Words in the Workplace

A few things. Some of which actually pertain to work.

First,  about two weeks ago I spotted another word on the sidewalk.  Unfortunately,  I did not have my camera at the time, meaning no photo.  With all the rain and snow we have had, the word was quickly wiped from my view.  That means that it is going to be a while for more tales of what the sidewalk says.  Any guess as to what the new word is?  I will give you a hint... _ _ _ _ ?

Speaking of words, you know how some sites, such as Blogger, make you enter a confirmation word just to check that you are human?  Well, I recently encountered a new take on the word verification...simple addition.

I should preface that this was from a company website that I was submitting an enquiry to.  Apparently, they only want customers who can add. What nerds! :) Has anyone else ever seen this kind of verification?

Moving on.

I don't know about you, but I love to receive mail.  There is nothing better than opening a letter address to you. Unless it is a bill.  Then it's no fun.  However, in Germany all of our bills are addressed to David and all bills that I received at work are passed along to someone else to deal with. This means that most of my mail is "good" mail. 

Recently, I have noticed a trend of sorts with the letters I receive at word.  All of them have a nice little surprise inside...

You do not find this on the inside of every envelope here, but now I always look.  I have also seen a smiley face, but I don't think I took a picture. Just something that occasionally brightens up my workday.




Finally, moving on to McDonald's.  I had never been to a McDonald in Germany until recently.  David had a craving that only a cheap hamburger could fix.  It was only a 1€ per burger and he limited himself to 3, unlike a trip to Wendy's in the states where he ate something like 8 hamburgers in a  60 minute period...i am cringing as I type that....  Enough about that.  While we were there, I happened to see a picture of a special burger that they were offering.  I am assuming this is only available in Germany. I don't think it would be a big seller in the states.  I give you the sausage and sauerkraut burger.

Sorry for the bad photo, but I was not going take the tray outside just to take a picture.

Where has the time gone?

To my loyal blog readers:

Sorry to blog so little for the last 2 weeks.  I promise I will be back shortly.  I blame it on a busy lunchtime schedule (I normally blog on my lunch break). I'll be back tomorrow or Friday with a few fun updates.

Til then I leave you with a cup of gluhwein, which I enjoyed at Christmasmarket on day during lunch...instead of blogging.  :)   Forgive me?

I'm off to enjoy some lentil soup at the mensa. It is the only thing worth eating at the mensa. :)

Unpublished Memoirs, Part II: Procrastination works every time....or not

January/February 2010
 
Firstly,  I would like to note that before I moved to Germany, I used to think that the lines of laundry hanging over the streets was such a charming touch. I still find it charming, albeit also a bit disgusting, but still charming.  I cannot imagine that laundry really get clean hanging above a dirty street in a city.  However, I am certain that the laundry is only hung above the street because it has a no other place to go.  Apartments here are tiny, why fill the already limited space with racks of laundry.  On almost every balcony/terrace and in almost every garden here, one is bound to find hanging laundry at some point during the week.  It is just how life here is.

So today is laundry day.  Or rather, our laundry is out of control so I must start washing clothes now.  Why the wait? Why the procrastination?  Well,  I hate hanging and folding laundry.  Particularly the hanging, unhanging (is that a word, or did I just make it up), and folding  part.



November 2011


I know, I didn't write much back in 2010, but I still find this topic to be relevant. Plus, I left you all with a bit of a cliff hanger. Why is it exactly that I find laundry to be such a pain here? 

One reason: We do not own a dryer.  Here are my(our) reasons why:

1) A dryer is super expensive to own.  Energy is expensive here, plus David and I aim to live a greener lifestyle and excess energy use via a dryer just doesn't jive with our livestyle.

2) We don't have space. Even in our spaceous (80 m2 or 860 ft2) apartment, I have no idea where to put a dryer.

Now for the most important reason:

3) No matter how much I whine or cry,  David isn't going to let me buy one while we live in Germany. I have to get over it.  I have. I have moved on to bigger battles. :)

None of this changes the fact that I HATE doing laundry.  It is my least favorite chore, unfortunately it is the most necessary.  Even in the states, I found laundry to be a never ending task, but without a dryer it takes planning to have clean clothes to wear everyday. I am 150% sure that this the reason why my husband has enough clothes to go 2 months without doing laundry. The first time I went to his apartment, he had a chair COVERED in clean laundry.  I don't think he went through the laundry and put it away until his parents came to visit. 

