The Waiting Game

Kelly: So, Matt and I had a fabulous weekend in Maryland. It was jam packed with have-to-dos (doctor's appointments, meetings, etc.) and want-to-dos (house hunting, good food, long walks). Now, I'm back in Germany, and reality has slapped me in the face pushing aside the light-hearted, creative spirit that embodied me. Reality came in the form of negative co-workers, long workdays, a cat-hair laden house (good thing she's ridiculously cute), and being on-call this weekend. There has to be a way to hold on to that feeling. If anyone out there has suggestions, please let me know. I had started yoga again, but I haven't had the time or energy for that since returning, even though I found Tara Stiles and her anytime, anywhere, anybody approach to yoga really resonantes with me. Goals...I'll keep moving toward them.

We're waiting. Waiting for the contractor to tell us what it will cost to turn the studs, plywood floors, and exposed brick walls of an early 1900s rowhome into a simple, modern oasis. If the number is right, we move forward. If the number is too high, it is back to the drawing board. I've been trying not to get too excited, but I haven't been able to help myself from stealing peeks at modern design online. In the process, I stumbled upon a mid-century, Charles Goodman-designed neighborhood in Silver Spring...who knew???? The contractor is supposed to have an estimate for us tomorrow.

Flood

Kelly: Last night, my capris weren't a fashion statement, they were a necessity. I awoke to the sound of hail pelleting the windows. I ran to the window to see hail moving horizontally, carried by the vicious winds and torrential rains. I checked the attic to ensure no leaks: all good, or so I thought. I went to the main level to check on Miles, and I heard water running...that's odd. Then as I looked down the basement stairs, my heart stopped and quickened at the same time...water was flooding under the door. Approximately two inches covered the floor. I called our landlord who said he couldn't get out of his house but would call the fire company. I rescued Mialley's floating litter box from the freezing swirling water...two and a half inches. The rain let up. Three inches. The first fireman arrived, slipped on the stairs, confirmed my basement was flooding, and called for a back-up truck with a pump. The truck arrived an hour and an inch of water later. The two young Germans hauled the pump into the house and down to the basement. Through gestures and broken English, I supplied them with the brooms they desired and they went to work. An hour or so later, my basement was less flooded. They left stating that the did all that they could. I called my landlord again who said that he'd come over the next day. 2:30 AM. 5:30 Alarm...not happening...6:15--wet nose on my forearm...thank goodness for my furry, four-legged alarm clock and her grumbling belly. I scrambled...sort of...out of bed, to the shower, and out the door in less than 30 minutes including packing my lunch. Coffee. Black. Strong. My fellow co-workers did not receive the deluge and resulting mess that I did, so they were somewhat numb and removed from my story. When I arrived home, my dear landlord had not only pumped the remaining water out but had also cleaned the nasty sediment, leaves, and God knows what that had washed in. I called him immediately with many thanks.

I didn't react as I would have in the past. I stayed relatively calm and level headed. Maybe the yoga of the past and meditation of the present are paying off!

My honey arrives tomorrow. After my day at work, I want nothing more than to spend a slow weekend hearing the details of his adventures over a nice cup of tea. Simple. Love.

No Furniture Finale

Kelly: This evening we are celebrating our last evening eating, sleeping, working, and lounging on our only piece of furniture--the air mattress. We are also grateful for the fun-filled Friday evening with our new friends. We met in Kaiserslautern and stumbled upon an authentic German restaurant www.spinnraedl.de/home/index.html. We had a great meal at a reasonable price and, the next day, found out that our dining choice was a favorite of our landlords. Our landlords, G and F, came over Saturday morning to fix the German closets (shrunks) and reprogram the furnace so that I only have to wear three layers at night instead of four. We visited Kaufland, a department store, and bumped into two people who we knew--one was a CHPPM Europe acquaintance and the other was a guy we met while looking at houses...good to know that it is a small world.

