Doctor visit 2- and the test...

y Somehow Mark got super lucky this week and last, and went for pretty much all of 7 days off- I told him not to get excited, he will pay for his luckiness at some point (Our household goods came Thursday, so he was off for that, Friday we had our appointment, but it was also a 4 day weekend, He went and picked up some new soldiers Sunday night- I think it was Sunday, Tuesday he had to take someone to the airport almost 2 hours away, so they gave him the rest of the day off, and then yesterday he had the morning off because we had our 2nd appointment...and he came home early, since nothing was going on!)  Makes ya love those days but then hate the ones that are coming up...because it won't be long until he is stuck at work crazy hours.

Anyway- my appointment.  We got there about 7:15...parking was not free yesterday, just FYI.  It was like .50 euro an hour up to 4 hours I believe.  Since we knew where we were going, it was no big deal to get there- except we got on an elevator that was going up first, so we went up to 2 different floors before going down.  This really wasn't a big deal, since these elevators are like the world's fastest, and takes it all of 10 seconds to do anything- like fast enough to make your stomach kinda flip...

We got downstairs before 7:30, said hello to Lisa (the nurse) and then peed in the ever so high-tech cup she gave me...(remember, clear dixie cup...).  Then it was off to take blood pressure, weight, and answer the questions that are asked at every appointment- do you have water on your hands and feet (are your hands or feet swollen), do you have any varicose veins, and does your baby move lots every day- no, no, and yes (as he kicks just as she is asking all these questions...)  Then back to the waiting room for a minute or so, while she goes and gets "the drink".  She comes back with a glass and a box...(I am slightly worried as the box looked huge, and I am afraid the box is filled with "drink", but it was just holding a bottle...not too awful).  I go back again for my first blood draw (which I was slightly afraid of- since I saw the size of the needle they needed for drawing blood last time)...and in the states they draw it the same way.  Not so much...she had a finger-pricker (that is a technical term folks...).  She sprayed my finger with alcohol (you feel a little bit of cold now she said) and then wiped it, poked it, and drew blood up into a tiny little straw- which she put into a tiny container (like we used in advanced bio when we were doing microbiology) and then handed me the glass and a brown glass bottle, which she informed me I had 10 minutes to drink...and then told me I would have blood taken again in and hour and then after 2 (so this test was only a 2 hour glucose test instead of 3).

Now, about this "drink".  In the states they give you something right out of the fridge...I have taken 2 glucose tests in the past- a 1 hour with no fasting, and a 3 hour with fasting...which is a form of cruel punishment for a pregnant lady, just saying.  The drinks I have had in the past have been kind of thick tasting (not actually thick, but kind of?) and VERY sweet- like sweet enough to burn as is goes down...where it sits heavy and burns there too.  I have had orange (like flat orange soda) and fruit punch (like super sweet Hawaiian punch)- neither tastes "terrible" though they aren't great either.  This "drink" was completely different.  The fact that it came in a glass bottle, and was cool room temp was the first difference- I think this was a hats off to the frugal German way...the bottle will obviously be recycled (as we recycle everything here) and the glass will be washed and reused- I am not 100% sure why plastic doesn't seem to be used as much for stuff like that here (that I have seen), but I am sure it is an environmental thing?  Or maybe it is cheaper or easier to recycle glass?  Anyway, this juice was kind of purple...so I was thinking grape- it was kind of light purple/mauve/ clear.  Wrong.  Then, I did the #1 thing every person in the world knows not to do when dealing with medicine (or anything you don't want to put in your mouth!)...I smelled it.  It wasn't grape, but I am not entirely sure what it was...maybe kind of cranberry or something...either way, I knew the best way to get rid of it was not to wimp around and nurse it for 10 minutes, but to just kick it back as fast as I could.  As it turns out, it was not grape, or cranberry...I believe it may have been prune?  lol.  It wasn't near as sweet as the stuff in the states...but it was still sweet...but like watered down sweet.  And it did something to me to make me not want to swallow it...but I did...each glass (the bottle was like 8oz? and it filled the glass 2 times) taking about 3 drinks to kill it.  I took the glass and bottle back to Lisa (who was impressed with the speed in which I drank it...) and went back to the waiting room for a mere second before she took us back to the "egg yolk" room for a NST on the baby.