There are 3 time related challenges that laundry presents:

1)  Everything must airdry.  This required somewhere between 1 day (above 80 degrees F) and 1 week ( below 40 degrees F).  Thus, if i want to wear something on a specific day I can't just procrastiate and wash it at 9 pm the night before.  Not happening unless I want to wear wet clothes or spend 30 minutes with a hairdryer try to get the waistband of my jeans dry. True story. I don't recommend doing this.  It is NOT worth the effort unless you have nothing else to wear.  By nothing else to wear, I mean that 100% of your clothes must be hanging wet on the laundry racks.  100%. Basically, it is never worth the effort. 

2) We don't like to run the washer past a certain time.  We live above other people who prefer that we not run our washer at all hours of the night. Technically, we do not have a written statement in our apartment forbidding us from running the washer after a certain time, but I try to be a good neighbor, even if one of our neighbors disagrees (another topic for another day). My goal is to finish running the washer by 9 pm.  10 pm in cases of absolute emergencies. Yes, laundry emergencies exist. :)

3)  I am not home much on weeknights. I get home before 6 pm maybe one day a week, maybe, if I am lucky.  I am a busy bee and I like it that way.  As you know from reason #2,  that mean that I am only home at most for 3 of the self-allowed washing hours.  A tough challenge when a load of laundry takes somewhere between 40 and 95 minutes to run it's course. Enter the best invention ever (Okay, maybe not ever, but a great one, nevertheless) :  the timer function.  Just load, add soap, set, forget, and come home to a freshly washed load of laundry waiting to be hung.  I did this just this morning.  I love the feature.  The only challenge that it presents, is that you have to remember to take the laundry out of the laundry upon arriving home.  Otherwise, you get moldy laundry, and that is NOT good.  Fortunally, our washing machine has a light blinks when a load finishes. We usually notice the light in reasonable time.  It also has an annoying buzzer, but that stops after about 20 minutes. 

It really isn't that bad. Laundry is a pain whether one has a dryer or not.  Laundry is a fact of life.  Just like death and taxes.

 I could be worse. I could have to wash everything by hand, hang it dry, and then iron it.

Ironing. Please, do make me go there. Ever. *Shutters in horror*

Brought to you by subsidized food prices

Red Peppers.  I have a  weakness for red peppers.

In the states, red peppers are super expensive...like $1-$2 a pepper.   Here in Germany you can buy three peppers for that price.  Yes, three.  LOVE. IT. 

Thank you subsidized grocery prices.  It is because of you that I am able to make one of my favorite soup recipes on a regular basis:  roasted red pepper soup.

I found the recipe for this soup randomly about a year about when I was searching for a vegan roasted red pepper soup.

This soup is delicious on it's own or with a nice melty grilled cheese.  A great alternative to the standard tomato soup. 

By the way, my fellow veggie lovers should totally check out this website.  It is a great source vegan recipes.  Every recipe that I have tried has been delicious.  :)

Roasted Red Bell Pepper and Chickpea Soup

via http://www.vegalicious.org/

Ingredients:

3-4 red bell peppers, roasted, skins removed (or from jar) 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed 1 tablespoon olive oil 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika powder 1 small onion 1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped 1 clove garlic, minced 2 cups vegetable bouillon salt and pepper to taste chopped parsley or cilantro and sunflower seeds as optional garnish

Directions:

1. Roast and peel and slice the peppers. Alternatively if using store bought in a jar, choose 3 large peppers and a bit of the liquid they are stored in.
   

1. Drain the chickpeas and rinse.
2. Chop the onion and carrot and mince the garlic.
3. Heat the olive oil in a soup pot and add the onions and carrots.
4. Saute until the carrots begin to soften and the onions become translucent.
5. Add the peppers, garlic and vegetable bouillon.
6. Add 3/4 of the chickpeas and bring the soup to a gentle boil.
7. Ad the cumin, coriander and paprika powder.
8. Puree the soup (I use an immersion blender).
9. Season to taste with salt and pepper and possibly a dash of cayenne.
10. Add the remaining chickpeas.
11. Serve the soup garnished with chopped parsley or cilantro and a few sunflower seeds.
    

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Unpublish Memoirs, Part I: The Eye of the Beholder

From November 2009:

After living in Germany for six weeks, there is one thing that stands out to me:  How the definition of beauty changes depending on where you are.

