Challenges / Herausforderungen

Now that we have been here for ten days and our apartment is finally cleaned up and is starting to feel a little bit like home, there has been time to reflect on some of the challenges we have faced. While it is usually great, it has not all been bliss. Here are our top three struggles...

Friends: Nikolas is hungry for other children. He misses his Pennington buddies terribly and the easiness of being with other kids back in New Jersey. Last weekend he met a three year old boy named Nicola whose grandmother lives in the building next door. They played soccer for a while, but then Nicola went home. It didn't matter to Nikolas that Nicola speaks Bosnian. When Nikolas hears kids voices outside, he runs to the window to see what potential playmate might be out there. School starts this coming week and we hope that it will fill this void.

Language: They really speak German here. All the time. The Salzburg accent is hard to follow, at least I think it is, and even if I was understanding what people were saying, I can't come up with the words to respond. At Ikea last week, I asked a worker where the bedrails were (for Nikolas' bed so he wouldn't keep falling out). There were tons on the display beds, but no tags on any of them to help you find them. Peter prepped me with the right words for my question. I asked and she answered. I have no idea what she said. I improvised and tried asking in a different way. She answered with even more words that I couldn't understand. I have been frustrated quite a few times. Nikolas has been trying to use German words much more readily than I have, and when he does he proudly (and cheerfully) proclaims, "I said it in Germany!"

Living By the Bus: Riding the bus is the main form of transportation for people here (if you aren't on foot or riding a bike). It's efficient and there are bus lines almost anywhere you want to go. It is hard to get used to doing things according to a bus schedule. Our nearest bus leaves every ten minutes. If you miss one because you are fighting with a three-year-old about putting on shoes or the fact that a race track is not an appropriate toy to bring on the bus, it's not usually that big of a deal. But if you are trying to connect to another bus line to go to Ikea, let's say, it matters very much. Quick exits are a work in progress.