Black Forest Ski Trip

Josh, Gretchen, and I went to the Black Forest this weekend to go skiing for the day on Saturday. Not only was it a lot of fun, but I don't think we could have had any better weather. This sight is about 45 kilometers from the Alps so if the day is clear you can see the Alps from the top of the hill. And the day was gorgeous!! It was warmer than expected and the day was clear. There were some rumors that it would be raining but not a raindrop did fall the whole day.

Since I took a 10 year hiatus from skiing before I went once last year, I was also happy that this hill had some nice long easier runs. We skiied for the entire day minus a lunch break for bratwurst and beer and as stated earlier everyone had a hoot of a time.



I have decided that I am going to do various 30 day challenges while I am here. The first one is that for the next 30 days I am going to run at least one mile. I set this as my first goal just to make sure that I run everyday. I have successfully completed this task for the past eight days so it is now at the part where it is fun to make sure I complete at least one mile. Since we left the base at 5 am yesterday and were expected to return at 10 pm, I knew I had to get it in beforehand so I got up at 330 and ran a mile. It was sorta fun because I saw some other people running too BUT they were running back from the bar. I have actually been running around 2 to 4 miles each day along wtih circuit training activities, but I figured if I just set a goal to get me to the gym each day for my first 30 day challenge.

I am also trying to convince Gretch and Josh to become certified in scuba diving with me. You can do it through a local place close to Baumholder and then take trips to Croatia or Malta. I do have a small fear of open water but I have decided that I would like to scuba dive. Gretch has a bigger fear of open water sea creatures, but I think we might both put our fears behind us and do it.

Now it is time to watch some Olympic hockey. I watched the movie "Miracle" today. This was the first time that I have seen that movie in its entirity. I came back to the hotel to take a nap but ended up watching that movie instead. I cried!! I am not sure you are suppose to have that reaction but I think that movie has to also make grown men cry so I was okay with my tears.

My other new favorite pasttime is that I am addicted to a new webpage. One of Gretchen's coworkers, Danielle, told us about a website called www.steepandcheap.com. Every twenty minutes or so they have a brand new bargain on some outdoor gear. I just sit and watch my computer for the new bargain... it is like online window shopping. I haven't compulsively bought anything YET but I am sure that I will soon because the prices are amazing.

Hope everyone has a great end to their weekend!!!

Information about Baumholder

Baumholder

Known as the “Home of Champions”, the U.S. Army Garrison Baumholder (USAG) is located in the wooded hills of the Western Palatinate in the German federal state of Rheinland-Pfalz, only 30 miles from the French and Luxemburg borders. H.D. Smith Barracks, commonly called Baumholder, sets aside the German city of Baumholder and is the BSB Headquarters as well as the home of the 1st Armored Division’s 2nd Brigade and Division Artillery.

Baumholder is like a stateside military post in many respects. It has all of the facilities that would be found in an American town of the same population: schools, churches, medical facilities, recreational facilities, banks, a variety of stores, and all other necessities. All this and even more make Baumholder a beautiful place to be all you can be. The U.S. Army Garrison Baumholder comprises two small U.S. Kaserns outside of Baumholder - Strassburg Kasern in the nearby city of Idar-Oberstein and Neubruecke near the county city of Birkenfeld. Neubruecke, a former military hospital, housed a variety of U.S. Air Force elements in support of Allied Forces Central Europe (AFCENT) Headquarters, which were scaled down throughout 1994 under the U.S. Forces withdrawal plan. Strassburg Kasern is currently home of 1-94th Field Artillery Battalion, 1st Armored Division and also offers considerable amount of family housing.




Historical Facts

The U.S. Army Garrison Baumholder and the surrounding area have a colorful history dating back to 1,000 B.C., when the first farmers settled in the area. Since then, the land fell under the dominion of the Romans, the Franks, and a succession of French and German rulers.

The name Baumholder has been associated with modern military activities since 1937, when the German government needed a large area for military training. Due to its varied terrain - forests, fields, hills and valleys - a sparse population, an area of approximately 25,000 acres to the north and northeast of the city of Baumholder was selected to become one of the largest military training areas in Germany. Some 13 villages and 14 farms and mills, including 722 houses with 842 families (4,060 inhabitants) were evacuated.

