Based some emails I received I must have been in a pretty sour mood when I wrote that last update. There were lots of tough times just after our arrival and within our move, but a lot of joy as well. Of course Ian who has helped all of us out like I mentioned last time, but also many other wonderful things happened. Here are a few of the joyous moments I remember.
For the real story, you must of course consult http://tamaraingermany.blogspot.com/.
Cheers,
Gardner
In the craziness there was much beauty. By craziness I mean the last two months of our lives. As you've probably read on Tamara's blog in addition to the general fun of moving, crazy work schedules, getting kids adjusted to new school, finding doctors, registering for a visa, etc. we've had head lice twice, Tamara broke her toe, and did I mention the work schedule?
This last week's weather would actually sum up the craziness in our lives and the range of emotions that come with such hectic.
Thursday (18 Jan) Hurricane "Kyrill", which pounded Europe killing I believe upwards of 50 people and knocking down 40 million trees in Germany with 25 million in North Rhine-Westphalia where we live. This knocked out the train I normally take to work for the entire week.
Tuesday (23 Jan) winter arrives. Up til now we have had very warm weather compared to averages. An extended Autumn so to say. Well anyway, I had to break out a 2nd coat so that I could stand at the bus stops (I was standing at a lot of bus stops for longer than usual due to that train not running all week).
Friday (26 Jan) the first snow came. In the afternoon, the kids played in the snow. The kids love the snow and so even though there was only a dusting they made the most of it. They made snowmen that were about 6 inches tall (15.24 cm - I'm in Europe now). By nightime it had snowed about an inch at our house.
Saturday (27 Jan) spring came again, or that extended Autumn I mentioned. Most of the snow had melted, kids were playing at the parks and many people were outside and life was back to "normal" again.
As I said in the beginning there was much beauty in all of the craziness of the last two or three months. Here is a quick list of a few of them:
- The kids prayers have been heartfelt. It is amazing to listen to and very moving.
- The kids speak German. For three years I have spoken to them in German and they have spoken English to me and so to hear them respond in German now is pretty cool.
- my parents visited us here in Germany. This was amazing, since my parents and I have shared a "Germany" connection all of our lives, but it was very enjoyable to share it with them here in this country. My parents first met in Germany and often told stories of their experiences here. They were both missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (often referred to as the mormons) in the early 1960's.
- We got to visit the Christmas Market in Düsseldorf. Always a treat, and not just because of the great food.
- Ian was blessed - This will likely be our last child and so it was a special experience. Tamara has changed her mind before, which is why we have Ian by the way.
- Tamara and I celebrated a special anniversary together. We first met in Düsseldorf in January 1991. It was very cool to think about our lives together and to think about how great she has been for me over the years. She is a doll.
- By the way - our second meeting was in Hagen in December 1991. Our third meeting was at the alter (O.K., just kidding about that, but I don't want to bore you with the details, although they are quite interesting to me)
- Spencer was baptized. This was very cool. After I confirmed Spencer a member of the church he turned to me for what I expected would be a traditional handshake. Instead he jumped into my arms. That was cool.
- Me and the kids watched the Star Wars trilogies together and played like 100 hours of Lego Star Wars for ps2 over the Christmas holidays. That was a lot of fun.
- Spencer went to Toys R Us with grandma and bought a toy with a significant percentage of his Christmas/Birthday/allowance money - A plastic "hockey table" (like a Foosball table [Kicker in German] except the table is designed for hockey instead of soccer). The one he bought sits on top of a kitchen table to help you an imagine it's size. He bought it because he wanted to spend more time with me and knew how much I like hockey (did I mention the crazy work schedule). Despite the hockey table's size it is a lot of fun to play and very moving to see your son do something so touching.
- A very special Christmas.
- The congregation here helped us have a wonderful Christmas. They bought a significant gift for each child and gave us several small gifts for the children as well. And on Christmas Eve the Bishop of the congregation came up to me and handed me a "special delivery" from an anonymous donor. The Card contained 250 Euros - the cost of the Visas for Tamara and the kids (I had already payed for mine just after our arrival in September, but we hadn't gotten to everybody else's yet), and we had to pay for them just after Christmas.
- We were short on money and time and so our Christmas was going to be extra small. The gifts were of tremendous value to us and especially to our kids.
- The kids first Nikolaus. That is December 6th when kids receive a gift in their shoes. In Homberg the shoes were dropped off at local businesses a few days in advance and picked up on the 6th. It was very fun for the kids.