So, back to the bed I was in last week- with monitors on my stomach to measure Roy's heartbeat and any contractions I am having.  We were hooked up to this for an hour this time...which was fine...since I was going to be there all morning anyway.  For the first 15 or 20 minutes, Roy had hiccups, so you could hear that through the whole beginning of the test- beat beat hiccup beat beat hiccup- and then a few random taps on the monitors...I don't know if he doesn't like them or is just checking them out, but he always makes sure to kick at them when they are on.  After that, I read for a bit- and then took a bit of a nap...until Lisa came back and unstrapped me and took me to poke my finger again. 

By this time, there was another couple in the waiting room.  We sat down for about 15 or 20 minutes until the doctor came in and then called us back.  She did another ultrasound (no pics this time) and then we "talked" about the ultrasound, and the possibility that I am really 2 weeks ahead.  Now, according to the doctor, the earliest I could have had a positive pregnancy test was August 24 (mine was the 23...), but it was an EPT, and those things pick up next to nothing, so I don't know about that.  Being 2 weeks ahead does go along with other things though- like at 23 weeks, he was measuring 2 weeks ahead (she said for the most part, at 20 weeks, most babies are the same size) and about that time my fundal height was 2 weeks ahead...and I felt him about 2 or 3 weeks earlier than any book or anything I have read said I should have been able to feel him.  He has gained about half a pound since Friday (which she said was normal), and that puts him at just at or under 7 pounds.  She told me that she couldn't find the ultrasound results from what I had been given in the states, so I looked through my records and found them- which is when she told me that she thought I was 2 weeks ahead- and then asked if I had had any others, early on.  I told her I had, showed her the results from the emergency room visit I had had at almost 7 weeks, and she was not pleased with the fact there was really no information on it, nor were there any pictures.  The only thing that that report had said was that there was a "yolk sac with a fetal pole measuring 6w6d)...it gave no measurements of the baby or anything.  At this point she is just shaking her head and saying "I do not know...I think you are pregnant 2 weeks more than you think" and tells me that she will not let me get over 10 pounds, as it is dangerous for me and for the baby...and that if he gets too big, she will talk to me about taking him either by inducing or c-section.  She basically told me that I can throw out the idea that we are making it to May 5, and that he will be here some time in April.  Then she tells me that me that my test results will be in by the afternoon and she will call only if something is wrong...

By the end of this, I have maybe 5 minutes before I have to have my finger pricked again, so we go back to the waiting room.  Lisa calls me back one more time and does the final prick, and then we are off.  It is now apparent that we have to kind of get on the ball and get Roy's room in some sort of order for him...as it doesn't sound like we have a ton of time left to slack around. 

It is only 9:30 now, so we have some time before we can get lunch- so we walked around the PX for a bit and then went to my first ever German McDonalds (great choice after being tested for diabetes...I know...but it was that or the PX...which is subway, taco bell, or pizza hut...and why not try it before I am told I can't have it anymore...lol)  So we go to the drive thru, which Mark has been told speaks English- correct.  The problem is, they don't have menus like we have in the states...like there are no numbers.  Also, this McDonalds had "Italian" sandwiches on the menu- I guess something they are trying out.  Anyway, you tell them what sandwich you want and they say "with fries and a coke?" and since Mark and I didn't have time to look and see what else to drink there was, we were given coke...lol.  Then they ask if you want ketchup and mayo....ok.  We didn't get mayo, but were given each 1 packet of ketchup (which was the size of 2 back home).  We go back home, and eat.  It wasn't exactly the same as in the States- but not too different either.  The coke is a little better (I think), and the ketchup was great (or maybe that is because I am pregnant...lol). 

After lunch, Mark had to go to work, so I took a nap (I slept maybe a total of 2 and a half hours the night before?)  I woke up to my US cell ringing- I am guessing a telemarketer...because it was restricted and I didn't answer...and they didn't leave a message.  I read some stuff on fb that I thought might be important to Mark (they found a powder "substance" in our mail room last week and have ruled out anthrax, but are still trying to figure out what it is...anyway mail is not available for pick-up until Thursday...today)- Mark was going to check the mail....and I was trying to save him a trip, since there wouldn't be any.  He said he was coming home early (as there wasn't anything to do). 

