for 2 weeks... NO work for 3 weeks and no sports for 6 weeks. So, I take this nifty little piece of printed paper signed by my doctor (der Arzt hat mir Krank geschrieben.) to my boss at work and let her know that I cant work for 3 weeks. She grunts and says 'Oh mein Gott, die Ganze Monat.' (Oh my god, the whole month) then she takes the carbon copy and says she needs it for the Krankenkasse (which here is where bosses get reimbursed for money they paid to people who can not work for a length of time). So according to the law here on Mini-jobs, I should get paid for a certain amount of hours while I am not working for 3 weeks. At least that is what the law says. I later find out that not all places of business follow these laws and usually never in the cases of AUSLANDER (not from this land or as we call them, aliens).
Did I pay my taxes? yes.
Did I give plenty of notice? yes.
Was I registered into the Mini-Job Central? Yes, by my boss.
Was I paid under the table? No, I was paid normally.
Did I receive any money for being unable to work? No, and with plenty of illegal excuses.
So, what to do? I am making an appointment to resolve it with the place that is in charge of enforcing these laws.
I quit my job... no, don't want the unemployment... but just being treated unfairly and illegally (or here they call it mishandel or mobbing) makes it not a job I want to ever go back to. For any reason, WHAT SO EVER. Fuck that! and fuck them.
I hate being unemployed but I hate being mistreated more. So, I am standing up for what is right.
More on the job happenings later, for now I am searching for something a little more me worthy. :)
I'm really beginning to hate being here.
Then the hole in my abdomen (a hernia) kept getting bigger and more painful from the work, not to mention I had to constantly push my intestine back through the hole.... so I go to the doc.
He takes a look at it, sends me to a surgeon.... Surgeon looks at it and sends me to the hospital to another surgeon.... He looks at it, sets a date for an operation. Not just some minor operation, nope... I get put to sleep, they cut a 2 inch incision into my belly button and sow my abdominal wall up. Then sow my belly button back together after they insert a drainage tube and attach that to a wound-vac that I get to carry around for 24 hours before it gets yanked out (by yanked, I seriously mean every indication of this word). This was on Thursday.
On Friday I get a call from my boss asking me to come into work. HUH? Um, WHAT? I had been telling her for weeks about my surgery. She understood clearly what the surgery was for. Hallo? So I let her know that I have to go in for my after OP appointment on Monday and I will contact her and let her know what he says.
Monday after the doc appointment.... I am not allowed to do ANYTHING short of sleep and eat for a week. No strenuous activity for 2 weeks... NO work for 3 weeks and no sports for 6 weeks. So, I take this nifty little piece of printed paper signed by my doctor (der Arzt hat mir Krank geschrieben.) to my boss at work and let her know that I cant work for 3 weeks. She grunts and says 'Oh mein Gott, die Ganze Monat.' (Oh my god, the whole month) then she takes the carbon copy and says she needs it for the Krankenkasse (which here is where bosses get reimbursed for money they paid to people who can not work for a length of time). So according to the law here on Mini-jobs, I should get paid for a certain amount of hours while I am not working for 3 weeks. At least that is what the law says. I later find out that not all places of business follow these laws and usually never in the cases of AUSLANDER (not from this land or as we call them, aliens).
Did I pay my taxes? yes.
Did I give plenty of notice? yes.
Was I registered into the Mini-Job Central? Yes, by my boss.
Was I paid under the table? No, I was paid normally.
Did I receive any money for being unable to work? No, and with plenty of illegal excuses.
So, what to do? I am making an appointment to resolve it with the place that is in charge of enforcing these laws.
I quit my job... no, don't want the unemployment... but just being treated unfairly and illegally (or here they call it mishandel or mobbing) makes it not a job I want to ever go back to. For any reason, WHAT SO EVER. Fuck that! and fuck them.
I hate being unemployed but I hate being mistreated more. So, I am standing up for what is right.
More on the job happenings later, for now I am searching for something a little more me worthy. :)
I'm really beginning to hate being here.
19.9.14
Me, Myself, and that german girl
Been here for a year now.... whoa.................
Its been hard, its been fun, its been challenging, and I am lost. Is there a T-Shirt somewhere for that?
Moving to another country has its ups and downs. The ups... foreign anything! Food, culture, language, sites... etc. Downs... red tape from hell, especially when not from an EU country (in my case), learning a new language at the age of 40 something is not an easy take to undertake, and finding out that a social life and all that I thought it was lacking is now non-existant.
What I miss most?
My kids... I am missing out on one of the most important years of my youngest sons life and all it entails. I will be there for his graduation and that is a good thing but I am going to miss his 18th birthday, I missed his first car already... his senior prom, his first girlfriend? My oldest is off finding himself in this huge world, I am so proud of him and cant wait to meet up with him back home :) Sometimes living life spontaniously is not all it is cracked up to be.
And man oh man!!!! what I wouldnt give for a night of karoke with my besties! I wish my man could see the person I am when I sing. We have yet to go out for a night like that. Maybe some day it will happen.
A campfire and a bottle of Crown!!! and of course a thermos of coffee!! Or a night swim at Bear Rock.