- Hannah's Christmas party was very nice. The greatest part was that the person playing Nikolaus was caught in traffic. So the teachers improvised and told this story about how Nikolaus hit traffic and a fallen tree in the road and gave updates during the evening about the status (even Nikolaus has a cell). It was so funny that when the person arrived I thought they had planned it to be that way. They said no. The person was really lost or caught in traffic or both. I told them they should do it that way every year.
- Hearing German Christmas Carols again was very nice.
- Hearing my dad bear his testimony in German. He spoke twice, once at Spencer's baptism and once in Sacrament meeting after Ian's blessing. The Presiding authority invited my Dad on an impromptu basis to share his testimony with the audience. It made the day complete for me.
Our next challenge may very well be determining how to live normal everyday lives again. Wish us luck.
Showing posts with label arrival. Show all posts
Showing posts with label arrival. Show all posts
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Monday, November 20, 2006
Letter to Customs via Moving Company
Mr. Monfils,
I am writing to request reconsideration of the customs officials, to release our goods.
The officials searched through our belongings for 5 hours at a very high cost and found two items that should be taxed:
- cold cereal in unopened boxes (my wife generally buys cereal ahead of time whenever it is on sale, so we always have a stock of 20 boxes or so on hand)
- new children's clothing (these items were gifts that we received from friends in May for our newborn son who was at that time not yet born - he was born 31 Aug 2006. Or, clothes that my wife bought last spring for this winter)
Both items are a normal part of taking care of a family with five children.
If we should be taxed, then tax us, but release our goods so that our family can live in our house with our goods. As of the 29th of of November we will be living in a house that is completely empty and we will be sleeping on the floor. Additionally, we will be living with no pots, pans, plates, glasses, beds, blankets, etc.
Please note to customs officials, that this extreme inconvenience for two items, comes after six months of living without our household goods - because, it should be noted, that we moved out of our house in the USA at the end of May/beginning of June - just about six months ago. We moved out of our house at that time because we were originally planning on moving this summer, but did not because the German health insurance companies said that due to my wife's "pre-existing condition" of being pregnant she would not be accepted by a health insurance company and therefore would have to pay for the entire cost of the pregnancy. We stayed in the US until our son was born.
But that does not change the fact that in May/June, my wife and children moved across the country to Utah to live with my In-laws and I moved in with friends in Wisconsin, and our household goods moved into storage. So for just about six months now our goods have been in storage in Wisconsin, or in storage on a ship, or in storage in the Netherlands. So, technically speaking everything we own has been in our possession for at least six months. Nothing that we own is new anymore, because even if it was new when we packed our household in May/June (like the gifts of baby clothing), it is no longer new, we have owned it now for at least six months.
Gardner
I am writing to request reconsideration of the customs officials, to release our goods.
The officials searched through our belongings for 5 hours at a very high cost and found two items that should be taxed:
- cold cereal in unopened boxes (my wife generally buys cereal ahead of time whenever it is on sale, so we always have a stock of 20 boxes or so on hand)
- new children's clothing (these items were gifts that we received from friends in May for our newborn son who was at that time not yet born - he was born 31 Aug 2006. Or, clothes that my wife bought last spring for this winter)
Both items are a normal part of taking care of a family with five children.
If we should be taxed, then tax us, but release our goods so that our family can live in our house with our goods. As of the 29th of of November we will be living in a house that is completely empty and we will be sleeping on the floor. Additionally, we will be living with no pots, pans, plates, glasses, beds, blankets, etc.
Please note to customs officials, that this extreme inconvenience for two items, comes after six months of living without our household goods - because, it should be noted, that we moved out of our house in the USA at the end of May/beginning of June - just about six months ago. We moved out of our house at that time because we were originally planning on moving this summer, but did not because the German health insurance companies said that due to my wife's "pre-existing condition" of being pregnant she would not be accepted by a health insurance company and therefore would have to pay for the entire cost of the pregnancy. We stayed in the US until our son was born.
But that does not change the fact that in May/June, my wife and children moved across the country to Utah to live with my In-laws and I moved in with friends in Wisconsin, and our household goods moved into storage. So for just about six months now our goods have been in storage in Wisconsin, or in storage on a ship, or in storage in the Netherlands. So, technically speaking everything we own has been in our possession for at least six months. Nothing that we own is new anymore, because even if it was new when we packed our household in May/June (like the gifts of baby clothing), it is no longer new, we have owned it now for at least six months.
