Unglaublich: 5 Years in Germany

On Monday, I celebrated my 5 year anniversary in Germany. It is still hard for me to believe that it has been 5 years already. To borrow a cliche: how time flies.

A lot has happened in that timeframe...I got married, built a house, planted an apple tree, had a child (as the German saying goes). I have been gracefully accepted as a son into Eva's family, for which I am very grateful. I have embraced a culture that can be difficult at times, but more often than not, it is a much more user friendly, outgoing, and service oriented society than it gets credit for; I believe my new culture has also embraced me. Despite the distance, I have become closer to my own parents and family. Eva and I both feel at home in our neighborhood, where we chat with the neighbors, wave at the local hairdresser, and take walks or hikes in the area; while Germany is still foreign, I have lived in only one city, my hometown in Texas, longer than I have lived here. I have seen cities, cultures, and things that a small town kid from West Texas could have only dreamed of.

I am living a dream that started as a small seed with my first German class at the University of Colorado. After I started working for Siemens, the seed became a goal, and 5 years ago, this goal became a dream fulfilled. A lot of people ask why I wanted to go to Germany, and it is still a question I cannot fully answer. It was just that way.

I also never thought that I'd be spending my 5 year anniversary, alone, in a hospital.

Yep, a hospital. Last Saturday, I sliced two fingers and ligaments while changing the blade on my lawnmower. Surgery on Saturday and in the hospital until Tuesday. The hospital here is an excellent teaching hospital, but there is no A/C (it was 90+ (30+ C) degrees last week), and you have to pay extra for TV. My iPod and Konrad Adenauer's Erinnerungen (Memoirs) kept me sane while I was there. The frequent visits from Eva also helped a lot. Thankfully, all is OK, and it looks like things are healing fine. Just have to wear a cast for 4 weeks. The doctor wanted me to keep me out of work for 4 weeks, but I negotiated him down to 2 weeks.

Despite the cast, I'm able to do a lot. I've been working a bit from home, but I've been enjoying the extra time with Eva and Quinn.

I know I've been a bit behind with my blog posts of late. My folks were here for two great weeks in Juné. I'll post a longer post of their visit next...even if it is a bit chronologically backwards. Nonetheless, here are a few random pics that I wasn't able to post before my folks got here and a few after their trip. Enjoy.

First, a short film of Quinn Mowing the lawn with his new lawnmower.

Here are a few pre injury pics from early June: go figure, of me and Quinn mowing the lawn.Quinn helping Eva bake a cake: Eva does a great job involving him in our activities. It allows him to do 'big peoples stuff', and it keeps him from screaming.

Quinn has always liked books, but he now picks up the books and plops in your lap. His way of saying: Daddy, read to me. So cute! Note the cast on my fight hand: post injury pic.

Home Alone: Day IV (and points thereafter)

OK...I admit it, it took me a while to post the final day of our Men's Weekend (also known as Eva's girls weekend). But the highlights were pretty simple:

First: go running and hit the playground. It still amazes me how fearless Quinn is, like most kids are, when he's climbing the steps to the slide. I guess that will change after he busts his head a few times.Then we had to clean up our mess that we created the previous 4 days. Quinn was a big help sweeping the condo (this is not a staged pic...he really likes running around the house with the broom or mop).Finally, Eva came back from her trip...and had a sweet gift for Quinn: a (plastic) lawnmower like mine. He had a blast showing me how he thought the lawn should be mowed.

Despite all the fun we had...it was time for Eva to be back home to both of her boys. I'm glad I got to have the weekend, as I think it allowed me some good quality and quantity time with Quinn...and I definitely learned a lot. I'm hoping that Eva will have another girls weekend ... but not too soon ;-)

The week was relatively quiet. Today we got out after Quinn's nap to catch the last lap of the Bayern Rundfahrt, a multi stage tour of Bavaria. The final stage was today, and the finish line was practically in our backyard.

Quinn had a blast with all of the flags. Who are those folks on the bikes, anyway. While Quinn was checking out miscellaneous stuff on the streets, Eva was noticing the legs of the pro riders, and I was checking out their bikes! Wow!Then, we hit one of the biergartens that is close to home. They have a small playground for kids so the parents can eat and drink in some semblance of peace while the kids get dirt.

Back to work tomorrow. It has been in the 90's the last week (32 C), so our office will be nice and warm on Monday. There is no AC in my office complex, so the building can get pretty warm. The blinds are automated to keep the sun out, but after a week of such warm weather, it can get pretty unbearable in the afternoons. Then, add the suits and ties of our office attire, and it gets even more difficult.