After Mark got home, around 4, we started working in Roy's room.  I put the rest of his clothes away, and then Mark put together his crib.  During this time, 4pm, 5pm and nearly 6pm slide by...so I am thinking maybe I am in the clear....apparently I shouldn't think lol.  The doctor called at almost 6 to tell us that I am "boarderline" Gestational Diabetic.  She said she would call again today to tell us if we need to come in today or tomorrow (Friday) to see the dieticians...we have to see her first, and then go and see them.  So, we will see how that goes.

Roy's crib is set up- it has bedding on it, and his blanket that matches is in the dryer and will be put in there today.  By the end of this weekend, his room will hopefully be done (and hopfully that means the apartment will be compeletly unpacked...or mostly....)  I will post pictures off all of that later.

German Hospitals...visit 1

Ok, so this morning was my first doctor's appointment since I got to Germany (and the first one I have had since Jan 3...FYI, that is bad- you should not go 2 months without prenatal care, especially in the third trimester...in case you were wondering).  I got the referral to the hospital I wanted (Leopoldina) with the doctor I wanted (Dr. Heinrich).  My appointment was at 9:30 this morning, so we made sure to leave around 8:30, so we had time to find out exactly where we were going, get there, find parking, the office, etc.  Glad we did- being as we are in Germany, all the signs are in German...and parking garages in German can be VERY confusing if you do not read German. 

After finding a parking place (it was free...I don't know if this is all the time, but it was this morning..) we walked up to the hospital and to the desk...where we completely ignored the American flag halfway down and tried to get directions from a "random" information person at the help desk...she shook her head and pointed...(dumb Americans).  We did finally get some help (take the elevator to -1, go down the hall and follow the signs...)  Easy enough- unless you are Mark and try to pull open doors instead of push them open...and then push buttons to try to get them to open lol.  A very nice custodian lady helped us get to where we needed to be, and thus the morning began.

 You have to ring a bell to get in, and then you wait for someone to answer you.  The nurse working today was named Lisa, and she was VERY nice.  I went in and she handed me a clipboard and asked me to fill it all out...ok, fine- no problem.  Then she brings me a cup and points to the bathroom and tells me she needs "urine"...Now, Lisa (being the sweet girl she is) speaks English pretty well, with a heavy accent, so it took me a minute to get what she was saying.  Then when I asked her again, it wasn't because I didn't understand, it was because I wasn't sure I could pee right then.  (FYI...my "specimen cup" was a clear dixie cup...that you pee in and leave on the shelf in the WC- water closet or bathroom).  Then, Lisa comes back, takes my weight and blood pressure, and I return to the waiting room (again.).  By now it is about 9:30.  A couple ahead of me is taken into a room with 3 beds...little did I know, I would be joining them.  Lisa sent us into this room with another couple, where I was shown to a bed, and strapped up to monitors (for a Non-stress test for the baby, but we weren't told this).  Now, the couple I was in there with was only in there a max. of 15 min?  We were in there for almost an hour...laying on a bed with bright egg-yolk yellow sheets (in a room with egg-yolk yellow walls), with my shirt hiked up and my pants pulled down, and a little paper marking the baby's heartbeat. 

After an hour, Lisa came and got us, and we went BACK to the waiting room.  After waiting for a while longer, another lady came and got us (I believe she is a "professor"- she works with the doctor) and took us back past the room where Lisa was in to take blood.  She looked at me and said she needed blood, that apparently they had tried and couldn't get any from me.  This was news to me...no one has asked for any of my blood until then...so she goes and asks Lisa, and sure enough, no one had tried (duh).  So, she has a little box (like a Tupperware container) of plastic tubes that she plans on getting blood into.  Here was the fun part- the way she intended to get my blood.  Now, in the States, they usually use a needle with a little pipe on it, running into a cup that you insert the vials into to get blood.  Not so much here- this was just the needle with the cup on the end...and the needle was big (not long, thick).  She put the band on my arm (which is unlike the rubber bands they have always used on me in the States...it was an elastic band with a tiny airplane seatbelt on it...(no really, that is what it looked like!) and asked me to pump my hand...while she looked very hard at my arm.  I told her "good luck".  After about a minute of looking, she said "can we check the other arm? Is it normally better?"....I told her yes, she could check, but no it wasn't any better....so after a minute of squeezing and searching, we went back to my left arm.  She did get the needle in, and she did find a vein...and she filled all but 1 one the vials- the last one she unclipped the band too early and I quit bleeding...so Lisa came and clipped it back and she finished up (Good job Lisa!).  This is the result of taking blood....