Gardner
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
A Quick Update After 7 Weeks
Here is a quick update on our lives here in Germany. There is so much to tell of course and so little time. It seems that a year or so has passed since we left the United States, and we've only been here about seven weeks (since 22nd of September). Without internet access at our house, we are somewhat limited in communication. All the emails you have sent have been appreciated though. I've shared them with my wife and kids and it has been nice.
The first big update is that we have found a permanent house!!!
The house is extremely nice - there is a yard in the back with an apple tree with great apples and there is a large patio. It is a Row house or Townhouse and the couple who owns the house and will rent to us are very nice people and have been wonderful to work with.
The wife said she was a bit nervous to take on a family with 5 children and it required a lot of courage on her part. Because, for instance, if we, or our children, cause problems in the neighborhood, the neighbors complain to her and she must take on that responsibility. She was not sure she was making the right choice until she found out that we are Mormons. Then she felt at ease with her decision. She said that Mormons generally work hard to raise good children and are upstanding people. The wife was an exchange student in Southern California and was very good friends with a Mormon family there. I guess we came with good references. That was a huge blessing for us.
The house is in a little village called Ratingen-Homberg, which is just north of Düsseldorf. The children can walk to school for the next two or three years and I can take a bus/train to work. There are many farms in that area - even some cows like back in Wisconsin, but we are not too far from the cities of Ratingen and Düsseldorf, which have shopping, groceries, etc.
I have been assigned to a project at work. I am working at a company called Tele2 (Swedish, with business in several EU countries, including germany). They are a phone company that is working on some adding some internet offerings. I am testing software that will support ordering the new internet products in Germany. Since the development and much of the project management/coordination takes place in Sweden, I have travelled to Sweden once already. I may go again, but infrequently if at all. I was there for two nights and it was pretty weird at the end of the trip to say to myself - "I'm now going home to Düsseldorf, Germany."
The kids (Shantal & Spencer) have been placed in a grade school down the street from our current apartment in Düsseldorf-Derendorf. The school had limited space and so both children were placed in the same class together - 2nd grade with Mrs. Lehnen. Normally Shantal is in the 3rd grade and Spencer is in the 2nd grade. This has worked out for a good start to their German schooling and their German language experience. Tonight for instance the kids just kept speaking German to me all night. It's still quite a shock. I still think their German will be better than mine in about six months, at least regarding their accent, and ability to speak freely, etc.
We will move out of our furnished apartment in Düsseldorf at the end of November (lease ends then). We can move into our new unfurnished house in Ratingen-Homberg as of the 15th of November. We hope that the Customs Officials in the Netherlands have blessed our furniture and allowed it to pass through customs by the 30th of November so that we will have furniture once we move in. Otherwise we will have to sleep on air mattresses and borrow some dishes.
Our adventure continues in many ways. We must transfer the kids to the new school in Homberg, look for a pre-school for Hannah, find several items for the new house, lights, throw rugs, and most importantly - electric appliances - especially the big ones as it is not practical to bring over the 110W appliances from america. The owners were kind enough to provide a fridge and dishwasher and the house had a stove and and several closets, but there are several items still on the list. Not to mention that work is a bit busy right now ramping up to testing, so my days are long and not too flexible there. We'll just have to keep going for now.
The little kids are doing well too. They are pretty happy with very little. Food, sleep, clean daipers, and love. Emma likes to run around a bit of course and loves being outside - Ian doesn't run much yet. He smiles a lot though and it's amazing how great you feel when he smiles at you. Your wouldn't think that someone smiling at you with slobber and spitup running down their face would move you so much, but it does.
And of course, Tamara is amazing. She has continued to coordinate things very well here. We have a schedule and the kids get their homework done everynight, and laundry gets done, and we are all eating. It's phenomenal really.
The first big update is that we have found a permanent house!!!
The house is extremely nice - there is a yard in the back with an apple tree with great apples and there is a large patio. It is a Row house or Townhouse and the couple who owns the house and will rent to us are very nice people and have been wonderful to work with.
The wife said she was a bit nervous to take on a family with 5 children and it required a lot of courage on her part. Because, for instance, if we, or our children, cause problems in the neighborhood, the neighbors complain to her and she must take on that responsibility. She was not sure she was making the right choice until she found out that we are Mormons. Then she felt at ease with her decision. She said that Mormons generally work hard to raise good children and are upstanding people. The wife was an exchange student in Southern California and was very good friends with a Mormon family there. I guess we came with good references. That was a huge blessing for us.
