Lukie

My baby boy at school (this may also be titled We Love Miss Abigail).

My baby boy at home.

My What-I-Like-About-Germany List

Back in August, before we left Utah to come here to Germany, my brother-in-law Dave told me his experience when he went on his mission to Switzerland.  He said that for the first six months or so, he felt like he had dropped off the face of the earth and nothing would ever feel normal again.  Everything was just so strange and unfamiliar.  But then, at about the six month mark, things changed and he felt like he was living in the best place on earth.

Well, I have officially passed my six month anniversary, and I can't say that I've reached the peak that Dave described at his six month mark.  I will say that I am glad I don't have to live the past six months again, as life here in Berlin is much easier now that I've learned what I learned in the last six months.  Things like driving, shopping, taking the train, and answering my phone don't send me into a cold sweat anymore.  The first week we were here, somebody rang my doorbell and I actually ducked down and hid under the window so they would think I wasn't home because I was afraid to talk to them.  Pathetic, I know.  I am glad that level of disfunction is behind me.

In honor of reaching my six month mark, I thought I would make a list of 10 things I have come to like about Germany.  This has not been an easy list to compile.  For the past couple of weeks, I've been taking mental notes in my daily life, looking for what I could add to my What-I-Like-About-Germay List.  As I've been thinking, I realize that most of the things I love in my life here are things that remind me of home or ways I have found to bring America to Germany.  Of course, I can't count those.  I have really had to stretch to make a list of 10 uniquely German things that I love.

So here, in no particular order, is my What-I-Like-About-Germany List:

1.  Bedford Falls

There is a little downtown area a few blocks away from our house that I have affectionately named "Bedford Falls" after the town in It's a Wonderful Life.  Whenever I walk here, I feel like I've stepped into that movie, and George Bailey is going to come and kiss me on the lips as he rejoices at being alive again.  While nobody has ever kissed me on the lips here (hint, hint, Brad), it is still one of my favorite places.

This little section of town has several shops, including a hair salon, 3 bakeries, 2 grocery stores, and a little shop that sells miscellaneous household items.  I really enjoy walking here when I just need a few groceries for dinner.

How cute is this?  The store under the red striped awning is a personal favorite of mine.  It is a bakery that sells Spritzkuchen, which I will highlight later in this post.

2.  Gouda cheese

Ah yes, Gouda cheese.  It is very rare to find cheddar cheese here in Germany, so we have converted to Gouda cheese.  And when I say converted, I mean it!  We are BIG believers in the Gouda cheese!  I use it to make macaroni and cheese, on sandwiches, in cheesy eggs - anything requiring cheese.  It is truly delicious!!  I don't know if I'll even be able to go back to cheddar when our time here is through.

3.  Towel warmer

I have mentioned this before, and it is worth mentioning again.  This towel warmer in our bathroom is heaven!  All those white bars are warm, and not only does it dry off the towel in No Time Flat, but it makes the towel so deliciously warm when you step out of the shower.  I don't know why they don't have these in the States.  They are brilliant.

4.  Bread

I had heard many times that the bread in Europe is To Die For, and I have not been disappointed.  This bread is just the cheap stuff I get at the grocery store at 39 cents for 2 loaves.  I just have to finish baking it in the oven for 8-10 minutes, and we have warm, yummy bread for dinner.  Even this basic, cheap bread is delightful.  We have it 2-3 times per week.

5.  SebaMed

When I first moved here in August, a lovely woman in my ward, Antje, took me grocery shopping for the first time so I could learn the ropes.  I happened to need some soap to use on my face, and Antje recommended SebaMed.  I love this stuff.  It is so gentle and fragrance-free, and the skin on my face has never felt better.  Sorry if this sounds like an ad, but I really love this stuff.  I have never had a soap I like this much.  And, it is cheap.  I can buy it at the grocery store for less than 3 euros a bottle, which will last for 4 or 5 months.

6.  BBIS

BBIS stands for Berlin Brandenburg International School, which is where all four of my kids go to school everyday.  If this school were the only good thing about coming to Germany, it would still be worth it.  We have loved this school.  It is an International school, so everything is taught in English.  Less than half the students are native English speakers, so our kids are being exposed to all different nationalities and cultures.  Most of the students have parents whose jobs have moved them all over the world, and they are accustomed  to relocating every 3 years or so.  This has made them used to accepting new kids and finding friends quickly.  We were so happy to see how quickly our kids made friends here and how tolerant they are of one another. 

Jessica sings the praises of BBIS almost daily.  Coming from a big middle school in Michigan, she much prefers the smaller, more friendly atmosphere at BBIS.  The classes are much harder - don't even ask her about math! - but I think she'll end up being ahead of most of her class when she returns to public school in the United States.  And, I am so grateful that Pepper will start middle school here next year rather than at the middle school in Michigan.  At BBIS, he will just change hallways when he goes to middle school next fall.  So, all his support teachers will already know him, and they are preparing him now for the added responsibilities he'll face in middle school.  It really is an ideal situation for a kid with Pepper's challenges.

