Author Archives: Trysta

die Übersetzung (the translation)

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We have had our household goods for nearly a month now. We have had Internet installed for over a week. However, we are still without television. The first time the Deutsch Telekom gentlemen were here they were unsuccessful at getting the cable to work correctly on the TV. They returned a second time and came to the conclusion that it is not their problem because the cable connection is working….and it is our TV that is “broken”.

Sadly, they are right. If we connect the cable set-up to the 15 inch, $99, Walmart-special, TV we can watch perfect cable…in German. When we connect the big, expensive, TV we get nothing! After hours of researching (is it a HDMI issue? PAL conversion problem? Do we even want to watch TV again? Do we have to buy a European television too?) we settled on ordering a converter from Amazon. Hopefully we will actually have our hands on it in 60-90 days!

All these headaches lead us to the fun discoveries in the electronics department of the local department store. Without television, we figured we would start watching movies in German with English subtitles. We bought a region-free DVD player and then headed to the movie section.

The covers of the movies are generally the same as in the US. It was “Little Fockers” that tipped me off to differences in translation. An entire three weeks of Intensive German classes means that I can actually understand every single word of the title of “Little Fockers”! Yeah!! However, it definitely doesn’t translate directly.

Joe and I wandered around all the movies and laughed at the titles that got lost in translation. “Money Pit” is my favorite! The German title of “The Dilemma” should have some familiar words too!! Check out these beauties below….

Movie Cover

German Title

Translation

English Title
     Meine Frau, unsere  Kinder, und ich  My Wife, Our Kids, and I  Little Fockers
  Mein Schatz, unsere Familie und ich My Sweetie, Our Families and I Four Christmases
  Freundschaftplus Friendship Plus Friends with Benefits
   Jungfrau(40), männlich, sucht…  Virgin (40), male, searches…  The 40 Year Old Virgin
   Geschenkt ist noch zu teuer  Gift is still too expensive  Money Pit
   Wenn Liebe  so einfach wäre  If love would be so simple  It’s Complicated
    Zeiten des Aufruhrs  Times of turmoil  Revolutionary Road
   Dickste Freunde  The Thickest Friends  The Dilemma

 

der Kalender

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Oh my goodness, I can not even explain the craziness of the last 2+ months! I know that lots of other people have done this with ease, but it has been a challenging adventure for us. To list all of the to-do items, legalities, frustrations, and logistical nightmares would take me countless hours and bore you into never returning to read. If you are really interested, you can reference Joe’s reports for the Olmsted Foundation for the next three years.

I want to give my family and in-laws a special Shout Out – thank you for listening, supporting, and doing everything in your power to make the challenges and changes easier. Surprisingly, Kenny said it best when he discovered me on the stairs in an overwhelming moment of tear-filled realization: “This is a good thing.”

Yes…it is. Thanks Dad.        

Here is a synopsis of the calendar:

  • June 24 – July 29: Institute craziness (Trysta working 12 hrs/day)
  • July 15 – 16: Travel toVirginia
  • July 17: Organize and prep for movers and packers
  • July 18: First day of living out of suitcase
  • July 19 -21: Movers, packers, storage and household goods shipments
  • July 20: Partridge renter visits for first time
  • July 25: Ship car
  • July 28: Lease finalized with renter
  • July 29: Joe leaves New Jersey for Ohio
  • July 31: Joe leaves Ohio for Florida
  • August 1: Trysta moves out of Partridge and onto base, renter moves into Partridge
  • August 3: Trysta drives New Jersey to Wayne, IL
  • August 4: Joe arrives in Wayne from Florida
  • August 9: Joe and Trysta drive Wayne to University of Kentucky
  • August 11: Joe and Trysta drive Kentucky to Tennessee
  • August 14: Joe and Trysta driveTennessee to Wayne (via Kentucky)
  • August 15: Joe drives Illinois to New Jersey and moves onto base TLF (Temporary Lodging Facility)
  • August 20: Trysta flies Illinois to Virginia, Joe drives New Jersey to Virginia
  • August 21: Trysta, Joe, & Stickford drive Virginia to New Jersey
  • August 23: East Coast Earthquake (Trysta at work in Philly, Joe at TLF in New Jersey)
  • August 26: Trysta & Joe last trip to New York City
  • August 27-28: Hurricane Irene sweeps eastern seaboard
  • August 31: Depart for Stuttgart, Germany
  • September 1: Arrive Stuttgart, move into Army Post hotel, car is here!
  • September 5: Drive Stuttgart to Freiburg for apartment walk-through and key pick-up
  • September 7: Joe and Trysta pass German driving test and finally get possession of car
  • September 8: Leave Stuttgart, arrive Ramstein Air Force Base to drop off Joe’s pilot records
  • September 11: Leave Ramstein AFB, arrive Freiburg im Breisgau…..finally!
  • September 13: Washer and dryer arrive from Stuttgart, household goods are not yet in-country
  • September 15: After 5 trips to T-Mobile, we finally have cell phones
  • September 17-21: Munich trip
  • September 29: Household goods finally arrive!….very late
  • October 4: Language training starts
  • October 7-9: Anniversary trip to Bodensee
  • October 11: Internet and phone installed in apartment….after six weeks of waiting.

