Archives for April 2010

On who I am right now

April 29, 2010 filed under: about me, FYI, Who I am

I am…

… feeling a little bit stressed out and unmotivated lately, which is a clear sign that I need some time off, like NOW. (Oh wait, my trip is only a week away! Weeeee!).

… acting a whole lot like a headless chicken, because I have so much to do and so much to think about before the trip to Germany, but honestly? I can’t wait. I can’t wait to see my family again, to cuddle with my new nephew, to play with Greta, to not think about work for once, to just hang out and relax for three whole weeks. I haven’t had that much time off in a long time!

… looking forward to spending time with friends that I couldn’t squeeze in last time due to my very tight schedule during my last visit!

… trying to justify my lack of exercise with me having too much going on right now and trying to counterbalance with eating healthy and drinking more water tea.

… hoping that I’ll get a first glimpse of summer during my time off so that I can run around in shorts and flipflops all day and that we can have many, many BBQs in my parents’ backyard :) (I love BBQs, in case you didn’t know. I would BBQ all summer long, if we had a BBQ grill and a patio/backyard to go with it. Hmpf.)

… wondering why all of the issues that are brought up in the 70’s show “All in the family” (which we’re currently watching on DVD) still seem to be not even close to being resolved 40 years later. Disturbing, to say the least.

…pleading with “whoever is in charge of giving out time” to provide me with some extra hours in the next few days so that I can get the baby quilt for my nephew’s baptism (which is in 10 days) done.

… cautiously hoping that someday I will get all of my gazillion of questions answered. Like, why is there no tuna pizza in this country? Or, why is it that when one person wins, another has to lose? I know, it’s a lot to ask, but there have to be answers. There must be answers, right?

Things you wouldn’t know… everything car-related

April 26, 2010 filed under: Expat stories, Germany, USA

{image via weheartit}

Did you know that in Europe you can’t take right turns on a red light? I am still debating if this is a bad or actually a good thing. I think there is much less potential for possible accidents with pedestrians, because to be honest, nobody really stops, really stops at a red light anymore and I don’t know how many times I have sworn under my breath at drivers that didn’t give me the right of way.

Did you know that there is practically no speed limit on the Autobahn (except for certain stretches that are particularly windy or narrow)? I know! Doesn’t that sound like a dream? But I want to remind you in this regard that a lot of freeways in Germany have only two lanes, so speeding is really only a good idea if there is nobody on the road (like, say, Sunday morning, 6 a.m.).

Did you know that most German cars (still) have a stick shift (although that might be changing a little bit)? I have to say, the fact that I learned driving on a shift stick makes me think of myself as a better driver. I think you learn much more about your car when you learn how the clutch and the different gears work.

Did you know that driving on the Autobahn, parallel parking and three point turning are all parts of your driver’s education? And did I mention the driving lessons that you attend before the written test? In Germany, you have to shell out around, I’d say, 1000€/$1300 for your driver’s education (practical driving lessons and theoretical classes). I think that is a good thing. Oh, and you can only get your driver’s license when you turn 18 (or it might be 17 now, I am not sure).

Speaking of parallel parking, did you know that (reverse) parallel parking is really not that hard if you learn how to do it correctly? Not to brag, but I can fit in the smallest parking space easily. J’s always very proud of my non-typical female parking skills. Our favorite pastime is sitting on the little porch of our apartment building and just watch the people who are trying to fit the tiniest cars into the biggest parking spots – and FAIL. It’s hilarious and better entertainment than TV.

Did you know that your car has to pass an inspection every two years? TÜV’s (short for Technischer Überwachungs-Verein, Technical Inspection Association in English) are German organizations that work to validate the safety of products of all kinds to protect humans and the environment against hazards. No German-registered road vehicle may be operated on public roads without a certificate from the TÜV. And I am not just talking “smog tested”. The car has to be considered “roadworthy”. That is why you hardly ever hear of “stalled” vehicles as traffic blocks during rush hour in German traffic news.

Did you know that (stationary) speed cameras are pretty much installed EVERYWHERE? Ok, not everywhere, but definitely where you don’t expect them… like, when you get off the Autobahn and onto the off-ramp or the feeder road. Dangerous. You can drive fast on the Autobahn, but practically nowhere else. Period.

Did you know that gas costs about 2,5 times what it costs in the US (and keep in mind, I am living in California, we have higher gas prices anyway)? Imagine paying well over $7/gallon. People here need a reality check – that’s what gas costs over there.

