America? where is that?

So it has almost been one year, since we moved here. I was driving the kids home from Legoland last week and realized many things don't seem strange to me anymore. We were on the Autobahn and a car came whizzing past me. Ok, no bid deal I know, but I was going 85mph and they passed me like I was parked. Also I no longer take second looks when I see a little Mercedes or Audi pulling a camper trailer or horse trailer, that is just the norm around here. I also don't remember which side of the road the yellow lines are on, back in the States. Here in Germany the road only has white lines, unless there is construction, then they sometimes use yellow. I also am used to grocery carts being chained together. I am now carrying my cart coin around with me, so I can use them.

I just drive by the gardens, that use to surprise me. They have areas where flowers have been planted and you can go cut them and take them home. You see the kids standing by the cash register (Kasse in German). They provide scissors and clippers to cut the flowers for your home. It is a great idea, since there are so many people who have no yards. I have never seen anyone working at these place, they just trust that you will be honest and pay for your flowers. This field is just a short walk, or bike ride from our house.

I don't even look twice at the hearts in the fields. I pass two of them everyday.

I don't think it is strange that one day I will see a herd of sheep in a field on the right side of the road, then the next day they are on the left, then the day after they are fenced in another field. This picture is nothing out of the ordinary, unless you look close at the orange fence. The shepherd goes out in the morning and put up this fence, then he brings his sheep and herds them in. They stay there one maybe two days then the sheep get moved to the next field. In a few more days they get placed in yet another field. They seem to make it to our side of town every two or three months.

We are really not missing much as far as American goods. We can just about get all we need from here. Stewart did go back to the States awhile ago and brought back a particular brand of dental floss and toothpaste we like. He also brought back round toothpicks of all things. All we could find here were flat toothpicks and they always broke. A few months after Stewart came home, we found them at the store, they must have just run out or something. And really what more do we need than Toys"R"Us? It is about 25 miles away. Cassidy, Zachary and I spent 1 hour and 45 minutes wandering around in the store. We went there looking for Transformers for Thomas' birthday.



So things that seemed so strange to me a year ago, I don't even think twice about. We are settled into our home and our surroundings. I do still smile at the kids pointing and stares I get from the adults while driving our Suburban around. I took our German neighbor on an errand the other day in our car. We went to take a portable air conditioning unit to the repair shop, she talked to the kids the whole way there. But on the way home, she wondered why they were so quiet. I had put a movie in for them to watch. She couldn't get over it. She also couldn't get over the back up camera we have, and just the size of the interior. There are a few Suburbans around, but not many.