View from our previous home on moving day

Happy New Year!  There is definitely a lot of “new” going on in this household.  Without having Internet at home for the last few weeks, I have been feeling rather disconnected from the outside world.  Then again, moving in general can leave you feeling rather disconnected until your home is arranged and new routines established.  And perhaps not having access to the Internet while trying to unpack and settle into a new home is a blessing! 

Overall, the move went rather smoothly with only one broken plant stand.  Moving in the middle of the Christmas Holiday is actually quite beneficial. It forces you to take down your Christmas tree in a timely fashion (ours made it to Boxing Day!) and since most companies are off on Holiday as well, it is a perfect time to take vacation time and bang through the unpacking.  About a week after our move, all the daily things were unpacked, furniture arranged, and most importantly, the kitchen organized. 

Of course, will all moves come those little “surprises” like finding out you have no mailbox.  Apparently it is not mandatory here for a landlord to provide you with one?  The day we moved in, the Post lady rang the doorbell and rather insistently announced that we need to get a mailbox.  Perhaps she didn’t notice we had other priorities that day with a house in disarray with a million boxes and movers carrying even more inside?

Unlike our other rented homes in Germany that came with outside rollers to block out curious eyes from the neighbours, this one didn’t come with such a luxury and the previous tenants took all their blinds with them.  This is another difference between here and Canada – all the curtains and blinds can happily move with the previous tenants along with all the light fixtures and sometimes the kitchen (this home came with a kitchen, so now we have an extra one in the basement for sale).  It can be a bonus if you invested in some nice curtains and lights, but a pain in the rear if you move into a new place and aren’t fully equipped with replacements.  Sitting in a lit room surrounded by windows when it is pitch black outside can leave you feeling rather exposed.

The other advantage to moving over Christmas and tacking on some extra vacation days is that you can take your time to unpack and get to know your new home.  Hubby and I worked hard during the day and into the early evening, but physical exhaustion will prevent you from only working so long.  The first few nights we fell asleep early on the couch, but soon we got into a nice rhythm of enjoying a nice meal and staying up until 1am talking or watching a show,  sleeping in the next morning until 9:30am and lounging around in bed reading while drinking coffee. We figured that we deserved some kind of vacation, especially since moving can be extremely stressful. 

Little T had no problem getting settled into the new home.  He especially likes having a play structure outside equipped with a swing, ramp and a mini-tower to whip snowballs at Daddy from.  We also had Hubby’s brother and girlfriend visit – even though they came when we were the most unprepared for visitors (our living room was full of boxes) they were a big help in hanging lights, playing with Little T, and getting rid of my headache that was non-stop for over a week.

Last Saturday  I spent a leisurely afternoon all by myself walking into the center of our village to check out what it has to offer.  I wanted to time how long it will take for Little T and me to walk home from his new school, which turns out to be 30 minutes for me (meaning 45+ minutes for the two of us). It’s a good thing this new village is well equipped for bikes, as I suspect we will be biking home as soon as weather permits (for me, anyway – tons of people here have no problem biking with it is 5 below zero).  I was excited to learn our village has a fish store, butcher, bio chicken store, 3 grocery stores, library, weekly large Friday market and a ton of restaurants and bakeries.  I also have my eye on a new gym that I am hoping to get a trial period for next week.   Discovering new things every day that our village has to offer is a lot of fun!

The new routines officially kicked off this past Monday with Little T’s first day of school.  He was rather excited to have “another” first day of school and kept repeating “I’m so excited!” during the entire drive there.  As for me, this is one new routine I am not too fond of, as he has to be in his classroom by 7:50am which means we are up by 6:30am.  After a week of getting up at 9:30am, to say I’m a little cranky this week is an understatement. (Just ask Hubby, who got my evil glare this morning when he asked me if I was having a shower). I don’t understand the need for kids to be in school so early – what’s wrong with 9am like when I went to school?  Isn’t it a bit unnatural to be sitting in a classroom when it is completely dark outside?  Anyway, Little T walked right into his new classroom, took a seat, and didn’t look back at us.   I sure am proud of him for embracing all this change.

While waiting for the Internet guy to come set up our connection, I was forced to be home alone for the first time.  After a few hours of straightening up the house and starting laundry, I found a little slice of solitude to write.

Now, it feels like home.