A huge thank you to my brother for all his help with this blog. I don’t know what I would do without your technical expertise! Vielen dank, Bruder!

der Hochzeitstag

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If you were to tell me eleven years ago that I would spend my wedding anniversaries with the guy from SCUBA class in the pink towel, I probably would have given you a sideways look and then ignored you. If you told me eleven years ago that I would spend my 6th wedding anniversary in Germany, and visit four countries in one day…with the guy from SCUBA class in the pink towel, I would have pushed you in the pool!

At the recommendation of our friends in Munich, we decided to spend the weekend in Lindau, Germany. Our plans were made prior to the arrival of our household goods. In the middle of unpacking, I was excited to discover that The Bodensee (Lake Constance) is in the book! It must be a sixth sense.

The Bodensee (as it is called in Duetschland) is Germany’s largest lake. Lake Constance (as it is called in all other countries) shares borders with Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. We headed to Lindau Insel, which is a tiny little island founded in the ninth century. The town harbor is flanked by the Neuer Leuchtturm (lighthouse) and Löwenmole (lion, symbol of the German state of Bavaria). The island is mainly pedestrian-only, and has fantastic views of Austria and Switzerland. Picturesque!

Lindau Insel, Germany

Since Joe and I are still translating the dog-sitter advertisements, Liv was in-tow for the adventure. The plan was to take a boat trip onto the lake and venture into the Austrian and Swiss waters. Rain and bad-seas cancelled our excursion, but we still enjoyed wandering around the town, braving the rain, and taking a million pictures. Since it is off-season the town was really winding down and getting ready to hibernate. So, we decided to head out early on Sunday morning and see the other parts of the Bodensee via car.

With all of Sunday as our oyster, here comes the crazy plans that only the Walls (mostly Joe) could concoct for one day’s travel! We decide to take the long-way home, around the southeast corner of the lake, and hit a different country for each meal.

Breakfast: Bregenz, Austria, Country #1. Only a 20 minute drive from Lindau, Bregenz was just starting its Sunday morning. We had the most delectable breakfast of waffles and apple strudel and then took a trip on the Pfänder (cable car) for an amazing view of Lake Constance and all three countries. I can’t image what these hills would look like covered in snow!

Bregenz, Austria ~ View from the Pfander of deer and Lake Constance

Lunch: Arbon, Switzerland, Country #2. About an hour and a half from Bregenz, Arbon is one of several Swiss towns that enjoy the Lake. We found a walking path right on the water, swans included, and sat with Liv to enjoy lunch with a view! Thank goodness the rain had stopped, or this adventure would not have been as idyllic.

Arbon, Switzerland ~ Lake Constance

Snack: Colmar, France, Country #3. To be honest, Colmar doesn’t sit on the Bodensee, and France has no coastline on Lake Constance, but by this point we were on a role and figured that one more country couldn’t hurt. Colmar is about two hours from Arbon, and only 40 minutes from our flat in Freiburg. We walked around and basically made a list of all the things we wanted to do and see there, since it is so close. Including the Bartholdi Museum (designer of the Statue of Liberty), who hails from Colmar. A warm croissant to go, please!

Colmar, France

Dinner: Freiburg, Germany, Country #4. Back home for dinner.

Whew!!! Personal record there. Great weekend! Now back to studying.