Yep, I am definitaley homesick
I am finding that here in Germany, I dont really know who I am or who I am supposed to be. I am quite lost. I have made a 'friend' or so I think, but we really dont hang out. I have a job as a breakfast waitress... working a job that not really many German people would take but is perfect for an Auslander, its work and there is always pride in work but there is no comfort in it. My man and I get along fine and we love each other. But there is this huge piece of me that is missing. I no longer dance and sing... I still take pictures but no one really seems to notice them or the thought process behind the photos. My German language skills are passable but not good enough to really make a mark here. I am..... lost in a world that I dont really understand.
Me - my thoughts processes are all still the same... I am who I am and will always be
Myself - 'I' understand who I am...
that German Girl? - I dont know her yet... I dont know where she fits in to the whole of things. She is there... but she is a wall flower... she is not anything close to me and myself.
I wont give up... I refuse to... but sometimes its really really hard.
I feel kinda alone.
Thanks for reading.... :)
Its been hard, its been fun, its been challenging, and I am lost. Is there a T-Shirt somewhere for that?
Moving to another country has its ups and downs. The ups... foreign anything! Food, culture, language, sites... etc. Downs... red tape from hell, especially when not from an EU country (in my case), learning a new language at the age of 40 something is not an easy take to undertake, and finding out that a social life and all that I thought it was lacking is now non-existant.
What I miss most?
My kids... I am missing out on one of the most important years of my youngest sons life and all it entails. I will be there for his graduation and that is a good thing but I am going to miss his 18th birthday, I missed his first car already... his senior prom, his first girlfriend? My oldest is off finding himself in this huge world, I am so proud of him and cant wait to meet up with him back home :) Sometimes living life spontaniously is not all it is cracked up to be.
And man oh man!!!! what I wouldnt give for a night of karoke with my besties! I wish my man could see the person I am when I sing. We have yet to go out for a night like that. Maybe some day it will happen.
A campfire and a bottle of Crown!!! and of course a thermos of coffee!! Or a night swim at Bear Rock.
Yep, I am definitaley homesick
I am finding that here in Germany, I dont really know who I am or who I am supposed to be. I am quite lost. I have made a 'friend' or so I think, but we really dont hang out. I have a job as a breakfast waitress... working a job that not really many German people would take but is perfect for an Auslander, its work and there is always pride in work but there is no comfort in it. My man and I get along fine and we love each other. But there is this huge piece of me that is missing. I no longer dance and sing... I still take pictures but no one really seems to notice them or the thought process behind the photos. My German language skills are passable but not good enough to really make a mark here. I am..... lost in a world that I dont really understand.
Me - my thoughts processes are all still the same... I am who I am and will always be
Myself - 'I' understand who I am...
that German Girl? - I dont know her yet... I dont know where she fits in to the whole of things. She is there... but she is a wall flower... she is not anything close to me and myself.
I wont give up... I refuse to... but sometimes its really really hard.
I feel kinda alone.
Thanks for reading.... :)
27.6.14
It's a Bird! It's a ...... no, it's the Deutsch BAHN!
I got to go on an adventure today.... (yep I was singing it) :)
Today I had an appointment to pick up my Residence Permit (Aufenthaltsgenehmigung - try pronoucing it!). Yes, an appointment. They don't send things like this in the mail... you go an pick it up at your appointment time or make a new appointment. I kinda like the security of that.
An y way.... We live in a little bit of a remote area, but not... we had to call ahead to make sure the little bus (no.not.the.short.bus) would stop where I was going to be. So, I get my ass up early and get ready and the whole time I'm getting more and more nervous... stomach in knots kinda nervous!!! This is the first time I have ridden the bus OR the train here.... and I AM DOING IT ALONE!!! O:M:G I finish up and out the door I go to Hallenbad (about a 5 minute walk) where the bus will be at 8:07.
I see the stop post, but dont see a bus... I am early but I cant help but think I have missed it or they arent going to show up. I look at my nails, but opt out of chewing them to the quick. Then a small bus pulls up and sure enough, right on the minute, is my ride. Germans are very punctual creatures, something I will have to get used to. hehehe So I walk up to the bus and the driver (Busfahrerin - female bus driver) waves me into the front seat. I use the usual greetings and then she looks at me and says "Du bist der Ronny Barths Frau, oder?" I look at her and recognized her as a friend's sister. WOOHOO! My stomach relents a bit and halts in it's threat to protest under pressure. She was extremely helpful with telling me how to go about my travels, how to purchase my ticket (fahrkarte) and just talking about life in general, it sure put me at ease. Thank the GODS!!!! We arrive at the train stop and say our good byes. This is at 8:12.
Now onto the RBahn (R-Train). I had 5 minutes to spare so I snapped a couple photos... I will attach them later. The train pulls up at 8:20 and the few people file in and take their seats. I of course opt for a window seat, the day is beautiful and I want to watch the country side roll by. The trains are nice, comfortable, leg room to spare and surprisingly very celan for public transportation. The train goes so freakin fast (upwards of 125 MPH!) that it is hard to get pictures of anything. Then this feeling comes over me, relief... and some self confidence. Knowing I can do this (ich scharf es) opens up a whole new door of possibilities for me! WOOT WOOT!
The train pulls into the Nürnberg Hauptbahnhof (Main train station) at 8:48 and I get off the train and for just a moment I am frozen. I hear the lady on the intercome explain where the next stations are for the next train but she spoke so fast that I wasnt sure if the Roth train was track 1 or track 6. omg OMG OMG!!!! So I go straight to the info board (there is one posted at every stop in German of course) and see that the SBahn to Roth is on track 1 and leaves at 9:01. Where the hell is track 1? Oooooooh..... I seeeeeee.... I have to go down the stairs and then read the signs that tell me what direction track 1 is in. hehehehe No time to smoke but I can do that when I get to my destination (hurry up!!!! I am niccing!!). I also saw that there are foodmats, and little shops here and there at the main station, its nice to know that if you are hungry or thirsty and have time. AND HAVE TIME! I get to the train, take my seat, and in a couple of minutes it starts rolling.... and YEP, exactly at 9:01!