In the USA, beauty is thrown at us from every angle. We see it on TV, on the covers of magazines in the checkout line in the grocery store: it is everywhere. If you wear the right clothes or have you hair styled the right way, society will accept you and everything will magically be better and your life will be perfect. In my opinion, the US needs to relax and let life happen.

As I walk around the streets of Germany, on thing strikes me in particular about everyone I see: No one looks perfect! I find that refreshing. You can walk around with your hair a little messed up and you clothes slightly dis coordinated. Not a single person is perfectly coiffed. I love it! Yes, the trendy stuff is still present, but personally shines through here.


November 2011:

I still find Germany to be a place where I am more judged on my inner self than on my outward appearance.  However,  I do feel the pressure to get dressed every day.  I don't mean simply putting on clothes, but actually getting dressing in something other than yoga pants and tshirts.  I love yoga pants.  I live in them on the weekends, but here in Germany I feel extremely uncomfortable doing anything other than lying around the house or going for a walk with my dogs wearing them.  Sometimes I even feel under dressed walking the dogs.   Even going to the grocery store I throw on jeans. Otherwise I get really strange looks.

Two weeks ago David and I had to run into town on a Sunday to drop something off.  We walked through the Schlossgarten which was filled with people, of course.  What did I wear?  My yoga pants.  I felt so uncomfortable.  Everyone around me was wearing jeans and many others were dressed in their "Sunday best".  Okay, the 2011 version of their "Sunday best", but still.  I can only think of maybe 5 times in 2 years when I have seen other people out and about in sweats.  Even my husband, a self-described bum who lives in sweats in the US, wears jeans to go outside and walk the dogs.  I think he has worn athletic pants once( besides for playing soccer) outside of the house and he was doing dirty yard work for his parents. 

I think this discomfort stems from the fact that when I speak, be it English or German,  I  stand out.  Thus, I don't want to stand out too much by dressing like a bum.  I want to blend in.  Be one of the people.  Does anyone else feel this way here? I feel like this is all in my head, but who knows.

Lost in Real Life

One of the hardest parts of moving to Germany has been finding my place, my life.  My first year here I was, for lack of a better word, lost.  I had uprooted myself from the southern USA and moved to my husband's hometown.  I was thrust into a life as a housewife, wife to a PhD student, an immigrant, a foreigner....I just felt lost.  One of the most difficult challenges proved to be finding friends, people I could relate to and connect with.  People other than my husband and his family and friends to share this wonderful blessing known as "life" with. I have a wonderful family here, but in order to true establish a life for myself here, I needed to find my own way. 

When I decided to move to Germany, I knew it would be challenging, but rewarding. However, I never anticipated the challenge it would be to make friends.  I remember thinking that since we were moving to David's hometown, finding friends would be easy because he already had an established group of friends.  What I didn't realize was that my husband related to his friends through things like playing soccer and drinking beer (while watching soccer games).  Whereas I relate to my friends in other ways, coffee, girl's night, and talking.  What proved to be more complex than just a battle of the sexes, was the fact that David simply did not have time. The demands on his time made by his job proved to be the ultimate champion and I was left to fend for myself when it came to entertainment.  This is not to say anything negative about my husband. He has a very demanding job. He puts 200% into his job, just as he does our life together. 

At first this was wonderful. I crave alone time and for once it was nice to have endless amounts of time without the pressures of work or school. However, it got old really fast.  There are only so many things to do when you have endless time on your hands.  Things such as reading and watching a movie became less of a joy and part of the everyday grind.  They lost their meaning, significance, and specialness.

The first year here was really difficult. There were many days that I wanted to pack up and move back home, wherever "home" was. I felt liek my dream of living in Europe had been crushed.  This wasn't how it was supposed to be. This was supposed to be the experience of a lifetime, but it wasn't.

I met lots of people in my German class.  Mostly students who were not here for significant lengths of time. Others were older, looking for a way into Germany, to make a better live for themselves and their families.  Everyone I met was transient.  It felt impossible to make friends that I could keep. 

I prayed alot during that first year here.  I felt frustrated that I had given up my life, only to be thrown into what felt like an endless pit of dispair.  It was a dark time for me. I felt isolated and alone.  I felt abandoned.

