Alles ist dein Schuld!

HP think it's a good idea for me to practice driving every day before I have to go anywhere alone with the kids (they're right). Monday I drove to the post office and grocery store with HD at lunchtime. He's been working from home because his office building is under construction. Again, I only stalled once and it was going out of the driveway. His car is a little more difficult than HM's but still not too bad. After him and I ran some errands, I made my way into town. It's only a 10 minute train ride from the nearby train station to the Hauptbahnhof. I mostly just walked around to try and get my bearings, stopping in some shops and also one of the big churches. HM and the kids got home at their normal time and the rest of the day went fairly smoothly. Since One is so hot/cold with me, HP and I are trying to figure out how to best immerse him in our new situation, especially the language aspect of it. Considering how the weekend went, Monday was a lot better with the little ones.

Tuesday was one week since I've been here! In some ways it feels like I've been here so much longer. I guess I just already feel so comfortable and that makes it feel longer. However, my lack of any sort of social life makes it feel like it's really only been a week.

I drove the kids to school with HM Tuesday morning. And when I say drove, I mean I drove the car and HM and the kids were my passengers. I had driven to the school with HD before, but that was on a Sunday afternoon when the roads were mostly empty. Everything went really well. Two was just sitting there staring at me for a while when I was driving. I guess he was a little surprised by the whole thing. HM was calmer than I expected her to be. Overall she seems to be more excitable than HD. I was expecting her to be on edge the whole time, especially with the kids in the car. If she was, I couldn't tell. The only time she really showed her nerves was when I went through a yellow light. When we arrived at the school she told me that I had done great. HM dropped me off at the train station in Erlangen afterwards. The kids school and HM's office are in Erlangen (north of Nürnberg). It made no sense for her to drive me all the way back home before work, and so I was dropped at the train station. I have a year-long bus/train/tram ticket that allows me to ride within a certain zone here. I really enjoy riding on the public transport. Most of the time it's incredibly reliable and the people watching is superb. I got off at the Nürnberg Hauptbahnhof and did some more walking around, this time going on different streets and into another church. On the way home I stopped at Mücke, the biggest shoe store in Bavaria. I was in search of some winter shoes.

I finally was able to go for a run on Wednesday. I had been working out 5 days a week before I left the US in August. Though I was definitely getting plenty of exercise on vacation through all the walking, I wasn't able to go for runs or lift weights. I had mapped out a route in my head beforehand, not really knowing how long it would be. It ended up being a little too short so I had to double back to run the full 3.5 miles I intended. I had to go with HD to get the kids from school. HM was going to a work dinner party after work. HD and I had to go get her car from work and then get the kids. It was the first time I was in the car alone with the kids, and there was no crying! HD put the kids in the car with me and then he drove HM's car back alone. We were both expecting Two to throw a fit, but still, nothing. Progress! That evening as One and I were playing, he got mad at me. Two had come into the room and broke the lego house we were building, so naturally One blamed it on me. His exact words were, "Alles ist dein Schuld! Wir sind nicht mehr Freunde!" or, "Everything is your fault! We aren't friends anymore!" I kinda just stopped what I was doing and sat there. He then asked me why I stopped playing. When I told him that I was waiting for him to be nicer to me, he informed me that I could start playing again. Even with this outburst, we were making progress. HM wasn't home for dinner or until after I went to sleep, so it was HD and I with the kids all night. I was surprised by how smoothly it went.

Thursday was fantastic. I took a nap when everyone left, ate lunch, and then grabbed one of the bikes and went out for a ride along the Pegnitz River. I originally just intended to find a cute place to sit along the river and read, but then I began seeing signs for the Altstadt (the old city, part of the city center). I ended up following these all the way into the city center. Though technically we live in Nürnberg, we are basically right on the city line on the east side. I took my time, stopping at particularly pretty places. After I had ridden enough to be in the middle of the city, I turned back around to go sit on the little beach I found. It was there I sat for an hour. On my journey back, I stumbled upon something fascinating. I found a flock of sheep being herded by a shepherd, complete with a sheepdog! The whole scene just brought a huge smile to my face. There I was, in the middle of Germany's 14th largest city, and I find a man herding sheep with his dogs. Priceless. As soon as I made it home I left again for the shoe store. I had found a pair of boots that were cute and comfortable on Monday, I just wanted some time to reflect on the purchase. In Europe they use the little chips in debit/credit cards instead of swiping. Most US cards don't have this chip, but my credit card does. However, they wouldn't take credit cards and they weren't able to swipe my debit card, so I had to walk down to the bank and withdraw some cash. They're the biggest shoe store in Bavaria and not only can they not swipe cards, but they can't accept credit cards? Ridiculous. I stopped at the grocery store on my way home to grab a couple things I wanted. HM got home with the kids around 5 and we all left to go to the grocery store. When I walked outside, Two saw me and smiled and laughed. HM said that's progress. I agree. This trip to the grocery store was completely different than the one last week. No one cried and One and I had fun. HD had gone to Karlsruhe for work early that morning and didn't get back until long after the kids were in bed. Usually HM puts One to bed while HD puts Two to bed. With one of them gone, more responsibility falls on me to keep one or the other occupied until the other is asleep. Usually Two is in bed first. While HM was putting Two to bed, I sat with One. I had brought them a Little Critter book as a present when I got here. We hadn't read it yet, so I suggested it while we waited for HM. One ended up asking me to read it to him 4 times. The day was almost completely without incident, aside from Two being a little fussy. Again, progress!

I'm not sure exactly what this is, but it was just a few minutes into the bike ride.

The Pegnitz River, a quick 6 minutes from the house.

The sheep, just a few steps off the bike/walking path.

I write this as I wait for HM and the kids to get back. It's Friday. This morning I went with HD to drop the kids off. I stalled a record three times. I was discouraged. As HD said, we're all alive, so it really isn't a problem. I tried to nap, without success, so I got on the bike and rode back to the little beach. Again I encountered the shepherd with his flock. I'm not sure what's in store for the weekend, but I hope it's something fun. I really need to make some friends.

When today ends, my first full week of work will be over. It went by very quickly and I enjoyed exploring the city. Once I make some friends, I think life here is going to be absolutely fantastic.