Reeling from changes

Oh dear, nearly 3 weeks without a post. Where do I begin?
At the very end of August, the kiddos flew back to WA to start the school year. I think that our grief was managed through activity, mainly manic furniture shopping for the first few days. We spent EIGHT HOURS in IKEA during their annual sale on Sept 2, and we vow to never repeat that experience. However, the fruits of our labor will arrive in the next weeks to months, and we love the furniture that we found. I really look forward to receiving a beautiful cherry dining set and sideboard, Italian!

During the following weeks, we went through the amazing process of "inprocessing";
akin to a military-based mix of a scavenger hunt and stations of the cross. You get a checklist of places that you have to visit, but the list does not indicate that some requirements have to be done before another, or where the office is located. One could call it an adventure. Eventually, however, we DID start to actually see some patients about a week ago. The Heidelberg clinic is great in many aspects. The other docs are very friendly and elated that help has arrived, as they are quite understaffed. The clinic is very small, with only 8 exam rooms. Currently there are 3 full time pediatricians plus me, and soon one more will come from the States and one will return from being deployed. Yes, that's 5 1/2 docs and 8 rooms, I have done the math too. Unfortunately, 2 of the docs will be deploying out for a 12 month tour within the next few months. I cannot IMAGINE the stress of leaving your family, your children, your home, your practice for so long, and I respect the strength of their commitment and their sacrifice.

Work has not slowed down our REAL reason for being in Germany-- to make friends, have fun, learn German and live it up! I keep hearing Michele Quinn's voice in my ear as we struggle through German over steins and wines; "This is what you're here for" (the mantra when Michele and I were struggling over Spanish over many a tinto de verano or purron). So far, I have to say, we are doing so well that we pinch ourselves. All of the credit goes to our neighbors, our favorite people in the country.

I must clarify a little about our home and neighborhood, as folks have questioned Alexander's account. We are renting a 5ish year old townhouse in a small neighborhood of about 20 homes. Yes, it IS four stories, so yes, it's very narrow. It's like living on a stairmaster sometimes, but one with modern Danish-like style. From our windows, we look back on our little yard and the German boarding school behind us, with their little farm of three ponies, a small gander of geese, chickens and 2 roosters. Yes, two roosters. Now I know why they are usually not allowed within city limits. From the front windows, we look up at Berg Nanstein, the ruined castle that sits above Landstuhl town (what, you don't have a castle as the center of YOUR town, what a shame!), or across over 2 churches and the red roofs and white walls of all the houses of Landstuhl. It's about a 700 m walk down the hill to the very center of Landstuhl, with yummy restaurants, beergardens, bakeries and ICE CREAM (60 cents a scoop!!) and shoes for Jobi. (For pictures from another soul's website, link to www.community.webshots.com/photo/66645129/66645129MsDkgg to see some images of Landstuhl and the castle, until we get our pictures loaded in).

The best part of all, so far, has been our neighbors. We have been warmly adopted into the neighborhood, and as a result of their patience and work, our German has improved exponentially in just the last 2-3 weeks. We speak almost exclusively in German with everyone, and they patiently repeat themselves, or correct us, or allow us yet another "Ein moment, bitte" as we thumb through our pocket dictionary for the right word. I confess that we are pretty proud of our advances with language in just the last three weeks. I attribute our success to three things-- our warm and inviting neighbors, our need to establish a house (within two days, we learned furniture words, exchange/return/shipping/freight, etc, and yard care words), and our failure to get enough motivation to hook up the TV cable. Instead, we sit and read the German beginner's dictionary to each other, and read grammar books for "fun." By the time I really desperate to watch CSI, I may just get German cable.

Fall arrived here suddenly a week ago, and now we have quite cool nights, fresh mornings, rain showers, sweaters, and Christmas cakes and Gluwein are already available at the market. In two days, we leave for Hilton Head to celebrate Laura and Raj's weddings, with two ceremonies and a score of parties in 90 degree weather. Bring it on!

Suzanne