Repatriation

What I find overwhelming about living in the US again:

•the selection of stuff (laundry detergent, dish soap, toilet paper, to name a few)

•coupons...I almost feel like I'm an American in a chinese market getting ripped off again because I don't have a coupon. I also feel like I should buy something just because I have a good coupon for it. Never mind that I might not need it right now.

To be continued..

The beginning of the end

This picture was taken on the path along the Rhein River on a run from the kids school into the city. The ISD running group does this a few times per year, once at the start of the year, at Christmas, and at the end of the year. It is an easy, picturesque 10k with lots of laughter along the way. 

This group has changed so much even in the 2 years that I have been here. But the same feelings ring true, these runners are lifelines for each other in this crazy expat life. 

I think maybe it's the feeling we get from running and the comeraderie that makes all of us seek out other runners when we eventually move on to our next adventures.

Today was my last Aldstadt run. God blessed us with a great day full of sunshine and just the right amount of breeze.

Sundays on the Rhein

Sundays in Germany were difficult for us at first. Nothing is open. No stores specifically so there is no grocery shopping or menial errand running.  Coming from the fast pace of Shanghai, this was a bit boring.

Sunday morning and afternoons here are spent strolling (spaziergang) with family and friends. It's actually a brilliant idea. Slow time, just meant for focusing on being in the present.

Today's Sunday has bikers, babies, jiggers and Elizabeth and I rollerblading. Perfect for chatting about our next move!

 

Such a shame

One of my good friends here in Dusseldorf has a blog. I'll put in a link to it once I get more tech savvy on posting. I enjoy reading it and other blogs of traveling moms. 

I was telling her that I used to keep a blog when we lived in Shanghai. She asked me to send her the link and when I did, I went back and looked at it. Such a shame that I have not done our European experience justice by continuing to post. 

Why haven't I? Not even one good reason. We have continued to travel and I am not working so I should have plenty if time...... I think with the increased use of Facebook, it's easier just to snap a picture, make a comment, and post. However, in Facebook, you can't ramble on about the random sights, smells, and general experiences that you have like you can with a blog.

Like many other good habits that I try to attempt, eating better, not drinking so much, not picking my cuticles....continuing to post has fallen to the wayside. However, like all of the above, I will continue to try. Not so much for other people but for us and our kids to look back at to relive some of the best times of our lives!

Dusseldorf - 1st month - 1st post

Time to start blogging again....
Still trying to unpack and organize things here.  I really thought I would not miss Xiao Zhu, but I definitely do!  So many things she did that we took for granted :0.

Kids have settled in well and I've started German lessons.  I'm taking an intensive course through a state run organization.  The most amazing blend of a group.  There is a lady from Ecuador, a man from Spain, a lady from China (Shenzen), a lady from Hungary, a lady from the Philippines, a lady from Japan, a lady from Spain, a man from Argentina, a lady from Poland, a lady from Brazil, a man from Greece, a lady from China (HongKong), a lady from Romania, a man from Bulgaria (who is very stinky), a lady from New York (originally from Jamaica), a lady from China (Shanghai), and a lady from Venezuela.  Our teacher, Jasmine, lives in Germany but is Armenien.  I'm really enjoying it so far.

The one thing I can say about Dusseldorf is that it is Green.  In more ways than one.  First and foremost, the landscape is amazing.  We live 5 minutes walk from the Rhine River.  And there is a bike/walk path that goes for miles and miles.   This photo was taken along a path parallel to the river that goes for miles.  I can take this from my house to the town of Kaiserswerth.  So cool.  So different from Shanghai.

The other way it is Green is with the recycling.  They recycle everything.  I have 4 different containers outside my house with different days for pickups. I honestly think this is the most stressful part about being here:)

Still miss Shanghai, but we are in a good place!

NFL Experience

Every year, a little more of Americana moves it's way into Shanghai. This year, the NFL brought some to Shanghai. We went to Puxi to the Sports Center with Joe, Joey, and Matthew Taverna. The kids got to meet Tony Dorsett, the San Fransisco 49er cheerleaders, and participate in some different skill games. We also watched our local elementary and high school kids play football. Check out Joe and Kirk with the Coors Lady. Elizabeth wanted her pic taken also.

