Thanks for the Insight Thank you for writing this. Im having my Second Child here in Bavaria, and its a bit scary. Our first born was born in England, so its going to be quite different.
:)
Three "Hot Dogs" on plate with potato salad A German would know that these long thin hotdogs are a Specialty of the Frankfurt area. They are delicious and are called: "Frankfurter Würstchen". My mouth is watering just thinking of them!
why not? Why did you say no to your mother-in-law? Go ahead and have both henna nights - why not? It's a lot of fun, and you only get a chance once - or, in your case, twice!
Kına gecesi Hi
THanks for your blog! I am getting married 2 weeks later to a turkish guy and my mother in law to be wants to have Kına Gecesi but we refused:( Fortunately, the owner of the institution where I worked asked me to have kına gecesi at school I am so confused if I will do it coz I refused with my mother in law. I know it's a lot of fun. Do you think I will let them know that I will do Kına gecesi without their knowledge? ( my partner doesn't want to inform them either. I'm puzzled:) please ladies need advise.
Oops Hello again, Kate - I wonder if you were perhaps referring to a previous reader (Dolores) who is in Jena... I do have an e-mail address for her, though I do not think it would be ethical for me to share it without her permission. Her comment is from 2008, so who knows if she's still there. I could, with your permission, send your e-mail address to her? Please let me know.
Not in Jena... Hello Kate,
I'm actually not in Jena, nor have I ever been there, nor had I ever heard of it before your comment... but I did Google it just now, and it appears to be a beautiful city. It also appears that there is a large international community there - just a matter of finding people. There is an international organization of American women abroad (though women from ALL nations are actually members) called Fawco. If you join them, you'd be able to more easily locate English-speaking people. Their website is fawcoDOTorg. There's also ToyTownGermany (toytowngermanyDOTcom), which is the English-speaking expat community here. You may also want to try taking a Deutsch fur Auslanders class - there, you'd meet other people who may be in a similar situation. Another lovely website that you might want to know about is a blog called amiexpatDOTcom. It's an excellent read for foreigners in Germany. Good luck!
Desperately seeking English speaking mothers in Jena Hello there!
Just had a quick look at your blog. I have just moved (from Australia) to Langendembach near Jena with my German husband and two small kids (7 months and 2.5 years). Do you still live in Jena? I am desperately looking for some English speaking mothers to get together with.
Will look out for your reply.
Cheers
Kate
Cabin mystery Hi, I happen to be German and I might be able to help you better understand these cabins...
Thought I can't be sure, it looks like these are not vacation cabins you'd live in during the summer months, they seem to be part of a new "Gartensiedlung." People living in apartments (no matter if they rent or own them) usually don't have a yard but since Germans like to spend time outside tanning, gardening, celebrating, etc., they often decide to buy a piece of land (sometimes with, sometimes without a little hat or "cabin") just to be able to enjoy the outdoors and often to get away from the city. That's why these developments or "Gartensiedlungen" are so close to people's homes. Hope that helped.
Double Kinderwagens Hello Megan,
Thanks for reading my blog entries - and enjoying them, and letting me know. A few people told me to get a used double stroller because you really only end up using it for a year or so - because at some point, the older child outgrows strollers altogether. I followed that advice, and it worked for me. I bought a used one, used it for about a year, and then donated it to charity. I then went back to the original single stroller, and was really thrilled to have such a good one. There are so many more on the market now than there were when I first had to choose one...
And as for the entries stopping.... having two children is more work than having one... a lot more work. I do have less time to write... and when I do write, it's often on my book.
Finally, I've kind-of gotten used to living here, and therefore find it all less strange, less weird, less funny - Germany has become home. But there's always more to write, and I hope that I'll be able to write more in the near future :)
Please keep them coming... I currently live in the US but am tentatively making plans to move to Germany in a year or so with my husband, daughter, and (if everything goes well) another baby. I stumbled across your blog this week in search of a stroller for proper public appearance there. I loved your blog entry about Kinderwagens (I would love to hear an updated double Kinderwagen option)! I found that entry so helpful, I started from the beginning and read nearly all your entries. I am sad that they have stopped--please keep up the excellent and insightful work!
ask around... Dear Judy So,
Why do you need people in so many different places? I think the best thing to do would be to ask local hairdressers in the area for their recommendations. Best of luck.
Thanks! Thank you, Nazli, for your kind comments! I am not a professional journalist or author, but would like to be... I've written a book that takes place in Turkey and I'm trying to find an agent or publisher for it. It's not an easy task... but I hope it works out because I think we need some more positive media out there about Turkish culture - all cultures have their positive and negative sides, but Turkish culture has gotten too much bad press! Please do continue to follow my blog - I don't write too often, as I'm busy as my kids grow up, but I do tend to post more in the summer for some reason!
