Join the Club

**Warning!  Gift Spoiler Alert!  Do not read if you cannot keep a secret or are a child of mine! ***

I have finally given in to the idea of owning an eReader.  My reservations are: 1.)The idea of reading a book without actually holding one and turning pages just does not seem right to me.  2.)I like having having the pile of books by my bed 3.) and I love browsing through book stores and libraries: I am a sucker for the attractive cover and intriguing title.  Also, I am leery of another computerized thing in my life which is supposed to save me time or make my life easier, but in fact leaves me with less time (either by distraction or problem-solving) or feeling like there is one more thing I need to find time to figure out/maintain/keep up with.   However, I cannot imaging having to either do without fresh reading material of my choosing for five months (how would I fall asleep at night?) or lugging/shipping enough books for me and my two daughter-bookworms across the Atlantic.

This is the perfect time of year to shop around for electronic gadgets!  Prices are as low as they are going to be for a while and the latest and greatest are on display.  My two criteria are that they be reasonably priced and compatible with our library system.  Yes, I am cheap!  But, I don't want a cheap gadget because I know the way it goes with so many of these new techy-gizmos and I want to have the service and customer support to keep me from pulling my hair out - I do that enough with my laptop!

I checked checked online for good reviews and was able to put my hands on displays for Sony, Kindle (Amazon), Nook(B&N), and Kobo(Borders).  I decided to go for the Kobo for each of the girls for its low price (especially on Black Friday - online) and its simplicity.  I have put the Nook on my wish list, which costs only slightly more and comes with a few more features that I don't feel the girls need to distract them.  Both brands are compatible with the public library and accept formats other than that of the book seller (as does Amazon).

I do need to look into some issues of international copyright laws, which the sales woman at B&N pointed out might prevent me from downloading directly over the internet from Germany.  I may to have to have someone in the US "purchase" the books to my account or email before I can download.  However, I intend to load up my eReaders with plenty of material before we leave.

Oh! Another feature that I like!  The majority of my reading currently comes from the library.  I rarely purchase books unless they are reference or something that I LOVE and know I will read again.  This is especially true with the girls, who plow through books like potato chips straight from the bag.  Since, as I mentioned before, I love to browse the library (and we have a GREAT library), I often come home with more books than I can actually read.  They sit in a hopeful pile next to the bed until I can no longer renew them and have to sadly take them back.  With eReaders, I can download free samples of books that sound interesting, and have them sitting on my virtual nightstand until I finally manage to get to them!  No returns and I don't have to fear over-looking a good read!

Finally!

We got the final word from the University in Luneberg!  Yea!  Now I can proceed with plans and preparations without the caveat that perhaps this won't happen.  Of course, there are always things that can come up and change what one thought was a "done deal", but I am happy to be on the road towards a goal and able to start taking action. Of course, this comes at a time when we are coasting down the fast hill towards the holidays and all the activity that involves!

Waiting....

We have been in a holding pattern for the last month, which is probably not a bad thing, since I have really not had any time for even really thinking about going to Germany.  We are still waiting for the final approval from the University in Luneberg.  The last several weeks Tom's course proposal and financial contract were making their way through the various levels of the university and, last we heard on Friday, have finally made it to the president.

So, we are continuing to take German classes and got O his first passport, but we're holding off on purchasing tickets or maximum size luggage.  I think January is going to be a mad scramble.....just the way I like to spend the post holiday weeks!

Putting the cart before the horse?

As I mentioned, this adventure isn't 100% certain yet.  There are formal hoops that need to be "jumped" through before we have the final approval.  However, yesterday Tom's contact/sponsor at the University emailed to say that they have arranged office space for him!  His academic proposal and application is still working it's way through the various levels of approval, but they are already making space for him.  So, does this mean we should make plane reservations and seriously look for housing?  I feel like the horse in the starting gate, waiting for the signal that all is clear to "go".

Meanwhile, I am shopping the clearance racks for bargains on spring/summer clothes for the kids for next season.  This is the time of year when I normally go through all the kids clothes anyway; setting aside things that don't fit for the next kid (mine or someone else's), tossing the worn out or stained, storing those that should still fit next year, bringing out the new season's clothes and determining what needs to be purchased.  This year I have to determine the needs for next season in advance because 1.) we will likely be out of the country where I predict clothing is more expensive and 2.) I want to have appropriate clothing for presenting my kids to the wider world.  Here at home my girls wear "cute" t-shirts and jeans (frequently with holes in the knees) without a second thought, but I don't want them to stand out too loudly amongst their peers as the "American Kids".  So, I am thinking more conservatively and better quality as far as clothing goes.

