Today started with another early alarm, I am happy that I get to stay home and sleep in tomorrow! Poor Chris, he has to go to work. Oh wait, that's why we're here. This morning we squared away important stuff at the housing office about our place. The nice German ladies in the housing office translated our last name for us...and couldn't stop laughing. Quattlebaum: of course "baum" means "tree" in German, but the "quattle" was always a mystery. Chris always told me it meant "shade," which I had my doubts about. Apparently "quattle" was traditionally spelled "quattel," and it is a word for "pimple." Chris decided he ended up with that because of a tall, acne-ridden ancestor: pimpletree.
For most of the day we were on an Air Force introduction tour to Kaiserslautern, the main community in the area. It was nice to get into a larger place, we've been busy in little villages and on base. Here are the photos from our sights.
Our lunch was quite an interesting experience. The ambiance and food were great, we sat out in the biergarten with people on our tour whom we had flown into Ramstein with. It was gorgeous and sunny, but then the clouds and torrential downpour came, also bringing hail. We were all soaked, and it was quite memorable. Luckily we were done eating when the rain came, even though we had a large umbrella over our table the rain was very hard, and the umbrella leaked, so the plates collected water.
Back home and changed into dry clothes, we decided to venture out and go to Ramstein-Miesenbach, to find used car dealers. Sounds easy, right? We walked to the next village and caught the correct bus, but due to my confusion we got off the bus at the wrong stop, and had to walk a few kilometers from Miesenbach to Ramstein. Once in Ramstein, we found new construction, which affected all the bus routes so we didn't know where the bus would come in that town, and ended up walking back to Miesenbach to catch the bus home. We were also unsuccessful in finding the advertised dealerships. We found where they were supposed to be, but we were surrounded by car rental places and other such things. So we should sleep well, we walked several kilometers today!
It is so frustrating to try and get ourselves established and functioning here. We had briefings, but they gave us information we were already aware of or could have figured out. We were lucky in finding our house, it was the second place we looked at. But finding a car proves to be much more difficult. It would be helpful if we hadn't been switched to a sponsor who pretends we don't exist. The people that I would expect to help us, to remember what it's like to be the new kid, don't care to assist. Chris and I are bound and determined to be helpful when people arrive in his office, offering rides and advice. It makes me so mad when people say "well have you done this yet?" when we didn't have a clue to do it, or don't have the means to complete the task. Once we get a car, I think things will be much better. I'm really ready to just be settled in the house, that will be comforting as well.
I'm such a fan of the Germans! The more I learn about them, the more I see my German heritage reflected in my lifestyle. They are very clean, organized people. Germans love their rules! They have laws, and they follow them. They will turn in others who don't follow them. It's great - they know what they are supposed to do and they do it! I have used my German a lot, and the people I've spoken to seem appreciative that I'm trying. We've been told that Germans like that we try to speak the language, reaching out to their culture, but they will end up speaking English with us so they can practice it. Germans are great gardeners too, we see lots of Blumen shops, and there are always planted and potted flowers around. Most times when Germans actually have a yard, rather than grass it is decorated with beautiful plants. We are happy to have a little front yard and a nice backyard so that we can plant flowers and take part. Germans are incredibly envrionmental as well, you should see their elaborate recycling system! Waste makes up hardly any of the materials, so many things are recycled and biodegraded. Since the World Cup is going on, Germans are full of national pride. Most cars that drive by are decorated with German flags. When the German team is playing a game, the roars of cheers and claps float throughout the village.
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