christmas shopping.

Note to self. go christmas shoppin EARLY.

german hospital.

alright. i did it. my first doctors appointment off post. we have a clinic here, so if you have a cold, your good. they can do minor stuff and write prescriptions. thats about it.

i have had a lump on my breast for about 8 months. i have not had it checked out because the only thing i had access to for the last 8 months are emergency rooms. can u imagine the look on a docs face when i say im here cause of this lump? LOL!
when i went home this summer my mom felt it- shes a nurse-and she freaked out. that IS A LUMP. a BIG ONE. so she kinda freaked me out. when i went to VA. they said i had to have a PCM to be seen, and i dont. cause ed was TDY.
so they wouldnt see me. nice huh?

i got here to germany went to my PCM and he said yes it is a lump, and yes i need to get it checked out. he put me in for a referral. after the referral is put in, u have to wait four days before going to tricare to make the appointment for off post. its a 45 minute drive to tricare, and u cant call. u have to go in.

the hospitals here are very different. u cant walk into Any emergency room and be seen. kids go to one hospital, adults another. if you have an open wound you go to a different hospital. if you have a broken leg you go to another one. chest pain- another. the good thing is u get in and out, u always have people that do nothing but what your there for, so they are sorta like specialists.

because i have tricare, in Germany it is considered private insurance, so i am only seen by the Chief of that hospital, in that speciality. so today i was seen by the chief of radiology. this is a giant hospital- that does nothing but ob care. weird right?
i agree. its not bad- its just different.

so i go in and there is a restaurant/bakery right in the front of the entrance..it smells like fresh baked bread and coffee. now i was told all hospitals have these...people Come to the hospital just to eat!
a sweet little german lady in a red vest smiled at me and started speaking german.
"klien dutch," i told her, and asked if she spoke english. she said "nein" and pointed to the front desk. when i got there i asked her the same thing: "sprecken sie englisch?"
ja.
YES!
:)
i showed her the folder i got from tricare and she said i have to go to administrative office and take a number. did that. took about 20 minutes. the put in my info and told me where i needed to go. i walked up 3 flights of stairs- hello can someone please put an elevator somewhere in this country!?!?!?!? LOL! its good exercise...

thankfully i didnt even break a sweat, and i went in and gave them my folder.
they told me to sit. and there i sat. with Ed. and i watched 6 people that came in after me, come and see the doc and Leave during the time i was still sitting there. of course the first thing im thinking- its cause im american. ha! Ed is in there getting all grumpy. i keep checking the time cause i was afraid i wouldnt have time to be home to meet the kids...then this little man comes over and shakes my hand.
i am the resident chief. come with me.
okay, and i follow him into this little room where there is a mammogram machine and an ultrasound set up with a tiny white cot nearby.
Ed follows us- he says "nein, stay in chair please." LOL!!!!
he closes the door in Ed's face and says,
"take off your clothes please. top and bra."
"okay."
and i wait.
and he waits.
and i wait.
and he waits.
and then i realize---- he isnt leaving.
so i turn around, take off my shirt, take off my bra, and then turn to him covering myself with my shirt.
he politely takes the shirt from me and says "please lie down. "
i lie down.
i cover myself with my arms. he moves them. he was very nice and gentle and not at all acting strange. i was the one acting strange! its like being in the twilight zone at this point.
then he squirts both sides and wands me. no blanket, no covering no nothing. totally normal for him. no big deal.
then he doesnt like what he sees.
he says "u need mammogram. i send someone in."
"will it hurt?" i ask him.
straight faced no smile no nothing he says, "i dont have breasts."
he was very nice and polite, but of course i was totally. just totally weirded out.
so here comes a lady. i had gotten my shirt back and was covering up with it. she comes in and takes it. first thing. she says, "nein." (no)
then we do the mammogram. i just stood there with my pants and shoes on doing what i had to do. and she did what she had to do. she did keep saying, "u do nothing." i think i may have been trying to help by turning or leaning a certain way...