Did you know that we also drive on the right side of the street? I am saying also, because besides England, every European country has right hand traffic as far as I know. The fact that this does not seem to be clear to everybody was brought to my attention when I met my Australian friend of 13 years in the US for the first time in 2005 and she kept ranting about how hard it is for her and her husband to get used to the right hand traffic. She asked me “How did you adjust to this?”… and I was like “Huh? What are you talking about? We drive on the right side in Germany, just like people here in the US.”.
Apparently, she had assumed since Australia (and England) has left hand traffic that we had left hand traffic in Germany as well. So, in case you didn’t know: we don’t! :)

———

I think this is all I can think of for now. Do you have anything to add? Things you particularly like – or dislike – about driving/car stuff in either place?

On a side note: I’d really like to drive a beetle. An OLD beetle! They’re so vintage! :)

Recognizing the good things

April 21, 2010 filed under: friends, good things, good times

A few weeks ago, we saw a friend for her (and my belated) little birthday party. We went to a little tea room and had delicious, freshly brewed lose-leaf tea and yummy appetizers. As we were sitting in this tiny little place, I felt incredibly blessed for what we believe to be the simple pleasures in life: a hot cup of tea, delicious food, good times with friends. Even if I had all the money in the world, besides the cup of tea and food, it could never buy me what tied the whole afternoon together: good company, honest and meaningful conversations, shared and cherished moments.

Good company can be had by the closest of friends or by strangers – and every possible relationship type in between. I recall many, many honest, deep and inspiring conversation with people who happened to sit next to me on airplanes.
Hardly ever were numbers or email addresses exchanged, but I remember those moments as times when we shared a mutual moment of our lives. A moment shared with a stranger, whose life couldn’t be more different, no more separated from mine, but in the end, looking back we’ll both have created the same memory, we’ll possibly both remember that exact moment when our lives intertwined.

Time at the beach

April 19, 2010 filed under: my so-called life

{image via weheartit}

We spent the weekend in SoCal with my in-laws. Taking a long walk at the beach is always a treat! I wish I could have spent some more time. It always feels like a mini-vacation – without actually having to take time off. Double win!

Beauty Spring Essentials

April 14, 2010 filed under: about me, lists!, love, this and that

1.) Sephora Blush Me! Just perfect to get a little bit of pink on your cheeks. Especially helps if you’re as pale as I am!

2.) Smashbox Photo Op Under Eye Brightener If you have problems with dark circles, which constantly make you look more tired than you actually are, try this! It has a nice cooling effect when you put it on and it instantly brightens up your under-eye skin.

3.) Oscar Biandi Pronto Dry Shampoo I have to admit to greasy roots, which especially sucks if the rest of your hair is fairly dry and needs lots of moisturizing. Therefore, washing your day every day is not really an option, even though I still do on occasion. I found that dry shampoo really works for me to stretch an extra day until the next hair wash.

4.) Bumble and Bumble Thickening Spray This girl – on top of the greasy roots – also has very thin, fine hair which means I am constantly looking for products that make my hair look more voluminous and full. B&B Thickening Spray was recommended by my hair dresser. It’s a bit pricey, but a little goes a long way and I like it, because it’s light-weight and smells good. Double win!

5.) Too Faced Shadow Insurance To be honest, I’d never thought in a million years that this product would really make a difference, but surprise!, it does! It really does.
J got this for me for Christmas (along with a bunch of other beauty products) and I suspect that he was conned into buying it by the shop assistant – but in this case, I guess it was a good thing. As advertised on the website, “this is your full-coverage insurance policy against all fading, creasing, melting, blurring, oil slicked, and hard-to-blend eyeshadow accidents. [This] silicone based eyeshadow primer transforms any eyeshadow into a perfectly blendable, color-drenched, intensified version of itself, then locks it down perfectly until you take it off.” Awesome.

6.) Bare Minerals Foundation I still can’t get enough of the bare minerals products. I’ve heard that opinions differ about those products (some swear by it, others get break outs from it), but I have to say that my skin really likes this light-weight foundation coverage. And did anyone notice that they finally came up with a better lid and dispenser closure, so you can throw it in your beauty bag without worrying all the content being emptied out into the lid?

What are your Beauty Spring Essentials? Can you recommend something?

Anticipation

April 12, 2010 filed under: Germany, home

(image via weheartit}

I’ll be going back to Europe next month. In 23 days, to be exact. I can’t wait.

I grew up in a small town 30 minutes outside of Köln (Cologne). I liked growing up having that small-town feel, and yet being able to hop on a train and go to a big city in no time. When people ask me where I am from, I proudly tell them that I am from the Rhineland. When I think of home, I think of Köln.