After World War II, the military installation was occupied by the French Army, and in 1951, the post was turned over to the Americans.

Combat Command R of the 2nd Armored Division was the first U.S. unit to occupy Baumholder. The same year, an extensive construction program was begun to build facilities to house the families of military personnel.

The French, however, retained overall control of the maneuver area and established their Headquarters at Camp Aulenbach, a Kasern adjacent to what is now H.D. Smith Barracks.

In March 1952, the 293rd Engineer Battalion (Construction), previously located in Karlsruhe, was transferred to Baumholder and has been permanently stationed here until 1993. Then, it was replaced by the 40th Engineer Battalion. Elements of the 2nd Armored Division remained at Baumholder until December 1957, when it was replaced by armor, infantry and field artillery units of the 8th Infantry Division.

In March 1960, the Baumholder maneuver training area (MTA) was transferred from French to German control. The German garrison moved to Camp Aulenbach replacing the French while the U.S. units remained at Baumholder proper.

On 17 January 1992, 8th Infantry Division was deactivated and the 1st Armored Division was activated at Baumholder.



Baumholder Today

Baumholder today represents the largest concentration of U.S. Army combat units outside the CONUS. The maneuver training area (MTA) is now used by varied NATO forces as a major European training area.

“Community Services”, social services, information and referral are provided by the “We Care Team”. Our outstanding family support program reaches out through the Army Community Service program to all members of the community with support, helping hands and information to answer any question or need. There are two elementary and one high school to serve the educational needs.

Pre-school and child care facilities are located in each housing area; Family Morale, Welfare and Recreation services programs offer a wide variety of programs. Medical and dental facilities are conveniently located in the community. The military shopping facilities are noted for being among the best in Europe.

Baumholder boasts its own golf course, an indoor swimming pool, camping site, and many other recreational and sports facilities.

Many German-American events/programs provide a good opportunity to explore and get acquainted with the local population and area. Baumholder offers unlimited opportunities for training and off-duty enjoyment, and is ideally situated for travel to other European countries - Belgium, France and Luxemburg are within a one-hour drive.

Baumholder is a great place to live, joining people of two diverse cultures and backgrounds, Germans and Americans, into one forward-looking community embodying the best of two highly capable nations.

House Update

As you can see, I have posted pictures of the farmhouse. The landlord still has some work to do but you can have a general idea of the layout. There are no pictures of the guesthouse because there is still a lot of work to do so I will post those pictures later. I would love to hear what everyone thinks!! I love it when the blog is more interactive and I get feedback from you guys because I miss you all!

I do have a good German yelling story (what would a post be without one, eh?). So I found this apt through an ad in the newspaper and then the immobilien met me and she communicates with the landlord because he speaks English but not a lot of English. A lot of people take this approach when finding housing because there are better houses out there through newspapers.. so I am not the first one (even then later on the base housing inspector would make me feel that I was the first one to ever go about getting a house this way). So after findina a house, housing has to go out and inspect it. The place I found was in an ad that was officially for another military base close by so the immobilien had only really dealt with that base's housing which just so happens to be a lot easier and laid back. So the housing inspection was last Wednesday and I was told that I shouldn't be there. Jump forward to this Monday.

The immobilien calls me to say that she has not heard from the inspector which is odd because they usually get back to the landlord in a day or two. So the immobilien and myself place a few phone calls to figure out what is going on. I called numerous times and the office's phone was busy for hours. Which to me is sorta odd since everytime I go into the office there is no one there and they are NOT busy. But finally the immobilien got someone on the phone and they said that I had to talk to them and I had to come in to talk to them. So I go there and am greeted with this phrase "So you are the troublemaker." Now, I am all about a sarcastic greeting but he was really not happy. He then yelled at me for not being at the house when he was there, paying too much for rent, and finding a place that was this big for someone that was not married or didn't have any kids. So I had to explain to him that I was indeed single, I was indeed sans children, and I was indeed okay spending the money that was given to me by the government to live half way across the world. He was disgusted with me. I am okay with me and my decision.

But I do have to also say how much I like my landlord. They yelled at him too I guess when the inspector was there because things weren't done and he had agreed to take the amount of money that I offered him because it was supposedly too much for the place. But the landlord is really laidback and a nice hardworking German. So I am glad that I have found a German that has proven that Germans can indeed be nice. And my immobilien and me are friends now too.