the mammogram did not hurt by the way. there was pressure, but it didnt hurt. i wouldnt be scared to have another one.
so then the doc comes in and has my films. while im dressing. there was no knocking. FYI.
throws em up on the light and tells me i am fine. and goodbye. just like that! and i went home.
i dont think i can handle a papsmear. for real. sorry if this one was tmi. i just had to share!!! LOL!

i want to make clear....this is a complete cultural thing. nothing more. i heard before going that it would be like this...its just different when u experience it. for instance they do room sharing in the hospitals. male and female, and there are no sheet dividers. its the human body, and thats it. nothing sexual. i wish americans were more like that. i wish i wasnt so flippin modest and awkward. i hope to lose some of this self conscience behavior while im here. :)

Driving in Germany

i drove today, and i wasnt afraid. this was the VERY first time. it was also the first time i didnt get lost, and the first time i didnt get honked at. I actually had music playing in the car and i sang along to depech mode. all i wanted...all i needed...was here...in ur arms....things are very...okay you get it. =) so i figured i better write this one before it doesnt make much sence to me.

driving here for the first time totally freaked me out. i made a 100 on my exam. the first one i failed--by one point. the second i mastered. but even though i knew everything on the test....it is still difficult. let me tell you why.

~go from miles to kilometers. when ur used to quickly checking ur speed, and you can actually feel what 55 feels like..mostly...then change the entire thing around to kilometers, it isnt easy. and my kilometers are REALLY tiny. so i have to squint and look closely. and its strange. 120 KM which is what the autobauhn is most of the time- is 78 miles an hour. not even a 0 or 5 number. so thats the hardest part for me.

~ stuttgart is a city, comparable to Atlantas' traffic. so not only am i learning to drive in a new country, but im learning to drive in an Atlanta new country.

~ im scared of the Politzie. Police. cause they are allowed to use physical force at any time. and most do not speak English. so im terrified of getting pulled over.

~ there are cameras Everywhere. and u get flashed. ed has twice. in two weeks. he is no longer driving- he doesnt want another ticket, so he takes the bus or i drive. this is why im not afraid anymore, im doing it so often now.

~ merging here- uhm people dont hesitate and look before they turn. when their blinkers turn on, be prepared cause they are getting over. period. theres no question. but now i do it too..so its okay. its perfectly legal!

~ staying in the rt hand lane except to pass- is the LAW. u will get a ticket if you are going slower than right hand lane traffic.

~ bikes Are traffic. they are treated just like a car when your following the rules. they are a car. and u have to treat them like one.

~ pedestrians do not matter here. they DO NOT have the right of way. they never do, unless they are in a designated crosswalk. in fact the only time it is legal to honk your horn- is at a PEDESTRIAN! so they will get out of the way! be careful walking in Germany- u have no rights!

~the lights go from green to red, and then from red to yellow to green.

i think that about covers it. there is no way just anyone could come here and drive. u have to know so many things that are different than the states. the signs are all in German- obviously. the signs! there are millions of them, all different than ours..but i think i have it down now.

ps. i just tried to do a spellcheck, and its trying to change ALL of my words, cause this is running off the german internet. ugh.

food food and more food!

Food. Every meal is an adventure. Every single time we visit a restaurant its like a whole new world. From the people, the language and the food- its just crazy, strange, amazing, scary, exciting, delicious, suspicious, but mostly just plain old good!

The salads here are WONDERFUL. Unlike in America, you don’t get to “pick out” your dressing. You get the “house” dressing every time. i have yet to find one i didn’t LOVE. They almost all have corn and kidney beans in them, strangely wonderful. Their lettuce is also different but I’m not sure why. Oh oh oh! And sometimes they put weird little things under ur salad. Like a little surprise. My favorite is the cold herby potato things. And sometimes there is coleslaw under there, or sauerkraut. I avoid the sauerkraut. Trust me.