I enjoy the scenery along the way and we pull into the Roth station at 9:28. As I am walking off the train I am looking at my Stadtplan (city map) and HOPING I am walking in the right direction. I am so freaking lost on geography here. Then I see the street sign where I am supposed to turn right and release a breath I didn't realize I was holding.... THANK YOU! My brain silently screamed while I look up at the sky. Now onto my 1K walk to the Landratsamt...
I make it German style (right on time) and my appointment lasts all of 7 whole minutes.... yep, SEVEN minutes.... haha and then I am off on my walk back to the Bahn. I stopped in the wooded area and snapped a couple of beautiful photos of the light in the trees and contemplated taking a walk through the forest, then I remembered my Grandfather always saying, don't stray too far from the main path. He is right, I was alone and I didnt know the area I was in, so I go back to the street and start walking. He must have been sitting on my shoulder cause not more than 2 minutes later, my bosses pull up in their car and hail me... They asked if I would like a ride back to Greding and I thankfully accept. I was kinda looking forward to the Buss und Bahn BUT that just means I will have to plan my next adventure!!!!
Today I had an appointment to pick up my Residence Permit (Aufenthaltsgenehmigung - try pronoucing it!). Yes, an appointment. They don't send things like this in the mail... you go an pick it up at your appointment time or make a new appointment. I kinda like the security of that.
An y way.... We live in a little bit of a remote area, but not... we had to call ahead to make sure the little bus (no.not.the.short.bus) would stop where I was going to be. So, I get my ass up early and get ready and the whole time I'm getting more and more nervous... stomach in knots kinda nervous!!! This is the first time I have ridden the bus OR the train here.... and I AM DOING IT ALONE!!! O:M:G I finish up and out the door I go to Hallenbad (about a 5 minute walk) where the bus will be at 8:07.
I see the stop post, but dont see a bus... I am early but I cant help but think I have missed it or they arent going to show up. I look at my nails, but opt out of chewing them to the quick. Then a small bus pulls up and sure enough, right on the minute, is my ride. Germans are very punctual creatures, something I will have to get used to. hehehe So I walk up to the bus and the driver (Busfahrerin - female bus driver) waves me into the front seat. I use the usual greetings and then she looks at me and says "Du bist der Ronny Barths Frau, oder?" I look at her and recognized her as a friend's sister. WOOHOO! My stomach relents a bit and halts in it's threat to protest under pressure. She was extremely helpful with telling me how to go about my travels, how to purchase my ticket (fahrkarte) and just talking about life in general, it sure put me at ease. Thank the GODS!!!! We arrive at the train stop and say our good byes. This is at 8:12.
Now onto the RBahn (R-Train). I had 5 minutes to spare so I snapped a couple photos... I will attach them later. The train pulls up at 8:20 and the few people file in and take their seats. I of course opt for a window seat, the day is beautiful and I want to watch the country side roll by. The trains are nice, comfortable, leg room to spare and surprisingly very celan for public transportation. The train goes so freakin fast (upwards of 125 MPH!) that it is hard to get pictures of anything. Then this feeling comes over me, relief... and some self confidence. Knowing I can do this (ich scharf es) opens up a whole new door of possibilities for me! WOOT WOOT!
The train pulls into the Nürnberg Hauptbahnhof (Main train station) at 8:48 and I get off the train and for just a moment I am frozen. I hear the lady on the intercome explain where the next stations are for the next train but she spoke so fast that I wasnt sure if the Roth train was track 1 or track 6. omg OMG OMG!!!! So I go straight to the info board (there is one posted at every stop in German of course) and see that the SBahn to Roth is on track 1 and leaves at 9:01. Where the hell is track 1? Oooooooh..... I seeeeeee.... I have to go down the stairs and then read the signs that tell me what direction track 1 is in. hehehehe No time to smoke but I can do that when I get to my destination (hurry up!!!! I am niccing!!). I also saw that there are foodmats, and little shops here and there at the main station, its nice to know that if you are hungry or thirsty and have time. AND HAVE TIME! I get to the train, take my seat, and in a couple of minutes it starts rolling.... and YEP, exactly at 9:01!
I enjoy the scenery along the way and we pull into the Roth station at 9:28. As I am walking off the train I am looking at my Stadtplan (city map) and HOPING I am walking in the right direction. I am so freaking lost on geography here. Then I see the street sign where I am supposed to turn right and release a breath I didn't realize I was holding.... THANK YOU! My brain silently screamed while I look up at the sky. Now onto my 1K walk to the Landratsamt...
19.6.14
The Gap! Oh My GODS THE GAP!
So here I am living in Germany now for the last 8 months... I have never been this happily (and... not so happily) lost before in my life!!!!