I am finally taken back to see the doctor.  I am asked to sit down next to her and we go over my “health history” for my mutterpass (a booklet of my doctor appointment documentation that is needed at every appointment and after the baby is born at my WIC appointment).  After that, she asks me all sorts of questions about the pregnancy so far, and then tells me to lay on the table for an ultrasound.  She and the other lady (who took my blood) do the ultrasound, and measure his head (which is down like it should be), belly, legs, take a look at his heart, and brain….and then discuss all the measurements.  He is still measuring big- his head and belly are measuring 37 weeks, while his legs are measuring 33.  She also switched to 3d and took a picture between his legs and said “dis is de balls” (duh…) and then tried to get a good picture of his face, but of course Roy was not having any of that.  After all, he had already been squished with bands during the NST (which he kicked at the whole time…), and poked.  She also shared that he is weighing (according to the ultrasound...) about 6 pounds.  This nearly doubles the gals in my birth club who have shared what their doctors have told them the weight of their baby was. 

After my ultrasound, she wanted to check my cervix…and told me to take off my “trousers”.  Now, in the States, if you are to undress, the doctor leaves the room, gives you a sheet, whatever…not here.  In fact, as I was taking off my pants, another nurse comes in like it is no problem.  I also got to experience my first “German Pap” today…no stirrups needed apparently.  The ultrasound showed (for those of you who care) that my cervix is still closed, and all is well in that area.  She showed me my “pretty full” bladder and Roy’s head and said everything looked fine.

Now, about this measuring big- I go next week for a 3 hour glucose test to make sure I have not developed gestational diabetes.  I was tested earlier in pregnancy to make sure I was not diabetic pre-pregnancy or up to that point and passed…so we will see what this holds.  I tried to get some information about if I did have it what was the next step, and if I didn’t what was the next step, but the only information she would give me was that if I was, I would see their “team” to discuss it and if I wasn’t she didn’t know yet.  Lol…very comforting.  We shall see.

 Here is what I have observed today-

1.       As with restaurants (apparently), you do not go to the doctor to be in a hurry- we did not leave there until around noon- and I was not seen by the doctor until around 11:30 I think.

2.       German mineral water (which was offered in the waiting room) is yuck.  If you like it- more power to ya.  I don’t care for it.

3.       German doctors (as I was told before) do not always tell you what is going on or why they do things…you are the patient and they are the doctor.  Dr. Heinrich did do a very good job explaining things, but kinda irritated me with not discussing her next plan if he is just a huge baby…

A trip downtown...

Since we haven't really had time yet, we decided that we would go into Schweinfurt. Mark has already been, so he kind of knew a bit about it. We went and parked in the parking garage (you pay to park) and then walked around. There are all sorts of neat little shops downtown- several coffee/tea places, and several "random crap" shops (as I call them)- they kind of remind me of Dollar General or Family Dollar....but offer different things? One of the places we went into even sold wine.

The first place that Mark wanted to take me into was a tea shop that sold loose teas (I love tea). It was so nice in there, and the man who worked spoke very good english. He had a wall of shelves that held bags of loose teas of all kinds- I settled for a mint one- as there are some that you aren't supposed to drink while you are pregnant, and all the indredients were in German (of course). I am very excited to try some other ones though- it smelled so nice. He also had an assortment of chocolates and treats, as well as tea pots, cups, and tins (to store the tea in so they don't go stale). I got a tin with owls on it (just FYI lol). Here is a picture of the store...

We also ended up walking into a sweets shop, where they had a pretty good selection of truffles filled with different things (with with alcohol and without). Mark bought one (though I don't remember what kind). We also saw, what I thought, was a "variety pack" of jams. They lady came and explained to us that it was honey from different parts- there was one that was from wildflowers, one that looked like it had a honeysuckle on it (though she didn't understand honeysuckle), one from the forest, and 2 other ones with pictures of flowers- no clue one what kind though. I am thinking I might go back some time and get it...I think that would be a neat thing to try.

