Labor Day Weekend has come and gone, and for the first time since arriving in Germany I feel the need to start connecting with the community here. Our initial phase has passed; we can not be the "new people" forever.
There are so many "firsts" here that finding a focus for my Blog posts has been difficult. My mind is all over the place; we have seen many beautiful places and everything is a brand new experience worthy of a detailed elaboration. But in an attempt to condense it all, I will list some of the few "firsts" that we've had over the past few weeks:
1. My first grocery shopping trip to a German grocery store, "REWE." This is perhaps one of my favorite "firsts." I spent so much time standing in front of the refrigerator case of the dairy and deli sections trying to decide what to buy that people were looking at me funny. I am in awe of the various cheeses, meats, stuffed pasta, and yogurt; not to mention beer and sandwich spreads, sauces and snacks! It's like I died and went to Grocery Store Heaven! I don't know why this causes such excitement, but it does, and I must say that the yogurt here is like a thousand times way more delicious than any I've ever tried back in the U.S. This week I am on a lemon flavor kick.
2. My first time driving on the Autobahn. Which of course required me to pass the German drivers license test. Which was NOT easy, on account of the fact I had to learn hundreds of new road signs and words in German such as "STAU" (traffic jam) and "UMLEITUNG" (detour) and "AUTOFAHRT" (which I think means your car has gas, but I could be wrong.) I got 99 out of 100 questions right (compare that to Mitchman's 14 incorrect answers) and earned my right to drive in this country. The fastest we have gone on the Autobahn so far is 180 kph. (Multiply by 6 and drop the zero to convert that to MPH.) You do the math; or just believe me when I say my Beamer is fast and furious.
3. My first Battalion Steering Committee meeting. My first Executive Spouse Meeting. My first FRG Huddle. My first Hail and Farewell. And all that other Army crap. Can you believe they call me an "Executive Spouse"? I am not an executive anything. In fact, I don't even know what executive means. All these fancy titles are making my head swell up with self-importance. I don't know if this house is big enough for both Mitchman and me; our egos are growing by the minute. As one friend pointed out, it's no wonder I keep banging my head on the ceiling in my bedroom...it's gotten so big I can't help it.
4. My first Volksfest. In Parsberg. It was wild, wild fun! Everyone was up on the tables dancing and hoisting giant mugs of beer, dressed in Lederhosen and Dirndl dresses, clanking glasses and shouting "PROST!" As soon as we walked into the beer tent, someone grabbed me and pulled me up onto the table with them, and so we danced and sang and laughed hysterically for the rest of the night. At some point, the Bavarian band allowed Mitchman to get up on stage and sing "Sweet Home Alabama." The crowd went bonkers over it. The Germans love American music even if they can't speak English, and I love boisterous Bavarian people even if I can't speak German. So we will all get along just fine here.
5. My first trip to a castle and castle ruins. Okay, not my first (if you count the castles we visited back in the 90's) but my first time THIS time here. When we finally found the path after following elusive "Zur Burg" signs around Kallmunz, the hike involved some extremely dangerous footing on a steep hill paved with rocks that served as steps. Probably should have thought twice before allowing Hannah to come up with us, but, all's well that ends well. The view from the top was amazing; I can't get enough of this beautiful scenery that surrounds us at every turn. From the lush, green countryside to the colorful homes, some painted with murals like out of a fairy tale. Bavaria is a sight to behold.
6. Our first visitors! Yep, our friends from Florida, Mike and Debbie, came to visit us over the weekend. We finished unpacking the last few boxes in the nick of time; the "storage room" in the basement is now officially "Casey's Clubhouse" and has a futon and twin-size mattress where our house guests can lay their heads while visiting Germany. Although I must warn everyone that Casey charges 1 EURO per person.
7. Casey's first soccer tournament. He is terrible at soccer but his trainer, Heinz, insists he will get better and we need to be patient. It's hard to be patient when you watch him though. All the German kids are zipping around him while Casey stays firmly planted in La La Land. But he loves it, and the tournaments here are so cool; they have long tables beneath covered pavilions where you can buy everything from Brats to ice cream to BEER. Soccer days are family days. Hundreds of people, young and old, gather to celebrate their country's favorite pastime: Fussball. I love being part of this cultural experience, so I hope Casey will eventually learn how to play. Because this is mostly a boys sport in Germany, we are having a difficult time finding a place for Georgia. The good news is that Heinz lets her help him with training, and she has already developed quite the rapport with this team. The boys are intrigued by this American girl who can play soccer so well; one little boy named Alois keeps smacking her on the butt. (She got it from her mamma....)
There are many other "Firsts" I will eventually share, but I've run out of time today. Tomorrow I will post about our trip to Rothenburg.