The inventory so far:  Of all the boxes and stacks of hand-me-down clothing we have received from friends for O, we have nothing in size 3 summer/spring, which is what I project he will be wearing.  So, its a complete wardrobe building for him.  R is also at the receiving end of oodles of hand-me-downs, so her clothes are often a little worse for wear and she is active enough to make short work of adding holes in the knees and stains from art projects.  She is also needing several newer items, including stuff for this fall/winter which I am setting aside lest she wear them out before January.  A's sources of hand-me-downs have dried up years ago and current inventory shows she has only ONE long sleeve shirt.  Problem is, as a teen, shopping for clothing is a whole new ballgame for us - I can't just run around on my own while she's at school and then present her with a stack of clothes I've selected.

As I write this, I realize that many moms and others will completely understand the amount of mental energy and running around this whole children's clothing issue involves.  Others, like Tom, will feel their eyes glazing over and wonder, "What's the big deal?  Seems like a lot of worry over clothes."  These same people are probably also the type, like Tom, who pack for any trip, whether it be a couple days business or several weeks vacation, the night before (or even the morning of) leaving!  Where's the fun in that?

Some more progress!

Tom told me yesterday that he has already sent off his course proposals for the classes he would teach in Luneburg!  I was impressed because he has been working hard to get prepared for the classes that start here this week and I thought he would be another week to get his curriculum revised for the German term and content.  Some of the coursework is based on what he already teaches and some he is revising to be appropriate for German students.  In one of his American public policy classes he is going to be focusing on the US National Park System as a model for policy making.  He says that Europeans are very interested in our National Parks since many are seen as symbolic to America.  He is also hoping for an excuse to invest in the National Park PBS Series DVDs!

Otherwise, no news or progress on the German adventure.  I am pretty inundated with things to get accomplished on the home front for our "normal" activities and my online coursework!

Recent Luneburg Communication

Tom received some answers to just a few of our questions this week.

The girls will likely both be attending Gymnasium Johanneum in Luneberg http://www.johanneum-lueneburg.de/. (To translate the website, open a page of Google translate, copy and paste the web address into the translate window, specify German to English; if that doesn't work, Google Gymnasium Johanneum Luneburg and click on the "translate this page" to the right of the listing of the website)  One of our contacts at the University has already been communicating with the school and they have experience with accommodating non-native speakers. Unfortunately, Luneberg is too small to have an international or "American" school.  the girls will be receiving most of their instruction in German.  R will have a shorter day and have one class taught in English; history, I think. A will have a longer day some days and have two classes - Biology and History.  Our contact has also set up an appointment to talk with the headmaster/principal about our suggestion of setting up a pen pal program between our girls and some children there!  Perhaps we can get their whole class involved! I would love it if the girls could have some initial connections before they arrive and perhaps pave a quicker road to some friendships.

Also, the name of the University is Leuphana University http://www.leuphana.de/en/international.html.

Lists

I am a prolific list-maker.  Making lists is a big part of my planning process, so, not surprisingly, now that the idea of "moving" to Germany has settled into my head, I have begun making several lists.  Some of my lists are public - those I want others to contribute to (or extract from!)- and many others are more private - kept secret, perhaps because of a fear of being seen as too obsessive-compulsive.

The first set of lists I made are meant to be shared with the family, particularly the girls, as we think about our adventure: "Places to See", "Questions", and "To Do".  I have them each on a piece of cardstock which I plan to post where everyone could add to them and find topics to research, as well as helping the girls see what preparations go into a trip to a foreign country.  So far, I am the only one who has done anything with these lists, but I think once I find a more prominent place to post them and the trip feels more eminent (or inevitable, for some) we will have other people's handwriting filling the pages.

My second set of lists is of the more private kind, right now, so they are kept in a spiral notebook within my usual pile of "active" books and papers.  Yes, I admit that I am already starting to think of what to pack!  Besides clothing and personal items, as we would normally pack for a vacation, I have to think about what household items need to be brought along: If I can only have ten of my favorite kitchen gadgets/tools, what would they be?  Which two or three cookbooks would be most useful?  What am I better off purchasing there, and then discarding, than lugging across the ocean?  Do they have thrift stores?