Pictures Upstairs

Loft Upstairs: This is where the balcony, two bedrooms, and a bathroom are located.


Balcony Upstairs: Right below is the guest apartment. There are no pictures of the guest apartment yet... that will come later



Bedrooms Upstairs

Pics of the Bathrooms

Bathroom Upstairs




Bathroom Downstairs

More pictures of house

Kitchen: Which is right after you walk into the side entry so it will overlook the walnut tree and garden. Those two people in the kitchen are my two favorite Germans thus far. The female is my immobilien and the guy is my landlord. My landlord is really really nice!


Living Room: It is completely open to the kitchen. That white portion of the wall will have a steel wood burning stove!!


Small Window that opens up the Dining Room to the Living Room


Dining Room


Picture of the Stairs Upstairs

Pictures of the House- YAY!!!

Here are pictures of the house that is officially mine!!! The contract was signed today. So unless Baumholder throws a huge curveball, I think I am in the clear! Gretch was nice enough to come with me and take some pictures. It is not completely done (as evidenced by the pics). I can only upload five photos at a time so I will start with the outside.


Side of the House



Next 2 pictures: Side entry to the house with the porch. And that tree is an actual walnut tree!!! That side plot will be a garden... so big!






My colorful house from the road into town:



This is a super cute church that is a block away from my house. It is in the center of the small town. I like it because the color scheme matches my house.

Week 2 in Review

This week did get off to a shakey start. There are just a lot of frustrations that come along with this whole life transition. And it is crazy how even when you go with the flow, it still is just crazy. BUT things have gotten much better so let's focus on the highs so that I don't vent for this whole blog entry.

First high. I have gotten to watch A LOT of curling this week. Dave Rud and I have watched many matches together and a few apart. And I am intrigued by this sport. I know this might be a weird thing I do but every Olympics I also think "What if there is a sport that you would naturally be talented at but you will never know because you have never tried it." Like for example, what if you had all the natural makings and ability to be an equestrian but you have never ridden a horse competitively, so you will never know. I have found that most people don't have this thought, but I do frequently in life. And I think curling is a great example of this. I am pretty sure SOMEONE reading this blog (aka 1 of my 10 followers :)) could have gone to the Olympics in curling but has never tried to throw a "stone" down an ice rink and hit a bullseye so you don't realize how good you would have/could have been. But curling does have all the makings of a great pasttime: strategy, precision, passion, head to head competition, and a great ab workout if you are a sweeper. So in conclusion, curling rules!

Another plus. I have booked my first trip. It is at the end of April but it will be a long weekend in Italy. I am really pumped for this. I hope to travel before that weekend but it is nice to get something on the books and the plane ticket was only 10 euros roundtrip.

It has also been a lot of fun to travel and hang out with Josh, Gretch, Mary, and Dave this week. I am pretty sure Tyson and Elsie are going to go through huge withdrawals once Dave leaves since he has spent a lot of time playing with them this week. The humans did venture to a place called Trier today. It is the oldest city in Germany so there is a cathedral, castle, and bath house and then a lot of modern shops. It was a nice day and Gretch and I bought our brother Greg an awesome birthday gift. I think it will be the best gift that he has EVER gotten.

Moreover, since I am on the subject of my older brother. He posted an article about Roger Ebert this week on his facebook page. For those of you that don't know who Roger Ebert is he is a famous film critic that used to be part of Siskel and Ebert before Siskel died. They pretty much coined the term "two thumbs up" or "two thumbs down." These two gentlemen were my brother's idols growing up. But whether or not you know who he is, I thought this article was very touching and well written so I thought I would share it on my blog. It is a MUST read.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/02/16/roger-ebert-on-gene-siske_n_463651.html

In case you can't get to it by clicking the link, just google "Ebert Huffington Post"

We also went out to a German restaurant last night... IT WAS REALLY GOOD!!!! It is one of Josh's favorite and who knew you could get such great Greek food in Germany. Not only is it good food but it is also a great environment.