We went into a neat "office supply" store- it had different kinds of pens and pencils, wrapping papers (by the sheet- very neat stuff!), childrens books, stationary, and other little things. One of the things that "I" personally laughed at (ok, Mark laughed at it too...) was this notebook. Either we are pervs or it really is funny...or both. I find it funny because I am just not sure that we could have a folder like this (pictured below) in the States...because other people would laugh too....anyway, you judge for yourself...

The last place we went into was another tea place...that also sold coffee and candy. As soon as we walked in the lady spoke to us (in German)....everyone that worked in the stores were very nice to us. We explained to her that we didn't understand German, and she told us she spoke a little English, but not very well (she did fine!). We were looking around and in the front of the store were 2 tea pots. She asked us if we liked tea, and told us if we wanted we could try the teas in the pots- that is what they were there for. Mark chose one in a clear pot with a tea light under it. He poured just the smallest amount in the bottom of the cup and then smelled it and said "it smells like something...I don't know what though...", so I smelled it. It smelled (literally) like buttered popcorn. Mark tasted it and then I did the same...and it kind of tasted like buttered popcorn (shocked me so much that I swallowed wrong and started choking...I am so smooth....lol) As it turns out, the tea was NOT popcorn flavored, it was coconut and apple (I think apple anyway, the lady wasn't exactly sure, but she said coconut and apple). They had large grains of brown sugar in a bowl to sweeten it- we bought a small bag of the brown sugar crystals and a small bag of the white sugar crystals.

That really sums up our town trip- although I did take more pictures (of course). One thing I notices was all the cigarette machines (like on every corner...) Cigarettes are very expensive here though- 5 Euros a pack (right now 1 Euro is 1.36). They also have cigarette adverts everywhere! Here is what the cigarette machines look like-

I will post these pictures, and the rest of the ones I took while we were down town on facebook- it takes soooo long to post them here!

Mark and I also went to Kinder Land (a toy store), which is closer to base. They had a neat selection of stuff in there- and next to it was a store that had a duck on the sign...so I thought it would be a cool store (obviously ducks mean cool stores...) I was a little wrong. It was kind of like a mixture of Pier 1 and the home section of Walmart...I wasn't very impressed. Then we went to a Bio Market (an organic grocery store). I thought it was VERY neat in there- not sure how Mark felt about it...he never seems as excited about things as I am. They had all sorts of things in there, including a bakery and a fresh cheese section (we didn't get any cheese...as I cannot eat anything "cool" until after Roy is born...*sigh*). I am looking forward to trying "gross" German cheeses though :)

I have also decided to try "new" things whenever I can...so I have started with "normal" things that I can get at the commessary. I am working my way through their selection of yogurts (which have been in the discount cooler for no more than 50 cents a container- most of them are 25 cents!) I have liked what I have tried so far. I did tell Mark that when he wanted brats at the house, we would not be buying Hillshire, we would get the real stuff...I can't justify moving to Germany to eat stuff I can get in the States! I also tried blood orange juice today...not too bad- like tart orange juice.

And here are some things I noticed today while I was out:

1. The library bathroom was the dirtiest bathroom we have been in yet (but maybe it just hadn't been cleaned yet, nothing against them!)
2. German kids are allowed to walk around by themselves WAY more than I would be comfortable...riding bikes alone along busy roads, walking around town alone, etc....
3. Mullets are not just in the States...we saw a little boy in Kinder Land with a mullet...and if there had been any way to take a picture without him (or his big scary dad) knowing, I would have done it...it was great!
4. Germany smelled "normal" today...no eggs or chewing tobacco.

Make sure to look at my pics on facebook to see the rest of the ones I took today! :)

Thursday...ummm Day 5?

Today was fairly uneventful....busy this morning, but like many other days, everything was in the morning. We had our WIC Overseas appointment this morning at 9:30- it was cold and misting rain, but did clear up a bit later on. Our appointment went well- the lady who did our paperwork and introduced us into the program was very nice, and answered a lot of questions for us. I am hoping I have a doctor like her. She gave us 3 months of our vouchers, and told us to call and set up an appointment after the baby was born.

After our appointment, we went to the housing office to set up for them to come and get all the loaner stuff in our apartment...BECAUSE OUR STUFF IS HERE! I am sooooo glad it is here already...I wasn't sure I could handle not having our stuff for 2 months....or even until next month! The lady that Mark talked to said that she was surprised that it was here already- as it was was sent out early. We should have it delivered next week on the 15th! I am hoping it won't have time to sit in storage long enough for things to start disappearing...(apparently it happens a lot here?) It will be so nice to be able to get stuff set up and ready for the baby to get here...I was worrying a bit about that.