The food here... one word LECKER!!!! (that one word literally translated: delicious, yummy, scrumptious, delectable, luscious, lovely, toothsome, palatable, mouth-watering, savory, savoury, appetizing, nice. - yes... i shit you not... that one word means all this!) You haven't had saurkraut until you have had bavarian saurkraut! And the Wurst (sausage) here... OMG!! I am not a beer girl... I like my irish wine :) but here... there is Weißbier, Weißen, Rauchen (smoked beer! yes please!!!), Dunkelweißen. My Deutsch blood seriously loves the BIER!
The people... hmmm.... it depends... mostly warm and friendly. Being an American who speaks English is a plus for most people I meet. They ask many questions about America and love to hear the spoken English (I imagine it is the same when in the U.S. and I hear an accent from another country, I am drawn to it). One the flip side of that coin... some people find out I am from America and they try to avoid me like I have the plague. LOL Oh well.... win a few lose a few.
The climate is EXACTLY like Washington State... the seasons, the landscape... all of it! Now I know why my forefathers picked Washington!!!
The politics and social systems are basically the same.... I haven't delved too deep into the politics but from what I have seen so far, the problems are smiliar... with a few exceptions of course. Germany is democratic and the people here actually have a voice.
but THE GAP
I am experiencing two major gaps in life right now...
1. I am not able to have a complete and intellectual conversation with anyone because of language. My social life is limited to broken conversations with loss in translation. It is VERY hard and VERY frustrating to not be understood nor understand completely. It's down right depressing! I never knew how much a social life is important to mental health.... don't know what you got till it's gone?
2. Knowing what is going on... On October 23rd, 2013 my life in America stopped... since that day I have no idea what is really happening over there. Not like I really knew to begin with but I could watch the news and read the paper and catch up on majors and be able to have an intelligent conversation over selective topics. Now my life in Germany?? I know some major events in history but I DO NOT KNOW Germany, I don't know it's quarks or its sayings. From October 23, 2013 I get to learn a condensed form of history and if I am lucky I will get to know the intimate German way of life before I die. Not likely but I will give it my best go.
These are things people don't understand when someone is from another country.... They expect you to know everything! And speak the language immediately (well some do anyway). And I know it can be frustrating on both sides.
I don't blame Germany for wanting people to speak German... after all... I live in Germany!!! I have that same principle for living on the other side of the Atlantic (or any country for that matter). Yes, I believe I must (and will) speak German... yes, I believe I must (and will) learn about Germany, living in Germany, the history of Germany. But it's been 8 months... 8 fucking months to learn EVERYTHING?!? NO, stuff that exactly where the sun won't shine (oder auf Deutsch - Leck mich im Arsch)... you have had your ENTIRE life to learn it all. Give a girl a break! It will come... it will happen. And at least I am actually trying!!!
So to sum it up... I love it here! I don't completely fit in but it will come. All I need is time (and to find a way to close THE GAP).
:)
The food here... one word LECKER!!!! (that one word literally translated: delicious, yummy, scrumptious, delectable, luscious, lovely, toothsome, palatable, mouth-watering, savory, savoury, appetizing, nice. - yes... i shit you not... that one word means all this!) You haven't had saurkraut until you have had bavarian saurkraut! And the Wurst (sausage) here... OMG!! I am not a beer girl... I like my irish wine :) but here... there is Weißbier, Weißen, Rauchen (smoked beer! yes please!!!), Dunkelweißen. My Deutsch blood seriously loves the BIER!
The people... hmmm.... it depends... mostly warm and friendly. Being an American who speaks English is a plus for most people I meet. They ask many questions about America and love to hear the spoken English (I imagine it is the same when in the U.S. and I hear an accent from another country, I am drawn to it). One the flip side of that coin... some people find out I am from America and they try to avoid me like I have the plague. LOL Oh well.... win a few lose a few.
The climate is EXACTLY like Washington State... the seasons, the landscape... all of it! Now I know why my forefathers picked Washington!!!
The politics and social systems are basically the same.... I haven't delved too deep into the politics but from what I have seen so far, the problems are smiliar... with a few exceptions of course. Germany is democratic and the people here actually have a voice.
but THE GAP
I am experiencing two major gaps in life right now...
1. I am not able to have a complete and intellectual conversation with anyone because of language. My social life is limited to broken conversations with loss in translation. It is VERY hard and VERY frustrating to not be understood nor understand completely. It's down right depressing! I never knew how much a social life is important to mental health.... don't know what you got till it's gone?
2. Knowing what is going on... On October 23rd, 2013 my life in America stopped... since that day I have no idea what is really happening over there. Not like I really knew to begin with but I could watch the news and read the paper and catch up on majors and be able to have an intelligent conversation over selective topics. Now my life in Germany?? I know some major events in history but I DO NOT KNOW Germany, I don't know it's quarks or its sayings. From October 23, 2013 I get to learn a condensed form of history and if I am lucky I will get to know the intimate German way of life before I die. Not likely but I will give it my best go.
These are things people don't understand when someone is from another country.... They expect you to know everything! And speak the language immediately (well some do anyway). And I know it can be frustrating on both sides.
I don't blame Germany for wanting people to speak German... after all... I live in Germany!!! I have that same principle for living on the other side of the Atlantic (or any country for that matter). Yes, I believe I must (and will) speak German... yes, I believe I must (and will) learn about Germany, living in Germany, the history of Germany. But it's been 8 months... 8 fucking months to learn EVERYTHING?!? NO, stuff that exactly where the sun won't shine (oder auf Deutsch - Leck mich im Arsch)... you have had your ENTIRE life to learn it all. Give a girl a break! It will come... it will happen. And at least I am actually trying!!!