My favorite story of the week was that I had to go into the customs office this week to register my new rental car. The lady in the office is a German but she speaks fluent English. Half way through the process, she realized that she didn't have a pen to give me because the person before me had taken the pen, so she immediately voiced her disgust in that person and fiercely said "that bastard stole my pen." Now, I am trying to realize that even though many times Germans seem that they are angry, they might not really be that mad. So I tried to make some joke and cut the instant tension that she had created... I think i said something like "oh, I hate it when you can't find a pen." I guess I didn't understand at all what she was going on because she said "No, that person is a bastard. Those bastards are always stealing my pens and these are my pens." So I have now made it my goal to make sure that I never upset a German. If it comes down to a verbal battle, I am pretty sure he or she would win.

Tschus 4 now!

Germany Shermany

The Ruds discussing The Bachelor before Gretchen is there:
(PS Dave Rud is ONLY waiting for 24 to come on. He doesn't really like this show... OBVIOUSLY!!!!)



Gretchen joining The Ruds for a great episode of The Bachelor:


An hour into the program... I would like to note the men and the dogs MIGHT be sleeping



I have created a list of before and after.
A. What I Thought I Knew About Myself…
B. What I Learned Today About Myself…..


A. That I was easy going
B. That certain things about Germany piss me off beyond belief

A. That I was a problem solver
B. There are things about the Army are so complicated that you can’t outthink them

A. I possessed the virtue of patience
B. That I can’t wait much longer for something to happen around here

A. That I liked a challenge
B. I am ready for these complicated situations to end

I had rented a car a week ago because I got my German driver’s license a week ago. The car I got was 30 minutes away. When I rented the car they only had a bigger station wagon which was more money to rent than a small German style car. So I THOUGHT I was outthinking the system and got that car for a week and was going to exchange that car for a smaller cheaper car. What I didn’t realize is that if you switch rental cars you also have to double ALL your work to drive that car. In order to spare you from all the details, just realize that Germany and the military put you through a lot of work to drive a car. So I went through all that work to register my car but was going to switch it today. I drove to get the new car and then found out that they closed early (for the record: they closed at 2 pm and I got there at 155 pm but wouldn’t be allowed in). Turns out that Germans celebrate “the carnival” which I am going to assume is Mardi Gras!!! WTF (Why The Face?)


But the high point of my day is two things.

1. The pictures above that demonstrate my day currently… The Ruds enjoying The Bachelor!!!!
And
2. Someone at work today told me that I had a phone call and I said, “Really?” And they said “Yes, They said a Rud called them” and then I said “I am not a Rud” and they then said “Oh, really you aren’t a Rud?” Then I had to explain I did NOT marry the same man that my sister did.
Okay, I am going to go watch The Bachelor now… it seems like a good way to unwind from a stressful day!!
Cheers.

In other news, for all of you that have not seen the Snow Cross Results from yesterday, you should watch the final heat... It is awesome. And if you can find a youtube video footage, please send it to me because I am trying to show Dave Rud how awesome it is!!!

Photos

So I think I have officially figured out how to post pictures!!! So here are a few pics. Today I went to a little town nearby named Idar-Oberstein with Vicki, Slade, and Bryn (all friends provided by Gretchen and Josh :)) It is a really cute town with lots of shops and restaurants and then there is a church in a cliff. That is what the picture is. Further up there is actually a castle, but I really dig the church in the rock.



We went to a Thai place that had AMAZING sauces and curry. Here is the menu with the buck tooth waiter.



The next two pictures are just streets in the German town where the house that I want is at.








This is a pic of a bar that is right up the road from the house that I am hoping I get. It looks like it would be a lot of fun, eh? PS I am not really sure it is a bar but it looks like one, right?



This one is from my last night in Minneapolis after a nice steak dinner with family and friends. Don't these three look they would be awesome European visitors!!!

First impressions of Germany

I have decided to list the things that I like and don't like about Germany so far (for equal opportunity blogging with the positive and the negative)!!! I figured this might be nice to go back to and read down the road after I get more settled that is why this blog is titled "First Impressions of Germany".