The house is in a little village called Ratingen-Homberg, which is just north of Düsseldorf. The children can walk to school for the next two or three years and I can take a bus/train to work. There are many farms in that area - even some cows like back in Wisconsin, but we are not too far from the cities of Ratingen and Düsseldorf, which have shopping, groceries, etc.
I have been assigned to a project at work. I am working at a company called Tele2 (Swedish, with business in several EU countries, including germany). They are a phone company that is working on some adding some internet offerings. I am testing software that will support ordering the new internet products in Germany. Since the development and much of the project management/coordination takes place in Sweden, I have travelled to Sweden once already. I may go again, but infrequently if at all. I was there for two nights and it was pretty weird at the end of the trip to say to myself - "I'm now going home to Düsseldorf, Germany."
The kids (Shantal & Spencer) have been placed in a grade school down the street from our current apartment in Düsseldorf-Derendorf. The school had limited space and so both children were placed in the same class together - 2nd grade with Mrs. Lehnen. Normally Shantal is in the 3rd grade and Spencer is in the 2nd grade. This has worked out for a good start to their German schooling and their German language experience. Tonight for instance the kids just kept speaking German to me all night. It's still quite a shock. I still think their German will be better than mine in about six months, at least regarding their accent, and ability to speak freely, etc.
We will move out of our furnished apartment in Düsseldorf at the end of November (lease ends then). We can move into our new unfurnished house in Ratingen-Homberg as of the 15th of November. We hope that the Customs Officials in the Netherlands have blessed our furniture and allowed it to pass through customs by the 30th of November so that we will have furniture once we move in. Otherwise we will have to sleep on air mattresses and borrow some dishes.
Our adventure continues in many ways. We must transfer the kids to the new school in Homberg, look for a pre-school for Hannah, find several items for the new house, lights, throw rugs, and most importantly - electric appliances - especially the big ones as it is not practical to bring over the 110W appliances from america. The owners were kind enough to provide a fridge and dishwasher and the house had a stove and and several closets, but there are several items still on the list. Not to mention that work is a bit busy right now ramping up to testing, so my days are long and not too flexible there. We'll just have to keep going for now.
The little kids are doing well too. They are pretty happy with very little. Food, sleep, clean daipers, and love. Emma likes to run around a bit of course and loves being outside - Ian doesn't run much yet. He smiles a lot though and it's amazing how great you feel when he smiles at you. Your wouldn't think that someone smiling at you with slobber and spitup running down their face would move you so much, but it does.
And of course, Tamara is amazing. She has continued to coordinate things very well here. We have a schedule and the kids get their homework done everynight, and laundry gets done, and we are all eating. It's phenomenal really.
Thursday, November 2, 2006
Goods Cleared Customs
Dear Mr. Wheeler,
This morning customs did a further inspection of your shipment and they found some more food products and some additional new clothing.
Fortunately it was not the same team as last Thursday and though they had instructions to unpack and check the rest of the cartons for new items and food products and report these as such, I have explained them your situation and eventually they agreed with me that the food and new clothing items were not present in such a large quantity that it could not have come from a normal stock from your kitchen or would be considered as commercial as far as the clothing is concerned.
I expect that your shipment will be released by the end of the week and would like to deliver your shipment next week.
In the meantime can you inform me about the delivery situation and access to your house.
Is this a house or an apartment and can we park in front of the building with a truck
If it is an apartment, please advise the floor (ground, 1st, 2nd etc)
Can you also let me know the approximate walking distance between the truck and the front door
Best regards,
Jaco ter Veen
This morning customs did a further inspection of your shipment and they found some more food products and some additional new clothing.
Fortunately it was not the same team as last Thursday and though they had instructions to unpack and check the rest of the cartons for new items and food products and report these as such, I have explained them your situation and eventually they agreed with me that the food and new clothing items were not present in such a large quantity that it could not have come from a normal stock from your kitchen or would be considered as commercial as far as the clothing is concerned.
I expect that your shipment will be released by the end of the week and would like to deliver your shipment next week.
In the meantime can you inform me about the delivery situation and access to your house.
Is this a house or an apartment and can we park in front of the building with a truck
If it is an apartment, please advise the floor (ground, 1st, 2nd etc)
Can you also let me know the approximate walking distance between the truck and the front door
Best regards,
Jaco ter Veen
Saturday, October 21, 2006
One Month After Arrival - Work Assignment
Hi All,
I started work on a real project at Tele2 on Thursday (no longer on the bench). I am testing a new DSL product they will be offering. I work directly with an American and a good team of people.