So to sum it up... I love it here! I don't completely fit in but it will come. All I need is time (and to find a way to close THE GAP).
:)
18.6.14
The First Cut?
Woke up to a song lyric stuck in my head .....The first cut is the deepest..... but... thinking (yeah I know, it's a dangerous thing for me to do) I have to disagree. And yes, of course I am going to tell you why I disagree. Before the 'cut' there are many happenings leading up to it... and then.... well, just read on.
**I am going to use an analogy that is kinda gruesome so bare with me.... and think!!! Don't forget to think beyond the words you are reading...
Think of the thigh area, now think of a small spot on the thigh area... for the most part it is covered and protected by jeans or what have you, staying in tact, smooth, safe, calm, away from the sight of onlookers. But when it is exposed it is subject to a wide range of possible harms that you normally don't see coming like sunburn (been there many times), windburn (motorcycle riding in shorts... anyone?), extreme cold, stings, bites, scrapes, chaffing... just to name a few.
Soooo.... on to the analogy
On that small area, you get stung by a bee... it stings, probably burns, turns red... but after a few days it is gone and you think nothing of it, a little cream, a tiny bit of TLC and then not another thought and all is right with the world (thigh).
Shortly after that, your hiking and get attacked by a sticker bush while you are wearing jeans... you can feel the stinging under the protective layer and you KNOW there is going to be blood. So you rush away, safe from the harm of the herbal assault and you let down that protection to see a deep scratch. Yep, its bleeding, and swollen, and inflamed, and you need a bandaid. So you clean up the mess, use some salve, cover up the problem with a bandaid, and hope it will get better without becoming worse. It takes a few days longer to heal this time... but still... it heals, it leaves behind a faint scar that will fade with time. And once again all is right with the world. The skin is now permanently damaged, its minor, and barely noticable to most people. But now everytime you see that tiny fractal of a scar you will think of the sticker bush.
That summer you go tubing in the river... the water is still high and after the winter there are unknown dangers under the water but you go anyway... ITS FUN and most of the time nobody gets hurt. So excitedly, you grab your tube, and your friends... and off you go... the air gives off a perfume that is a mix of summer earth and water and trees, the water is cool but the touch of the warm sun feels absolutely sinfull. You are laughing and smiling and feeling wonderfully complete and totally satisfied with life. You see rapids ahead but you are confident you can handle them. With your feet up you glide over the first set without complication, still smiling, still laughing. But then, it hits you out of no where and you go under.
The pain in your leg makes you scream but no one hears it. It takes a split second between the fire in your leg and the fire in your lungs for your brain to register that you need to surface. You break the surface, gasp for air, and body surf the rest of the rapids until you hit the calm end, your leg throbbing with the beat of your heart. You make your way to the shore and then sit down to assess and collect. Your friends scramble to be by your side and then everyone sees it... there is a deep gash on your thigh that is pouring blood, you grab a towel and cover it and hold it tight. Off to the hospital.
In the emergency room the attendant sees the blood through the sand covered towel that you are trying to protect it with. And you are quickly ushered to a bed in the trauma area. The nurses hover, your friends are escourted away, and you are laying there in pain and feeling so very stupid for going tubing... you wish you could just hide away and wake up and it all be a nightmare. But its not, so you lay there in humiliation wondering what comes next The doctor comes in and assesses the injury, no broken bones but there is sand in the wound and what does not come out with irrigation will have to be surgically extracted. The nurse gives you a shot, and you drift and list for a moment before darkness takes over.
You wake up in your hospital room... lift the blanket and see you still have both your feet. Fleeting relief sweeps over you. You lift the gown to see that a large area of your thight is wrapped with bandage and dressing. There is pain, a lot of it. The nurse comes in to explain that the surgeon had to cut away some of the damaged tissue with the hopes that it would heal better. You hope it will heal, you hope the scar wont be horrible.
Months later... your eyes open and you stretch, yawn, and sit up... while sitting on your bed you look at your thigh and see the deep scar. Immediately you think of the accident and the pain. And you are amazed that when you touch it there is no feeling. It is totally numb, almost lifeless. There is no glimmer of hope left that it will continue to heal. The damage has been done and you know it will never be the same again.
**I am going to use an analogy that is kinda gruesome so bare with me.... and think!!! Don't forget to think beyond the words you are reading...
Think of the thigh area, now think of a small spot on the thigh area... for the most part it is covered and protected by jeans or what have you, staying in tact, smooth, safe, calm, away from the sight of onlookers. But when it is exposed it is subject to a wide range of possible harms that you normally don't see coming like sunburn (been there many times), windburn (motorcycle riding in shorts... anyone?), extreme cold, stings, bites, scrapes, chaffing... just to name a few.
Soooo.... on to the analogy
On that small area, you get stung by a bee... it stings, probably burns, turns red... but after a few days it is gone and you think nothing of it, a little cream, a tiny bit of TLC and then not another thought and all is right with the world (thigh).
Shortly after that, your hiking and get attacked by a sticker bush while you are wearing jeans... you can feel the stinging under the protective layer and you KNOW there is going to be blood. So you rush away, safe from the harm of the herbal assault and you let down that protection to see a deep scratch. Yep, its bleeding, and swollen, and inflamed, and you need a bandaid. So you clean up the mess, use some salve, cover up the problem with a bandaid, and hope it will get better without becoming worse. It takes a few days longer to heal this time... but still... it heals, it leaves behind a faint scar that will fade with time. And once again all is right with the world. The skin is now permanently damaged, its minor, and barely noticable to most people. But now everytime you see that tiny fractal of a scar you will think of the sticker bush.