Things I Like

1. First and foremost... THE WINDOWS!!! Germans have the window situation figured out!!! The windows are big and they can be opened two ways. They can either be opened up and swung open and then you just have clear access to the outside... no screen!!! Or they can be tilted open. It is amazing. I actually love cooking in Gretch's kitchen because she has two big windows that you can open up and there is a lot of fresh air. After I got over the fear that a bird would fly right in since there is no screen, I have embraced the windows and love them. Moreover, German houses all have these built in blinds that roll down in the window and are metal. They are called rolladens. Therefore, they offer the option of a total blackout in any given room at any given time during any given day. They are on all German houses and everyone tells me that these blinds were put on German houses during WWII. I have included pictures of the windows so that all of you can see what I am talking about. The metal blinds and the big beautifulness of German windows.

2. I love that they say goodbye as "Tschus" but the way everyone says it, it sounds like "Cheers" And I like to think that everyone is saying Cheers to me as a leave places because it seems really friendly.

3. This next like is actually a shocker for me. As most of you know that know my sister she LOVES the grocery store. Absolutely thinks that any grocery store is the bees knees. I, on the other hand, usually don't really like grocery stores. But I think that I will like grocery stores here. I like the commissaries on base because they offer really cheap produce and the grocery stores off base are an adventure and so different in Germany that I actually enjoy going to them.

4. Windmills. There are windmills all around here and for some reason I think windmills are really pretty and I find it calming how they just gently circle in the wind.

5. I also like getting to hang out with Josh and Gretch (Now I should mention that Gretchen and Josh are not my fifth favorite thing about Germany and should take this opportunity to say all of these things are in no particular order). It is fun to be around them again and they are both really great people to help me become acquainted with all the good things about Germany since they have been here for a year. And I have enjoyed all the beers that they have had me try so far. I just got an email from Mary Jo Colvin and she informed me that if you drink enough German beer the Colvin family has found that you can actually start speaking fluent German immediately. So now I am excited for Gretchen, Josh, Mary, and Dave to get back from Rome so we can test this theory and see if it is true.

Things I love AND hate at the same time

1. The television broadcasting available on base because the commercials are army commercials. All of them have some moral message about what is right and what is wrong. But they also have trivia commercials where they give you clues about a US state or another country and you have to guess which state or country it is.. those are fun and I am bad at them so I am learning more about geography while I am here.

2. The radio. The radio stations are really scattered. But I do like that you never know what oldie but goodie you might here. Like for example, the other day I heard the JLo song "Jenny from the Block" right after Lionel Ritchie. So they definitely know how to mix it up.

3. The autobahn and driving. Now it is SORTA fun to drive on the autobahn and driving in Germany in general but there are also things I don't like. Actually, I think the only reason that this is in the neutral category and not in the category HATE IT WITH A PASSION is that my mom and dad were kind enough to give me their Garmin/navigation system before I left and it has been a LIFESAVER. I can't imagine navigating the streets and highways of Germany without it since I sometimes get lost with it :)

Things I don't like

1. I am still wondering if I am EVER going to get past the fact that I feel that Germans are yelling at me all the time. And this is true whether they are speaking to me in their native tongue or in English. It really does shut me down and I feel like a scolded puppy everytime I have an encounter :)

2. The seven hour time difference. It really does make it tougher to stay in touch with everyone in the states and I am saddened that you don't have the text messaging option. So I think that I have to get use to other ways to communicate than what I have been used to in the past.

I think that is about it for now. I will add to this list as more comes to mind.

CHEERS!!!

Elsie looking out the window at birds

The German State of Mind

So today Gretchen, Josh, Mary, and Dave left for Rome. I got the invitation to go but decided that I should probably settle in a little more here in Germany before venturing off to other countries. Plus I think that this is the best decision for Tyson’s wellbeing. I am not sure how he would have taken to a German kennel quite yet. Also, when I got the invitation a couple of months ago, I wasn’t sure what I was going to be doing with work. Now I realize that my work schedule is not really set and I could have gone.

However, I am really glad to have this weekend to sorta relax, get my bearings, and get settled in a little. I am also happy that I don’t have any “drinking buddies” around this weekend since I don’t really have any “buddies” around this weekend since the two people that I know and love on post (Josh and Gretch are gone). Since getting here there has always been a new beer to taste and am sad to report that I love German beer (a little too much). I don’t even really like beer but German beer is really good. It is also nice that there is such a difference between the beers. Not that there isn’t a huge difference between Bud Light and Miller Light but you can really tell the difference with taste tests here. I guess there is even a popular beer called BitBurger that most people don’t like. However, I like this one too… go figure. So I am happy to take a break from the beer testing for the weekend and just lay low and eat a lot of salads :).

