I really had expected the month of January to be exceptionally hectic....But, I didn't realize that the chaos would only intensify and bleed into the month of February, too. Life has been busy for Rolf and I here on KleinStr. We complain and groan, but I think we both love every bit of the frenzy. That's just who we are. It really hasn't been all that long since I last wrote an entry, but it feels like years have passed in between then and now. I'm not sure where to begin with the storytelling.....
I have been on a crash course of integration in the last couple of weeks. I'm learning all the subways stops and what places 
are best for fresh fruit, shortcuts through tunnels and how to park in a city where there is virtually no parking available. I'm driving.....The nicest car I have ever been in before....An Audi A8....Look it up....It's freaking sweet. The list of features are more than I can name and I get to pack kiddos in it! Car seats, too! Every Audi A8 needs car seats, right?! I drive all over the city picking the kids up and taking them to their different activities. Already I'm becoming very familiar with the city and Rolf has admitted his envy. Just the other day, he accidentlly took the wrong train and ended up losing about 2 hours of time trying to get back to where he started only to miss the appointment he was trying to make. Besides learning city routes, I have started my German language intensive course! I didn't realize how much I miss being school and taking notes....I love to take notes. I've been soaking up as much as possible and trying to keep my mind clean of negative thoughts like: This is so hard or why the hell aren't there rules for plural nouns?.......I like the heavy load of information and I'm surprised at how well I'm doing, considering my last classroom setting attempt at learning a language. I took 3 years of French and I can only remember how difficult it was for me! I realize how important it is to have a fresh perspective on things. Rolf and I are essentially settled here in our apartment. We bought the things that we needed and replaced the God-awful toilet seat, we figured out how to work the damn laundry machine, and found out where the trash goes....We had several bags sitting the apartment for a few days because we couldn't find the community trash bins.....We found places to get our hair cut and discovered a great restaurant around the corner that we are becoming regulars at. We had our first weekend together this past weekend and used the opportunity to explore the city and party! The club scene is outrageous here.....Bars and clubs don't close until the last person leaves. We were out until 5am and took a Mercedes taxicab home....All the taxis here are Mercedes.....What we view in America as luxury, is just plain normal Jane here. The Italian designers, the posh cars, leather and fur. It's just a part of the culture. I'm not sure if I mentioned the culture shock in previous blogs that I have experienced quite surprisingly, but that has pretty much subsided. German people are a unique type......Some people I run into are very receptive, while others are simply not. It's not that they are trying to be rude, but Germans have a different approach to strangers and how they view time. That is, there is never enough of it, so there certainly is no time to acknowledge the existence of strangers strolling, rather racing past. I have met some of my neighbors who are very friendly and immediatley wanted to have Rolf and I over for drinks. Once Rolf and I get the chance to check out the salsa scene here, I imagine we will be able to make friends very easily.
are best for fresh fruit, shortcuts through tunnels and how to park in a city where there is virtually no parking available. I'm driving.....The nicest car I have ever been in before....An Audi A8....Look it up....It's freaking sweet. The list of features are more than I can name and I get to pack kiddos in it! Car seats, too! Every Audi A8 needs car seats, right?! I drive all over the city picking the kids up and taking them to their different activities. Already I'm becoming very familiar with the city and Rolf has admitted his envy. Just the other day, he accidentlly took the wrong train and ended up losing about 2 hours of time trying to get back to where he started only to miss the appointment he was trying to make. Besides learning city routes, I have started my German language intensive course! I didn't realize how much I miss being school and taking notes....I love to take notes. I've been soaking up as much as possible and trying to keep my mind clean of negative thoughts like: This is so hard or why the hell aren't there rules for plural nouns?.......I like the heavy load of information and I'm surprised at how well I'm doing, considering my last classroom setting attempt at learning a language. I took 3 years of French and I can only remember how difficult it was for me! I realize how important it is to have a fresh perspective on things. Rolf and I are essentially settled here in our apartment. We bought the things that we needed and replaced the God-awful toilet seat, we figured out how to work the damn laundry machine, and found out where the trash goes....We had several bags sitting the apartment for a few days because we couldn't find the community trash bins.....We found places to get our hair cut and discovered a great restaurant around the corner that we are becoming regulars at. We had our first weekend together this past weekend and used the opportunity to explore the city and party! The club scene is outrageous here.....Bars and clubs don't close until the last person leaves. We were out until 5am and took a Mercedes taxicab home....All the taxis here are Mercedes.....What we view in America as luxury, is just plain normal Jane here. The Italian designers, the posh cars, leather and fur. It's just a part of the culture. I'm not sure if I mentioned the culture shock in previous blogs that I have experienced quite surprisingly, but that has pretty much subsided. German people are a unique type......Some people I run into are very receptive, while others are simply not. It's not that they are trying to be rude, but Germans have a different approach to strangers and how they view time. That is, there is never enough of it, so there certainly is no time to acknowledge the existence of strangers strolling, rather racing past. I have met some of my neighbors who are very friendly and immediatley wanted to have Rolf and I over for drinks. Once Rolf and I get the chance to check out the salsa scene here, I imagine we will be able to make friends very easily. 
Rolf and I have not only been getting settled into the new apartment and our jobs, but also organzing our personal life. We have begun training for our half marathon in Sweden and I have begun to "deal" with running in 20C degree weather and snow. Actually, the snow has not been around for about a week now. It's still very cold, but the sun is out and that makes running at 6am in the dark a bit easier. If it was up to me, I would not be sticking to a training schedule, but Rolf has been quite diligent and motivating. We are music lovers and we will see our first concert in Deutschland this Sunday....Shinedown....They're an American band...Maybe you're familiar. We went last night to see a movie....Yes, I know, boring.....BUT, they serve beer in the theaters! That is German, no? Das bier ist gut!
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