Home Alone: Day III

Day three of being home alone with Quinn. The weather was awesome, so I wouldn't have to redo my plans. My strategy remained the same: tire the little guy out. Quinn was good to me and slept in until 7am. After a quick breakfast (which included banana #1), I packed Quinn in his hiking backpack and we hit the trails in the forest that is within walking distance from our house.
He didn't look too thrilled in the pic above, but once I started walking, all was fine. We stopped at a playground along the way so he could move around a bit. After the almost 3+ hour hike, we headed to the playground near our place. It was almost 1pm by the time we got home. Quinn was pooped and didn't complain a bit as I put him to bed.

...two hours pass...

I had planned to take Quinn to the 1pm baseball game, but there was no way he could have enjoyed it, and I didn't want to break up a good nap. We showed up a bit late for the 330pm game...just in time for a 5 run 2nd inning. Quinn sat still for about a half inning, then he was up and about for the next 2.5 innings - checking everything out.
There weren't many folks in the stands for us to bother...but he played his 'cute toddler' role really well, and folks were gooing and gaaing over him. A minor crisis almost hit when one guy started eating a banana. Thankfully, he finished quickly, but about an inning later, Quinn remembered the guy and started toward his cooler. I somewhat embarassingly mentioned that Quinn saw him eating the banana, and that Quinn really like bananas. The guy was super cool and mentioned that he had plenty more...and gave one to Quinn.

Quinn was stoked (banana #2)...I was embarassed that I forgot a banana (I brought water and cookies, but they stand no chance vs. bananas).

That was Quinn's first baseball game. The only thing missing was my father (not exactly easy to fly up from TX for a game), but I know he was thinking about us. I was about 5 when we went to our first game at the old Vet in Philly, and I have many, many good memories with my father and baseball games - too many to mention.

He was always very happy and very relaxed at ball games. We saw just about everything one could see - from extra innings, to grand slams, to the cycle, to Harry Carey. We have seen many stadiums - from Wrigley, to Fenway, to the 'Stick...back in the day when ballparks were called 'Candlestick' and not 'Bank One Ballpark'. I learned a lot of wisdom from my dad at ballparks...and most importantly, I learned to love baseball. I look forward to when three generations of Robert Goulds can head to a game together. I'll bring the bananas.

We were in for a huge surprise when a football game started up in the field next to the baseball 'stadium'. Cool: two for the price of one (entry was free anyway). It was a bit odd to see football played in the summer, but I wasn't going to complain.

Quinn seemed to enjoy the action with football better...

...or perhaps he just liked hanging out with the cheerleaders. The opposing team actually had cheerleaders. Their cheers were in English (the girls were German), and their timing was really good. Quinn stared at them for a while, but I think he thought the pom poms were really shiny.

There were some good players, and the game had the feel of a Freshman or JV game. It was very surreal to see football in Germany, with a mix of German/English being spoken by the players. I heard a lot of comments from the fans admitting their unfamiliarity with the rules...but at least they were out there enjoying the day and supporting their team.

After the games, I went for a quick jog and pushed Quinn in his Jogger. When we got home, I worked in the garden, and Quinn organized his stone pile. He HAS to find the biggest stone in the pile and throw it in our flowerbed. Don't know what he has against little rocks, or why he thinks that our flowers like the company of large, airborne rocks.

Before I knew it, it was 630pm. Past Quinn's normal bedtime...and he hadn't eaten dinner yet (banana #3 was mashed in his müsli). I quickly stripped him down in the yard and tried to spray off the dirt with the garden hose. He DID NOT like that. That will change.

He was out like a light at 7. The little guy had a very busy day ... we were outside almost the whole day. Frische Luft macht müde (Fresh air makes you tired, as the German saying goes).

I finished the day by grilling green asparagus (Asparagus is a huge delicacy here...mostly white asparagus) topped with a tomato / feta salad. I'm probably the only person in Germany that grills green asparagus, but it is very tasty. Then, I worked in the garden some more.

Unfortunatly, all of my tulips are now dead...but the pic below (from early May) shows about half of them in full bloom.

Eva comes back home tomorrow evening, and both of her boys are looking forward to having her home...but we'll have another busy day, weather pending...

Home Alone: Day II

The day started at 6am, when Eva's alarm went off...which woke Quinn up. I saw him playing with Eva's alarm clock...and I guess he turned on the alarm. Aaargh! I was up up til 1am the night before doing very importing web surfing while listening to music. A beer or two was also involved.