Along with our house stuff being here...our car is also here. Mark went and got it the other day. Sadly, Chicka (the car) failed German inspection. Apparently they check to see how fast you can break here...and she just doesn't do it fast enough. I am hoping that this is just a matter of an adjustment...and that it will not cost us a million dollars. Mark said that labor here is $85 an hour...not really looking forward to that part.

We also went to "Self Help" today- it is a place where you can go and get stuff to replace broken stuff in your housing...as opposed to having to go and buy it on economy. It is all free, and they can loan stuff to you to use- like lawn mowers and yard tools (we won't need that, but other people will need it). All you have to do is take a "class" (10 min where they tell you what you can come and get).

My day was pretty much over at 11, as Mark had to go back in to work early (guess we are back to being in the "real" Army lol) I did find one of the signs in the bathroom that tells you to clean it...so I took a picture of it. I also took the picture of my broken airplane panel off my cell phone to post...I will post them at the bottom of this :)

Today's findings....

1. Today it didn't smell like boiled eggs anywhere I was....however on the way to the WIC office, it smelled like chewing tobacco and raisins...I am wondering if Germany ever smells "normal" or if it is going to be a surprise gross smell every couple of days lol.
2. I tried "joghurt mit der ecke- erdeere"- which translates (apparently) to yogurt with the corner of strawberry lol. It comes in a container with a bigger compartment of plain yogurt (which isn't as tart as ours back home, so it was nice, and a small compartment of strawberry stuff to mix in. I thought it was a nice treat.

Anyway, here are the pictures....

The top 2 are from the plane...in the 2nd one, the man sitting that is looking was the one who took out his camera and took a picture of it. I did recieve and email with a $200 voucher towards a ticket...I am hoping I can use it toward my ticket this fall!

The last one is the picture from the bathroom...now, so far, I have yet to go into a public bathroom in Germany that was dirty...just something to think about U.S. lol

Day 2 :) And Some Observations...

Ok, first- I will NOT be writing something every day...probably. I eventually will run out of new things to say. But, until then, I will update this as often as I think of it...or as something "exciting" happens.

Today was a "busy" day...and "day 1" of getting me checked in on base. Because this is an overseas base, there is a bit more than the average "check in" that has to be done in the States. For the most part, Mark takes care of all of that back home, but here I have to go to so many places. So, as I said, today was full of running around. We had hoped to do the following today:

• Register my ID card on base (when you go through a gate to get on one of the "bases", they scan your card and your picture pops up...they look at it and then at you to make sure you are who it says you are...)
• Get a referral to see a doctor...since I am now 31 weeks pregnant and have not been seen for prenatal care since January 3...
• Go to "finance" and get me checked in so we can get paid for my travel...and the rest of Mark's
• Return the rental car
• Go to the PX

Soooo...it seemed like we had a lot to get done, but in the end, not so much got completed. We did go to get my ID registered...first thing this morning. BUT, they needed orders with my name on it...and we didn't have those, so we had to leave there and come back to the apartment to get paperwork. It did eventually get done (cross it off the list...). Now, the referral was really our TOP priority. So, off we go to get me signed up for Tricare here (no issues) and then went upstairs to get my referral. This is where the trouble here happens- it is PACKED. They tell us that the wait will be until after lunch, so we should just come back...the problem here is that Mark has to go to work after lunch. So, we will attempt to do this tomorrow (first thing). The nice Tricare lady did tell us to let them know upstairs that I had not been seen in 2 months and they could push something through for me (great news). We went to finance....but we (again) were missing paperwork, so that will have to be taken care of tomorrow or some other time this week. We DID return the rental car (a Chevy Orlando...I enjoyed riding in it, and if they were sold in the US, I might consider owning one...except they can't haul Mark's trailer, so I guess it is off the list)- look them up, they are nice (and pretty cheap). And (of course...) we went to the PX and got some things that we needed. Overall, it was a busy day...and we DID get things done....

Ok, here are some "observations" that I have made in the past 2 days...nothing tooooo exciting, but anyway...