We took the cub scouts to the local Fire Station to see the trucks and meet the Firemen in JinQiao. The Firefighters are part of the People's Army. The station looked just like a station in the US. Many of the trucks were built in the US. The boys got to try on the special fireproof helmets. These were made in the US and cost $1000. The boys got to try out the fire pole and really enjoyed their visit.

Halloween is taking off in Shanghai. There were so many shops in the commodities market dealing with costumes and decorations and such this year. Also, two neighborhoods did trick or treating on two different nights so the kids got double duty trick or treating. Alex was a Beyblade Trainer and Elizabeth was the Disco Zombie from Plants vs Zombies. The adults had two parties this year. The first one Kirk dressed up as the Disco Priest and I was a Gypsy Fortune Teller. It's always so funny meeting people for the first time at Halloween parties because when they see you later, they have no idea who you are!! The second party had a music theme and we dressed up as the Blues Brothers. You can see in one picture, all of my girlfriends are dressed so cute and there I am as a fat, ugly, man! The other kids with Elizabeth and Alex are Alex and Jenna Gaylord and Rohin Hayes. The adults in the Rock party were Martin and Charu Hayes, Joe and Keri Taverna, Mark and Kim Gaylord. Same people in the last pic except the Hayes weren't there.

Cub Scouts

I am a cub scout leader (nice uniform right?)with another mom. Here is our Tiger Cub troop. We are missing two boys - Patrick and William. The other boys are Griffin, Jonathan, Alex, Andy, and Joey.

Alex Field Trip to Children's Marble Palace

Stevens Visit (Chicago)

How my Kindergarten Boy perceives me

I titled this as "how my kindergarten BOY perceives me" because I think Elizabeth had a much better perception of me when she was Alex's age.

Alex brought home my Mother's Day gift which was titled "My Mother's Biography". I am transposing word for word below, it is priceless. The teacher had standard sentences provided, the bold words were written by Alex.

My mother's name is Kathrin.She is 140 cm tall and weighs 90 kg. (For the Americans, that is about 4 1/2 ft tall and 198 lbs)
Her hair color is black and her eyes are blue.
The prettiest thing about my mother is her hair.
My mom is 39 years old and still looks great.
I love my mother because she is my mom.
She gets upset when I play in the sink.
When I am really good, she will let me go to the shop.
When I am at school, my mom watches TV.
I am glad she is my mother because she's my mom.

Now, let's clarify some things......

His spelling on my name was pretty close.
I'm a little taller than 4 1/2 feet (5'9" to be exact) and I only weigh 65 kgs although some days it feels like 90.
My hair is dark brown and my eyes are hazel.....could he be color-blind? Gotta check that out at the next doctor's appointment.
I am 39, he's right there.
He does make a mess when he plays in the sink, but I don't ever remember being really mad about that.
I do take him to the shop when he is good.
TV????? So much for thinking my career was getting in the way of things, apparently I was just watching TV :)

I am so glad he is my son!

Jetlagged

Jetlagged!

Michigan

After Florida, we went to Michigan. There was a ton of snow! We had a great time at the farm and even Ethan and Nolan and Allie came to enjoy the snow with us. We had fun snowmobiling and stayed the night at a hotel and went swimming.

Florida

After our great Christmas, we were a bit homesick, so we traveled to US for the Chinese New Year holiday. We started in Florida. The kids had a great time. Alex had a 100 day project due and was missing a few days of school during our trip. His idea was to find 100 shells. He did and made his name out of the shells.

Walking with Dinosaurs

A life size dinosaur show came to the Mercedez Benz arena in Shanghai. It had huge dinosaurs and was a show that was incredibly entertaining. We all loved it.

Snowing in Shanghai

While December was mild, January and February were not. Shanghai got a snowstorm and we got about 2 inches of snow. This may not seem like much but it is for Shanghai. The kids loved it and built a snowman.

Crazy Dress Day

The kids school has many school spirit days. This was crazy dress day and the kids wanted to wear wigs.

Tauranga/Rotorua, New Zealand

Christchurch, New Zealand