Even though I have never technically lived within its city boundaries, Köln represents everything about home to me. When I see a picture of the skyline above, my heart gets all fluttery and excited. I have family and friends in Köln, although I don’t really need any excuse to go there. I always make a point of spending some time in Köln when I go back to visit anyway.

J’s dying to have lunch at “Early Beer” (his cute nickname for the “Früh“( engl.: early) brewery), where they actually serve you beer as early as 8 a.m. in the morning along with some traditional – really yummy, I’d like to add – German food.
I, on the other hand, can’t wait to walk around, have coffee in one of the many authentic little coffee places and take yet again a gazillion photos of the cathedral, the Alder Maat (Old Market) and the Rhine, like it is the very first time. I never get tired of the views.

Although I have permanently lived in California for almost 4 years now (and on and off for the 4,5 years before then), whenever I go home and walk the streets of Cologne, it feels like I haven’t been away at all. It’s kind of nice to call two places in this world home.

Things you wouldn’t know: Long division does not equal long division

April 8, 2010 filed under: Expat stories, FYI, Germany, Things you wouldn't know, USA

Ok, ok, just bear with me for a minute here, before you all run away screaming because I am picking a topic for my today’s blog post that most people don’t really have a loving relationship with: math!

One thing you probably don’t know – and have never thought about – is that long division is taught in different ways in different countries.

Why yes, you didn’t expect that one, did you?

I mean, granted, long division is not something that easily comes up in a conversation with a foreigner and unless you sit down and write it out, nobody would ever figure that you might have learned the written long division in a completely different way. After all, the results are – surprise! – the same everywhere!

Still, I find it fascinating that there are different ways of notation.

As a little reminder, “Long division is the standard procedure suitable for dividing simple or complex multidigit numbers. It breaks down a division problem into a series of easier steps. As in all division problems, one number, called the dividend, is divided by another, called the divisor, producing a result called the quotient.” (from Wikipedia.org )

In the U.S., long division does not use the slash (/) or obelus (÷) signs, instead displaying the dividend, divisor, and (once it is found) quotient in a tableau. An example is shown below, representing the division of 500 by 4 (with a result of 125). In Europe, however, long division uses the obelus (in Germany, we actually use a colon (:) sign) and the notation is written out in one line.

Obviously, the results and calculations are the same, but J got me really confused when I saw him write down a long division for the first time.
I was like, What the hell is this?

I mean, I never knew that he thought about writes down long division so differently, you know? I mean, in the end it really doesn’t matter, the most important thing is that you understand the concept of division, but still. It’s little things like that that you usually never talk about and only learn through pure coincidence.

Weird, right?

On being an aunt

April 6, 2010 filed under: cracks me up, family, love, photography

{Warning: This blog post contains a lot of talk about babies, dirty diapers and swooning. Just be prepared.}

My niece is just the cutest 15-month-old you can ever imagine. You probably think I am biased (and maybe you’re right, whatevs!), but Greta could steal anyone’s heart in a heartbeat. I mean, just look at her!

She’s smart and funny and she definitely knows what she wants. If she wants “Kuku” (B*ko – a German brand for cream cheese) on her breakfast roll, she wants “Kuku” and won’t have anything else.
She’s quite determined. I love how clever and quick she is for her age.
My sister tells me that within a week after I left, she had learned so many new words already. You got to be careful what you say, because she definitely understands pretty much everything that you’re saying by now. Children’s brains amaze me. They soak every bit of information up like a sponge.

Since my sister was about to have her second baby, I tried to convince her that it would be a really good idea if Greta would come and stay with me for the next two months, what with all the busyness surrounding the arrival of the new baby.
I promised I would return her in one piece in May, but Nina wanted to hear none of it. Odd, don’t you think?

I haven’t really had the baby fever yet, but being around my niece is definitely “dangerous” territory. It’s exhilarating and exhausting at the same time (I have no idea how Nina will manage with two toddlers), but it’s also the most rewarding experience anyone could have.

Living away from your family does suck on a regular basis, but if children are part of the equation, it makes things so much harder. 6 months seem to fly by for each of us like nothing, but 6 months in the life of a child include huge milestones of development.
Last time I saw Greta, she could barely walk a step on her own, this time she was able to run towards me and (away again) in seconds. It’s so amazing to see how much they learn in such short periods of time.

I wish I could have recorded (or taken pictures) of all her cute little idiosyncrasies… she would grab on to my hair on either side of my face and pull it over her head as if she was trying to hide underneath it and then she would look at me with those big, surprised eyes and say “Huuuuuh” as if she completely scared herself.

