Thursday, May 2, 2013

Top Ten Initial Reactions to Living In Leipzig, Germany

So it's been a year since I posted here. Probably because I've been preparing for and then having, nursing and loving my second son, Matthias, while also preparing for and then moving to Germany. My husband received a Call last May to serve as Strategic Mission Developer for the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod in Leipzig, Germany.

So we are finally here after much preparation (all of us), fund-raising (Chris), crying (me), and having Baby #2 (also me). We arrived on April 3rd. Here are a few initial impressions concerning Germany:

1. Our partner church, the congregation we are working with, and all of its members and other staff are completely AWESOME. They have been so kind and good to us. We are living in a temporary situation with no washer/dryer and trying to find/buy all the things we will need for our permanent apartment, so they have been doing our laundry for us, driving us around, and helping us do things like set up bank accounts.

2. If you at least TRY to speak German and then fall off, anyone who knows English will smile at you and start speaking to you in English. They take pity on you and your as yet poor German. If they don't know English, they still smile, speak just as rapidly in Germany, gesture, and basically compliment your Baby.

3. They love the babies here. They are always stopping to admire Matthias and then tell us (in German, rapid German) how beautiful he is, and other things I don't understand but which must be complimentary because they are smiling and cooing, and generally making the happy noises people make concerning babies.
Matthias

4. They love music. Friday night. Choir. Organ. Thomaskirche. PACKED. This would not happen in America. I'm sorry; it's true. I'm just saying.

5. Every other person smokes and they are still allowed to to it pretty much anywhere. It is taking a lot for me to get used to gagging on smoke while eating my dinner. This mainly bothers me because it exposes my children.

6. Public transportation. Trams and buses. This is how we will likely always get around here (not planning to pick up a car anytime soon). I actually really enjoy it. It's expedient, affordable, and kind of fun. And Thomas loves it.
A Leipzig Tram passing by us at the Hauptbahnhof (Main Train Station)

7. Germans have cooler strollers with better wheels. I covet.

8. Everyone here speaks at least 2 or more languages. Our waiter last night spoke 4. Again, this does not happen much in America, and I wish we were better about this.

9. It's really hard to plan and buy a kitchen. (Most apartments/houses do NOT come with anything in the kitchen; you must plan and buy the kitchen yourself, and you take it with you when you move).

This is our IKEA kitchen plan. They are installing this on May 7 & 8!!!!
10. All in all, we are really liking it here, and I think it's going to be a wonderful place to live. It's beautiful, and it offers so much culture, tons of opportunities to engage in the arts, and yummy food.

Oh, and I have to add a bonus:

11. The fresh bread from the bakery, and the 4:00 PM kuchen (cake/torte) or butterspritz/butter keks/cookies tea time...yeah, LOVE. This country is not going to be good for my waist line.  ;-)