1. The birds here...are freakishly large. Ever seen the movie Valiant? (The movie about the birds in WW2 with huge pigeons...) These pigeons here are big like them...in fact, all the pigeons in the States are like Valiant sized compared to these guys! I saw one land on a branch earlier, and the branch sagged under it's weight. They also have these HUGE black crow-like birds with white around their beaks...they are also giants. Mark said there are some that are even bigger- but they have white on their wings. the only "normal" sized birds I have seen are little black birds (I have yet to see anything other than black birds and pigeons).
2. All the buildings on post...smell like boiled eggs. Now, Mark says they don't normally, so I am not sure the reasoning behind this. Maybe they had an Easter egg hunt early...and there are hidden eggs in all the buildings...but it is pretty yuck smelling anyway.
3. Now, this one might be a "base" only thing...not sure. All the light switches are backwards. If the lights are turned on, you push the plate down....if they are off, you push it up (I have a strong feeling my papaw had a hand in doing the electrical work here...). I will post a picture of this later!
4. The toilets here...are so odd! Now, please note, German people do not waste things (we are required to recycle everything...it's a rule), and so everything (apparently not just one post, because they were the same at the airport!) has very VERY low flow toilets. I am talking like a cup of water in the bottom of the toilet (which is shaped different than ours too...again, I will post pics of ALL this...). There are signs in all the (women's anyway...Mark says they aren't in the men's...gross boys) public bathrooms that say if you "leave a mess" (ie- poop) to use the toilet brush and clean the toilet after you flush, and then flush again to clean the brush. Also, to flush the toilet, you push a button...not pull a lever or anything like in the states. They also encourage you to clean up the bathroom when you are done (wipe down the sink, etc....again, in the women's room...not sure about then men's lol).

So that is what I have seen so far (along with the fact that I have seen more disrespectful kids on base at the PX and commissary than I have in a LONG time...Mark said yesterday I should just be telling myself that I should be thankful that the 3 or 4 year old who was YELLING at his dad in the PX was not mine...I told him he was wrong, that little boy should be the thankful one...lol). Like I said, it isn't anything too exciting, but different anyway :)

Oh the Joys of Flying...and Day 1 in Germany

So, as everyone (by now) knows, I left Friday afternoon for Germany. It started off a very uneventful day- final packing preps, looking to make sure I got everything together that I needed, and just trying to relax before going to the airport. Shannon and Doug were going to meet us (me and mama) and see me off...no issues there. I was even surprised to find that I had gotten all of the mail that I was expecting before I left (the refund from what was left of our security deposit, what we overpaid for cable- ty Mediacom, and 2 cards that Mark had sent from Germany). A stop at the bank, and we were on our way. Mama dropped us (me, Shannon, and Doug) off at the door so I could go and start checking in while she parked...I hadn't moved from my spot in line when she got there 10 min or so later....nor did we move from said spot for the next 26 min or so after that. I tried to do the check-in via the little kiosk deal, but of course it didn't find it....so we waited some more. By now we have a line of people behind us...most notably a very chit-chatty lady in her 50s or 60s and a shorter man (maybe 5 ft) in his 40s? So, finally I get checked in...We have been in line for almost an hour at this point. My bag is 13 pounds over what it is "allowed" by the airline, but luckily because it is a military move, I am spared the $90 fee for that. We leave line, to walk over to the waiting area when we realize that it is 3pm, and Doug needs to go to work, and I need to go find where I am going to catch the plane (ummm...which shouldn't too hard in the Asheville airport. I did so good not crying...until I hugged my mama, and then (of course) all bets are off.