The classroom buildings at BBIS are all old buildings from a weapons technology company back in Hitler's day, so they are a bit gloomy on the outside.  The insides are very cheerful and modern, though.  The pride of the school is this big, new sports hall.  It is very state-of-the-art.

Even Lukie goes to school everyday, although I usually pick him up after lunch so he doesn't stay the full day.  His teacher Abigail is seriously Too Good To Be True, and I am so glad he gets to spend his mornings with such a delightful person.  (A side note:  Abigail speaks English with a British accent, and Luke has picked it up somewhat.  Just a minute ago, he came in and told me, "My trousahs are wet."  I said, "Your trousers?", thinking it was funny that he would call his pants "trousers."  Luke got all bugged and said, "No!  My trousAHs!"  He also says "Criss-cross applesauce" with a clipped British accent, compliments of Abigail.)

7.  Spritzkuchen

This, my friends, is Spritzkuchen (yes, Brad, I know that is the plural way to say it, and there is only one donut pictured, but I'm just glad I got the German mostly right).  I can hardly pass a bakery without going inside and getting 2 Spritzkuchen, so I really don't need to know the singular word for them.  Americans, you may think you've tried these before at your local Dunkin' Donuts, but I've gotta tell you, you haven't.  These babies are FANTASTIC, so light and luscious, and melt-in-your-mouth-y.  Yum.

8.  House shoes

It is no secret that I am a fan of slippers.  I always wear slippers when I am at home, even in the summertime.  But, here I have found slippers on a whole new level.  Most of the homes here don't have carpeting - the floors are usually wood or tile.  I am used to my American house, with it's wall-to-wall carpeting over padding in nearly every room, so I found after I moved here that my legs and feet just ached after being at home all day without shoes.  I went to the store and found these "house shoes", which are everywhere, and they are awesome.  They are comfy like slippers, but have a substantial, padded sole, so I can stand to be on my hard floors everyday. 

9.  Mistletoe

Here is the Interesting Trivia section of today's post.  Last fall, a friend of mine pointed out these blobs in the trees.  I'd never seen them before, and was curious.  She told me that these blobs are mistletoe - you know, the little sprigs people hang at Christmas hoping for a kiss.  Apparently, mistletoe is a parasite that grows on tree branches.  It is green and usually hidden in all the leaves, but when the leaves fall off, it is clearly visible.  That is why is it associated with winter and Christmas time.  Several of the houses in my neighborhood had big bunches hanging over their doorways during Christmas, trimmed with a bit of ribbon to make it festive.  No small, wimpy sprigs of mistletoe here - clearly it was a whole blob from a tree, more than a foot in diameter.  It is EVERYWHERE here, and although I'm not usually excited by parasites, I love to see the mistletoe hanging around in the trees.  It makes me feel very Old-Fashioned-Christmas-Spirit-y, even though Christmas has passed.

10.  Raclette

When Brad served his mission in Switzerland, he fell in love with Raclette, a traditional Swiss meal.  He tried to explain it to me, but I didn't really understand it until we came here.  Last October, when we went to Switzerland, we all had Raclette for the first time at a little restaurant in Zurich.  Raclette is technically Swiss, but Germans love it, too, and it has become a Bitner Family Favorite.

This is how it works:  Everyone sits around a Raclette oven (the black thing in the middle of the table).  There are these little trays that everyone puts cheese into, and the oven melts the cheese.  Then, you drizzle the cheese over little cooked potatoes, pickles, baby corns, and onions.

I know, you are thinking this is really weird.  Potatoes, pickles, baby corns, cheese?  How is this a meal?

Well, I gotta tell you, it is a scrumptious combination.  Something about the sour pickles and baby corns, the salty cheese, and the warm potatoes just makes it deLISH!  (Incidentally, you can see the bread that I mentioned above.  We really do have it all the time.  Pepper has smeared his with Nutella, another delight.)

Oh baby!  Yum!

A Runner-up:  Boxed Milk

I have mentioned the boxed milk before and I love the convenience but I don't love the taste.  That is why Boxed Milk gets runner-up status.  The reason I love the convenience is because it doesn't have to be refridgerated, so I can buy a big box of it and just sit it on my counter.  It is very nice to have a couple weeks worth of milk handy.  Since September, I have found that I can get fresh, refridgerated milk, and we do prefer the taste of that.  But, I always have a bunch of the boxed stuff on hand for convenience purposes.