Slowly, things began to happen.  My life changed.  It started by putting myself out there. Something which I am really uncomfortable doing.  I put my name on a forum for tandem language partners.  Within days I recieved lost of emails from people wanting to meet me.  From this forum, I made my first friend of my own here.  Someone who is still a part of my life.  A German girl, who had lived in the states for a time.  We bonded over cocktail and walks with my dogs.  She loves my dogs.  My dogs love her.  We were taking a walk about a month ago and Emma actually saw my friend and started pulling me towards her, crying.  It was really sweet.

In October of 2010, I enrolled in a new German class.  One that was especially for people who were immigrants to Germany. People like me. 

It was in this class that I met my first American friend.  Another American girl married to a German boy.  Her situation, so similiar to mine.  We both move here in September/October 2009.  Our wedding were actually the same weekend.  Crazy, huh?  My husband always joked that every American in our town knows this girl.  It's true. She is such a sweet person.

Also sometime in October 2010, I received a text from another girl.  She and her husband had really moved to my city. A lady who works at her gym, another american, sings in the choir with my mother-in-law.  She and her husband are so kind and generous.  They have been such a positive influence on David and I. Both are devout Christians.  They have influenced me to finally face my fears and go to church here. Something I was really missing in my life here.

In March of 2011, I meet yet another American girl in one of my German classes.  She is married to a German man,  who like my husband, is a local and a PhD student.  She has managed to integrate herself into her husband's life her, while simultaneously creating a life of her own her.  She is also fearless when it comes to embracing life here.

Lastly, I must include my Irish friend, who also possesses immense bravery.  She moved her to be with here German boyfriend.  She is our group organizer. The reason that we all meet up weekly. She super sweet and always trying to connect and include people.  She is also a great confidant.

Today I am so blessed to have found a this wonderful group of girls that I meet for lunch/coffee every week.  A group that is slowly expanding as we meet others like us.

We talk.
We listen.
We vent. 
We advise. 
We empathsize.
We sympathize.
We console.
We celebrate.
We laugh.
We support.
We lose track of time.  :)

I love it!

Those few hours I spend every week with these girls is one of my favorite time of the week.  I love have a group of people to lose track of time. Thinking about it brings such a smile to my face.  We come from different backgrounds. Have different occupations.  Have different ideas and opinions. Different beliefs.

We do have one, very important thing in common.  We are all trying to make a life for ourselves here.  All try to navigate this multicultural family life. A bilingual life. The challenges it presents.

I am writing this post, so that my friends can now just how much they mean to me. How much I appreaciate them.  Thank you for being my friends.  You know who you are.  :)

Friday Evening Ramblings

It is 7:22 on Friday night and where am I? Work.  Why? Not because I am a workaholic. Not because I have so much work that I can finish it all.  Then, why?  Because I am waiting to meet some friends downtown tonight and I do not have time to go home between work and going out.  Well, technically I had time, but who wants to bike for 30 minutes home, sit for 10  minutes, then bike 20 minutes back into town. Not me! No thank you.  I would rather sit in my office, catching up on email and blogging.

I would also like to point out that I am currently listening to the local soccer team play.  No, not on the radio.  Live.  Real sounds.  That's right I can hear the crowd cheering and booing while sitting in my office.  Not too shabby, huh? 

I must confess that I feel REALLY lame sitting here on Friday night. I am racking my brain for things to do. Ways to waste the time. 

I could go shopping...but I am not in the mood.
I could organize and clean my desk...but it doesn't need it.
I could Skype with my cousin...but need to get Skype installed on my work computer.

***Just checked the Fußball score online because I heard some yelling and singing.  Lots of singing.  Intuition was right.  We scored. Er, they scored.  I am not actually on the team, so no "we."***

I already checked flight prices for my trip home over Christmas....still expensive, sigh.

7:38


12 more minutes.....why can I think of nothing.

Time is creeping.

Does anyone else ever feel this way?

This entry is pointless. I apologize.

Pumpkin recipe #346327827

I know, pumpkin recipes are EVERYWHERE this time of year in the US.  Germany is no exception.  Pumpkin soup ( a German fall staple) can  be found in restaurants throughout Deutschland this time of year.  Farmers market and grocery stores alike are filled with endless varieties of this seasonal star.

I hosted a party the other weekend and was planning to make these (with pumpkin as a substitute for sweet potatoes. Unfortunatly,  i ran out of time and didn't end up making thes delicious rolls.  However, I had already prepped the pumpkin.  Long story short,  I had pureed pumpkin sitting in my fridge that needed a recipe.  