After a teary goodbye, I went through security (where they checked my bags, shoes, coat, and jewlery) and continued on to my "gate" (another loose term in the Asheville airport...since it is one room with different counters). I sit down (next to the lady who was in line behind me and down from the shorter man who was behind us) and, since I apparently have an inviting personality which makes everyone talk to me, was engaged in conversation with both. I find out that the lady works in PR for some company, and the man is a doctor or some sort- on his way home to his family early from a business trip. This lady (I never did get her name) tells me that she got an email earlier in the day saying that our flight was delayed 45 minutes. She went and asked the lady at the counter (when she got back there) and was told that no, our flight was on time. Sooo...here we go- on the plane...a tiny puddle jumper that will take me from Asheville to Charlotte. After everyone gets on, the captain announces that we are in fact delayed 45 minutes...and so we wait. I, being the one to always try to find the silver lining *snickers*, refuse to believe that this is any indication of things to come (and silently pray it isn't). The flight to Charlotte was bumpy...but short. I get to the Charlotte airport, and assume (after looking at a map of the terminals) that I will not have far to walk to my gate (I came into C and was going to D). Oh, how very wrong I was? I am now reminded why I should not be allowed to read maps to people...ever...just because it looks like it is JUST down a hall, means NOTHING! After walking MILES (ok, not really...) carrying a backpack willed with my laptop, purse and other "important things in it, and lugging a carry on suitcase behind me, I finally arrive...sweating. It is now over an hour before we board, and my section was packed with people. I found a seat by a very nice German man, who at on point asked me what time it was, and then (again, remember my inviting personality) starts talking to me. He tells me that he is on his way back to Germany from visiting his sister for 3 weeks- he tells me that he used to live in California in the 60's when he played soccar. Then he left and went for a walk (I always seem to meet interesting people during short and random conversations...) Since that flight was a "passport controlled" flight, I had to go and show my passport and boarding pass. No problem.

The boarding happens with no problems...I have a window seat with an open isle seat...row 13. As we start to take off (with no delays) the flap above my seat (where the O2 mask falls in the case of an emergency) pops open. One of the flight attendants comes and pops it back closed....and it happens agian. This is when I notice (as well as a few other people) that it was held closed by a piece of masking tape. This was so amusing to the row of German businessmen in the middle row that they took out their cameras and took picture od this- I didn't find it very amusing...in fact I wondered what else was being held together by tape. The flight attend. calls the captain, who tells her he doesn't want to delay the flight bc of this, so she brings 2 stickers and tapes it shut again (very safe?). Anyway, I can deal, no problem. We take off, make it to dinner, and just past Boston, when the captain comes on and says "if you have been watching our map on the screen, you may have noticed that our plane has turned around...we have lost one of our compressors. We have 3 on this plane, but with the loss of one already, it makes it that much more of an issue if we were to lose another one later. I am in contact with maintenance to find out if we will be routed to Philadelphia or back to Charlotte". We have, at this point, been in the air for over 2 hours. We find out that we are going back to Philadelphia (2 hours away). After we get there, a group of maint guys runs on and works...even fixing my little flap deal. After about an hour and a half, we go to take off again...or so we thought. Apparently one of the sensors (that monitors said compressor) was faulty, so we go back. It turned out that this sensor was just broken...but that it could be monitored from the airport...but then we had to wait for the crew and captain to change out (for legality reasons).

After all this was said and done, it was 4am...and I should be arriving in Germany in 1 hour...and I was still 7 hours away. Everyone was so flustered with the whole ordeal- and I just thought if this plane doesn't take off, I may just get off and call the whole thing quits. As it turns out, we did take off- and I did get to sleep. I tried several times before we left Pennsylvania to send Mark messages to tell him not to come to the airport at 10am...hoping he got them. He, in fact, did not get them, and showed up early...I flew in around 5pm (11am NC time). That means my trip, that should have lasted a total of 12 hours (including layover time) and lasted like 19 hours. I waited (forever) for my suitcase to come out on the belt for me to get...and then finally made it out of customs to find Mark waiting...poor guy. We made it home around 6:30 or 7, where I was greeted with Kindereggs and a chocolate cake that Mark baked for me (he was very excited about this...as he has never made me a cake before). Our apartment is very nice...much bigger than I thought it would be. I will take pictures of it later and post them.

I did manage to sleep from about 11pm until around 2am...when I woke up sweating because it was so hot. I did go back to sleep around 3:30 or so and slept until about 10:30. We went around base- to the library, PX, and commessary. Mark also drove me around to show me where other things are on base- the post office, and where he works. Then we drove around "town". It is a pretty neat area I think- and will take pictures of that when I can too and post them. We had lunch at Subway at the PX (sorry- no $5 footlongs here! There are like $4.50 for a 6 inch!), and they have weird chips...I had cheese and onion chips lol. I met our downstairs neighbor (well, his wife), and she was very nice. They have been really kind to Mark- letting him borrow thier car, tv, and anything else he needed! I think that it will be an ok move- nothing seems (so far) like it can't be adjusted to, or that it will take too much to get adjusted to, which I think is always a worry anywhere you move!