Re: [Unschooling-dotcom] Germany, long
Alan & Brenda Leonard
10/29/02 23:29:
desktop to do something about, but I've been surrounded by very distracting
empty (now full) boxes.
We've been here in Germany 15 months, or at least our stuff has. We spent 3
months in the states last spring when dh had some training, with time split
between Columbia, S.C. and Ft. Leavenworth, KS. It was a nice break for us.
We are scheduled to return to the states in July 2004, but that's not
particularly guaranteed.
It's been amazing and wonderful to be here in many ways. Tim has grown a
lot here, and that's partly just the age he's at (he was 5 when we arrived),
and partly living somewhere so different. History is alive here; we go to
castles, palaces, and old, old churches. We've been to the birthplace of
J.S. Bach, seen the castle where Luther translated the New Testament into
German after his excommunication from the Catholic church, climbed the tower
of the famous cathedral in Cologne, been to the Vatican, the Colleseum, and
the northern frontier of the Roman empire in Germany, saw the Berlin wall
and the Brandenburg gate. We have plans to go to London, Paris, and Moscow,
hope to make it to Amsterdam next weekend (if I get my stuff all unpacked).
It's amazing to be here, and some days I feel so guilty for complaining
about it at all, ever.
But I miss the states. Homesick? Nah, going home tends to make me ill from
the stress. But I miss my country. I miss hearing English spoken, and miss
being able to explain myself. I speak much more German than most military
people here, but it's nowhere near fluent. I miss American TV and "real"
commercials instead of always public service messages. I miss shopping on
Saturday afternoons and grocery stores open on Sundays, malls and WalMart.
I miss American food restaurants. I miss little stuff, like caffine free
diet coke, and big stuff like decent English-language bookstores.
It also doesn't help that I'm home more than a lot of folks because of
homeschooling, but for the past year, we've been living in the smallest
apartment I've ever lived in in 10 years of marriage. It didn't help at all
that I got strep when we'd been here about a month and was constantly sick
until they finally took out my tonsils after 5 months of strep. My doctor
is 5 minutes walk; my throat specialist and hospital is 2 hours by car.
This year has been healthier, and much easier.
When I read back over this, none of those things sound big enough to be a
big deal, but they wear on me, a little at a time. I just miss Americans.
Germans live at a slower pace, and are very formal. They look at you wierd
if you say hello to them on the street, and never answer.
Long answer to a little question, I guess, but it's complicated for me, and
I struggle with it.
brenda
> Do you get homesick Brenda? How long you been in Germany?Sorry it's taken me so long to answer this, Kelli. It's been sitting on my
> How much longer to go?
desktop to do something about, but I've been surrounded by very distracting
empty (now full) boxes.
We've been here in Germany 15 months, or at least our stuff has. We spent 3
months in the states last spring when dh had some training, with time split
between Columbia, S.C. and Ft. Leavenworth, KS. It was a nice break for us.
We are scheduled to return to the states in July 2004, but that's not
particularly guaranteed.
It's been amazing and wonderful to be here in many ways. Tim has grown a
lot here, and that's partly just the age he's at (he was 5 when we arrived),
and partly living somewhere so different. History is alive here; we go to
castles, palaces, and old, old churches. We've been to the birthplace of
J.S. Bach, seen the castle where Luther translated the New Testament into
German after his excommunication from the Catholic church, climbed the tower
of the famous cathedral in Cologne, been to the Vatican, the Colleseum, and
the northern frontier of the Roman empire in Germany, saw the Berlin wall
and the Brandenburg gate. We have plans to go to London, Paris, and Moscow,
hope to make it to Amsterdam next weekend (if I get my stuff all unpacked).
It's amazing to be here, and some days I feel so guilty for complaining
about it at all, ever.
