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Top floor apartment for 2 weeks

Piggy Back

The kids have officially gone feral!  After three months of upheaval and only each other to play with it’s understandable!  I spent the morning at the school helping out with cleaning and classroom preparation where I met Amelia’s teacher and the lady who runs the Kinderkrippe where Noah will go.  I also met the teachers’ aid who is from London but married to an Austrian and has lived here for 10 years, she was very warm and easy to get along with, so I have no worries about the kids settling in and enjoying themselves, and the routine will be great for them.  And us! 

On Tuesday we did a huge hike.  1.5 hours up and 1.5 hours down.  We encountered more cows on our path and a curious horse who took a fancy to Amelia’s bright pink attire and squeals of terror.  We made it in good time, instead of an hour behind the scheduled one, as we splashed out on a baby carrier for Noah (a father’s day present), the hardy-proper- hiker- type ones!  It was an ambitious first hike to take it out on, and Maciek was pretty sore the next day.  And I had trouble walking up the three flights of stairs to our apartment.  Poor Amelia complained all the way down, but I don’t blame her, it was pretty tough, and so much cow poo to dodge!

We’ve been having trouble getting the kids to bed before 9pm.  We tried putting Noah in a bed but because he is such a restless sleeper and we have no bed rail it just wasn’t working, so back into the cot with him!  Last night Amelia wasn’t in bed until 11pm! There is a village church a few hundred metres from our apartment, and the bell ‘DONGS’ 28 times x 3 every morning at 7am, even on Sundays, and has never failed to wake us up.  But this morning, just because we all had to wake up early so that I could get to the school, everyone slept through it!  Good in a way for Amelia because she had such a late night.  But not good for me as I was supposed to be at the school for 8.30am.  Why do these things happen? 

Princess Hiker

After a frustrating first week looking for accommodation and waiting to hear from people who can shed light on living and working here, we are finally finding our feet.  We found a little holiday cottage available for rent until Christmas and then for 6 weeks after New Year.  Hopefully by then we’ll know one way or another what our plans are, and can either take a longer lease or ditch the idea altogether!  We move in on Saturday, and it will be nice not to have to traipse up flights of stairs and be able to sit in the lounge room while the kids play in the fenced garden.  We met an English couple running a Bed and Breakfast not far from us who have been here 4 years, and I have finally been in touch with Catherine who’s daughter will be in Amelia’s class.  So, so far we have 3 people to call and chat to locally!  It’s not easy though.  The language barrier makes things very difficult.  The simplest thing seems impossible and it’s a knock to the confidence having to make a pratt of yourself umpteen times a day.  Some people are smiley and helpful and others are just straight faced and serious and make you feel like a nuisance!  We are excited and encouraged one day, and feeling dejected and flat on another.  For example, we need bed linen and towels for our new house, do you think we can find any? Where is Big W when you need it? (By the way, Big W at ‘Joondy-Up’ is Amelia’s favourite shop, she tells me!)

Silly Moo!

Hopefully getting into a routine next week will help, and now begins the search for work!  Even though I needn’t have missed the church bells in Soest that I loved so much, as there are churches everywhere through Europe, I DEFINATELY won’t miss this one! It’s been a complete pain in the bum.  Fingers crossed for a sleep in this Sunday.  Wishful thinking!

Lost in the wilderness