After breakfast (and some coffee for me), I cheated a bit and dropped Quinn off at day care today (which was planned...and not a spur of the moment decision so that I could get more sleep). But don't fret...I didn't just sit at home and surf the web. I hit the grocery store and stocked up for my folks visit in a few weeks, and I also hit another store to stock up on diapers and wet wipes (Feuchttücher). This may seem trivial to the US audience, but with only one car, you need to stock up on the things that don't fit in bike saddlebags when you can.

I know you're thinking that I took a nap: I didn't. I went on a two hour ride on my bike. The weather wasn't all that great, but you get out when you can.

After I picked up Quinn, we hit the Obi (Home Depot like store) on the way home to look at the hamsters and fish. Quinn was stoked: he knew exactly where he was, and headed straight for the fish. They even have tanks at his line of sight. He greets the fish by banging on the tank. They love it...and scatter.

When we got home, my beef broth was about finished cooking. I made this from scratch after my ride as the base for the chili that I wanted to make for dinner. It took about another 1.5 hours to finish the chili...thankfully, Quinn played really well by himself.

Afterwards, we played in the yard...and Quinn helped me sweep the porch. (I mowed the lawn as well...as I pat myself on the back).

Don't tell mom that I let him go around barefoot.I give the little guy credit: he doesn't want to be fed anymore. He wants to do it himself. The problem is that he can't really get all of the food from the spoon to his mouth. I think this has a similar frustrating effect as on us non chopstick users at a chinese restaurant: the food just doesn't get in his mouth fast enough. Quinn is pretty practical about this issue: he just uses his left hand to scoop more food in his mouth.

This really grosses me out. (you can barely see the spoon in the pic in Quinn's right hand as it is moving super fast to Quinn's mouth).

After cleaning up a bit and putting Quinn to bed, I finished the evening by enjoying the stereo at a volume louder than I'm normally allowed. But, the Brazilians above us are having a party and Quinn sleeps like a stone...so who cares...

Tomorrow, if the weather holds up, we'll go for a hike and catch a White Sox game. The Erlangen White Sox for Quinn's first baseball game.

I'm sure I should go to bed now, but I'll probably piddle a bit longer...gotta figure out the hike for tomorrow...

Home Alone

Quinn and I are home alone this weekend. Eva is enjoying a well deserved girls weekend, and Quinn and I have a very busy man's weekend planned. Today is a holiday in Germany (Fronleichnam / Corpus Christi), and Friday is one of those famous Bridge Days (e.g. hardly anyone goes to work), so we have a long weekend.

There will be no doing dishes, cleaning up, washing hands, tidying up, bedtimes, and the like while I'm in charge. And, we'll be wearing our shoes in the house, and I'll be eating dinner in front of the computer while surfing.

...ok, maybe I talk a big talk...but it is fun to act tough. Quinn and I walked with Eva to the bus stop. Quinn didn't feel like riding in his stroller, but he really had a blast riding Eva's suitcase like a horse. I must have said 'hold on' and 'be careful' about a 1000 times.My strategy has been to keep Quinn fully busy, and we have been running through the house a bit (he busted his head twice), and playing with blocks. I went jogging with him, and went to the park for a while.

I'm probably being the typical proud parent, but I find it amazing how fearless he is at the playground. He's pretty much the youngest (and therefore smallest) kid there, and he just does his thing. I'm paranoid that one of the bigger kids is going to run over him because they don't see him.

He can now climb up the stairs to the big slide. I spot him on his way up since the steps are pretty steep, and he waits for me to get back down before he slides. Really cute. He also really likes to scoop up the sand and make piles. Very cool in the huge sandbox...not cool when he does it in our flowerbeds. Little guy is probably confused: it is OK on the playground, but not in the flowerbed. Stupid parent logic.

Take me home...

Since I (Eva) started working part-time at the beginning of May, my opportunities to go home and see my family and friends there will be rather limited in the future. So, I took a long weekend over another German holiday and went home for 5 days. The weather was fantastic and Quinn and I had a great time.

My friend Susi and her daughter Emma came over one afternoon and we played in the garden.


Quinn also helped Opa plant some new flowers. He loved his ride in the wheelbarrow.

Another afternoon, my grandparents, aunt and uncle and my cousin Lea came over. We had cake and coffee - of course - and Quinn loved the strawberry cake. I honestly think he liked the strawberries better than than the cake...

Here is Quinn looking at the airplanes with his great-grandmother.

After a couple months of just destroying towers of blocks other people had set up, Quinn now builds the towers himself. And the cutest thing is that every time he puts one piece on top of the other, he claps and laughs and giggles. That is so cute!

Quinn and Opa! And Quinn and Lea!