But I miss the states. Homesick? Nah, going home tends to make me ill from
the stress. But I miss my country. I miss hearing English spoken, and miss
being able to explain myself. I speak much more German than most military
people here, but it's nowhere near fluent. I miss American TV and "real"
commercials instead of always public service messages. I miss shopping on
Saturday afternoons and grocery stores open on Sundays, malls and WalMart.
I miss American food restaurants. I miss little stuff, like caffine free
diet coke, and big stuff like decent English-language bookstores.
It also doesn't help that I'm home more than a lot of folks because of
homeschooling, but for the past year, we've been living in the smallest
apartment I've ever lived in in 10 years of marriage. It didn't help at all
that I got strep when we'd been here about a month and was constantly sick
until they finally took out my tonsils after 5 months of strep. My doctor
is 5 minutes walk; my throat specialist and hospital is 2 hours by car.
This year has been healthier, and much easier.
When I read back over this, none of those things sound big enough to be a
big deal, but they wear on me, a little at a time. I just miss Americans.
Germans live at a slower pace, and are very formal. They look at you wierd
if you say hello to them on the street, and never answer.
Long answer to a little question, I guess, but it's complicated for me, and
I struggle with it.
brenda
Tia Leschke
climbed the tower
Tia
> of the famous cathedral in Cologne,Hey, I climbed to the top of that tower. Awesome!
Tia
Kelli Traaseth
Oh man Brenda, your excursions sound so awesome!
I have only been to Norway and Ireland and want to go to main land Europe so bad. We are trying to figure out how to do that, with kids and all. Now, if I do the farm thing, travel won't be so easy, but if we save our money and sell our house then we could travel,, hmmm.. vagabonding? Is that what its called?
Again, I'm trying to figure out how to live my little dreams <g>!
P.S. I think Shyrley might have asked about this origially, yet I may have asked about it too, I know I was wondering those things . Some days I don't remember what I ask! I'm not making much sense.
Take Care,
Kelli
Alan & Brenda Leonard <abtleo@...> wrote:10/29/02 23:29:
desktop to do something about, but I've been surrounded by very distracting
empty (now full) boxes.
We've been here in Germany 15 months, or at least our stuff has. We spent 3
months in the states last spring when dh had some training, with time split
between Columbia, S.C. and Ft. Leavenworth, KS. It was a nice break for us.
We are scheduled to return to the states in July 2004, but that's not
particularly guaranteed.
It's been amazing and wonderful to be here in many ways. Tim has grown a
lot here, and that's partly just the age he's at (he was 5 when we arrived),
and partly living somewhere so different. History is alive here; we go to
castles, palaces, and old, old churches. We've been to the birthplace of
J.S. Bach, seen the castle where Luther translated the New Testament into
German after his excommunication from the Catholic church, climbed the tower
of the famous cathedral in Cologne, been to the Vatican, the Colleseum, and
the northern frontier of the Roman empire in Germany, saw the Berlin wall
and the Brandenburg gate. We have plans to go to London, Paris, and Moscow,
hope to make it to Amsterdam next weekend (if I get my stuff all unpacked).
It's amazing to be here, and some days I feel so guilty for complaining
about it at all, ever.
But I miss the states. Homesick? Nah, going home tends to make me ill from
the stress. But I miss my country. I miss hearing English spoken, and miss
being able to explain myself. I speak much more German than most military
people here, but it's nowhere near fluent. I miss American TV and "real"
commercials instead of always public service messages. I miss shopping on
Saturday afternoons and grocery stores open on Sundays, malls and WalMart.
I miss American food restaurants. I miss little stuff, like caffine free
diet coke, and big stuff like decent English-language bookstores.
It also doesn't help that I'm home more than a lot of folks because of
homeschooling, but for the past year, we've been living in the smallest
apartment I've ever lived in in 10 years of marriage. It didn't help at all
that I got strep when we'd been here about a month and was constantly sick
until they finally took out my tonsils after 5 months of strep. My doctor
is 5 minutes walk; my throat specialist and hospital is 2 hours by car.
