Five Euros plus..............

This is what five Euros and 27 cents buys here in Germany.....

Butter toast Bread-.79 euro cents

Brie-.69 euro cents

Strawberries- 2.99 euros

Milk- .65 euro cents

Plastic bag to carry it in-.15 euro cents

Stop questioning and just do it!

This is our new "Bible" .........Do as the Germans Do! End of story!

I read this book before we moved here in preparation for what to expect. Didn't really mean a lot until we were here and experiencing things the book talked about. So I reread the "Bible" again and laughed how true it was.

But I still struggle accepting many things one being the lack of smiling and two the lack of waiting in lines. The books states, Germans have been known to smile, but unnecessary smiling is frowned on. A German man needs a good reason to smile. In fact, excessive smiling in most of Europe is indication of weak mindedness. Don't over due smiling around Germans. Okay now that's funny ...do we Americans over due smiling? Shame on us! So that explains the frownie faces I see everyday and possibly the starring maybe I'm over doing the smile. Note to self stop smiling you mindless American.

The lack of waiting on line is enough to drive you bonkers, today while waiting in the queue for my turn at the cash register a man comes right up and stands in front of me as if I wasn't even there. I was like Hello buddy line starts over there! Forget it you obviously need those socks and tie more then I need these hand warmers go for it buddy! But the book states, I mean the "Bible", the meek will wait forever, politeness is a sign of weakness and when there is an opening Germans will take it. One of the few places Germans will wait in line is the ATM , and that is the only place I have not been ditched. I so want to ditch someone in the ATM line just to see what would happen, but my luck it would be an American and they would go postal on me cause they are so sick of being ditched! So I will be a good mindless American smile and wait my turn, because it's what polite people DO!

Enjoying a semi nice day in Bremen.......

with a..............

walk in the country ....................

German manners or lack of........

One thing that drives us crazy here in Germany is how people stare. It's not a normal stare, " like oh I like her shoes,let me check them out". No its a long cold stare the kind that leaves you saying, "WHAT"....or makes you look behind to see if its something behind you, or possibly something on your face. It's rude and after awhile, sorry you get so tired of it, and defensive, maybe a little angry. On Friday the three of us walk into a crowded restaurant and I swear the whole restaurant turned and stared at us. At first you think okay maybe we walk in on a private party.....no that's not the case, they are just rude! How do you think I should get Germans to stop staring, wave at them, smile big like a crazy person or just glare back?

Sunshine in Bremen today!

Today the sun showed it's face

Happy flowers and Happy me!

Saying goodbye!

This weekend I have to say goodbye to my friend, Sheri and her family. They are leaving this adventure and heading home to Georgia to start the next adventure in their lives. She is the first American, and the first nice person I met in Germany. Our kids go to the same school and we are in Germany under the same situation, husbands job, length of stay etc... we clicked right away and became fast friends. I felt from day one I could be myself with Sheri ,we laughed at each others German experiences and ventured out to the unknown together. We had similar complaints, and fears, like not knowing what we are eating and a love for Starbucks. I couldn't have survived here without her, she has "wheels" and took me with her all the time even when it wasn't always convenient for her to get me she would. She took me to the Ikea when we were both trying to make our new German houses feel more like a home. Many times we visited the German version of a "mall", especially helpful when trying to buy Christmas tree and decorations. At least once a week or more she would take me for our big grocery shop days, I would load up on anything and everything and was truly thankful I had her and her "wheels" and didn't have to lug bags home on the bus.
She is a great friend and there are many days if it wasn't for her I wouldn't have left my house. I will miss her and her companionship so much. I'm glad we met and I know she will be a friend for life.

In the city
Starbucks!

Sophie gets to go BYE BYE.......

Today Sophie had an appointment at the groomers and got to go B.Y.E, B.Y.E. (we can never say those words out loud in our house or she heads for the door and waits) I don't know who misses having a car more Sophie or me! In Utah she would love to go on car rides, sticking her head out the window, panting and wagging her tail with joy. Well here in Germany the only time she is in a car is when she goes to "the farm" while we travel. But today was a special treat she got to go on a bus and the tram and a nice walk to her groomer appointment. Here she is with her Daddy enjoying her travels.

Sophie riding the bus

Sophie riding the tram

Here she is after her appointment on the tram....but she is ticked at her Dad for making her wear the "gentle leader" . It's not her fault she gets so excited she gets to go BYE BYE and can't walk without choking herself ! It was a great day to get out and walk and go BYE BYE!

The donkey ate my homework.....

Today I was caught off guard when my door bell rang at 9 am and there stood my German teacher. I said to her come in I didn't think we had lesson until Thursday? She said nein every Tuesday and Thursday. Yes but last Thursday you said okay Thursday at 9am so I just figured she must be busy this Tuesday who am I to ask. All along I'm thinking "oh s@#t I didn't do my homework" come on I had until Thursday! I started to panic what was I to do, to say, OMG I studied a bit a couple days ago, look the direction of my books a few times over the weekend, dusted around them....crap! Then it dawn on me I'm paying her and I'm an adult not a 14 year old that just got busted, calm down!

We continued our lesson from last week and moved on to irregular verbs and pronouns, pronoun replacement, etc.. ......so it was insane! So she is telling me I must practice my nouns, and pronouns and yada, yada,yada is all I hear or blah, blah, blah.... I know I'm the lazy student I learned about last lesson Peter or Paul whatever! But then she says to me, " how do they say in English about the donkey bridge?" I look at her with an expression the says "what the .... are you talking about and then I smile big like I'm going to start laughing. I feel it starting, you know the kind the starts inside, where your body shakes, but I stop myself. She is like oh never mind back to lesson and throws some German question my way like Where is the book? Well I'll tell you where the book is its on the donkey bridge with my homework!

Dedicated to the game

Football when I hear that word it does nothing for me, sorry never really been a loyal fan of any particular team or understood what a first down is. But I do enjoy a good Super Bowl party or even Football Nachos, a dinner I would make on Football nights which could be Monday night, Thursday night.....etc . My husband like most men is a die hard fan, but up until Saturday night we have gone without a TV for the last six months since moving to Germany. Last night like a die hard football fan my husband set the alarm clock to get up at 12:00 am and watch the Super Bowl and came back to bed at 4:00 am and woke at 6:30 am for work. Now that is dedication to the game!

Wii and TV make for a happy three!

Yes, we are the proud owners of a German Wii! (yeah!!clap,clap,clap) This means I can abandon my quest to improve my Freecell score I've been obsessed with on my computer and now become a Pro Wii Bowler or Pro Wii Tennis Champ all with endless possibilities. We were given a very nice gently used TV by a Co-Worker of Craig's it took some work but he finally got it working so not only do we have Wii but we also have BBC and German MTV and whole lot of other German channels that we may stumble on now and then . Now we are searching high and low for a Region Free DVD player so we can play movies from USA and Germany. I know what you are thinking aren't you suppose to be learning German? Ya Ya Ya right after I get SPORTY playing Wii !!