Here and There and Everywhere...

Some random happenings from the past week or so...

We went to a "Green is the New Pink" party last week at the apartment of one of Sidonie's colleagues!  I took a couple snapshots of the festivities.

Lara, the host, giving directions to someone who was lost.  Lara is in the class with Sidonie and is from Brazil.

Sidonie, Lara, and our new friend (we met her that evening, and she goes to a dance academy in Hamburg - don't mind her grey attire, she was ill informed about the evening.)  Notice how Sidonie not only wore both colors, but managed to put them both on her face as well - that's my baby!

Pink meets green!

Some folks from Sidonie's class (Clockwise starting with the boy: Morten who is from Denmark and is learning German as well; Maxine who is from Switzerland and speaks slightly different German than they do here; Ela who is in a class ahead of Sidonie, and way in the background, Nina who is from southern Germany - all of whom speak English to varying degrees!)

This girl (two classes ahead of Sidonie) came to the party as Glinda from Wicked (for those non-musical theatre folks, one of the most popular musicals on Broadway right now) with tiara and all!

The dancing begins!  Fun was had by all!

In other news, fall has arrived in earnest here in Hamburg!  Not only are the leaves falling, as you can see below, but the temperatures are as well.  Yesterday was about 9 degrees with a wind chill of about 6 (no, that's not Fahrenheit, it was 48 and 43, respectively!)  

This cuttie (Lili) is the daughter of a couple at church, and I just couldn't resist snapping a shot of how adorable she was in her little hat - they always keep a hat on her because it is too cold for her bald little head!)

A "leaf drift" if you will!

The my leaf-lined pathway to the grocery store.

The fruit section of my favorite grocery store: Penny Markt!

The veggie selection!

On the language front, our German skills are progressing.  I have had several conversations with people who speak no English, and we've been able to communicate, so that's a real plus!  (I had one conversation yesterday about my cell phone (Handy) which had stopped working.  We understood each other enough that I now have a working cell!)  The people who see us daily comment on how we're speaking better and better (besser und besser) each day.  We're both often told how amazed people are at the speed with which we are picking up the language, so that is an encouragement as well!  Our vocabularies are growing, and we're picking up the grammar (Gramatik) slowly but surely!

Teaching is going well - I have quite the full schedule next week!  Most of my classes are mid to upper-level English speakers, so the majority of our lessons are discussions centered around a particular topic or world event.  I spent several hours yesterday compiling and becoming familiar with current world events so as to create lesson plans around them!  I also have another audition on Tuesday morning of next week.  This one is for a German show called Ich War Noch Niemals In New York (I was never in New York) which is a show based on a famous German composer's music.  The show is in Hamburg, so this would be an excellent opportunity if anything comes of the audition!  We'll see which path God has planned!

As for my work permit, (Arbeitserlaubnis) I spoke with the office yesterday, and I should be able to call and get an answer on how it was processed on the 3rd of November!  I'll keep you posted.

Ciao for now!

What's Your Sign?

Because of the vast number of signs posted here which have interesting, if not at times, questionable meanings or interpretations, I thought it appropriate to dedicate this next post to German signs!

This says, in German, Kein Trinkwasser (not drinking water)...

...Upon closer evaluation, I hardly think the sign necessary - everything but the kitchen sink is in this fountain!

Two interesting signs here: One telling you that your dog must be on a leash (there are dogs EVERYWHERE here, and I do mean everywhere: the train, the bus, the department store, the restaurant...for the most part they are very well behaved!) The other we find very interesting, and they exist in abundance, and, as you can see from the sign's illustrative message, this is not the place for puppy poo poo!

Although, at first glance, this sign may seem to read no women or children, it really means that no one is to walk here!

Yes, Mary made her way across the pond and is here with us in Germany!

This is a sign on a shopping cart.  One must insert either a .50 or 1 Euro coin to use this cart!  Yes, it is refunded when you return the cart to its proper place with its compatriots!  

Another interesting thing about the carts here is that the wheels, all four of them, roll in every direction, so you can easily move your cart directly to the left or right out of the way!