Here is Quinn with Lea and Oma - and the monkey! The monkey sings a song when you squeeze his hand and Quinn squeezes it over and over and over. And enjoys it as if he heard it for the very first time...

Beginning of the Hiking Season

May 1st (a holiday in Germany) is traditionally the beginning of the hiking season. So, this year, we got together with our friends Tanja & René and their son Henrik and went on a 3-hour-hike. The weather was nice but it was a little bit chilly in the beergarden at the end.

Rob and René with the kids on their backs.
Quinn and Henrik on the slide.

The Goulds! We had a great day and hope for many more hikes to come this summer!

Eatin' Fiend

Don't know where he got it, but Quinn really likes eating. At day care, he always gets a smiley face for eating. A few days ago, he got bread with jam on it, and he kept letting the teachers know that he wanted more...and he ate, and ate, and ate. They eventually gave up, and quit feeding him.

It's not like we don't feed him. He just likes eating. Definitely a trait from both sides of his family....and when he's hungry and doesn't get food right away (especially in the morning), he gets mad in a hurry (also from both sides of his family).

Glad the kid likes to eat. He's also not really picky. He's eaten just about every veggie one could get; he prefers bananas to anything else (don't even think about showing him a banana if you don't plan on giving it to him).

But, today took the cake: he ate his first Crayon. Oh, the joys of a curious (and hungry) one year old.

Scary People

I've been debating whether to make this post or not. On one hand, I don't want to be a part of hysteria...adding fuel to the fire. On the other hand, a look back at the grim reality of our world can help to resensitize us to these realities.

At the end of the day, there are some very, very scary people in this world. While I believe that the great majority of people are good, there is enough bad stuff out there to make us, especially as parents, take those extra precautions to help protect our, and our neighbors', children.

For those of you in the US, you might have seen some of the headlines on CNN about the man in Austria that has been accused of locking his then 18 year old daughter in his basement for 24 years. The information is coming out slowly, but the current accusations state that she was raped by her father since she was 11. At 18, she was then handcuffed in the soundproofed basement, with no light and was beat and raped for the next 24 years by her father. She gave birth to 7 children from her father during this time. Her father made an elaborate story that the daughter ran away from home. Three of her children were 'left' at the doorstep and raised by her father and mother.

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/04/28/austria.cellar/index.html
http://us.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/05/05/austria.incest/index.html

A bit closer to home, and a few days before this story broke, we heard from one of the parents in our neighborhood, that one of the neighborhood girls was approached by a man asking her to come with him (presumably in his car). Thankfully, she knew not to go with him, but it is something that you don't think can happen 'here'.

It truly takes a village to raise a child...teach your children well, keep your eyes and ears open, and never talk to strangers.

Those addages from my parents are still valid today...

Girlfriends

Quinn was really busy this week keeping all his girlfriends happy... Going to day care in the morning, he only has the afternoon left to keep up with all his friends.

Here is Quinn spending a wonderful, sunny afternoon with Anna at the playground.



Yesterday we had Manuela and her daughter Johanna visit from Munich. We spent a great day/afternoon together and really enjoyed it. Johanna is almost 5 months old now and really seemed to enjoy Quinn - who was doing quite a show for her!Quinn read to Johanna...

... and let her play with his favorite toy: the police car!

Little Explorer

Quinn started walking all by himself about a month ago and is getting better and better. He even tries to run but that doesn't work really well yet.
So, today, as we were walking to the garage, he wanted to pick up a leaf. And I don't know what he did and how he did it, but he fell right on his head. And now he has this big bruise on his foreheard! It looks awful because it is swollen and red and blue. But, I guess this just gives us an idea of what there is to come! We'll post again by the end of summer...;-)

Frühlingshochzeit - Spring Wedding

Last weekend we were invited to my cousin Philipps and his wife Doros "spring wedding" in Hattingen. We enjoyed getting together with the family and had a wonderful time. Thank you, Philipp and Doro!

We tried to take a family picture but Quinn would not let go off the Pretzel he was eating. I tried... as you can see in the first picture. So, Quinn is basically eating in 90% of the pictures that were taken.

My Dad thought it would be a good idea to let Quinn go down the slide. Quinn really enjoyed it. He enjoyed it so much that when my Dad thought 'two times should be enough' Quinn kept on walking back to the slide wanting to go down again... and again... and again...
Here is a picture of Quinn at the dinner table. Thanks Kocka! We love that pic!
And here is another one of Quinn - eating...;-)

Big Boy

Quinns first day in day care was on the 7th of April. So far, he is doing really well and after me being there with him for 3 days, we even started separating. He is becoming a big boy...