The Basics

Quick version on what has happened and what we’ve learned so far: 

1.  Tim passed his driver’s test (Yeah!!)
2. The German’s tax is 19%.
3. They don’t sell DP on the German Economy.  We've been told that we could buy a case of DP for $4.00 walk off post, stand on the corner, and probably sell it for double. (Although I’m sure that’s not kosher.)
4. Although a lot of people walk around post, few make eye contact and say hello.  I did a little experiment one day and out of the 10 people I passed and tried making eye contact with to say hello, only two did the same.  It was mainly the younger soldiers who avoided any type of greeting/eye contact. 
5. No right turns on red.
6. Useless piece of info….the rugs in the children’s part of the library cost around $500 a piece!  We were scolded and offered this piece of information when we entered for the first time with our shoes on.  There was apparently one sign, among the fifteen, hung on the door asking you to remove your shoes.  We won’t miss that one again! 
7.  Do not trust the hours written in the phone book of any office on post.  I went to Self Help three days in a row, at different times, based upon what the phone book said only to find he was closed every time I went.
8. We received our unaccompanied goods on January 31^st!  Having real sheets/blankets on the bed make them look 10x more comfortable than they really are. 
9. Ryan started Kindergarten at the school on post on February 1^st.  It’s a few blocks away; about a 10/15 minute walk…depending on how far behind Colin chooses to lag.
10. Ordering pizza in Germany, but at an Italian restaurant, turns out nothing like you thought it would.  This is very disappointing when you thought that it was going to be the redeemer to a pretty failed attempt at a day.  
11. There are about five different bus drivers.  They all drive different.  There’s one that’s really hard on the brakes.  A few will just roll by a stop if no one is waiting, so make sure you press the button if you want to get off!  One likes to whistle, and he’s also more gentlemen-ly than the rest.  I like him.  He always helps the moms off and on the bus with their strollers that are loaded with kids/groceries and he occasionally stops to pick up a random walker in between the bus stops.
12. I passed my drivers’ test!  (YEAH!!)
13. Most stores (including on post) open up around 10 or 11 AM and close at 6 PM.  A majority of stores are closed on Sundays.
14. Our van arrived on/arround February 15th.
15. The remainder of our household goods surprised us by being here early, and they were delivered on February 24^th.  We could have gone longer without many of our other items, but it is SO, SO, SO, SO, SO, SO, SO, SO amazingly wonderful to have our bed!  It makes you want to cry when you get in it, it feels that good. 
16. Although I'm far from fluent in Spanish...there have been a few times that Spanish has naturally flowed out of my mouth instead of German. Oh...and on that note....Ryan takes Spanish twice a week in school.  Does anyone else find that odd?
17. Tim for the field on March 2^nd and is there till the last week in March.  (Sadly, he is not getting to enjoy our bed for the next few weeks.)
18. Recent discovery:  Most of the stores downtown have escalators in them.  You can take your strollers on most of them, but a friend and I did find one in particular this past weekend that does NOT.  As my friend moved her stroller forward the entire thing shut down.  The gentlemen behind us and the fifteen people behind him all starred at us as the gentlemen pointed to the sign on the side of the escalator that apparently said no strollers.  Oooops.  We successfully found an elevator and took it to the next floor up.  As we walked around the corner we felt horrible, but were still laughing, seeing an 80 year old woman walking off the top of the broken escalator.