Sonnenuntergänge

We've had some amazing sunsets so far in 2011...

 

572 days later...

"Heimat. The word means home in German, the place where one was born. But the term also conveys a subtler nuance, a certain tenderness. One's Heimat is not merely a matter of geography; it is where one's heart lies. " — Jenna Blum (Those Who Save Us) 

I've passed the 1 and 1/2 year mark since I left NJ for Germany.

Is that a long time?  I'm not really sure.  It feels like the time just flew but yet, my end-of-university days don't feel so near either.

Fact of the matter is, I'm no longer a newbie here in Germany nor a long-term visitor which means having to accept certain things as part of my life--and not just "what the Germans do".

Getting paid monthly (at the end of the month) is now "just how it goes" and sorting my garbage between four different cans is no biggie.

Going to the grocery store means preparing properly, as in bringing enough cloth bags to carry my food home in--and yes, that also means buying only what I can carry home.  And paying more for water than you do for beer or soda in a restaurant is standard line of business in Germany. It's just part of life here.


Despite what some might call an inconvenience, I'm happy to call Germany my other home, at least for another year.  I want to make the most of my time here while I still can.

Until next time.

Its been a while...

December (as always) was a very full month... so to catch you up a bit, here are some photos from my travels with Renee and Daniela to Salzburg, Austria and to Neuschwansteinschloss near Füßen, Germany. 

Enjoy!

 

 

 

Wishing you all a tremendous 2011 with health and happiness in the new year.

Until next post,

Diana

Crispety, crunchety, peanut buttery...

Butterfingers are the big seller of our booth at the Christmas Market. We have people coming up to our stand and buying 10 to 20 bars at one time. Our biggest consumer?  The grandmas and the grandpas.

It usually happens like this: An older man or woman comes up to the stand.  They scan it, nothing really interests them but then they spot the yellow wrapper and get excited.  If they have a grandchild next to them, they turn to them and start telling them a story, if they are by themselves, they start telling me. All the stories start with, "Nach dem Krieg..."

At the end of World War II, the American soldiers went around in tanks giving  out candy to the kids--candy which included Hershey's (our other big seller) and Butterfingers.  So these post-war kids are now full-fledged graying German grandmas and grandpas, but the look on their face would make you think otherwise.  The other day, one very proper looking older lady, with her hair all done up and sporting a thick animal fur coat walked up to our stand and with a sheepish look grabbed three.  She told her husband, "Sorry, I just have to have them."

Butterfingers themselves may not inspire much in people nowadays, but amazingly enough, to a certain demographic they represent a very significant part of their life.... and I find that pretty cool.

Its schneen and snowin...

Its been snowing almost everyday for a week.   Not massive amounts, but enough to disrupt the VGN and make all the trams and trains late.

At least it looks pretty though...
Welcome to December!

The World of German Insurance, part ii

Being an adult can be a bit tricky--there are so many things you have to remember and take responsibility for. Break a rule unknowingly and *BAM!* pay a fine, pay a fee, pay a penalty... there's just so many ways to screw up without realizing, it seems.

The last couple of days have been filled with surprises regarding this mandatory health insurance--things I wasn't aware of when I first came to Germany. I hope to sort it all out soon... but I shan't bore you with details.

Instead I will say that we are in fact three days away to the opening of the Christmas markets here in Germany! Nuremberg is all ready to go, all we need is our darling Christkind to read her poem and then the  glühwein will pour out by the liters and the lebkuchen will be munched on by the bag full.

This week is Thanksgiving in America.  I don't think I'll replicate my attempt at cooking a big bird like last year, probably just keep it simple but for all those celebrating:  Happy Thanksgiving!

Christkind 2009 making a public appearance in Nuremberg.

**The above photo is not my property.

The Insured and The Uninsured

Living in Germany requires health insurance. Its the law, you've got to have it.

When I first arrived in Germany, I thought having EU citizenship would help me to get the state/public insurance in Germany, but when I spoke with them (AOK,VKK), they said "No can do." Something about having lived in America and having had private insurance earlier... not sure it made sense, but as I hadn't put any money into the system at the time, I thought it was fair enough.

As I'm a freelancer, I don't get health insurance covered by my job(s), so I've got to find a way to insure myself privately. I looked around fearing the worst as insurance fees in the US can be quite daunting for a fresh-out-of-college girl with student loans to pay back. To my great relief, someone told me about a private insurance for non-EU citizens planning to stay in Germany (or Europe) for over one year and so I checked it out, sounded good and signed up. http://www.provisit.com/ The company is called Provisit and its run by a Dr. Walter (That's Dr. V-v-valter, not W-w-walter ;) German W.)

The thing is, under this insurance, no dental work is included unless its a pain-searing emergency--and then only up to 200 Euros. Not even a cleaning, nothing. So, what to do when a tooth starts acting up? The obvious and first choice 'go to a dentist' didn't seem too appealing to me without insurance so I've been trying to find other alternatives.

I came across this Ayurvedic practice (on the web) called Oil Pulling.

Any one ever heard of it?

Its insanely simple which makes it all the more appealing and on the opposite side a bit unbelievable. But people swear by it.

On an empty stomach (preferably first thing in the morning, before breakfast) take a tablespoon of a natural unrefined, cold-pressed vegetable oil, recommended are sunflower, coconut and sesame oil, and put it in your mouth. (Its not as gross as it sounds.)Then swish it in between your teeth and in your mouth for 10-20 minutes. When times up, don't swallow, spit it out (preferably toilet or garbage, so it doesn't clog the sink). If the oil is still clear-looking means you didn't do it long enough. It should be white in color. This oil/saliva mix is meant to have drawn out the toxins and heavy metals from the body and also help restore oral health (gums and teeth). There are even more radical healing claims from practitioners I've read on the web--but so far, in the four days I've been doing it, all I can attest to is that my mouth does in fact feel cleaner and my teeth look whiter.

--give it a quick Google first, if you decide to try it out yourself.

I'm going to give it a try for another week or two and if there's no improvement, its back to choice A--the dentist. :/

Wishing you good health in the winter months ahead,
Diana