Other than working with really nice people there, one cool thing I found out on my first day is that the Tele2 manager for whom I am working was an exchange student in North Carolina. His wife was also an exchange student in Tennesee. They are both traveling to the US tomorrow morning and doing some hiking in the Appalachian mountains. I found this out on Thursday - the day that I started. The funny thing was that on the way to work that very morning I spoke to a lady on the S-Bahn and because of my accent she asked me where I was from. She then told me that she was an exchange student in the US many years earlier and had just called her host mom last Sunday for her host mom's 70 birthday -- crazy to think about being 70.
It was a good day. There are a lot of good days. There are a lot of hard days, but that's just part of moving I guess. Just have to keep going. Still no house yet, but things are moving along and I think we'll find something soon.
One other totally crazy thing is that I fly to Sweden to meet with the Tele2 development team next Wednesday thru Friday. I knew the development team was in Sweden, but not that I would fly there four days after starting. Crazy thought!?!?! :-)
Oh, yea. We have a Landline phone number. That's cheaper to call us now.
With Love,
Gardner
I started work on a real project at Tele2 on Thursday (no longer on the bench). I am testing a new DSL product they will be offering. I work directly with an American and a good team of people.
Other than working with really nice people there, one cool thing I found out on my first day is that the Tele2 manager for whom I am working was an exchange student in North Carolina. His wife was also an exchange student in Tennesee. They are both traveling to the US tomorrow morning and doing some hiking in the Appalachian mountains. I found this out on Thursday - the day that I started. The funny thing was that on the way to work that very morning I spoke to a lady on the S-Bahn and because of my accent she asked me where I was from. She then told me that she was an exchange student in the US many years earlier and had just called her host mom last Sunday for her host mom's 70 birthday -- crazy to think about being 70.
It was a good day. There are a lot of good days. There are a lot of hard days, but that's just part of moving I guess. Just have to keep going. Still no house yet, but things are moving along and I think we'll find something soon.
One other totally crazy thing is that I fly to Sweden to meet with the Tele2 development team next Wednesday thru Friday. I knew the development team was in Sweden, but not that I would fly there four days after starting. Crazy thought!?!?! :-)
Oh, yea. We have a Landline phone number. That's cheaper to call us now.
With Love,
Gardner
Tuesday, October 3, 2006
3 Weeks After Arrival
All,
If you haven't heard, the Wheeler family has moved to Düsseldorf Germany. This is something my wife and I have talked about doing for many years and as of 22 September 2006 we were able to finally return to Germany (it was were we originally met). I began work today on 2 October and tomorrow is the Day of German Reunification - the day East & West Germany were reunified after 40 plus years of the iron curtain separating country.
I've put together a couple of thoughts from our first 10 days or so. Not necessarily in order or importance or chronology.
First off, in addition to moving countries, we have also just increased the size of our family - Tamara would say this differently as "just increased" included a long 9 month ordeal, followed by a long, very long 6-7 hour ordeal. Ian Robert Wheeler was born on 31 August, just three weeks before we traveled to Germany.
I have learned a great lesson from Ian and continue to remind me and my children of this lesson - regardless of what country we are in Ian does just fine. He does everything he needs to live regardless of where we are - he gets food, sleep, fill his diaper, and receives and gives love. This is all any one needs to live and this lesson has helped our family greatly as we have lived without many things we thought were essential - internet connection (I'm at an internet cafe), a back yard or garden to play in, certain "American" foods, etc.
Here are some of the details of our life here. We live in a two story furnished apartment in the heart of northern Düsseldorf (an area called Derendorf/Pempelfort). This is a busy area of town and several street cars pass our house and there are many types of shops available in the area. This is much different from the farm country we lived in back in Wisconsin. But it is very nice. There is a Delicatessen in the first floor of our apartment building and so this smells nice when we leave the house in the morning. We are training kids in how to shop and live in a city - they take turns running errands with us to the bakery, or grocery, or newspaper stand.
One of the best features of our apartment is the fire station that is one block away. This means that at least every two hours we hear sirens - the really cool European sirens that we only heard in the movies back in America. Emma (16 months old always gets excited when one goes by). With the windows shut, the kids (and us) now sleep through the sound. It has become background noise and normal for us.
Here are some of the best things about our first ten days.
First, the Latter-day Saint congregation in Düsseldorf offered to help us at the airport and to get settled the first day. This was huge as we had about two large truck loads of luggage (not sure how we got that all through the check-in or the airport, but it was a lot). The kids had a place to play after and Tamara had a place to sleep while I ran and took care of some errands. They have continued to be a great support.