Monday night I was reading throught my google reading and was hit with the perfect recipe: Pumpkin, Millet, and Chocolate Muffins  via Joy the Baker.  Problem solved.  I sent hubby to the store for ingredients (just chocolate, I had the rest on hand) with the promise of piping hot pumpkin, chocolate chip muffins.  I didn't mention the millet because he would  just scowl and whine.  Millet in muffins is delicious.  I know. My mom used to make millet muffins.  Yummy.  Actually, muffins are one of the only way I find millet to be pallatable.  Plain millet...gross.  Just saying....  Anyway....  I made these muffins using my new measure cups.

            (Left: My old measuring cup,  Right: my new measuring cups. A gift from a wonderful friend. :))

The delicious result.  This particular muffin was enjoyed as I typed up this blogpost.

Make these.  Super delicious and somewhat healthy. Hubby agrees, too!

Sorry for the bad blackberry photos.  My phone needs replacing....like yesterday.

What do I miss? Part I

I recently received an email from a friend of mine, a fellow American navigating German life.  This particular friend happens to have a connection worth it's weight in gold.  She knows someone who gives her access to the commissary at a nearby military base.  Can you see where I am going with this?  Anyway,  in her email she asked if I needed any American grocery products (i.e.  food, beauty products, toiletries, etc.).   After days of deliberating, racking my brain, and trying to predict future cravings of food from home sometimes brought on by the rare bought of homesickness that hits me for about 10 minutes every couple months  I finally made a list.

- Kashi GoLean Cereal:  my favorite cereal that I love to reach to mix in yogurt or eat plain as a snack. Plus it is loaded with protien which is perfect for veggie freaks such as myself.

- Life Cereal: Childhood favorite.  I usually can satisfy my desire for this on my trips home, but my parents are watching what they eat so there was no Life when I was last home.  Sadness for me.

- Cinnamon Life:  See above. With the added bonus of Cinammon.

-Advil:  We ran out and it is SUPER expenisve here. I am not even sure if you can buy it here in Germany, but I hear conflicting stories.

-Craisins:  Did someone say cranberry white chocolate cookies? Craisins in oatmeal is calling my name. The actually have dried cranberries here, but they are NOT the same. Not even close. David thinks they are nasty whenever I cook with them. The man also hates raisins, so his opinion is a mut point, but still...

- A1 Steak Sauce: Request from a friend of hubby's who just recently returned from living in the states.


That is it.  I miss cereal, craisins, and headache relief that doesn't involve sleeping the day away. What does that say about me? Or perhaps the better questions is what does that say about how I have adapted to life here?

I should clarify that there are other things that I miss from the USA, but I just restocked my supply in September when I was home.

-Trader Joe's Raw Crunchy Almond Butter:  Delicious, nutritious, and only like $5.  Gotta get my  ABandJ fix occasionally.

-Baking Soda:  Important if you want to bake almost anything using an american recipe.


Finally, there are the things that I always crave, but would be a fool to think that I could get here:

- a good southern biscuit
- a sweet Vidalia onion
- a Houston's veggie burger ( my first meal when I returned to the states from a summer in France back in college)
- mexican food
- bread from Great Harvest
- yellow squash
- kale
- a decently priced sweet potato that tastes like the ones from home
- Trader Joe's

For Christmas dinner in 2009,  after living here for just shy of 4 months, I requested what my family considered to be the stragest dinner ever: grilled, marinated salmon (fresh not frozen), baked sweet potatoes, and sauteed yellow squash with onions.   It was amazing...but probably only for me. :)

Thoughts

I am blessed to have the opportunity to spend my days with many people who give me a new perspective on life.

My Classmates:

These people have shown me that I live a VERY blessed life.  I was not raised amist warfare.  I have no memories in my childhood of fleeing from bombing. I have not come to Germany to make a better, more peaceful life for myself.  I recieved a good education. I am not a single mother.  I have always had good access to healthcare.  I am in Germany to enrich my life instead of trying to find a better job so I can support my family.


The Family I work for:

I am  fortuante to have family near me. I am blessed to have healthy parents.  For showing me that German and American cultures are different, but it could be much worse.


My dogs:

These two creatures have so much unconditional love for me and my husband.  It cease to amaze me.



My husband:

He always shows me that there is more than one way to do things and that BOTH can be right.