That summer you go tubing in the river... the water is still high and after the winter there are unknown dangers under the water but you go anyway... ITS FUN and most of the time nobody gets hurt. So excitedly, you grab your tube, and your friends... and off you go... the air gives off a perfume that is a mix of summer earth and water and trees, the water is cool but the touch of the warm sun feels absolutely sinfull. You are laughing and smiling and feeling wonderfully complete and totally satisfied with life. You see rapids ahead but you are confident you can handle them. With your feet up you glide over the first set without complication, still smiling, still laughing. But then, it hits you out of no where and you go under.
The pain in your leg makes you scream but no one hears it. It takes a split second between the fire in your leg and the fire in your lungs for your brain to register that you need to surface. You break the surface, gasp for air, and body surf the rest of the rapids until you hit the calm end, your leg throbbing with the beat of your heart. You make your way to the shore and then sit down to assess and collect. Your friends scramble to be by your side and then everyone sees it... there is a deep gash on your thigh that is pouring blood, you grab a towel and cover it and hold it tight. Off to the hospital.
In the emergency room the attendant sees the blood through the sand covered towel that you are trying to protect it with. And you are quickly ushered to a bed in the trauma area. The nurses hover, your friends are escourted away, and you are laying there in pain and feeling so very stupid for going tubing... you wish you could just hide away and wake up and it all be a nightmare. But its not, so you lay there in humiliation wondering what comes next The doctor comes in and assesses the injury, no broken bones but there is sand in the wound and what does not come out with irrigation will have to be surgically extracted. The nurse gives you a shot, and you drift and list for a moment before darkness takes over.
You wake up in your hospital room... lift the blanket and see you still have both your feet. Fleeting relief sweeps over you. You lift the gown to see that a large area of your thight is wrapped with bandage and dressing. There is pain, a lot of it. The nurse comes in to explain that the surgeon had to cut away some of the damaged tissue with the hopes that it would heal better. You hope it will heal, you hope the scar wont be horrible.
Months later... your eyes open and you stretch, yawn, and sit up... while sitting on your bed you look at your thigh and see the deep scar. Immediately you think of the accident and the pain. And you are amazed that when you touch it there is no feeling. It is totally numb, almost lifeless. There is no glimmer of hope left that it will continue to heal. The damage has been done and you know it will never be the same again.
***************************************************************
So.... there you have it. My analogy....
The first cut is never the deepest... first there is irritation, and then repairable damage, but once something is injured repeatedly or traumatically... it will never be the same again. We can go about life as if it didn't happen, we can cover it up. But in the end, the damage has been done. One can only hope that it can eventually be over looked.
The worst scars... are emotional
31.5.14
Forever Young?
Sitting with my husband and looking at videos from the 80's and then looking at live videos from today time of the same singers ... some have faired vera vera well... while others (if they are still living)... not so much.
But then it hits me... As a teenager listening to these same songs way back when - did I ever think then what life would be like now? Ummmmm.... HELL NO!!! I lived in the moment, in each and every moment!
I absorbed the music, I reveled in it, I related to it, and I memorized every single lyric to every song that stuck that familiar chord inside me. I taped the music from the radio on a cassette recorder and then played back every single second of it while writing down the words as fast as I could and hoping I got it right... I... LIVED... IN... THE... MOMENT! Never ever thinking of what life would be like 30 years later (I mean, ya know, like back then, 30 was so freaking old! ya know). I was invincable and indestructible and I was never going to be old!!
Looking back, I long for that girl sometimes. The carefree life, the going at a whim and the friends and laughter from those times. The being absolutey in love with THAT singer or THAT teen star (or older star). For me it was the cute blonde from Escape To Witch Mountain. EVERY single time I would see him or that movie my heart would flutter and I would just star at the TV in a drool enduced trance. WOW!!! OR.... the lead singer from A-HA. My closest friends know how lost I would get if any of their songs were playing. I was a 'love sick' girl stuck in another glorious world!
Sigh.... but now, here I am in my forties and while hearing the music, it still brings a smile... but not the heartthroblovesickyearningdreaming smile of then... it makes me smile because I remember what it was like to be younger... full of energie and wonder. Where has she gone??
When I look in the mirror, I know she is there but the woman staring back at me is not the same person. The woman in the mirror is becomming wrinkled and her hair has white hot streaks of 'Nordic blonde' running through it. Her lips are not as full as they once where, and her skin is no longer the smooth dollface color it used to be. She still smiles but her eyes don't carry the same light they used to. Where has she gone???
Every once in a while... I still get a glimps of her... and it makes my heart flutter. And it's in these moments that I walk away from the mirror feeling as young on the outside as my heart is on the inside...
We are all teenagers wondering what the hell happened!
Forever young :)
But then it hits me... As a teenager listening to these same songs way back when - did I ever think then what life would be like now? Ummmmm.... HELL NO!!! I lived in the moment, in each and every moment!
I absorbed the music, I reveled in it, I related to it, and I memorized every single lyric to every song that stuck that familiar chord inside me. I taped the music from the radio on a cassette recorder and then played back every single second of it while writing down the words as fast as I could and hoping I got it right... I... LIVED... IN... THE... MOMENT! Never ever thinking of what life would be like 30 years later (I mean, ya know, like back then, 30 was so freaking old! ya know). I was invincable and indestructible and I was never going to be old!!
