We Are Not In Woodbury Anymore!: September 3rd-9th -- A Challenging Week!

September 3rd-8th

A very challenging week ended on a very happy note! As you can see below, Ana and Mac joined us making our family complete.

The simple things in life are a challenge when you do not speak the language.

Challenge 1: A few words in German leads to trouble.

I have gotten good enough at one word in German, here or there. You would think that is a good thing; however, it usually results in someone rapidly firing 5 sentences back at you in German. In which case, you quickly have to say -- "Ich spreche kein Deutsch."

Challenge 2: Telephone messages in German.

Language is a problem here particularly when using the telephone. A dear friend sent me flowers on Wednesday -- she went out of her way to have them delivered that day. I checked the answering machine late in the day and found a message light blinking. I pushed the button and yes, the person left a message in German. Working with S, we figured out the telephone number only to realize they were closed for the afternoon (we think because of course we got a message in German). The next day they did contact me, put someone on the phone who spoke English and eventually delivered the flowers.

Challenge 3: Our pronounciation of German.

Later that same day, the cable went out. A tragedy in our house because that means no internet. O.k., so how do you call the cable company? I dialed a number and the recording was in German. So, I decided I would just press one and hope for the best. Eventually, music came on so I guessed I was on hold -- something we are used to in the U.S. A man came on and I used my favorite phrase -- Sprechen Sie Englisch? He said a little. It turns out that he is in sales. After trying to connect me with the Tech Dept., he got back on and asked me for my address so that he could have a tech colleague call me back. You would think that should be simple. When I said the address, he said there was no such address in Oberursel. Then, I tried to spell it for him. The "z" sound in the English alphabet is very different from the "z" sound in German. When I said zu den, he hear Suden. Finally, I said, "z" the last letter in the alphabet and he said "Hah, Zu den." He then found my customer number and telephone number and said that someone who spoke better English then he did would contact me. So just imagine what they hear when I try to speak German!!!

S, concerned with this asked her German teacher how to say our street name.
Correct pronunciation: (Tsoo dein) Ringwällen.

Challenge 4: Calling your husband's new cell phone (now a German number).

I spent Thursday building IKEA furniture. I discovered the real challenge for the IKEA furniture is --Can you fix a mistake that you made early in the process without taking the whole piece apart? A piece that, by the way, that took you 3 hours to build. After that lovely chore, I met the relocation person at Vodafone to get us all cell phones with German numbers. After waiting more than an hour, I signed four contracts (all in German) and got one phone. The saleman explained that I should come back tomorrow to get the rest of the phones.* I got home and checked my e-mail. There was a message from the Animal Freight Carriers that Luftansa was on strike. The choice was to spend more money to send Ana and Mac on United or board them in New Jersey for four more days. I found C's new work cell phone number and dialed. You guessed it! I got a message in German. I tried his office number and got a message in German. Frustration hit new levels as I realized that someone had to contact the Animal Freight Carrier otherwise the pups would miss the United flight and I could not even figure out how to call my husband. Finally, S called the number on her cell phone (still the U.S. phone). The call went through and we found out that C had already taken care of it. Ana and Mac were already on the United flight. It turns out that I was dialing 49 before the number (Germany's country code). You do not need that code when you are in Germany. So, the recording was telling me that -- you know just like it tells you in the U.S. that you do not need to dial 1 before the number. The only problem was -- I could not understand the German message. S's call went through because it was a U.S. number. Now I know how to call C at work.

Ana and Mac arrived at 3:15 Friday afternoon. They had boarded the United flight around 8 pm the night before, arrived in Germany around 10 am (German time) and finally cleared customs and were delivered to the house. K and S arrived home about 15 minutes later. Ana literally squealed when she saw K. Both of them are doing well. They both love the fenced in yard. In addition to the yard, the forest is right down the street. There are multiple paths for running, biking and dog walking. Ana has gone on several walks as has Mac. Mac has also gone on a run with S -- Mac just trots along side as S runs.