Mary and Dave arrived in Frankfurt at 3 pm yesterday. When Gretchen and Josh went to pick them up it was snowing pretty hard again. I guess this is par for course if any Minnesotan travelers are arriving into Germany. People here are really taken aback by how much snow they are getting but it is really nothing compared to Minnesota. I stayed back to make some appetizers for their arrival and three other people came over. We had a lot of fun! Or at least I did! I really like all the people that Gretchen and Josh hang out with and it is always fun to talk to Mary and Dave.

So I got bad news on Wednesday night followed by the opportunity to negotiate with a German (which is a hard and scary task especially for me because no matter what Germans say, I always think that they are yelling at me… even in emails).

Here is the story with some background information. So I have offered to pay the landlord a fairly hefty amount for the monthly rental cost of the place because I like it a lot and really it is not my money. Since I have the housing allowance, I might as well use it and I am happy to know that it is going to a nice hardworking German man. But what I didn’t figure into the whole situation is that I would have to pay the realtor her immobilien fee. Most of them go for one month rent.

Now let me explain something that I find interesting. Most fees are based on the fact that you go to an immobilien and say this is what I want, please find it. They then search for a long time and show you many houses/apts til you find one you like and then you pay them one months rent whatever that is and most places go for about 700-900 euros here (and those places are nice places). But what I did was find this place in a local newspaper, call her because her name was in the ad, and have her meet me at the house and show it to me. It took me about 10 mins total to look at the house and decide that I wanted it. Now she is a vital part of the process because she talks to the landlord that only speaks German BUT at the end of all this she might have done a total of maybe 2 hours of work TOTAL to seal this deal. So I was trying to talk her down from the one month rent. She did agree at the house to do 80% but that was still 1600 euros which is more than $2000 American money. Which is mind boggling to me… to say the least since she really just had to show up to make the money.

So I wrote to her and said that I talked to other people who spent 400 to 1500 euros on an immobilien (which is true) and was wondering if she would settle for 1100 euros. This is what I got back.
“thanks for reply
about immobilien-charge: First of all: I am not other people !
I am out to rent a project about ca. 2100,-- min. -
My fee is € 1600,00 (80% thats what we talked about on Monday)
Let me know if you still go with that asap.”

I then decided that I could not and did not want to pay that amount of money for someone who did not do much work so I wrote her back and said that I had only asked other people the amounts to know what to budget and had only budgeted 1200 euros and was going with an immobilien that charged a flat rate. And got this back.

“i will agree with 1200 for the whole complex, because i was focus to rent this house for you, because u liked it from the start, thats why. This is a special offer.
kindly regards”

I was very happy with this because it saves me 400 euros which is about $530 and did feel this was more than fair compensation since I have never made close to 600 euros/hour in any job that I have had . However, I figured she must hate me, which I was willing to get over but did feel bad about nonetheless. So I thanked her and got this back in return!!!

“thanks so much too, you are a very nice person.”

Needless to say, I am still confused by Germans. I thought she was being short with me and was disgusted with me but instead gives me a compliment. So the house is still a go so far and I have learned a little more about Germans in general.

I have also included a picture of the dogs relaxing. I know that I said that I would take pictures of Germany for you, but I thought I would start with the dogs to see if I could even successfully post pics. Mom, Elsie is looking out the window right now bird watching... I am pretty sure she gets this behavior from you!
Until next time…

Official German Driver For Sure, Possible New House Renter For Maybe

So It has been a busy couple of days but I am happy to report that it has also been a successful couple of days.

Before I get to what I have been doing, I want to comment that I was excited to hear that the Saints won the Superbowl. I stayed up til midnight to watch the start of the game but gave up trying to stay awake for the whole game when I realized that there were no Superbowl commercials. (See they don't do American commercials here.. only army commercials which provides no comical relief of the Oprah/Jay Leno/Letterman commercial). But I was excited when I woke up the next day to a Saints win. Bobby Hebert I am sure is proud and I was a fan of him back when I lived in Mississippi so if it can't be the Vikings, this was second best. I also was so impressed when I signed on to facebook and I found that so many of you watch the whole game. Then I realized that it wasn't on at midnight where you guys are.. so I am not so impressed with all of you afterall.