Along the clothing line, I have growing kids and two seasons to consider:  What is cool/uncool for teenagers to wear? I know to expect smaller laundry machines, so how often will I be doing laundry?  What size will O be wearing in the spring?  Do they have thrift stores?

And, what should we bring along to help us feel more "at home" in Germany and yet be open to trying out new customs, activities, and taking the most advantage of the opportunity to immerse ourselves in a new culture?

So, to ease my anxiety and follow my Girl Scout motto of "Be Prepared", I have begun making lists five months in advance!

Books!

A bundle of books arrived yesterday from Amazon!  I have been checking out several books from the library but finally broke down and ordered several for us to start perusing and marking-up.  It is going to be so hard to get the regular stuff of life accomplished with those bright new books laying about!

Here's what arrived:
Daytrips Germany by Earl Steinbecker
Take your Kids to Europe by Cynthia Harriman
Culture Shock! Germany by Marshall Cavendish
DK Eyewitness Travel: Germany

In addition, O and I took a walk up to Karen Wickliff Used Books for a German/English Dictionary, but came back with 2 (one is a phrase book), in addition to finding both Danish and Norwegian phrase books (for fun, just in case) and even a picture book, Were Going on a Trip, which will be perfect in the weeks leading up to our departue.

The excitement is precariously building!

Backing Up: Where we Stand so Far

As I posted in the beginning, I want this blog to serve as a way to record our entire journey, not just the actual living in Germany part.  I am, an always have been, a big planner.  I love the research and scheming that goes into everything from grocery shopping to home improvement projects to big trips.  So the planning, for me, is half the fun!  It is also interesting to reflect on the process and the emotional journey, because that is often what is forgotten when we have reached our destination.

It all started when Tom was invited to visit the University in Luneburg in April 2010 to collaborate with an international panel in developing a Public Policy program of study at their university.  Not long after he returned, his contact in Luneburg invited him to come and teach the coursework he has developed here, at OSU, as part of their new program.  Fortunately, he would be teaching in English, as he has no German language background, other than what he's picked up in travels.

When he called me from work to tell me about this and to ask if I saw any reason why we couldn't, I felt a mix of excitement (love to travel) and trepidation (the work and anxiety involved in preparing my home and family for our leave, adjustment, and return and fear of loneliness in a foreign land).  Another concern is that A is in  the midst of transition from middle to high school; this is her last year in the school she has attended and with classmates she has known since kindergarten; she has graduation in June; because of the system of schools of choice, she and her friends could very well disperse to different high schools and the fall semester would be a big readjustment and settling-in time I wouldn't want her to miss.

After much contemplation and discussion and correspondence with the University contacts in Luneburg, we(I) became more excited about the adventure of it and viewed it as an opportunity we couldn't pass up.   I am still anxious, when I allow myself to be, about the role I will play in this adventure.  My experience with our six month sabbatical in Washington state was a lot of stressful organizing and work packing and making arrangements, settling into a new, temporary home, and struggling to find a balance between being a housekeeper in unfamiliar territory and having my own fulfilling purpose; all while being away from my friends, supportive community, and my "stuff".  Tom was busily working on his writing or collaborating with colleagues and finding time to hang out with childhood buddies.  The girls were in school most of the day and making friends.  I found myself with many hours alone of either doing the same old parenting and housewife duties or not quite knowing what to do with myself.  There were a lot of lonely times.

However, the Washington sabbatical also had opportunities that I otherwise wouldn't have had.  I was released from most volunteer obligations and chores of home ownership.  My mother-in-law was minutes away, so there was a new relationship to build and an ability to take advantage of having grandparents nearby, which I usually miss out here in Ohio.  I spent longer visits with family in Oregon and Washington.  And, the highlight:  three weeks with my mother in England and Scotland!

So, as we worked through these trepidations and Tom worked out details with colleagues at OSU and corresponded further with the U. at Luneberg, we decided to not say anything to the kids and only let it slip to a few friends and family. This was one of those parenting moments where the "doing the right thing" was not easy to define.  On the one hand, knowing my girls,  I knew there was going to be resistance and a lot of worry.  There were going to be a lot of questions to which I had no answers, yet.  On the other hand, I didn't want to just make this big decision without any kind of input from them, even though, ultimately, it was more of a grown-up decision.  Finally, as everything seemed to be progressing and we were all registered in German language classes, Tom and I decided to break the news to the girls.

