I had a great Christmas with my family in North Carolina. It was quiet and much more relaxing than the last 2 weeks had been in New Jersey trying to organize the move in the states and then moving overseas. But it all worked out.
So we (myself, my mom and my dad) left on Monday afternoon December 28th and arrived in Frankfurt in the morning of the 29th. The ride over was so sweet because I got bumped into first class and got to actually sleep because the seats went all the way flat for optimal 'zzzzzzz' making while in repose (if this does not make sense, please watch Everything Is Illuminated).
We rented a car (the Brotwagon) and then drove to Brühl where my uncle lives. We always stay in his apartment when we visit Germany. It smelled the same way I remembered it. We took a short nap and then met up with my uncle and his girlfriend Rosie. We walked around town a little bit and then headed back to the apartment. I was flipping through the TV stations and somehow i managed to mess up his cable box. I dont know how i did it, but totally messed it up. Little did i know that this was just the first of a string of things that was going to happen in this apartment. We went to dinner with Uncle Karsten, Rosie, and Rosie's daughter Denise. I was totally exhausted, nearly falling asleep at the table and struggling to keep up with the conversation. I slept really well that night :). In the next few days we made preparations for the move and went through the furniture that belonged to my cousin to see which pieces i would need to take.
In these days as well, my mom used my hairdryer with just the adapter plug on it and shorted out the entire apartment. It was quite the sight seeing sparks and fire jump from the wall. Luckily everything was ok though.
New Years was a blast. Rosie threw a party for her friends and we went along. They had a nice keg of Kolsch, made Planter's Punch, tons of yummy food, and then just before the clock struck 12 we all went outside to join everyone in lighting off fireworks. It was truly amazing... and cold. The next morning we got up to go to Krefeld to visit some family friends and my mom broke the strap that makes the outer shades for the window go up. It was a bit tragic, but we did have a good laugh about it.
The 2nd of January my mom and I got up early, packed the Brot-wagon and drove to Nuremberg. When we arrived, Ute (the relocation agent) was at the apartment already with my new landlady. We spent an hour chatting with the landlady and sorting through the apartment to make sure everything was in order. The landlady is super sweet and very eager to make sure i am happy here. Once that was finished we went to the Cafe Fatal around the corner from my apartment for some coffee and something to eat. The cafe is super kitchy with a lot of different things all around... including half of a disco ball on the ceiling. Good home made food too. Shortly after Papa, Rosie and Karsten showed up with the moving truck and the moving commenced. The heaviest piece was certainly the bed which my cousin made. Naturally the men set out to put the bed together and mom, Rosie, and I went to putting up the curtains and such in the living room and cleaning the dishes and putting them away. The bed went together quickly and we went for dinner back at Fatal. That night i stayed for the first time in my own apartment. It was a little creepy with all the new sounds and I was a little worried about falling asleep because everyone had told me that the first dream you have in your apartment will come true and of course i didnt want to mess that up. I usually remember my dreams, but when I woke up in the morning, i didnt remember anything. So if my dream comes true it will be a surprise! Ha ha. Everyone came over the next day to help set everything else up and we had our first meal sitting on the floor in the living room at the coffee table. let me tell you... it's fun the first time, but we had way too many meals sitting on the floor here, so we were all thankful when i got the kitchen table (thank you Ikea and your ridiculously low-priced furniture).
Karsten and Rosie left on Sunday and the next few days were a blur of Ikea, shopping, and trying my best to prepare for my parents departure.
During this week we met a super nice couple from the States, but that story, i think, deserves its own post. So look soon for the "Meeting the Chapmans" post :)
Here are some pics from this week: http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/creativeapps/slideShow/Main.jsp?token=158795935114%3A1268129224
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