So, there is my What-I-Like-About-Germany List.  I must admit that it would be much easier for me to compile a What-I-Miss-About-America List, but that would be suicide for my mental health (keep it positive, Jill!).  Six months in, and I am still alive, have never been yelled at in German, and there are 10 bona fide things I prefer about Germany over America. 

Okay. 

I just might make it.

Adam turns 9!

Yesterday, Adam's long-awaited 9th birthday finally arrived.  He'd been counting down every day for the last week or so, and he was so excited to wake up Saturday morning and finally be nine years old!  Although, he wasn't technically nine years old until 1:00 p.m., because that is the time he was born. 

We got pizza for lunch at Liberty Pizza.  It is the most Americanized pizza place we have found here in Berlin, and it really is pretty good.  Because it was his birthday, Adam got his own little pizza all to himself.

After lunch, we picked up Adam's friend Rohan and went to Jack's Fun World.  Rohan is seriously the nicest 8 year old boy I have ever met.  Usually, I try to avoid boys between the ages of 8 and 13, because I just find them irritating.  I call it The Phase (just look at Adam's face in the above picture for a visual example of why I find The Phase irritating.  But, I have to love my own kid, right?).  However, Rohan is delightful, and I was glad he could join us for Adam's birthday. 

We found Jack's Fun World on the internet, and thought it sounded like a good place to celebrate Adam's birthday.  Sure enough, Jack's Fun World didn't disappoint.  There were all kinds of different fun things for the kids to climb, ride, and do.

Ball pits give me the creeps, because of all the germs and goobers you hear about growing in them.  There were signs all over Jack's Fun World bragging about their clean, hygienic ball pits (at least I think that is what they said - the signs were all in German of course), so I let Lukie go crazy.  He thought he was in heaven!

 The most popular attraction was the Bumper Boats, and there was a big line for them most of the day.  About an hour before closing time, the crowds started to leave, so by the end of the day our kids could get on the Bumper Boats over and over again without having to wait in line.  It was a great way to finish off the day!

Look Ma, no hands!

After Jack's Fun World, we came home to blow out the candles on Adam's fantastic birthday cake.  My friend Susanne is a Cake Maker Extraordinaire, so I asked her to make Adam's birthday cake.  He requested a volcano, and when I told Susanne, I expected she would make a sheet cake cut into a triangle to resemble a volcano, then add red and orange frosting to the tip for lava.  Well, Susanne far exceeded our expectations!  This is the 3D volcano cake she came up with, complete with boiled sugar lava firing out the top.  It was awesome!

 

Lighting the candles only added to the volcano effects!

I can't believe it has been nine years since Adam joined our family.  When he was born, he had the cutest pixie face and a headful of blond, downy hair.  He was by far my easiest baby; he only whimpered when he was hungry, ate well, and fell asleep on his own.  I used to tell people he was more like having a pet than a baby.  He is still a very well-behaved, easy-going boy.  He is also unusually sensitive to other people and careful not to hurt others' feelings. 

Probably the thing I admire most about Adam is his self-assuredness and confidence.  Brad and I have always called him "Our Little Participater" because he wants to try everything.  He treats the world like it is his oyster, never afraid to give any new experience a go.  When we moved here, he made friends immediately, and he is absolutely the best new German-speaker in our family.  He has no fear about speaking German to Germans; a couple of weeks ago at McDonalds, Jessica was too shy to order herself a hot chocolate, so Adam took the money from her, marched up to the counter, and ordered it for her all in German without missing a beat.

Adam is just a fun kid to raise.  I am so grateful to be his mom!

Jessica Before and After

Well, today was the big day!  Jessica got her braces off this morning, and she looks so beautiful!  Of course, every mother thinks her daughter is beautiful, and I am no exception.  But, I can't believe how much she has changed in the last couple of years, and it is exciting for me to see her taking shape and becoming such a lovely young woman.  As pretty as she is on the outside, I am even more proud of how lovely she is as an all-around person.  She is exceptionally intuitive and sensitive to other people and has a very kind heart.  She is also very brave - what 13-year old can move to another country where she doesn't speak the language and adapt so well?  Thirteen is hard enough when you're in your comfort zone, yet Jessica has done very well this last year and made some good friends.  I love to hang out with her watching Masterpiece Classics and Glee, and I am so glad I got her for a daughter. 

Looking good Sis!

Our Germany House

Last August when we moved here, I promised that I would post pictures of our Germany house once we were all moved in.  Well, it's been almost 6 months, and I guess we are moved in.  So here are some pictures of our house here.

Here is the front of our house.  We've had a very snowy winter, which is unusual for Berlin.  Personally, I am just tired of trying to keep the snow off the front porch.  When it ices over, the front porch is SO slippery, and I am nervous every time we leave the house that somebody is going to fall and crack their head open.

When you come in the front door, there is this little coat room to the left.  It is kind of like a mud-room in the States, except that it is right off the front door rather than off the back door or garage.  This makes sense because here in Germany, most people don't have a garage, so the front door is the main entrance for the family.