We expected some negative responses, especially from A; both girls are reserved around strangers and take a while to make new friends, but A, like her father, takes awhile to embrace change.  Not that A isn't adventurous nor enjoys new experiences,  I just knew that she would have the most reservations about leaving all that is familiar, especially her friends and school.  So, we weren't surprised when they both reacted with anxiety to the whole idea and even tried negotiating for ways to get out of it.  Once we got out the map and started talking about exactly where we were going and the possibility of exploring other countries in Europe, however, R brightened up and got caught up in the adventure.

I was braced for a couple of days (Tom thought weeks) of stormy weather, and planned to give A a couple of days of contemplation before we talked again, but she restarted the conversation the next night, much to my relief.  As I feared, she was upset that we hadn't given her more say (insert mom-guilt) and really wanted to be assured that she could come back to Ohio to participate in the middle school graduation.  As our conversations have continued over the weeks since, it has felt good to talk about all of our feelings of uncertainty and excitement.  I also feel some reassurance that "doing the right thing" parenting-wise is more a matter of knowing your kids, yourself and your family and your instinct about what works for these unique individuals.

One last paragraph before I end this terribly long post.  We are forging ahead as if this trip is really going to happen, when in fact, there is still a lot left unsettled.  Tom is still in conversation with the contacts in Luneberg and nothing has been put to contract.  I read somewhere that, while Germans are punctual, they can take a long time conducting business, which appears to be the case here.  I am a bit frustrated, as there are arrangements I would like to start making (like talking with the girl's teachers and principal) yet I don't want to get too caught up in the planning only to have the deal fall through.  I am terrible about getting my hopes up too soon only to be disappointed by the unexpected!

Ich heisse Kristin

Ouch, my brain hurts!  Yesterday the girls and I started the first of our Saturday morning German language classes.  The classes are taught by the Ohio German Language School at the Wellington School in Upper Arlington.  I am impressed with the program so far:  very nice and enthusiastic instructors and an acommodating program.  The children are taught in seperate class from the adults.  There are many children who are either native Germans or children of natives, so they have a head start on A & R, but I am glad they will have a change to hear the language in context.  R will not be able to continue with the class beyond next weekend, as she is enrolled in her Saturday morning art class at CCAD, but we are able to arrange a tutor.  My instructor is energetic and reassuring that we will not make fools of ourselves!  The philosophy which we are following is that the best thing to do is just plunge in and speak/listen to German in-context.  I wholeheartedly agree with this based on my experiences traveling in Northern Europe where we did not know the language, but managed to figure out bus and train schedules and shop for groceries.  So, we began by learning how to give our name and introduce others.  We learned some of the basics of verb usage/conjugation, which I was relieved to find is similar to Spanish. 
It was a fun challenge and a nice departure from the everyday activities. But, oh, my brain hurt!
When I went to pick up the girls from their class, I discovered they had been learning more nouns and just a few common phrases.  A immediately walked up to me with a handmade paper cone and said, "Ich mochte Susigkeiten", which means "I want Candy".  They learned that in Germany there is a tradition of giving children candy in large paper cones on the first day of school.  R was more reluctant to say it out loud until I agreed that I would give them candy when we got home.  When we got home we also wrote several of their new words on cards and stuck them on appropriate objects.

In the beginning.....

Well, here I go on both a technical (computer) and family adventure!  One voice in my head is screaming, "You don't have time for this!" and the other is explaining, "You need to write this down before you forget!"  So, I am giving into the voice that has guided us into making the decision to follow through with the family adventure despite our trepidations: the voice of How Will You Look Back on This 15 Years from Now?

My hope is that this blog will serve as a chance to share with family and friends, as well as others facing similar circumstances, the course of events, decisions, and experiences of our family of five as we prepare for and venture off on a five month stay in Luneburg, Germany http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%BCneburg.  I aspire to add a little something every day or so, but like any adventure, who knows where the future and reality will lead.  So, bear with me as I launch this blog and find by bearings in this cyber world and fit it into my busy, busy life!