This year has been healthier, and much easier.
When I read back over this, none of those things sound big enough to be a
big deal, but they wear on me, a little at a time. I just miss Americans.
Germans live at a slower pace, and are very formal. They look at you wierd
if you say hello to them on the street, and never answer.
Long answer to a little question, I guess, but it's complicated for me, and
I struggle with it.
brenda
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I have only been to Norway and Ireland and want to go to main land Europe so bad. We are trying to figure out how to do that, with kids and all. Now, if I do the farm thing, travel won't be so easy, but if we save our money and sell our house then we could travel,, hmmm.. vagabonding? Is that what its called?
Again, I'm trying to figure out how to live my little dreams <g>!
P.S. I think Shyrley might have asked about this origially, yet I may have asked about it too, I know I was wondering those things . Some days I don't remember what I ask! I'm not making much sense.
Take Care,
Kelli
Alan & Brenda Leonard <abtleo@...> wrote:10/29/02 23:29:
> Do you get homesick Brenda? How long you been in Germany?Sorry it's taken me so long to answer this, Kelli. It's been sitting on my
> How much longer to go?
desktop to do something about, but I've been surrounded by very distracting
empty (now full) boxes.
We've been here in Germany 15 months, or at least our stuff has. We spent 3
months in the states last spring when dh had some training, with time split
between Columbia, S.C. and Ft. Leavenworth, KS. It was a nice break for us.
We are scheduled to return to the states in July 2004, but that's not
particularly guaranteed.
It's been amazing and wonderful to be here in many ways. Tim has grown a
lot here, and that's partly just the age he's at (he was 5 when we arrived),
and partly living somewhere so different. History is alive here; we go to
castles, palaces, and old, old churches. We've been to the birthplace of
J.S. Bach, seen the castle where Luther translated the New Testament into
German after his excommunication from the Catholic church, climbed the tower
of the famous cathedral in Cologne, been to the Vatican, the Colleseum, and
the northern frontier of the Roman empire in Germany, saw the Berlin wall
and the Brandenburg gate. We have plans to go to London, Paris, and Moscow,
hope to make it to Amsterdam next weekend (if I get my stuff all unpacked).
It's amazing to be here, and some days I feel so guilty for complaining
about it at all, ever.
But I miss the states. Homesick? Nah, going home tends to make me ill from
the stress. But I miss my country. I miss hearing English spoken, and miss
being able to explain myself. I speak much more German than most military
people here, but it's nowhere near fluent. I miss American TV and "real"
commercials instead of always public service messages. I miss shopping on
Saturday afternoons and grocery stores open on Sundays, malls and WalMart.
I miss American food restaurants. I miss little stuff, like caffine free
diet coke, and big stuff like decent English-language bookstores.
It also doesn't help that I'm home more than a lot of folks because of
homeschooling, but for the past year, we've been living in the smallest
apartment I've ever lived in in 10 years of marriage. It didn't help at all
that I got strep when we'd been here about a month and was constantly sick
until they finally took out my tonsils after 5 months of strep. My doctor
is 5 minutes walk; my throat specialist and hospital is 2 hours by car.
This year has been healthier, and much easier.
When I read back over this, none of those things sound big enough to be a
big deal, but they wear on me, a little at a time. I just miss Americans.
Germans live at a slower pace, and are very formal. They look at you wierd
if you say hello to them on the street, and never answer.
Long answer to a little question, I guess, but it's complicated for me, and
I struggle with it.
brenda
Yahoo! Groups SponsorADVERTISEMENT
~~~~ Don't forget! If you change topics, change the subject line! ~~~~
If you have questions, concerns or problems with this list, please email the moderator, Joyce Fetteroll (fetteroll@...), or the list owner, Helen Hegener (HEM-Editor@...).
To unsubscribe from this group, click on the following link or address an email to:
[email protected]
Visit the Unschooling website: http://www.unschooling.com
Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
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