Looking back, I long for that girl sometimes. The carefree life, the going at a whim and the friends and laughter from those times. The being absolutey in love with THAT singer or THAT teen star (or older star). For me it was the cute blonde from Escape To Witch Mountain. EVERY single time I would see him or that movie my heart would flutter and I would just star at the TV in a drool enduced trance. WOW!!! OR.... the lead singer from A-HA. My closest friends know how lost I would get if any of their songs were playing. I was a 'love sick' girl stuck in another glorious world!
Sigh.... but now, here I am in my forties and while hearing the music, it still brings a smile... but not the heartthroblovesickyearningdreaming smile of then... it makes me smile because I remember what it was like to be younger... full of energie and wonder. Where has she gone??
When I look in the mirror, I know she is there but the woman staring back at me is not the same person. The woman in the mirror is becomming wrinkled and her hair has white hot streaks of 'Nordic blonde' running through it. Her lips are not as full as they once where, and her skin is no longer the smooth dollface color it used to be. She still smiles but her eyes don't carry the same light they used to. Where has she gone???
Every once in a while... I still get a glimps of her... and it makes my heart flutter. And it's in these moments that I walk away from the mirror feeling as young on the outside as my heart is on the inside...
We are all teenagers wondering what the hell happened!
Forever young :)
28.5.14
Arbeiten??
So... I have just today been informed that I will no longer have a job (I was working remotely as a freelance accountant in Amerika) after a the end of July...
Needless to say, I am very sad over this, to the point of crying... I helped to build this company from the ground up... for the last 3+ years I have donated my time, money, energy and mind to making this company work... but the american economy and the new rules placed on small business operations are forcing my company to step off the business block. What a shame :(
Sooooooo.... now I am faced with what I want to do in Germany. In Amerika they give credit to prospective employees who have worked for an extended period in the same field when applying for work. In Germany.... HA! You need some piece of paper saying you made an apprentiship or better... In short... if you cant prove your worth on paper, well then you better be looking for some kind of work that is less than a laborer.
I have dreams... one day I would like to be the boss of a kitchen... or the owner of a restaurant. But in Germany without a piece of paper saying that I went to school for a certain period of time or without a Bachelors or better in Gastoronomy... Im fucked. Maybe I can win the lottery. *shrug*
I find that working in Amerika is easier... when you have the time under your belt, it doesnt matter if you went to school or not. You can prove your worth by demonstration... rather than some fucking stupid piece of paper that doesnt say anything other than you went to school for a number of weeks or months. I have been in the food service business for years and years and years... but.... that doesnt matter here. I dont have some paper proving it!
Sigh... so I will take some 400€ per month job somewhere... and just be a common person. No standards, no expectations... maybe it will be a blessing in disguise.
GOOGLE übersetzt:
Also ... ich habe gerade heute darüber informiert, dass ich nicht mehr einen Job haben nach einer Ende Juli (ich war aus der Ferne als freischaffender Buchhalter in Amerika arbeiten ) ...
Unnötig zu sagen , ich bin sehr traurig über diese , bis zu dem Punkt zu weinen ... Ich half, diese Firma von Grund auf ... in den letzten 3 Jahren habe ich meine Zeit, Geld , Energie und Geist gespendet bauen machen dieses Unternehmen zu arbeiten ... aber die amerikanische Wirtschaft und die neuen Regeln auf kleinen Geschäftsbetrieb gebracht werden mein Unternehmen zu zwingen, Schritt aus dem Geschäftshaus . Was für eine Schande : (
Sooooooo .... jetzt bin ich mit dem, was ich in Deutschland tun, konfrontiert. In Amerika Kredit geben sie an potenzielle Mitarbeiter, die für einen längeren Zeitraum auf dem gleichen Gebiet bei der Bewerbung für Arbeit gearbeitet haben. In Deutschland .... HA ! Sie müssen einige Stück Papier sagen, Sie machte eine apprentiship oder besser ... Kurz gesagt ... wenn Sie schräg auf dem Papier beweisen Ihren Wert , auch dann werden Sie besser auf der Suche nach irgendeiner Art von Arbeit, die weniger als ein Arbeiter ist .
Ich habe Träume ... ich eines Tages möchte der Chef einer Küche ... oder der Eigentümer eines Restaurants sein . Aber in Deutschland ohne ein Stück Papier , dass ich zur Schule ging, für einen bestimmten Zeitraum oder ohne Bachelor oder besser in Gastoronomy ... Ich bin gefickt . Vielleicht kann ich in der Lotterie gewinnen . * Achselzucken *
Ich finde, dass die Arbeit in Amerika leichter ist ... wenn Sie die Zeit auf dem Buckel haben , ist es egal, wenn Sie zur Schule ging oder nicht. Sie können Ihren Wert beweisen , indem Demonstration ... anstatt einige verdammt dumm Stück Papier, das nichts anderes , als Sie zur Schule ging für einige Wochen oder Monate zu sagen hat . Ich habe in der Food-Service- Geschäft für Jahre und Jahre und Jahre (20 Jahre +) gewesen ... aber .... das spielt hier keine Rolle . Ich habe nicht ein Blatt Papier beweisen Sie es!