Now on to me...

First, let's talk housing. I was about to cry on Monday because I was getting nowhere with finding a house. The problem is that they give me a big housing allowance but they don't have the resources to help me find a house to rent in that price range. So I could get a much lesser apartment or house and be fine with that, but then I would feel like a failure not using my full housing allowance :) Or they would give me a house with ten bedrooms and all this extra room and I wasn't really going for that. I have a nice friendly sargent from the hospital driving me around looking at places and he came into this one house that was two floors and each floor was made to be its own apartment: Therefore, it had two kitchens, two baths, and more rooms than I could count. It was outside a nice little town and he was all about me getting it. He promised me that if I got the house, he would provide the parties and would have no problem taking over one of the floors. I was impressed by his excitement and thought for a second about getting it but realized it was just too much house for little old me. And I was taken back from the landlord continuing to ask, "No children?" "No children?" "No husband?" I think that was the German way of saying "Are you sure you want all of this space just for you?" I did think about adopting kids but then realized I wasn't Angelina Jolie and this might not be the best option.



So I left that house feeling frustrated. I really wanted to find a house because it would make me be a lot more excited (and real) to be here but wasn't sure if I was going to find a place. Then comes Erica Jung. She is an immobilien (German for realtor) and I found an ad in a local online paper. She brought Gretchen and I to GERMAN UTOPIA. It is a German farmhouse that is redone so everything inside is BRAND NEW!!! It is actually two apartments separated so in other words, I have a one bedroom guesthouse for anyone that would like to visit the countryside of Germany!!! Instead of going through all the details, I will post pictures as soon as I can but let me tell you the high points. 1. I CAN HAVE A GARDEN!!!! There is already a plot and he said I could plant whatever I want. 2. There is a fresh farmer's market down the street in the summer. Fresh eggs everyday and produce as available. 3. Pond in the back yard. It is a huge backyard and out the back you see the German countryside and a pond. 4. A wood burning stove. 5. It is perfect. So needless to say that I am pumped. I am going to buy cheap bikes and my new favorite German pasttime is going to be making Gretch and Josh (and any other visitors) bike to the local town with me and go to local restaurants or bars and then bike back. And I am also pumped for fresh strawberries, green beans, cucumbers, and lettuce from the backyard in the summer. I am really pumped for a certain gardening partner to come and help me when she is here. And just for the record I am going to name my garden "The German Dowling Garden" and send pics to our favorite gardener, Jan. (that last blurb about the garden will probably only make sense to Emily J)



And I also got my driver's license today and rented a car. I drove on the autobahn for the first time and officially passed a car!!! But for the record, many more cars passed me... I think that is a typical autobahn experience. I am fine with driving on the autobahn but I am a little nervous about city driving. The signs and lights still confuse me. The most confusing part is that they have tons of traffic circles. I do have to take this moment to thank the City of Eagan for installing the traffic circle about three months before I left to help acquaint me with the joy of traffic circle driving but I still have a lot to learn. I also got a rental car which is a stick shift. I know how to drive a stick shift since Mama K taught me how to in the Miata but I haven't driven one for awhile. Therefore, between learning to drive in a new country and remembering how to drive stick shift, I now have the new adventure of driving without causing an accident.. so that is adventurous!!!

Many people have asked me about my job. I won't really have many updates about my job for the next few weeks. They allot me time to become assimilated to the new environment and country. Which is nice but semi frustrating because I can't just jump into the new "job." However, now that I found a house and have a driver's license, I can start to feel independent here which will help a lot. It has been a little hard to depend this much on Gretchen and other people. But Gretchen has been amazing!!!!!

So now I am sitting at The Rud house as they watch The Bachelor. And I would like to report that Josh is into this show as much (if not even slightly more) than Gretchen. He is commenting on who he wants to win and why they would or not work with Jake "On the Wings of Love" Bachelorman. I will give him the excuse that they only have two channels and I am on the internet but I think that he digs this show and the psychology of dating shows! He did just ask, "Why are girls so emotional?" Anyone that would like to answer this question for Josh can feel free to do so in the comment section of my blog and I will make sure to pass the answer on to him. My question about The Bachelor remains "How do so many people fall head over heels in love with the same guy? How come not even one says... this guy is not for me?"

