I made it!

So I arrived in Germany on Friday afternoon, and everything's been a little crazy since then. The kids and I are all way to excited, and the family just got back from a 3 week vacation, so it's taking some time for everything to normalize. But I finally got my internet setup, so now I can start posting my pictures and keeping everyone updated on what's going on over here.

On Saturday morning, Olaf and Esther went to Ikea to buy me a new bed. (They love Ikea over here!) There was already a futon for me to sleep on in my room and it was pretty comfortable, but they thought that it was too big and wanted to give me more space. They also gave me a TV, a satellite receiver, a radio, and a lounge chair. My room is awesome!

So far Gustav and Pauline seem to like me pretty well. Although there are of course times when they don't want anyone but Mom, they're otherwise comfortable with coming to me when they get hurt, or when they want to be picked up, or when they want to sit in my lap. They're too cute. Things might be a little difficult for a while though, because Olaf and Esther want me to only speak to the kids in English, and they don't understand a word I'm saying. So no matter how many times I say "Gustav, don't hit your sister," all he hears is "Gustav, ..." Pauline seems to be picking up on a few things, though. In particular I think she understands when I say "your head" or "are you hurt?" But considering that she's 2, and therefore she's always hitting her head and everything hurts, that makes sense.


Yesterday I got to meet Grandpa and Amelie, the dog. She's so sweet, and very well behaved. But I've been told that she likes to display her dominance, so I have to watch out for dogs, joggers, and anyone sitting/laying on the ground. That sounds pretty bad, but she's actually a really good, well trained dog and I don't think there should be any problems if I pay attention.

Oh, and it's been raining, or at least overcast, the whole time I've been here. So far I'm absolutely loving this! We'll see how long it lasts, considering that tomorrow I really start working :)