Hello world!

Welcome to our new blog! This is the first post by Rob. We created this site to interact with friends and family, so feel free to join and post your comments! Hopefully this site will give you some insight (and pictures) into our lives here in Germany. Today is Thursday and it’s a gorgeous day here in Rheinland Pfalz. Not much going on today. April is working and I am attempting to work here at home. Some personal work, and some work related work.

*** UPDATED  10/17/07***

So here are some things I find interesting since we arrived here in early September:

- There is a German ‘Umpa’ band that rehearses every Friday night at the Firehouse across the street from us. I wondered what they were there for EVERY week, and today I found out. See the picture (it’s a beer truck delivering to the joint, click to enlarge):

- Germans are obsessed with recycling EVERYTHING. It is enough to drive us fat, lazy, arrogant Americans CRAZY!!  :p A worthy cause, indeed, but do we have to use 5 different garbage cans to do it!? Each type of item: paper, glass, plastic, cardboard, has to be in it’s own seperate bag or can!? Talk about discouraging people….oh, but lest I forget…the Socialists will put you in jail if you don’t do it; it’s the law here.

- I have figured out the great mystery of why Europeans are not as fat as Americans….tiny refrigerators=less food:

- They have LOTS of weird, big Spiders here! I will post a pic of some huge spiders when I can. OK…here is a picture of a small spider. Click to be creeped out (and see a full size photo):

- Germans are either EARLY, or right on time.

- Germans are way concerned about the appearance of the outside of their houses. They sweep the sidewalks constantly!? And, we live across from an old firehouse, which seems to have been closed down many years ago? Or, it’s all volunteer here, and they hardly ever use it (except for when some German “UMPA” band practices on Friday nights there?). But, they are, for whatever reason, very concerned with the lot and the small courtyard and it’s appearance? They have someone responsible for raking, sweeping, and upkeep of the courtyard. He seems to be there almost every day taking care of it. Here is a picture..

See the man in the upper, right hand corner? He is here EVERY day working? Bizarre…

- Since there are a lack of stores over here in town, men (and some women) drive around in UPS style trucks selling milk, bread, cheese, pastries, etc. Very bizarre to me, but I have come to like and expect it.

- The Pretzels, Brats and Beer are as good as I had remembered them the last time I was here! There is no ‘light’ beer over here, just hearty, real beer the way it was meant to be.

- The weather seems more consistent than Chicago. It doesn’t seem to get real hot, and then real cool here much? That is a good thing for me, I like consistency in weather! So far it’s been in the 60s-70s here lately; incredibly gorgeous!

- People (the locals) don’t seem too concerned about much of any one thing in particular over here, other than enjoying family and life. It is an enviable characteristic, I guess? Coming from the States, I think we are programmed to ‘outdo the Jones’, make as much money as we can, and forget about most of your health and happiness in that pursuit? Or, so it seemed. Here, I have seen older adults living with their Parents happily, Grandma and Granpda living with their Children’s family happily (in the same house), people that don’t go to work every day (God knows how they earn a living!?), and many other interesting observations. There seems to be a culture here of not worrying about advancing (for the sake of beating out others), whether good or bad. Don’t get me wrong, these people aren’t stupid; they just don’t seem to put ambition high on the priority list. This is not all people here, but the majority of our neighborhood seems to follow this principle. I do see our landlord (and his Father, whom he lives and works with every day) leaving early 6 days a week to work.

- People over here are VERY polite (but nosey!). I find it hard to believe that this was once a place where Hitler conspired to convince this nation of evil robots into killing a whole generation of other people. They are nothing like what I imagined them to be. When I talk to the locals here, I see not one ioda of malicious intent in their eyes. Quite the contrary – I see warm hearted people, interested in helping other human beings (and the planet), that just looking forward to leading their happy lives here. I expected much different people, but I was wrong. Now, you do get the occasional passer-by that will stare at you because the neighbor told them we were now living in the house, knowing that you are an American, but I wouldn’t classify that as evil. 

- Shopping, going out to eat, going to a movie, and having access to basic commerce/industry in your town is a LUXURY here! I never realized how lucky we Americans are to have such quick, easy access to anything we want! There are no suburbs in most of the country here. Living in a small town really teaches you the meaning of patience. I know that we can both use a lesson in that sometimes, so I am not fighting it. April seems a bit apprehensive at times in dealing with this change, but I am attempting to embrace this change of ideals, lifestyle, and the location. I am trying to see the simpler side of things as the Germans seem to, and I must say that it really hasn’t been that bad. Can I come home from the bar (the ONE bar down the street here, the ONLY- YES, THE ONLY, form of industry in our town) and quickly drive to grab a burrito with friends, no, but I’m learning and adjusting to that notion. And, I’m taking in the experience, searching out the positive things of living in this environment, and creating my own sort of simple, little pleasures to replace those things I once thought were rites by birth in America.

- Almost all things are regulated by the government over here! Hunting, Fishing, Garbage Collection (you need a darn STICKER on your can to get them to pick it up), Recycling…you name it – it’s regulated by the government here. Forget the way Democrats want to regulate certain things in the States and have us pay for it - this government is Socialist. It makes me feel lucky to come from a place where we can pretty much do what we want, when we want. They have a different idea of freedom over here, or so it seems that way.

- Teenagers sit out in front of their cars, in parking lots, on the street, or in no particular gathering spot and drink bottles of beer. Yes, beer. It’s a strange sight to see. No one thinks anything of it around here, but coming from America, it’s quite unusual. But, I have gotten used to seeing it.

Anyhow, it’s almost lunch time….and I am starving, so I the wife is coming home for lunch. I intend on getting some pictures up on this thing soon!

Bye for now,

R