I also LOVE jagershnitzel. Sorry spell check isn’t working for the German words. Its pork grilled with a mushroom sauce over it. yum. Okay. Just yum.
The Chinese food here- ROCKS. But get this. Most surprising thing of all? ITALIAN. I don’t enjoy Italian food really. Pizza hut? Yeah. But macaroni grill, or the olive garden, not so much. I can’t eat bread or pasta- so where’s the attraction? Omg. The Italian food here is out of this world. It’s the CHEAPEST thing you can buy. 1st of all. Isn’t that enough? No wait there’s more. Its sooooooooooo flippin good! The pizza oh the pizza. I wanna do a pizza dance. They come out huge, and hot. And u get ur very own, like giant platter size of pizza. But don’t worry, its so thin when you hold it up, it flips under so far the only thing left in ur hand in the crust!!!! So it may seeeeeem huge, but oh its perfect size!

The other best part about Italian food? The Italians, oh they come from Italy. And ask anyone here- who LOVES kids?????? the Italians LOVE kids. they play with their hair, they pinch their cheeks, they coo over them. lots of smiles, and happy faces. And then they bring them so many things. Heck- i wouldn’t be surprised if they brought the keys to their house to my kids. they get coloring books, and pencils, ice cream, and toys, kisses and hugs. There is only one place here i can get chocolate milk for my kids. That would be ANY Italian restaurant. It’s not on the menu- but i just ask in my broken German, “cold chocolate milche?” They actually melt their own chocolate down, and CREATE it for them specifically. *sigh* i love Italian people.
Then there’s the Greek food. Oh please don’t get me started. Kebobs! And more Kebobs!!!!!! Delish! I’m very hungry. Can u tell?

Bad thing about eating out here? There aren’t many child options. Mostly my kids end up eating cola and pamos. (fries)
U cannot get a glass of water without carbonation. You could ask for tap water but they look at you like ur nuts. That’s gross! Who drinks tap water? Us nasty Americans that’s who. Oh and its not free, the water. U pay and a lot. It’s cheaper to have Bier (beer) than water. That’s why everyone here is always drinking! I’m figuring it all out. Refills- what’s that? No such thing. u drink- you pay- every time. Full price. You also pay for your condiments. Like ketchup. I’m thinking about bringing a small bottle with me in my purse. In kays words- u get what you get and u don’t throw a fit. You order it, you get it just like it is on the menu. There’s no changing things around. This is NOT burger king and you will NOT have it your way. And insulted they will be if you don’t eat all of ur food. So even if you don’t like it, u must ask for a box to bring it on home. so no feelings are hurt. Oh and this isn’t true for all restaurants but some i have been too have only 5 things on the menu. That’s it!
That about covers the food page. Whew. Im now starving. Too bad i don’t know how to get to any Italian restaurants right now. LOL!!!!! I really don’t!

ps. found one and went today...it was AWESOME!!!!! :) and they deliver to the gate, and its about 5 minutes away....

the plane, hotel, and other things...

After goodbye came the plane. I really don’t want to talk about the plane but i will. For a second. The plane caught on fire over the ocean. There was fire, smoke, shaking, nose down dropping, and screaming. There was me telling my children that “we are all going to see Jesus. And that’s okay. We will all be together.” Never in my life did i think the day would come when i had to tell my children they were about to die. But it happened. My worst fear came true. And i survived. We all did. We have some scarring in our hearts and minds, but nothing time won’t heal. I learned something really important about myself in those 45 minutes. I learned that even in my worst moment my children still come first. I remained calm, and reassuring-for them. So for that-i am thankful. For survival i am thankful. God must have some plans for this family. Can’t wait to see what they are.