And finally, Tyson is doing much better. I think that he is getting use to Germany and isn't freaking out during the day... so that is great!!!

I do think that is about all for now. Hopefully, the next time that I write I will be able to say that I got the farmhouse for sure and that I haven't gotten in any car accidents. Also, I do hope to post pictures soon.

Until then,
Meaghan Cherryling

Gotta Be Startin' Something

Hello Everyone,
I have arrived in the grand country some call Deutschland last Tuesday. When I got here they were in the middle of a blizzard which I guess is not common for this part of Germany. Since then I have learned that they are experiencing the worst winter in the last 30 years. But it feels like good ole Minnesota so I am okay with that. However, I do have to be honest that since the Blistery Tuesday most of the snow has melted since the temps are now 40 to 5o degrees.

The trip here was actually pretty uneventful. I said goodbye to Tyson at the airport as he flew in cargo and I brought Elsie with me in the plane. She did fantastical as a travel companion. She only wimpered once about half way through the plane ride to Germany and I brought her into the bathroom in the plane, put down a puppy pad, she immediately emptied her bladder and went back into the bag and went back to bed. The lady next to me was so impressed with her so I was proud of her. When I got to Germany they barely looked at my papers and let the dogs through right away. I had mixed emotions about this because I had gone through so much trouble and concern about them that I wanted them to at least look at the papers more closely but I guess it is better that this happened than they "destroyed" the dogs.

Gretchen was right there to get me so that was awesome. Whenever I see her it is like we never spent any time apart. I arrived in Germany at 1015 which is 315 back home so I was quite jet lagged since I did not sleep at all on the plane so I did sleep a bit on the 2 hour drive back to Baumholder. I am still not completely over my jet lag quite yet. I currently am on a pattern of one good night of sleep followed by one bad night of sleep. Unfortunately, tonight is due to be my bad night of sleep but the Super Bowl is on here at midnight so maybe that isn't too bad since at least I will have something to watch. I have been offered Ambien by about three providers at the health clinic but I don't think that my body would do very well with it so I am trying to just get through this week.

Ummmm... besides that I have just been trying to get settled and/or comfortable. I am going to take my German driver license test on Tuesday so hopefully I will pass that and then be able to drive. My other goal for this week is to get closer to finding a house. That has been a challenge. The super nice part of my job is that they do give me something called a LQA (which stands for Living Quarter Allowance) (sidenote: I have learned many things about the Army this week and one of them is that they use acronyms like crazy... EVERYTHING has an acronym and people think you are stupid if you don't know them) so I get money to pay for my rent and because I am a high end civilian I get a fair amount of money for my housing allowance. The thing is that if you don't use it, you lose it. Therefore, it is to my benefit to live in a nice house. I know this sounds awesome (and it is) but it has been posing a problem because finding a house in my price bracket is harder because the free resources they offer are mainly for soldiers and there living allowance is a lot less. Also, they don't have rent.com here so finding places on your own is difficult to say the least. So I am contemplating hiring someone to help me find a place to rent even though they are a little spendy. The other thing is that I have read a lot about how it is in your best interest to possibly buy a place because the military will pay the mortgage. But all of this is making my head spin as evidenced by the fact that I am typing all this out and probably boring all of you guys (sorry :)) So I am going to try to be figuring all of THAT out this week...

Overall, I think I am doing fairly well. I did have one breakdown on Friday but Tyson dog is not doing so well in this new surrounding and it does stress me out a little bit. It is so funny because I often say I can't believe how different Elsie and Tyson are but this adventure has really proved it. Tyson is freaking out and his behavior is completely not the norm for him. Elsie on the other hand I think loves this adventure and thinks it is so cool that she gets to see new places and meet new dogs and people. Me I have found comfort in hanging out with Josh and Gretch and when I am not there watching "This is It"!!! It is the only movie I brought from home, so thank goodness I never get sick of it!!!

I think that is all I have now for an update. I will try to keep this up to date as much as possible and will include photos soon taken with the cool camera I was given.

I really miss everyone back home a lot!!! And would love to hear about all of your plans to come visit me soon.

Meaghan