The MommyVan in Germany

I've had my license and been cruising around Germany for almost month now.  We brought the Mommy Van with us to Germany and while I'm happy we did, I do have some regrets about it.  It's great for road trips and cruising, but not so great for zipping around town and parking.  Really, it's about double the size of the smallest German cars and it oozes out of the German parking spaces.  If I had this to do over again, I still would have brought my MommyVan but I would have asked Soldier to make it is commuting vehicle, since it'd be easy to park at his office.  For me, we could have purchased an inexpensive, smaller vehicle to drive around town in.  It might be tricky to find something that could fit three car seats, but I think something along the lines of the Mazda 5 would have worked well for me. 

So, if you are heading our way and in a similar position, I really encourage you to consider this.  As Americans, we are very attached to our big vehicles, our personal space and our concept of "my time."  I'm finding that these are very false attachments and things I am adapting to here.

Driving in Germany

After much worry and fretting, I took my driving test and passed with flying colors!   I got my hands on the driver's manual ahead of time and spent the four weeks prior to arrival reading it and highlighting passages that were different than US driving rules.  For me, this was the best method since US driving rules are so deeply entrenched in my brain from my accident investigation days.  Also, I'm a very visual learner, so if I read it and take notes, I'm likely to remember.

Here are my observations on driving in Germany so far:

1. There are a ton of signs.  This is bad and good. It's bad because there are lots of new signs to recognize, understand and react to.  The good news is that the Germans appear to put signs on EVERYTHING!  So, if you do EXACTLY what they signs say without over-thinking it, you probably won't die or kill anyone.  It's good stuff.

2.  Germans Drive Crazy, myth or fiction?   Personally, I think this is mostly myth.  I've yet to be truely shocked by anything. BUT...to be fair, I learned to drive along I-95 and the I-495 Beltway in the DC Metro Area.  Next to Los Angeles, it's consistently rated as the worst traffic in the US.  We joke that the speed limit is 65 on I-96 but that's really a suggested minimum and that it's called 95 because that's how fast the flow of traffic is.  Also, DC drivers are VERY aggressive.  The only difference I've seen between DC aggressive and Germany aggressive is that the biggest car usually wins in DC.  In Germany, it's the fastest car. 

I love the Autobahn!

3. Navigation:  It's very easy to get around because they put signs up for everything. So, all you need is a city or town name and you follow the signs at each major intersection.  Really.  It's not like in the US where the sign for Austin is 10 minutes outside of El Paso. The signs are very specific and very sensible.  Love it.      

Road signs with Town, distance and direction. And, unlike in the US, they really mean it.

                                     

4. Right of Way:  This is the trickiest part, in my opinion.  In the US we are accustomed to thinking of ROW scenarios as "Major Roadway" tests.  Which ever vehicle is on the larger road generally has the right of way.  We use a right-is-right rule only at four way stops when there are multiple vehicles arriving at the same time, otherwise it's first come, first served.  In Germany, Right is always RIGHT.   Regardless of how big/small a road is, you must yield the right of way to a vehicle approaching from your right.  The only exception to this involves signs. So, again...just do exactly what the signs say and no problem.   Personally, I love this.  It takes a little thinking but it's so straight-forward.

Love me some Priority Road signs.  As I zoom around the corner, I think to myself "Priority Road and it is MEEEEE!"

                                                                     


Lastly, a few of my favorite new Road signs, plus a few that I think should be redefined.:

Automobiles Prohibited.  Personally, I think it looks like an "Only Cars Allowed" sign.  I'm being very careful not to mix it up!

Caution: Frog Crossing.  Really, I'm not joking.  It's a sign.

End of Prohibitions.  In Germany, this means drive fast!  But, I think it should be a "Don't forget your PT Belt" sign.

No Autobahns allowed.  (Or, as it's really called, End of the Autobahn.)

Boobs Ahead.

Wilkommen!

We've been in Germany about five days and we're coping.  

Our house is fine. I'm not in love with it yet, but I rarely love a house when we first move in.  Love takes time!  It's townhouse style living which is a tad more communal and close than I am comfortable with.  I've had curious little faces peering into my back door every day since we arrived.  They mean well...they want the kiddos to come out and play, but during naptime...I want silence and no kids!   I'm also ashamed to admit that I'm a tad worried about what my neighbors will hear.  I'm always wonderfully patient and even-tempered and my words and tone of voice are always soft and gentle on the ears, but what if I wasn't....?  [Did you catch my sarcasm there? Right-o.]  

The kids are doing as well as can be expected.  There's some extra tears and tempers, mostly just due to being out of their routine and comfort zones.  We also spend all night playing whack-a-mole since we are still adjusting to local time.  They all go to bed at 8pm but each one has a wakeful period sometime between 11pm and 2 or 3 am.  Naturally, their wakeful periods are sequential and not concurrent, so I'm in and out of bed constantly during that time. Needless to say, I'm probably going to be the last to fully adapt to Germany time.  I'm not doing anything special to help the kids adjust to the time, aside from making their bedrooms extra, extra dark at bedtime and a little brighter during naptime.  I read a recommendation from another blog that you should keep your regular timezone and strive for a "normal" routine until you arrive.  Then, once you are on the ground, you enforce the local time right away.  It sounds a little mean but it's working for us. I also like that we're not dragging this process out at all. So far, the only "forcing" I've had to do is to wake the kids up from their naps at a "normal" time, then we go for a walk to refresh ourselves and wake up a little more for the evening stretch. During the wakeful periods at night, I sit with SBG until she goes back to sleep. (Soldier has had to take a few shifts, too).  We tell the big ones that they can play with a toy but they must be quiet and keep their lights off.  Conveniently, Monster Boy has some sniffles that I think are probably allergy related and Bunny Girl got some monster mosquito bits the day we arrived. (She swells up like you wouldn't believe!)   Why is this convenient? Well...it means I can give them a little Benadryl at night guilt-free.  I've only done it twice, since I really want them to adapt and they only need so much medicine but golly....it sure was wonderful to have a little "help" in the sleep department at 2am our first two nights here!!! 

We've ventured out a little.  Mostly, trying to get the basics for our house and baby-gates.  (These stairs are CRAZY!)  I remember being told not to worry about learning German before coming since the Germans all speak English.  Well, I don't know what part of Germany that is but it's NOT here.  It's very frustrating and intimidating to not speak the language.  When shopping, it takes much longer because I can't read a sign to see where the "Baby" section is or whatever else I'm looking for.  I see the temptation for hiding in my house and only shopping at the teeny-tiny PX but I'm trying to keep pushing through that.  It's just very frustrating and embarrassing to not speak the language.  (I can't help but think of the families from Juarez that venture to El Paso every day for work or shopping.  It's a big lesson for me on compassion and empathy.)

So that's it....I feel a bit sad that I don't have some amazing stories about how in love with Germany I am. Perhaps, I built it up so much in my mind and from friends' stories that it just can't live up to the magical place I had been prepared for.  Either way, I really feel like there is a lot to love...once we get our bearings a little more.   I've always said that each move comes with a 90 day "adjustment period" before you feel like you're home, settled and find your "people"  but I think this time around may take closer to six months because there's just so much more to learn!