Strangers in a Strange Land

George is working at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center with returning soldiers from Iraq and Afghanistan before they are sent back "Down Range" or home to the U.S. so we are getting used to two new cultures, Germany and the military.  Both are markedly different from Oz!  They love their rules here while the Australians had none, so it's a big adjustment.

Everything is more complicated here than our simple life in the laid-back places we've lived.  The Germans even gave us a 24-page booklet on how to sort the garbage.  You can be fined for sorting your trash improperly as well as for not sweeping your sidewalk and curbside twice a week.  No streetsweepers here!

We were informed we would get a Rosetta Stone to learn German; what they didn't tell us was that there is one copy for the whole base.  So our German hasn't improved much but we have learned lots of military acronyms.  The first couple weeks, we were at a loss whenever someone at the hospital was talking.  One woman asked if I was PCS-ing (Permanent Change of Station).  Misunderstanding her, I thought she thought I was being grumpy.  No, wait, that's PMS-ing.

I am really tired of being called Ma'am and G is equally sick of being addressed as Sir all the time but we might as well get used to it.  I much preferred being called Love in Oz and NZ.

Don't get me wrong.  We chose to come here but forgive me if I whine (or whinge for you Brits, Ozzies and Kiwis) a bit now and then.





 

Jetlagged But Psyched

Chris and Harry got us to the airport in plenty of time so we explored the USO.  Nothing fancy but a comfortable, warm environment in which to wait for a delayed flight.  Our flight was smooth and uneventful although the movie choices were limited. I fell asleep while I was eating so they took my food away before I finished.  At least I got about three hours of sleep; G got none.

We breezed through Customs and Immigration to wait around for four hours for our ride to the base.  We did meet a delightful German lady from Cologne named Doris in the interim and hope to get together with her again.

It was Martin Luther King Day and a holiday so they used an different van service that dropped us off at Ramstein instead of Landstuhl.  A cute airman (airwoman?) named Carolina from Texas lent us her cell phone so George could call Sgt. Dobbins to come and rescue us.  We had to wait about an hour and a half so most everything was closed by the time we arrived.  We ate delivery pizza and went to bed.

The countryside along the way was entertaining.  We quickly went from city to farmland to vineyards to forests to mountains.  This area looks like a greener version of Colorado.

Our room is extremely nice.  Separate sitting room and kitchen in addition to the bedroom and bath so we won't have to eat out all the time.  We promise more photos as soon as we get our camera fixed!