Second, a good friend from Hannover came down to help us out the first weekend. She brought the kids chocolate and helped us figure out many things that would have taken much longer, and generally provided much help throughout the weekend.
Third, going to church on the first Sunday was awesome. It had been over 14 years since I went to Church in Germany and it was wonderful to be back. The first song that the congregation sang was entitled "I'll go where you want me to go, dear Lord." The phrase that struck me was "I'll go over mountain, or sea, or plain." I had just done that and felt a great peace and love as we sang the words in German.
Fourth, the kids are starting to speak German. We have been speaking and training them in German for several years, and they have now begun to speak themselves. They started asking what things mean in German, and have started reading some of the billboards, and grocery packages at home. So that is a good sign. Obviously they have a ways to go, but are headed in the right direction.
Our biggest challenge now is to find the right house, in the right location, with the right features, at the right price. We seem to be able to find 3 of the 4 items items in several houses, but have not yet found all four things in one house. Hopefully we'll find what we are looking for soon.
Much Love,
The Wheelers
Gardner & Tamara
Shantal, Spencer, Hannah, Emma, Ian
If you haven't heard, the Wheeler family has moved to Düsseldorf Germany. This is something my wife and I have talked about doing for many years and as of 22 September 2006 we were able to finally return to Germany (it was were we originally met). I began work today on 2 October and tomorrow is the Day of German Reunification - the day East & West Germany were reunified after 40 plus years of the iron curtain separating country.
I've put together a couple of thoughts from our first 10 days or so. Not necessarily in order or importance or chronology.
First off, in addition to moving countries, we have also just increased the size of our family - Tamara would say this differently as "just increased" included a long 9 month ordeal, followed by a long, very long 6-7 hour ordeal. Ian Robert Wheeler was born on 31 August, just three weeks before we traveled to Germany.
I have learned a great lesson from Ian and continue to remind me and my children of this lesson - regardless of what country we are in Ian does just fine. He does everything he needs to live regardless of where we are - he gets food, sleep, fill his diaper, and receives and gives love. This is all any one needs to live and this lesson has helped our family greatly as we have lived without many things we thought were essential - internet connection (I'm at an internet cafe), a back yard or garden to play in, certain "American" foods, etc.
Here are some of the details of our life here. We live in a two story furnished apartment in the heart of northern Düsseldorf (an area called Derendorf/Pempelfort). This is a busy area of town and several street cars pass our house and there are many types of shops available in the area. This is much different from the farm country we lived in back in Wisconsin. But it is very nice. There is a Delicatessen in the first floor of our apartment building and so this smells nice when we leave the house in the morning. We are training kids in how to shop and live in a city - they take turns running errands with us to the bakery, or grocery, or newspaper stand.
One of the best features of our apartment is the fire station that is one block away. This means that at least every two hours we hear sirens - the really cool European sirens that we only heard in the movies back in America. Emma (16 months old always gets excited when one goes by). With the windows shut, the kids (and us) now sleep through the sound. It has become background noise and normal for us.
Here are some of the best things about our first ten days.
First, the Latter-day Saint congregation in Düsseldorf offered to help us at the airport and to get settled the first day. This was huge as we had about two large truck loads of luggage (not sure how we got that all through the check-in or the airport, but it was a lot). The kids had a place to play after and Tamara had a place to sleep while I ran and took care of some errands. They have continued to be a great support.
Second, a good friend from Hannover came down to help us out the first weekend. She brought the kids chocolate and helped us figure out many things that would have taken much longer, and generally provided much help throughout the weekend.
Third, going to church on the first Sunday was awesome. It had been over 14 years since I went to Church in Germany and it was wonderful to be back. The first song that the congregation sang was entitled "I'll go where you want me to go, dear Lord." The phrase that struck me was "I'll go over mountain, or sea, or plain." I had just done that and felt a great peace and love as we sang the words in German.
Fourth, the kids are starting to speak German. We have been speaking and training them in German for several years, and they have now begun to speak themselves. They started asking what things mean in German, and have started reading some of the billboards, and grocery packages at home. So that is a good sign. Obviously they have a ways to go, but are headed in the right direction.
Our biggest challenge now is to find the right house, in the right location, with the right features, at the right price. We seem to be able to find 3 of the 4 items items in several houses, but have not yet found all four things in one house. Hopefully we'll find what we are looking for soon.
Much Love,
The Wheelers
Gardner & Tamara
Shantal, Spencer, Hannah, Emma, Ian
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