Several other interesting things we have encountered here, but have not yet gotten to take pictures of, are a no smoking sign existing directly above the ground littered with innumerable cigarette butts, and likely several people currently smoking - these locations are numerous, and the view upon a visit to a public restroom in the city.  Urine town IS a place (for those musical theatre fans out there) and we now live in it.  When you want to use a restroom in a store or public place, as you approach, you'll notice a woman, frequently wearing rubber gloves, seated at a table which is occupied by a plate (and often some fake plant or other "decoration") which contains several coins.  When you exit the restroom, it is expected that you pay the cleaning lady.  Because we think this is RIDICULOUS, Sidonie and I try to avoid such bathrooms.  On several occasions, however I have been forced to visit such a bathroom.  On one occasion, I put .20 in the plate, but as I left the woman removed it so there were only .50 pieces visible!  On another occasion, I had to go when at the central train station.  There system is a bit more high tech - there is a carousel, and you have to pay a machine .60! in order to even enter the restroom (needless to say, you can bet I was sure to take my time and wash my hands with as much of their water as I so desired!)  Well, I guess we know one musical that won't be making its way across the Atlantic!

As for an update on our lives here...Sidonie is doing very well in school, and has been complimented by several teachers (and many of the students) on her rapid acquisition of the German language as well as her skill as a performer.  Sid gave her first presentation in German this past week to roars of encouragement (literally, we have it on film!)  She was also very proud that her jazz teacher complimented her improved flexibility (her torso was nearly on the floor in her straddle stretch!)

My job is going well.  I have many substitute classes now, as well as one that is permanent.  I have also found out that there is an audition coming up for a musical that performs here in Hamburg (Ich War Noch Niemals In New York - a review of a popular German song writer's work.)  I didn't find out about the audition in time to schedule an audition slot by the deadline, but I have requested an audition and we are praying that God will give us favor with the casting agents for the show and help me get an audition (and hopefully a job) there!

In other news...Sidonie's school, because of its connection with Stage Entertainment, gets free tickets to all the premiers of shows SE produces for all its students!!!  Soooo, Sidonie and I got to go see the German Premier of an ORIGINAL work called Ich Will Spaß (I Want Fun!)  (I got to go because some of her colleagues were sick and couldn't go - sad for them, but a blessing for me!)  The piece is a story written around a German Pop Star's Music from the 1980s!  So, that's right, all the clothes, makeup and hairstyles were from the 80s!  What fun.  Below are some pics of us at the pre-premier party!  There were a lot of famous people and German musical theatre stars at the premier, but, as we didn't recognize any of them, we were not google-eyed!  It got out while preparing for the event, that I was a makeup designer, and I was commissioned to do several of the girls' makeup for the premier party!  Sidonie also got hit up to help with makeup AND style her Brazilian colleague's hair!  Fun times all around :)

Our friend, Evelyn, getting her makeup done.

And now for the blush...

Finished product on our friend, Nina!

Sidonie and me at the premier party!  Woohoo (it was such fun!) We ended up with tickets for the FRONT ROW, by the way!!!

From L-R, Sidonie, Evelyn, Lara (Sidonie did her makeup and hair,) and Luisa (Sid did her makeup too!,) looking good and ready for the show to start!

In domestic life, we're settling into life in Glinde and getting used to the flow of things here (bus schedules, grocery market hours [and selection], etc.)

A typical grocery store outing for us: Gnocchi, Tomatoes, Onions, Peppers, Cucumber, Avocados, Dates, Plums and Kiwi!  Oh, and of course, Laugenbrezel!

Well, that's all for now!

Tschüß (look what I learned how to do! - not too hard on my Mac!)

What to look for in upcoming posts: Detailed accounts of my many trips to the foreigners office in an effort to obtain my work permit!  Love to all from Deutschland!

The First Step(s) Of The Journey PART 2

So, the much anticipated second chapter in our adventure...I believe I left off with the Afghani wedding and arriving home at about 2:30 AM.

We thoroughly enjoyed staying with Afsaneh, and she was such a blessing to us!  After about three weeks there, we were beginning to wonder when I would get a job and when we would be able to move into a flat of our own.  (Afsaneh's flat was between 45 minutes and an hour and a half from Sidonie's school - depending on the time of day and regularity of busses and trains.)  We were praying also that we were not becoming a burden to Afsaneh and her mother having been there much longer than we anticipated - this may sound very familiar to those of you acquainted with our moving to Orlando story - all of this was very difficult to discuss with Afsaneh because our German skills were still at the fledging level, Afsaneh spoke no English, and her German was only so-so.

After about three and a half weeks at Afsaneh's, I was talking with her one night after dinner and before Sidonie had gotten home, and she told me that she was having renovations done to the room we were staying in so as to make it into a room for her mom to stay in.  I asked when we should plan to move, and she said that the painters were coming on Monday (it was Friday night.)  So, needless to say, we prayed quite a bit that weekend!  On Saturday night there was a prayer meeting at the church that we decided to go to so as to focus on praying for something other than ourselves and our situation.  While there, we had many people ask what was going on with our living situation, and several people assured us that we could move in with them if need be.  We were very grateful, and we knew that the right situation would arise at the correct time.  On Sunday morning, after church, we talked with Annie Grace, a member of the church and one of the leaders of the African congregation members, she told us that there was a room in the church that was used for visiting ministers, and that it was free until November.  We were welcome to move in there and have use of the church kitchen and shower as well as a storage closet for our things!  We moved into the church that afternoon and acquired our largest living room ever (the sanctuary - also equipped with our own personal cafe!)