Seufz ... so dass ich rund 400 € pro Monat Job irgendwo treffen ... und nur ein gewöhnlicher Mensch sein . Keine Standards , keine Erwartungen ... vielleicht wird es ein Segen sein .
Needless to say, I am very sad over this, to the point of crying... I helped to build this company from the ground up... for the last 3+ years I have donated my time, money, energy and mind to making this company work... but the american economy and the new rules placed on small business operations are forcing my company to step off the business block. What a shame :(
Sooooooo.... now I am faced with what I want to do in Germany. In Amerika they give credit to prospective employees who have worked for an extended period in the same field when applying for work. In Germany.... HA! You need some piece of paper saying you made an apprentiship or better... In short... if you cant prove your worth on paper, well then you better be looking for some kind of work that is less than a laborer.
I have dreams... one day I would like to be the boss of a kitchen... or the owner of a restaurant. But in Germany without a piece of paper saying that I went to school for a certain period of time or without a Bachelors or better in Gastoronomy... Im fucked. Maybe I can win the lottery. *shrug*
I find that working in Amerika is easier... when you have the time under your belt, it doesnt matter if you went to school or not. You can prove your worth by demonstration... rather than some fucking stupid piece of paper that doesnt say anything other than you went to school for a number of weeks or months. I have been in the food service business for years and years and years... but.... that doesnt matter here. I dont have some paper proving it!
Sigh... so I will take some 400€ per month job somewhere... and just be a common person. No standards, no expectations... maybe it will be a blessing in disguise.
GOOGLE übersetzt:
Also ... ich habe gerade heute darüber informiert, dass ich nicht mehr einen Job haben nach einer Ende Juli (ich war aus der Ferne als freischaffender Buchhalter in Amerika arbeiten ) ...
Unnötig zu sagen , ich bin sehr traurig über diese , bis zu dem Punkt zu weinen ... Ich half, diese Firma von Grund auf ... in den letzten 3 Jahren habe ich meine Zeit, Geld , Energie und Geist gespendet bauen machen dieses Unternehmen zu arbeiten ... aber die amerikanische Wirtschaft und die neuen Regeln auf kleinen Geschäftsbetrieb gebracht werden mein Unternehmen zu zwingen, Schritt aus dem Geschäftshaus . Was für eine Schande : (
Sooooooo .... jetzt bin ich mit dem, was ich in Deutschland tun, konfrontiert. In Amerika Kredit geben sie an potenzielle Mitarbeiter, die für einen längeren Zeitraum auf dem gleichen Gebiet bei der Bewerbung für Arbeit gearbeitet haben. In Deutschland .... HA ! Sie müssen einige Stück Papier sagen, Sie machte eine apprentiship oder besser ... Kurz gesagt ... wenn Sie schräg auf dem Papier beweisen Ihren Wert , auch dann werden Sie besser auf der Suche nach irgendeiner Art von Arbeit, die weniger als ein Arbeiter ist .
Ich habe Träume ... ich eines Tages möchte der Chef einer Küche ... oder der Eigentümer eines Restaurants sein . Aber in Deutschland ohne ein Stück Papier , dass ich zur Schule ging, für einen bestimmten Zeitraum oder ohne Bachelor oder besser in Gastoronomy ... Ich bin gefickt . Vielleicht kann ich in der Lotterie gewinnen . * Achselzucken *
Ich finde, dass die Arbeit in Amerika leichter ist ... wenn Sie die Zeit auf dem Buckel haben , ist es egal, wenn Sie zur Schule ging oder nicht. Sie können Ihren Wert beweisen , indem Demonstration ... anstatt einige verdammt dumm Stück Papier, das nichts anderes , als Sie zur Schule ging für einige Wochen oder Monate zu sagen hat . Ich habe in der Food-Service- Geschäft für Jahre und Jahre und Jahre (20 Jahre +) gewesen ... aber .... das spielt hier keine Rolle . Ich habe nicht ein Blatt Papier beweisen Sie es!
Seufz ... so dass ich rund 400 € pro Monat Job irgendwo treffen ... und nur ein gewöhnlicher Mensch sein . Keine Standards , keine Erwartungen ... vielleicht wird es ein Segen sein .
A change in direction... er motive
So... here I was thinking that I was going to write this awesome blog all about living in Germany... hahaha
I'm a fickle sort so I am changing it up a bit...
Yes, I will still make posts about challenges and life and such in Germany but over the last few days I have been thinking about other things I want to post about that really have nothing to do specifically with good old Deutschland. When my language skills permit, I will even make posts auf Deutsch!!! WOOT WOOT
I have a list... yes, a LIST of topics that have been playing over and over in my mind for a coupla weeks... Soooo.... just keep checking back and see how things develope. :)
I might even post pictures.
Soooo, sorry for the laps in posting but lots has been a'happenin. I'm still breathing, still kicking... STAY TUNED
Michelle
I'm a fickle sort so I am changing it up a bit...
Yes, I will still make posts about challenges and life and such in Germany but over the last few days I have been thinking about other things I want to post about that really have nothing to do specifically with good old Deutschland. When my language skills permit, I will even make posts auf Deutsch!!! WOOT WOOT
I have a list... yes, a LIST of topics that have been playing over and over in my mind for a coupla weeks... Soooo.... just keep checking back and see how things develope. :)
I might even post pictures.
Soooo, sorry for the laps in posting but lots has been a'happenin. I'm still breathing, still kicking... STAY TUNED
Michelle
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