Internet Is In Da House

Guten tag, Amerika! We got our internet connection and I have stopped twitching!

Check it out. This is the view from my kitchen window. Does this not look exactly like the proverbial German town? The kitchen itself leaves much to be desired, but it is completely adequate and not without its own charm. The fridge is so tiny that even a small child could not possibly lock themselves inside. It is so tiny because the Germans buy tiny little packages of everything, hence no need for storage. As you know, we do not have a car, so all groceries must be carried up a very steep hill in our backpacks (do you think the kids complain about this??), so I appreciate their packaging foresight. However, it makes grocery shopping almost a daily chore, but my legs and ass will be looking mighty fine when I return to the states!

Here's our house, Schroeterstrasse 10. We live on the 3rd floor of this recently renovated building, with 2 bedrooms and 1.5 baths. It is so much more beautiful that I ever expected and that view from the kitchen is pretty much standard in all of our windows. The laundry facilities (2 washers and 1 dryer which took Joslin and I the better part of one day to figure out) are in the basement and can only be operated with tokens which must be purchased from Frau Epp. I have not met Frau Epp. She works at the institute so Mark has to deal with her, which is fine with me because I heard she's a little pinched.

This is the Platz downtown where an amazing farmer's market is held every Tuesday and Thursday. It is also where the tourist bureau resides, so I've spent some time there getting maps and tickets for the tram. The kids love to chase pigeons here and I like to spin around and around like Mary Tyler Moore, being grateful that I have the opportunity to call this city home for a while.

The kids and I are taking 2 hours of German lessons each day. Ben hates it and rarely makes it through a lesson. Claire is getting the gist of it but is very shy about speaking and won't practice. I am in way over my head, but I've found that if I just keep plodding along it tends to come together in the end. I have no delusions about holding a conversation here, but it would be nice to know if I'm on the right train or buying cow tongue at the market!

There's an endless amount of discussion for the blog in my head, but I'll pace it a little. Next time I'll tell you about our trip to Erfurt and my involvement with the riot police. Tschues!