Speaking of grateful, i am SO Grateful to be typing on my very own computer right this second! It was almost burned in a fire- and it wasn’t! God saved us again! Also, it just got hooked up last night. Still no internet, I’m writing this in Word and then i will transfer it when i have the electric drug. (Internet)
I have been here since September 29th. We lived in a hotel until October 29th when most of our stuff was shipped to our new home on post. It is now November 12th and i just got my computer and desk set up. The rest of the house is almost complete.
Hotel living: I would tell you it was terrible but it wasn’t. i would tell you we were all cramped up- but i enjoyed it. i would say that the lack of oven was difficult- but we made do. The gas station sells lots of frozen weight watcher and healthy choice meals, and that’s what i ate- mostly. And the kids ate hot pockets, sandwiches and hotdogs a lot. We even bought charcoal and grilled a few times behind the hotel where a little grill was set up. I fell in love with the people that lived there. Mostly families like us in transition. Some were on that roller coaster plane ride with us, which automatically made us a family. There were no strangers on that plane. Some were TDY military families there alone. Some just worked there. I grew attached to them all. Going to the gym together, kids doing homework together in the conference rooms, hot cocoa by the gallon, and freezing benches where we sat and waited for our kids to be too cold for the park. (it never happened) I have to say it was hard to leave the Kelley Hotel.

I have kept a few notes about different German things on my iphone- which i love by the way. I will post them here and explain a little bit about each one.

~The radio stations here play American music, but it’s all from the 80’s. Think Duran Duran, and Paula Abdul. They still speak in German but the music is mostly American 80’s! In the malls and restaurants, you will hear Madonna in her glory days, singing about her virginity, or lack thereof.

~On post there are no American pennies in circulation. So say your purchase is $4.83. You give them $4.85 and you get no change. Give them $4.80 and they look at you like you can’t count. So u must go over, never under. :/

~Dogs are EVERYWHERE. From grocery stores to train stations. There is no place in Germany that your dog is not welcomed at. And i don’t know what they put in the dog water over here, but their dogs are VERY well behaved. No leashes. No worries. They stay with their owners. Period. I wont bring my dog in public. Surely i will stick out like a sore thumb. My dogs are like German dogs only on crack.

~speaking of kids, Germans only have 1 maybe 2 kids. I’m not sure why cause they get paid big bucks to have children. They are under populated. Moms or Dads will be paid to stay at home with said children until they are in university. (if they are chosen to go. They have to pass a test in the third grade that will determine their lifes work) Still they only have 1 child mostly. This one child can have and do anything they want. Even in public. Americans are considered strict with their children. The great part about this is, even if my kids are not having their best day, i don’t have to worry, cause NOONE cares!

~the German people are VERY family centered, and focused. They go to work from 9-5 and then they go home. period. They never work on Sundays, and they rarely eat meals out with their families. They like to have family meals at home. If and when they do, it’s a very slow casual affair amongst friends. When eating out here, expect to STAY in the restaurant for a minimum of 2 hours. Sometimes more. That’s been a huge adjustment for our family. Especially with young kids- which u rarely see out anyway. We are really starting to enjoy this tradition though.

The German people are kind, and stern, and rule followers. They do everything by the book- except the whole horn honking thing. maybe when i start driving more i wont get so many honks- its illegal in Germany to honk! Because im not driving well, im not following the rules, which makes for a very unhappy German.

They love it when i speak the language. Some of them speak English, not nearly as many as i thought would. But that’s okay. I’m picking up their language as fast as i can. They are VERY helpful, and LOVE to help. I have a new appreciation for foreigners in my land. I now know how hard it is. And i will never EVER complain about the whole press 1 for English thing. cause when they don’t have the press 2 for English button here- and they don’t. I’m just screwed. There is no talking to whoever it is you wanted to talk too. It’s very isolating. Thank God the Germans are as kind as they are. Always willing to help, always willing to find someone who can if they can’t. The people here are the very best part. My favorite part. Even the sour-faced older people who just look mad. Think scrooge before the ghosts. I find them ADORABLE! And i wanna kiss their scruffy little sour faces! I love them all! Ed has spoken of staying here forever. It feels like what America (or what we think America was like) in the 50’s. We wouldn’t of course, we are far too in love with our own country for that, but it will at least show you how we feel about this place so far.



PS.i have no pictures on this computer, cause i just got it!! hooray! i wrote this last week, along with the next one--all about the food! :)
i promise to post pictures in the future! u can always go and see them on my FB page too. if ur my friend. :)