What a wonderful blog! Hello there,
It's amazing - I was checking the net to see if I could find anything on a "sunnet dugun" in preparation for our elder son's invitation and I came across your blog! What a wonderful description of event blow by blow! It's such a refreshing read. You are a great writer.. Are you a journalist or author by anychance? Really nice read. You've given me a great idea on how to wirte an introduction for our invitation without it sounding "scary"... Thanks a lot :)
All the best, and I hope to read your blogs in the future if thats ok with you? :)
Best and kind regards,
Nazli Koseoglu Rishi
(Dubai - UAE)
hotdogs First of all the site is AWESOME! Great job! The picture (3 hotdogs) looks to me like Wienerle mit Senf und Kartoffelsalat. That's how you would call that. And Knödel? All I can say is: food for the soul.............
I want to know more about food Hello, I have a son of 10 years and he needs to do a homework, he has to talk about German in some different topics, we were looking for all the information and have nearly everything but he has to share some of the tipically germany food. I would like to know a dish easy to cook and delicious for children. Do you have a sugestion or an idea? Please, contact me.
Thanks.
Olivia.
Quinnys are nice, too We are still happy with our Teutonia (4.5 years after we bought it), but also have a small Quinny for traveling. It is fabulous - I'd recommend Quinny strollers, as well. Completely different look, but very robust and comfortable! I'd go for one of the larger ones for daily use, though. The smallest one does not have any sort of basket for your shopping or all the other things you have to carry, and you can't really hang anything on the handle either, due to balance issues. This only applies to the smallest of the Quinnys, and even so, it's been very handy and is also easy to drive :)
European Atlas. Before we got our Europe and USA Garmin and even after...our European Road Map book saved our lives literally many times. I highly recommend one! Even if you train it they are useful. Autobahn names change on the map like they do on the border etc.
Great post! We are living over here in Germany (in Wiesbaden) and trying to choose a stroller almost makes me want to try. This was helpful. I have been looking at Quinnys (if I feel I can suck it up and afford it) but knew nothing about Teutonias. Hmm....
We are stationed over here with the military so I can easily buy American strollers but the German ones seem a lot less plasticy - and I want to blend in.
This was a great blog! I need to meet some German moms to help out...
blah Turkish food is the BEST its just mouth watering, Lucius, yummy, heavenly, goodness is all u need to keep u full, and best of all, its all hand made, and tastes goooooooood
Hesba Kinderwagen stroller I happened upon your site with keyword Hesba and i am surprised that you say that Hesba does not fold when in fact it folds beautifuly. Compact, simple and elegant it will fit into almost any car boot/trunk. May I suggest though that only the most discerning, determined buyer should contenplate its purchase as it cannot be found just anywhere. Hesba are very choosy about the selection of retail outlets for example there is only one supplier in the whole of the United Kingdom who markets it under Churchill Hesselbacher (Hesba) and guess what, it turns out that this retailer is the U.K. nursery retailer of the year, how picky is that, you cant even buy it in Harrods This kinderwagen can even be bespoke designed by its future owner. They have an incredible array of styles, fabrics, interiors and chassis options you can even choose the wheel options its like ordering a Rolls Royce, nothing is impossible, not even gold plating. Still want one, enjoy the chase and the challenge. The manufacturer does not even display a dealer network they keep you guessing. try www.janstewartprams.com they will export to the right client "maybe" good luck.
Changed my attitude Since I don't think it's likely that I'll change the attitude of anyone who is judging me, I have changed my own perspective on this: I appreciate the kindness of strangers (and there is plenty of it, definitely more out here in the "country"), and I ignore the snide looks. Because if my kids are bothering someone, there's really nothing I can do. I must go grocery shopping. My children are not extremely well behaved, though it's not for lack of trying. They are just insanely active little kids. When we go to the store, I tell them "please don't hurt anyone, ok?". And I mean it. As long as they don't hurt anyone or themselves, I consider it a successful trip. :)
It's limited Germans are nice to new mothers with young children, but that's about it. Enjoy this while it lasts. After that, critical eyes will be following you everywhere you go to see if you're raising your child the right way and if your child is well behaved.
You will get so many "helpful" comments on raising your child...that you will go mad! The playground is the most horrible place ever, with lots of rude and spoilt German children who have not been taught to share their stuff or respect other people.
So enjoy the "pram carrying" gestures of kindness while you can.
awesome! hello! thanks a lot.. I'm from peru..I'm latina n i have a boyfriend from turkey..(through internet) .. n i hope i can meet him soon..sOMEtimes we talk about a possible wedding between us..n one friend talked to me about this night..i was very curious of course.. n now thanks to u , i have an idea of that amazing night...the best of my wishes for u ;)...i wanna be a turkish bride like u..:) a big kiss for u....i liked ur article a lot :)
We moved to Europe so that we could experience life here and travel around easily. Our three sons were born here, and these days, most of our pictures are of them! We only planned on staying in Germany for a few years, but it's rapidly becoming HOME.
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Thanks for the Insight
Thank you for writing this. Im having my Second Child here in Bavaria, and its a bit scary. Our first born was born in England, so its going to be quite different. :)