We participated in German cultural norm of a Sunday walk. We walked in regular shoes (Germans don't wear sneakers and I need to get a more comfortable pair of sneakers that don't look like sneakers) for about 1 mile out of town. It was refreshing and enjoyable. Despite not having the energy for a workout for the past week or so, I was craving a sauna. We ventured to Landstuhl and used the gym there. Matt ellipticized and I saunaed...heaven.

Today was my first real day...sort of. I still don't have an office, or a computer, or a phone, so I was a squatter in a random office. I spent about 2 hours responding to nasty-grams because I didn't have my timesheets turned in (hard to do when I don't have computer access), and I scheduled computer training. I also met with the Clinical Service Commander who wasn't thrilled to have another person with a "stove-piped" program. On the bright side, I got to sit in on an intake with a Soldier who just landed at LRMC after several months in Afghanistan...what a powerful experience. It truly made my griping seem trivial! After my short commute home (<20 minutes), Matt and I made dinner using our one pan and tupperware...yum! We walked to Edeka (a little grocery store down the street) and picked up our new favorite drink...Eis Kaffe (low-fat coffee-milk)...yumilicious.

Just when we thought it couldn't get busier...

Kelly: The past few days have been filled with more of the same. Here's a quick summary:

Thursday: We have to go to the Stradtwerke (town public works) to get the utilities for the rental put into our name. We arrive, they tell us we need to go to the VAT office first, even though housing had told us to go there first. Matt's sinus issues have deteriorated into a full blown infection. The kind woman at the Apotheke (natural pharmacy that also dispenses prescriptions) directed us to a doctor. Matt went there, and I went back to the VAT office on base. I got the utility VAT forms and the 10 retail purchase VAT forms (allow us to get back the 19% European tax on purchases over $50.00. Find my way back to the town to meet Matt at the Stradtwerke. We get the paperwork finished and head to the CPAC office on a base far far away. The sort-of nice woman there tells us that we need a signature and have to come back on Monday with our reimbursement forms for temporary housing. Fine. We return and crash.

Friday: I drove Matt to take his driver's test. We met a couple nice Americans in the waiting room who seemed to be experiencing the same inprocessing hell. Misery loves company. I talked to KR (a psychologist who I met at the first meeting). She was reassuring and we scheduled a time to meet later that day. Matt turned in an application to work part time at the bank on post, and I went to the hospital, got a signature from my supervisor and talked to KR. While there, I met another nice woman, originally from the states but lived in Paris for the past 6 years...she was really nice and had really great boots...a fashion statement that I can't wait to mimic. KR told me more about the program that I'll be overseeing and informed me that no one likes my immediate supervisor (not the head of BH who was kind but busy). I'll deal with that one later. Friday night we crashed early.

Saturday: My thrifty spirit led me to a website called ramsteinyardsales. I inquired about a curling iron, a vacuum, and an island for our new place. I'll pick up the 220v curling iron tomorrow. After cleaning up in the morning, we went to a T-mobile location that spoke English. Jan (a guy) was wonderful!!! Smart, helpful, and honest...we both have cell phones...still expensive but all cell phone service is here. It will be nice to communicate with each other again. I didn't realize how much I relied on my cell in the states. Then we drove to the Landstuhl train station to try out the walk from the train up "cardiac hill" to the hospital to see if taking the train from our house to work would be an option. Landstuhl was beautiful, decorated in the autumn air...experiencing a bit of renter's remorse...I pondered whether we should have waited for a house to open in Landstuhl, but alas realized the likelihood of that happening was very slim. Cardiac hill was a workout...especially for my phlegmy, congested husband. We met with our landlords for a walk through of our house. I'm so excited. It is truly a German home with all of the accompanying quirks. We probably could've found a more "American" house, but we are in Germany!!! We can see the Landstuhl castle from the studio/attic space!! Let that sink in...we can see a castle from our house...crazy! We received the keys and will start moving tomorrow!

Sunday: Packed up some clothes and headed to the new house, unloaded, picked up my new curling iron, and then went to the Commissary at Vogelweh. The gate guard said that our CACs weren't working...seriously...they've worked for the past week without issue...ugh! Anyway, I liked the Vogelweh commissary better than the Ramstein commissary, but I still prefer to purchase goods on the German economy. Some items are cheaper there, but some are way more expensive! We unpacked our groceries at the new house and returned to the apartment for lunch.

