Almost Settled

Well, as of 10 February, we’ve been in Germany for a whole month! It really doesn’t feel like it’s been that long. We’ve also been in 2 different hotels in that amount of time. When we first got here, we were put in the older hotel. Like, two weeks later, they started moving people to the newly completed hotel.

I’m not going to complain about being moved. We got a bigger, nicer room AND a little kitchen. Plus, the shower is full-size. I don’t know what I’m most excited about…being able to prepare my own food or having a regular shower.

I don't think most Americans could shower comfortably in here.

We’ve been living in hotels since 5 January: A La Quinta in Augusta, another La Quinta in Atlanta, the American Arms in Wiesbaden, and, finally, the Lodge (also in Wiesbaden).

We’ve been officially homeless (and stuff-less) since 20-ish December.

I went through my Facebook to find all of those exact dates. Wow. I guess I just didn’t realize exactly how long this PCS has taken. It feels like that La Quinta in Augusta was so long ago, when it’s been hardly a month since then.

As of 18 February, though, all of those countdowns will finally come to a stop! Our housing unit is ready! Woooooooooo! And because we waited so long for housing, our two shipments (unaccompanied baggage & household goods) of stuff had time to arrive.

R got emails about the arrival of our stuff a few weeks ago.

He got an email on Friday that our car has arrived! YES!

No more being stranded during the weekends when the shuttle doesn’t run. No more having to choose between bowling alley food, Pizza Hut, or Burger King for dinner. That, especially, is exciting for me.

I am on fire to try German cuisine. So far, I’ve had Jäger Schnitzel (http://www.grouprecipes.com/30751/jager-schnitzel-w-gravy.html) and authentic bratwurst. The schnitzel was delicious! And so was the bratwurst…which is weird to me because I’m used to hating it. I think it’s because it was real.

Speaking of food, R and I have noticed that German French fries (hahaha) taste differently here. They taste better. I don’t know what it is, but they are SO GOOD. They’ve never been limp or greasy or cold. The three times I’ve gotten fries, they have been cooked perfectly and were absolutely delicious. I love that Europeans take their food so seriously.

It seems as though Germany and I are going to get along wonderfully.

Nothing Special.

Today was pretty status quo: Hubster went to work and I did crap around the house. He only has two sets of winter PTs, so I have to do laundry every two days (GREAT). My day pretty much consisted of laundry.

Yesterday, I made an appointment to have my 5888 form filled out for EFMP (Exceptional Family Member Program). In a nutshell, that program is in place to make sure a service-member's family has the medical care they need available to them. If, for instance, I required some sort of therapy or specialist that wasn't available in Germany, the EFMP would cancel his orders to Germany and we'd be sent somewhere else. It's a pretty cool program. Not one that we'll ever have to be involved in (hopefully) but cool nonetheless.

I've decided that the class I am in currently (English 122) is, by far, the stupidest class in which I've ever been. Ever. It is a "beginner's class," obviously. The instructor in this class is more strict about rules and things than professors I had in my 300 and 400 level classes. Explain that to me.

In each of my classes at Ashford, I've been required to write an 8-10 page research paper. It's old hat by now and freaking easy. Not so in this stupid class. Each week, we have a written assignment pertaining to the measly 7-8 page paper we're going to have to write. Those written assignments are just baby steps to completing the final paper.

This is university-level work; do not spoon feed me and do not force me to do things "your way" or the way YOU think they should be done. I have a 3.86, I'm in the top 15% of my class, and I'm 9 credits away from having my BA, I'm pretty sure I know how to do this college thing. *sigh*