I've noticed that most German houses have a little bathroom like this next to the front door.  Well, not just like this.  This one is uglier than most.  There has been an improvement to this bathroom since we moved here.  When we came in August, the sink and toilet were a brownish-bronzy color, and the sink had a funky scalloped edge.  Truly atrocious.  In October, the old toilet tank sprung a leak, and sadly (happily!) another brownish-bronzy toilet could not be found to replace it.  So, our landlady was forced to redo all the fixtures in white.  Now if we could just find a way to get the tile walls replaced...

If you go straight from the front door, you will end up here in this entrance/hallway.  It is kind of a big wasted space in my opinion, but whatever. The bar on the right is pretty fancy, and there are cupboards and a built-in fridge behind it.  Too bad we don't drink wine, because this would be the perfect spot to do it.  The kitchen is back on the right, and on the left are the living room and office/dining room.

Here is our kitchen.  We were lucky to find a house with a kitchen big enough for our table to fit.  Germans have different kitchen priorities - most houses have very small kitchens and large dining rooms, rather than the big, eat-in kitchens we are used to in the U.S. You can see that our kitchen is a good size.  We bought the island from an American family that was leaving Germany just as we were coming, and it has been perfect in this kitchen.  It's nice to be able to face the table while I prepare food , since everyone is usually sitting around the table in the evenings.

Here is the living room.  I love the big windows that look out into the back yard. I have loved having this space for the kids to play.  It feels so private with all the trees around it, so I imagine this house and the yard are my little America in the middle of Berlin.The chair in the right corner has been my Happy Place this winter.  It is right by the radiators (they are under the windows), so it is a warm and comfy place for me to read my books.  Thank heavens Amazon.de has English books!

I'm not really sure what to call this room.  I think it was designed to be a dining room, but it's not very convenient to the kitchen.  We use it as more of a home office. The computer is in the cabinet on the right, and the table is a very handy space to work on projects/homework/puzzles. This and the kitchen are where I spend almost all of my time. The doors on the left lead to a Winter Garden, which is an enclosed porch that we never use.  From there, you can go outside to the backyard. 

When we moved here, Pepper really wanted his own room, and the only room available was this small room on the main floor.  It is a cozy little place, and we laugh because after all his fuss about having his own room, Pepper wants to sleep upstairs with Adam and Luke all the time.  I guess the idea of his own room was more exciting than the reality.

This bathroom is at the end of that hall.  Brad and I use it as our master bathroom. When he was house-hunting, my good husband knew that a big tub would get him lots of brownie points.  I love soaking in this tub on cold winter nights and then crawling into bed to fall asleep to the TV.

Next to the bathroom is Brad's and my bedroom. Those framed pictures are photos I took of Bear Lake a couple of years ago.  We may live in Europe, and have access to all the famous sites here, but Bear Lake is still our favorite place on earth.

We have a Sling Box that attaches that laptop to a Comcast cable box in Brad's parents' house in Layton, UT.  Then, Brad hooked up the TV to be the screen for the laptop.  So, we can watch anything that is broadcast in Utah; we just have to DVR the shows we want to watch because primetime in Utah is the middle of the night here.   It has been a lifesaver to be able to watch my favorite shows and feel connected to American culture.  And since it is connected to cable in Utah, we can watch General Conference right here in our home.  This is a much better set-up than going to the stake center here and listening to the English translation of the German translation of the English talks.  I think I sing the praises of the Sling Box at least once a week - it is probably the single best thing Brad did to make our stay here bearable.

Upstairs is kind of the Kid-Zone at our house.

This is Adam's and Luke's room at the top of the stairs.  Through those windows, I can see right into a German couple's apartment next door.  Their whole wall facing us is windows, and they don't have curtains.  I have nicknamed them Frau and Otis, and I love to watch their orderly little German life unfold as I spy on them through the windows.  (Have I shared too much?  Am I going to get arrested?)  This is Adam's bed, but he rarely gets the whole thing to himself.  I often find all three boys asleep in it when I check on them at night.

This is Jessica's pig-sty bedroom.  I asked her to clean it so I could take a picture of it, but she didn't do it in time.  Her punishment is that I am publishing her shame for all to see.  Feel free to give her a hard time.

We use this big room as a playroom for the kids. This half is set up for the X-box and also a cozy place to watch DVD's.  I love having this tucked up here away from the main living space of the house.  It keeps the kid noise contained upstairs.

The room is kind of divided in two.  This half is where all the toys are.

Well, that is the dime tour of our Germany House.  As you can see, Brad did a great job finding a house for us here, and we have tons of room.  I didn't even show you the basement, but we have even more space down there. 

We love having visitors, and hope this entices you to plan a trip to Berlin!