Our cozy bedroom (schlafzimmer) with a futon!

Our wardrobe (shrank) and way cool mirror!

Notice the classy decor: Van Gough, and Patel!

Our largest kitchen EVER!

Yes, that is a separate fridge and freezer!

My brother and Sister-in-law would be pleased - there are enough coffee pots to make three different gourmet flavors at once!

Oh the choices...

The shower closet (yes I do mean closet.)  The water is nice and hot, but it somehow manages to spray in your eyes no matter which way the nozzle is facing...hmm...

Our very own cafe!  Points to whomever translates the phrase on the wall first!

Our living room!!!

We slept in our big big house (I felt like I was in a song by my brother's favorite band from the 90s) on Sunday night.  Monday, I was to meet our friend Beti (from Kenya, who had just married a German man, Rene, about two weeks before that.)  Beti had offered to go with me to get a work permit because the officials wouldn't likely be able to speak English.

Back step a few - while we were living with Afsaneh, we had looked at numerous apts (Wohnungs,) one of which was Rene's.   Because he no longer needed his flat as he and Beti were now married, he was looking for someone to take over the lease.

Back on track.  Beti said that she had heard that we had slept in the church the previous night, and she was sad that we had had to do that.  I assured her that it was no problem and was in fact a blessing as we now had somewhere to stay that was our own and we were certain that we were not disturbing anyone.  She said that nonetheless, she had spoken with Rene that morning and asked what he thought of us moving into his flat in Glinde (a quiet little area closer to town than Rhalstedt.)  He had said that he thought that was a great idea, and that we were welcome to move in that day and stay FOR FREE during the three months that he still had the flat.  When the three months were up, we were welcome to renew the lease, or to find another apt - no obligation! Isn't God good?!!!

Our Bus Stop!

One of the several busses that we can take from the train station the ten stops it takes to get home (to Glinde Markt.)

Our building!!!

The entrance to our apt address (there are about 24 apts at this particular address - several per floor - and there are multiple addresses per building.)

Here's our flat!

This is a view of the living room from the kitchen/dining area - notice the cute little patio outside!

The entertainment center - since Rene still has the flat leased, he still has his TV and cable as well as his VCR/DVD player hooked up - great fun, and good for working on German lessons as well!

The kitchen - not as big as the last one, but great, all the same!

The bar/food preparation area.

The bed - notice how it has doubled in size since Afsaneh's - and we're not complaining! ;)

So, we now live in Glinde, in a beautiful one room flat (einzimmer wohnung) with a several grocery markets near by, our bank, Hamberger Sparkasse (Haspa,) around the corner, and the bus stop on the same block!

This grocery store is in the same building as our flat!

Penny Markt is bigger than Lidl, and offers better prices (they are also open later - 10PM!!!)  Notice than neither (and in fact, no) grocery store is open on Sunday.

Our bank!

Yes, this is a Butcher - it is called a Fleischerei - I thought all of our fellow vegans (and those who like to laugh at us) would get a kick out of the similar sound to flesh-erie - ewww!
A beautiful building overlooking the park behind our flat (not sure exactly what this building is - a huge house?...)
Our ducks - look, we have pets (we don't even have to feed or water these!)
Sidonie in front of our little river (behind our flat in the park.)
Cute little walking area - notice the trees: beautiful!
I thought Dad would get a kick out of this: a "Smart" (or "Dumb" as we have termed them) car parked head on in a parallel parking spot - and NOT in the road!!!
We thought Mom would enjoy the view!  Fall is here!

Since we've been living here in Glinde, another wonderful thing has happened: I got a job!!!  I am an ESL teacher with the English Language Institute.  I teach adults who wish to speak better English than they learn in the public school (or who need additional vocabulary for work, or who want to brush up on their dormant language skills.)  I am also auditioning as projects arise, and I've submitted my headshot and resume to a TV/Film casting agency.

So, that's the update as of now.  I think I'll head out now - I'm going to get a jahrekarte for the public transportation (if you have a year pass, each month is only about 40 Euro, but if you pay each day, it costs 5.10 Euro a day - about  $7.60 per day!)

Love and hugs to all my family and friends!

Ciao!