We officially move in tomorrow and our air shipped goods are supposed to arrive. I have to go back to transportation and CPAC AGAIN tomorrow. We won't have internet access for at least a week...things move very slowly here! So, until then...auf wiedersehen!

Donahue Haus...burgs, dorfs, and strasses, oh my!

Kelly: After a weekend of exploring many ...burgs, ...dorfs, and ...strasses, we saw a military-approved house in the village of Ramstein listed on the housing website. The house was located on a little alley at the edge of town with great walkability to grocery stores and the train, which would eliminate the need for us to purchase a second car. It is about 4 miles from my work if Matt were to drop me at the pedestrian gate and 10 miles going around the big hill to the only gate that allows vehicles to enter. Needless to say, we were in love with it based solely on the location. I called to inquire about the rental this morning and was told to come by between ten and noon for an open house because the landlords had received so many inquiries already. So, Matt and I drove over, parked along the curb outside and waited until 10. We watched one of our competitors move in before us...he was in uniform (strike one against us). The house was completely charming, really big, had two garages and had a lovely garden. The landlords were very nice. It was by far the best we had seen in person or online! I really wanted the house but was trying not to get too excited about it. We reluctantly drove to more ...burgs, ...dorfs, and ...strasses but nothing compared! The owners said that they would call all of the applicants this evening and inform them whether or not they were "the chosen ones."

Fortunately, we were distracted from worrying about it by our trip to a little base about 35 minutes away to procure the cherised ID cards. We missed a turn on the way and had to drive to the next autobahn exit then retrace our route back to the maze of lights and gates before arriving at our destination. We were greeted (if you can call a gruff command: "Two forms of ID" a greeting) by a man who proceeded to tell us that he had been up since 3 AM.... you can see where I'm going with this. After we divulged all of our personal information including fingerprints and blood type (not even kidding), I was given the coveted ID card, and Matt was given a less-flashy but equally priveleged version of the same. This process took way longer than expected and the Travel office we needed to visit was closed by the time that we were free...bummer.

We trekked back home to wait for a call from the landlords. I checked the military-approved housing list, as I had been compulsively doing since I realized how fierce the market was, and was dismayed to find that our beloved house had been removed from the listings. My heart sank. As Matt and I were drowning our sorrows in choclate, the phone rang...you guessed it, we got the house!!! We were both overwhelmed with relief. We will meet them to finish the paperwork tomorrow and then drive it to the housing office for final approval. Move-in date is TBD based on when the house can be painted but will likely be in mid-November. Woo hoo! I am very grateful.

Whirlwind Week

Kelly: What time is it? What day is it? This week was definitely a whirlwind. Everything is time consuming. Yesterday, I spent most of the day trying to track down our household goods and researching places to live and then driving to various towns (with the help of our rented GPS). Old German towns are so charming but confusing. Some interesting differences from the US: driving on the curb is allowed, driving on the pedestrian walks is sometimes allowed, small cars really are necessary for navigating tight turns. We learned that the above sign means "Detour" and should be followed! No harm done.

We've chosen a few favorite towns including downtown Landstuhl, which is just a heart-pumping walk up a steep hill to the hospital. We also like a little village called Atzel, which is on top of the hill, across the road from the hospital. Unfortunately, we found zero prospectice rentals in each of those areas. We're going to check out the nearest big city, Kaiserslautern (K-town), today. We're meeting an "Immobilien" (German realtor) to check out one home on the outskirts of the city. The commute from K-town would be about 25 minutes and I could take a train if necessary.

We finished our day with a trip to the gym. I hadn't had a good workout since the end of September. Once we found the new and beautiful facility, we were impressed with the friendly staff and modern design. It is equipped with plenty of cardio equipment, an enormous weight room that I described as "intimidating" but that Matt termed "motivating," a racquetball court (Matt was happy about that), and a sauna (I was happy about that). Both Matt and I had a great workout and feel more like ourselves...amazing what adding a bit of normalcy will do for my mood!