Updates!

Hello my dear friends. I'll be the first to admit that I've been very, very neglectful of haus maus lately (the blog). But haus maus (the girl, me) is busy, busy, busy! I feel like my new city is the biggest piece of cheese on earth and my little whiskers and ears have been twitching from all the exploring and fun... it's so cool to live in a country that is so different from where I grew up. I imagine moving to England would have been a transition for me but wow, a non-English speaking country is quite a way to give yourself a test and challenge! I'm learning the language though (German) and doing pretty decent with it. Thanks to my friend Esra and my other friend Katrine (she is learning English), I'm doing "word of the day" with my husband and each day I have a new word to study and learn. I've learned a bunch of words since I arrived here. My vocabulary is pretty extensive for a beginner, I'm also trying to form sentences. It's FUN to learn German. There are so many similarities in the language to English and well, I guess that's to be expected if you study the origins of English! But it's pretty fun to come across words that I have always known but didn't realize that they were really German. Aside from the language, I've been exploring my new city and registering for this program and that pass and this card and so far, I'm doing good. Lots of foreigners in Germany scared me to death about all the "red tape" here and how hard it would be to register, apply for a visa, get health insurance, etc. but honestly it's been painless because my husband speaks German and IS German and so we basically get everything we need without question. The immigration office here was SO laid back, the moment they found out I was from America they treated me like gold -- total red carpet treatment.

I've really enjoyed exploring my neighborhood, I walk EVERYWHERE and love NOT having a car because it's forcing me to get to know my surroundings quite thoroughly. I went to a "gartenhaus" community this past weekend by train and then bus, which was fun because it was about an hour commute and I was able to see lots of areas I'd not yet seen yet on foot. I love Germans. I mean, I love the ones I've met and made friends with. I don't know why people say they are so cold and rude, I've not found this to be the case in all the years I've been visiting here and especially now. Maybe they just love Americans or perhaps it's my charming personality (laughing as I type this) but I get treated so well - better than back "home" in the states. And I've already made many friends, and I've not even been here a month. Yay! I find Hannover to be a very friendly city.

These photos may be a bit boring to you, I know... but they are of a shop I enjoy here (Oleander) where bath oils and soaps are sold (and handmade there in the shop) and of a pretty banner flying over a balcony that I spotted and loved...

And of course this bookcase. It's random, I know. But in Hannover a few of these community bookcases exist. They are located a various locations stocked with donated books. The rule is you take some books and replace them with those you no longer want. Isn't this a brilliant idea and a great way to encourage reading and recycling? I love it and would really like to see this in some of the cities I've visited back in the states. It's a great concept.

So... That's all for now. I have SO much to share and say but my head is spinning around as I'm absorbing so much and doing so many things that I can't even form proper sentences right now! But please know that I think of the haus maus blog and all of you very frequently and I'll do better about writing more often after the Summer ends. We've have sunshine and gorgeous weather for the entire time I've been here, no rain at all (only after midnight, dry by morning), so I've not spent a ton of time on the computer. But once the weather changes and becomes gray, I will be indoors more writing to you here my dear friends. Promise. And with that, I'll share a great deal more as well. Tschüß! xo