Saturday, June 1, 2013

Frequently Asked Questions



(In order of frequency, usually uttered after "I thought you were gone already." )

When are you leaving?
We are leaving Silver City on June 10th, flying out of El Paso on June 11th.

Are you excited?
Excited is not the right word... ready, happy, a little apprehensive, a little sad.

Is Lucy going?
Absolutely. She has been test-sleeping in her kennel for the past few weeks. And no, she won't have to be in quarantine.

What about Charlie? (Variation: Are you and Charlie still together?)
We are as committed to each other as ever.  Due to the lack of a trust fund, one of us still has to generate an income as we figure out the plan for the next few years. I am very grateful that he is creating this opportunity for us. Parts of this transition will be hard - being away from each other for extended periods of time. He will visit whenever he can fit it in one of his east coast trips (which are monthly currently).

Are the kids excited?
Again, the word does not describe the mix of feelings. Of course they will miss their friends.

What schools are the kids going to?
Benny will go to Rothenburg-Grundschule, the neighborhood elementary school. It is Montessori based, with mixed age classrooms. Rothenburg happens to be co-located with my former high school:

Rory and Ruby will most likely attend Nelson Mandela School, a public international school. Instruction is 50% English / 50% German, and their peers will be kids from all over the world with all kinds of sketchy education histories - R&R will be right at home. More importantly, NMS features a skateboard locker room.

What are you going to do?
My priority is to support the kids as they get used to new schools and the language. I am looking for a part-time job, or I might do some contract work. I am also thinking about going back to school, teaching and/or getting another degree. Or I could make tens of dollars blogging.

Where are you going to live?
Schmidt-Ott Strasse 5a, in Berlin Steglitz. This is in southwest of the city, a 10 minute walk from my mom's house, in a leafy green older neighborhood on a hill called Fichtenberg. We have a four-bedroom apartment on the ground floor and from the kitchen you step into a little garden. The farmers market, business district and subway stop are ten minutes away. The botanical garden and the Fichtenberg park are a short walk down the street, good news for Lucy. We are across the street from this water tower, built in 1886:

Are you coming back?
too early to tell! Ask us again in 2014.

How will you stay in touch?
email, facebook and this blog. You can stay in touch by visiting us! Plenty of couchsurfing space.

How was your trip?
Umh...we didn't go yet.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Oh - thought at first the water tower was your new house. Less envious, but still I am going to miss you all so much! This last week has been full of memories of the last 16 years, all the births, all the changes, all the love! Elizabeth aka Aha.

Unknown said...

Just had a chance to check out the Nelson Mandela School site. Really glad for you and the kids to have this opportunity. Hope you are doing well. Thinking of you recovering from jet
lag on the beach!