It’s been a long time since I have posted anything on my Hamburg adventures blog. I’m really not sure why it took so long, but things have been interesting here in Hamburg. First of all, it’s fall and there are many leaves on the ground and a crispness in the air that I reminds me so much of being home in Boston. I really do love fall. So, before I start with all the fun stuff going on in November 2010, I’ll do a little recap of end of June, July, August, September, October and little bit of November.
June: This was my birthday month and it was great!! I loved all the Hamburg excitement about the world cup. I watched many of the games and was sad to see Portugal not make it to the end, but there is always next time. Henrik and I spent 2 great evenings in the Portuguese Quarter (Portugiesisches Viertel) to see Portugal win. Unfortunately, they lost and we went home disappointed. No worries, I was representing by rocking my Portugal track jacket (thanks Henrik).
June was the month for interviews. I felt that things were starting to turn around because I had 6 interviews in one week. I was so lucky to have been offered 6 jobs! Most of the jobs were freelance job that did not offer any benefits and seeing that healthcare was a priority on my list it was a must! I finally accepted a position in a kindergarten as a native English speaker. This position required that I speak English with the children (infancy to preschool). So, I was very happy to have a schedule to sign my work contract on July 1st and start July 15th. My birthday was lovely and sweet. It was wonderful sharing the day with Henrik. I made my first fruit torte (which was delicious) to share with my colleagues from my German class and dinner at a Portuguese restaurant. It was a great day!
July: On the first of July, I went to sign my work contract where they had a colleague there to translate – very helpful. And my start date was on July 15 exactly 6 months after I moved to Hamburg. The first day was great and all my colleagues were super helpful and supportive. I was very excited to be working in a childcare setting again and I realized how much I missed working so closely with children. In July I also went to Budapest with Henrik’s mother.
It was a short getaway that included a lot of relaxation and delicious food. I also had the opportunity to meet Henrik’s aunt Christel. She lives in Viena, Austria and came to Budapest to see her sister & me. It was really nice to meet her. Now I see why Henrik always spoke so fondly of her.
I also worked a side job doing cold call research for an auto company to Mozambique and Angola. That was interesting. I felt very lucky that I was able to use my Portuguese to earn some extra cash! It was truly an interesting gig!
Julia (Henrik’s cousin) and Holgee (her boyfriend) moved to Harburg!! It’s been so nice having a friends & family so close by!!!
July was a very hot month in Germany. Seeing that they don’t use or like air conditioners the way we like them in the states – it took some adjusting.
August: August was still HOT! Lots of showers & changes of clothes. What I learned that it’s always good to carry an umbrella in Hamburg because you never know when it will raid. Work was great and I began to notice how easily the children became comfortable with me. It made me extremely happy to know that I had not lost my touch with the little ones. I wasn’t enrolled in a German class, but needed to enroll in one that fit my schedule. This month we learned that the Bruins were going to play 2 games in Prague! I’m hoping Henrik & I take a short trip to a new city & he gets to watch his first hockey game!!! We celebrated Holgee’s birthday at the new apartment and I got a little tipsy =) It had been a while. August was pretty quite.
September: Henrik turned thirty this month and I was definitely more excited than he was =) A lot of time was focused on school, work and his birthday. Together with Henrik’s mother, we planned a surprise birthday party that didn’t exactly go as planned. In planning the big event, I learned a lot about German birthday traditions (LOVED IT!) Henrik wanted to go to Heide Park (an amusement park) for his birthday and on September 28th that’s exactly what we did! We went on lots of fun rides and the park was already decorated for fall & Halloween! I realized that I can’t handle roller coasters they way I used to when I was younger =( I loved being there and so did Henrik!
We also bought tickets to the Bruins game!! What a great way to celebrate Columbus Day weekend!!!
On Sept. 1 & 2, Henrik and I went to Frankfurt for a work related training. Henrik, kindly attended the training to help with translation. I am so lucky to have such a caring and supportive boyfriend. As we grow in our relationship, we learn more about what we can and cannot tolerate. We are working on the importance of getting to places on time – it’s a challenge at times…While in Frankfurt, we stayed that the company “kinder hotel” and toured the city.
On the last day of the training I found out that I was the company’s 1000th employee! Lots of fun!!!
As the birthday party planning progressed it became more evident that compromising was becoming more difficult and confrontational. The things his mother and I once agreed on suddenly became a disagreement. I was hopeful that we would be able to find a resolution to our differences of opinion, but it didn’t exactly go that way. This was a difficult time for me personally because I wanted so much to keep the party a surprise. I was lucky to have such supportive friends and family helping through this time.
October: Henrik’s party ended up not being a surprise and resulted in being more conflictual than I had ever imagined. Details are not necessary at this time regarding the events of the party and what happened after, but the reality is that only sadness consumed the month of October. Henrik and I had a difficult month, as he tried to remain neutral and I tried to resolved feelings of disrespect and frustration. I allowed my emotions get the best of me and they won. I ended up being extremely overwhelmed and got sick. So, off to the Doctor I went and I had bronchitis =( YUP. And per doctors orders I had to stay home for nearly 2 weeks. Would that happen in the states??? I don’t think so – LOL. Well, I had plenty time for crafting and relaxing.
Henrik and I went to Prague and we had a great time. We nearly missed our flight, but after some chatting with a airline worker we were swiftly escorted to our flight!!! Oh what a day!! During our trip we still had a lot of unsettled feelings about the drama with his mom, but we tried to work through them. I believe that these difficult times definitely made us stronger as a couple, but it was not easy. The Bruins game was great.
We sat near a bunch of locals and realized there were more into the game than us – surprisingly they knew the names of nearly all the players! We met some cool people from the states and watched an awesome game!!
We also started preparing for Halloween and harvest season. Now, I know that Germany does not celebrate Halloween, but we did! We went to a farm and bought gourds and apple cider.
We carved pumpkins with Holgee and Julia! I think everyone was very proud of their pumpkins. It was Henrik’s first pumpkin and I think he did a great job!! I also celebrated with my kids & colleagues at work! I had such a great time.
I also made a great costume (an octopus) because of a great song I sing with the kids.
On October 23rd we celebrated Julia’s birthday with traditional afternoon cake & coffee. I love this tradition, but I don’t think I love all the cakes. Julia made some delicious and beautiful desserts and I had a wonderful time!
In October, I did a lot of soul searching and praying. I am a non-practicing catholic but I prayed! I found prayers calming and reassuring to me when anger and sadness took over my thoughts. I learned to forgive and to believe...this was a very empowering experience.
November: It’s November 10th…Cameron’s 10th birthday and my 300th day in Hamburg. I’m sad that I won’t be there - had never missed a birthday. And now I’ve missed over 4 family birthdays since the move. I don’t think it gets easier. Especially with the holidays fast approaching. I really don’t like missing the special days in my family’s life…I know being here is not forever, but its not always easy.
Since, Thanksgiving is not celebrated in Germany – for obvious reasons but I have taken Thanksgiving and black Friday off from work. We’ll be having a Thanksgiving dinner with Henrik, Holgee & Julia and we will honor the day be remembering what we are thankful for in 2010. I will also attempt at making a turkey dinner. I know the turkey & the stuffing will never be as good as my grandmother’s used to make, but I hope it all works. I will be thinking of my family at home, know that this is the first family holiday without my grandmother and how difficult it is for them and me remembering she is no longer with us – but I know she is always with us in spirit and in our hearts. I never really understood grieving – one minute I am settled with her passing and the next I am consumed by tears and fond memories.
So for now, let’s see what the end of 2010 has to offer…I’ll be praying for peace, love, patience and kindness.