She would also state in all ways possible if she was opposed to something… she’d non-stop exclaim “nein”, “nee”, “nö” (all German variations of the word “no”) in rapid succession to get her point across. (Ok, Greta, we got it – you didn’t want that. :))

The best part was when my sister would change her diapers and Greta would pick up the dirty diaper, take a sniff, wrinkle her nose and exclaim “Baaaahhh”, before taking it to the trash can in the bathroom and place it in there, uttering “Müll” (garbage). Heheh.

She totally cracked me up.

See for yourself…

Work it out weekends: revived

April 5, 2010 filed under: fitness, healthy living

So yeah, obviously I fell off the getting-fit-bandwagon for a few weeks, what with my Granddad’s passing, my unexpected trip to Germany, the work crazy after I returned.

I don’t know, I guess I am just great at finding excuses. But this seriously has to stop. I have to find a routine that works for me (I am not quite sure yet what this routine is going to look like, but at least, I am thinking about it – that counts for something, right?).

I joined In It To Gym It last week and I think that might be just the motivation that I need to revive my fitness goals. All the honest and inspiring posts over there make me want to get to the gym regularly again.

I really don’t know if I can do what some others are doing, namely getting to the gym before work. I get up at 5:30 a.m. as it is and I really don’t know if I can get myself up any earlier to go to the gym, but it might be worth a try.
Because the after work workout? NOT WORKING RIGHT NOW.
I know it would make me feel good if I got the workout out of the way in the morning and I know that mentally, I could do it, but getting myself physically out of bed at an ungodly hour is the problem. When do you squeeze your workout into your daily schedule?
Fitting the workout in my daily schedule is my biggest issue right now, really. It’s all about priorities, I know, but I don’t think my boss would approve of me cutting my work day short.

The thing is, I like working out. I really do. It makes me feel good afterwards and I know I’d overall be much more energetic than I am now. Sounds like a contradiction, but it really is true: you do have more energy if you work out regularly. Everyone and his brother knows that! It’s just so hard to convince your body of that when you’re tired and exhausted from all the other responsibilities in your life. But it doesn’t matter, I definitely have to get to the gym twice on the weekends and then maybe one or two more times during the week. That would be ideal.

Maybe I should invest into a Wii Fit. Ok, this totally came out of left field right now, because I haven’t remotely contemplated buying a Wii. I have been a little pretty reluctant to spend that much money on a video game, partly because I am really not that much into video games (that’s what it is, basically) and partly because I don’t really know if I’ll get enough use out of it.
Those of you who have a Wii – do you really use it on a regular basis? Is it worth the money? I don’t think I would want to cancel my gym membership for it (even though I am not really getting much bang for my buck right now there either, now do I?)
I think for now, I need to kick myself in the butt a bit and dedicate myself to the gym. That’s just how it has to be.

The good news (which I saved for last) is: I did make it to the gym yesterday and ran 3.1 miles, for the first time in like 4 weeks. Plus, I added some weight training afterwards. I’m determined to revive “Operation Less Squishy”.

Are you with me?

Happy Easter (Bread)!

April 4, 2010 filed under: food, Germany, holidays, recipe

Today I’ll be sharing with you the recipe for a traditional (German) Easter bread with which I have been tempting you for the last few years already. For those of you, who want to try and bake it yourselves, here’s the recipe, finally:

San’s Easter Bread

2 1/4 cups wheat flour
1 package dry yeast
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter
8.5 fl oz milk
1 egg
pinch of salt
————–
1 egg yolk

1. In a large bowl, combine flour and yeast; stir well. Combine milk and butter in a small bowl; heat (in the microwave) until milk is warm and butter is softened but not melted.

2. Gradually add the milk and butter to the flour mixture; stirring constantly. Add the egg, sugar, and salt and knead thoroughly until smooth and elastic.

3. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1-2 hours.

4. Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into three equal size rounds. Roll each round into a long roll and form a loosely braided loaf. Seal the ends of the braid together.

5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place loaf on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and cover loosely with a damp towel. Place loaf in a warm place and let rise again for 30-45 minutes. Brush risen loaf with egg yolk.

6. Bake in preheated oven for 50 to 55 minutes, or until golden.

Voilá.

It’s delicious just with butter. I also like a soft-boiled egg or some jam with it. Cheese or liverwurst are delicious with it, too, but that’s maybe not everybody’s cup of tea – so you go and eat it with whatever your heart desires.

Happy Easter everyone!