We’re moving again…

There may not be any new blog posts until the new year, because we will soon be packing up all our belongings. We knew when we arrived in 2015 that we would need to move in early 2018 and/or 2020. We are thrilled to be able to stay in Germany, but in a new city.

We have loved life near Ramstein Air Base/Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, and will miss many aspects of peaceful times in the countryside.  Our home internet has been pretty reliable, which cannot be said for every town here (really, I thought of that first?). Our landlord and landlady are the nicest people- they gave us the decorative pillows on the couch as a Christmas present, and always included cat treats, even in the Easter basket when we moved in! As you can see, Pork Chop, aka “the 4^th cat”, has been spending time in the house with us. He still prefers the out of doors as the weather is not too cold yet.

The meadow behind the house (first photo) lent an air of calm to the neighborhood, which was already calm to begin with. We will miss the wonderful people we have gotten to know, but will thankfully still be able to meet up in person, since we won’t be too far away…well, until it's their turn to move away! It has already been sad to say farewell to a few friends here who are back in the States now, but we have more “homes away from home” with them in several places!

I will miss the choir I sing with very much, but plan to look for a new choir right away. It will take time and energy to get to know the new grocery stores, hair salon, dry cleaner, etc. but we are thankful to be able to extend our time in Europe. There are also opportunities for more travel, as we will be closer to Austria. We might have a small garden in the new place, and hopefully a garage, since there will be more snow.

Here’s to good friends and wonderful experiences in our corner of Germany that will always be home. And here’s to the new place/neighborhood/peeps we will soon be getting to know. The cats are pleased to be driving to their new home, rather than flying in an airplane. We will share updates as soon as the many urgent “to-dos” are gradually checked off, photos uploaded, and a good nights’ sleep had.

An ordinary week in our corner of Germany

When there is a gap between blog posts, I’m usually busy with everyday life, and don’t think it’s so exciting to share. But then the posts I do write are skewed to travel adventures, and life seems glamorous. In some ways it may be, but please rest assured, I do laundry every week and go to the grocery store, too!

Work: I used to get up at 6am for my first job here, which was better than 5:30am in Massachusetts, but still not great. I’m fortunate to not have to get up quite that early for my current job. Here is a photo of the sunrise at my office parking lot in 2015. My office day typically wraps up at 4:30pm, unless I have a meeting with the US team on the east coast (morning there, evening here). They don’t mind when my cats hog the camera during our video conference meetings, which I participate in from home.

After work: I try to go to the gym at least once per week, preferably twice (not because I like to, but because I like chocolate!). The military gyms are fine, but I miss the women’s fitness centers in the US, especially the air conditioning. I benefit in many ways from attending a yoga class once per week all year. My teacher lives in the village next to ours, and during the summer, we have class in her back yard. I lead a Bible study once per week, where we have learned so much together. I sing in a choir, and look forward to rehearsal one evening per week.

Saturdays: around here, you gotta get things done on Saturday because everything is closed on Sundays. I like the German grocery stores, and usually go to one on Saturdays. The fresh bread is great, and they carry lactose-free yogurt and ice cream. I also found frozen pretzels, which were popular at a party we went to after I baked them. The florist, pharmacy, and shops all close relatively early on Saturday afternoons, so if you want flowers or clothes, get your act together sooner than later. Restaurants are open Saturday evenings, although there are no vegetarian places around here. We have a favorite pool (therme) just under an hour away, and a regular outdoor neighborhood pool in the next village. We sometimes go to the movies, either on base or off base, where they are shown in the original language (English for us). On base, the national anthem is played before the previews, and everyone stands and removes their hats.

Sundays: we have several choices of church services in English, both on base and off base. Times range from 9:30am to starting at 11am. Sometimes I go to the grocery store on base after church, which is open on Sundays. I don’t need a lot of American food items, but it is nice to get regular peanut butter, blue corn nacho chips, and familiar cat food (although they do eat German cat food, too). The neighborhood is quiet, as all shops are closed, except restaurants. I do laundry on Sundays, because our German washer takes over an hour for a load. The cats go out in the yard on their leashes, and we go for walks in the woods a few blocks behind our house. At my previous job, we had a staff meeting every Monday morning, and the boss always asked what we did over the weekend. I felt relieved to find out I was not alone in doing several hours of cooking and food prep on Sundays. In addition to fixing Sunday dinner, I often start Monday’s dinner as well, along with salads for lunch, homemade granola, etc.