(11/03/2020 – 11/02/2021)
Pure variety / Pure excitement / Pure experiences -> A strong family
We were officially here in the USA two years ago and have not regretted it! Time flies, and we live and love our dream in this great country where things are possible that we would never have dreamed of in Germany.
One outstanding example of what is actually “impossible” is Celina’s performance at school. Although, while in Germany, she was an average student at best, she has become a top student and the teachers’ favorite. And this is even though she started with very few language skills at Austin High School two years ago and had to go into remote learning for a year and a half after only four months. In Germany, we would have had to look for an apprenticeship this summer at the latest and wouldn’t even have known what would be best for her.
Our move to the new apartment has been perfect for all of us because it is significantly quieter and more pleasant than our previous apartment. The room layout is much better for our purposes, and we love the fireplace. In addition, Celina’s room is bigger than the previous one, so there is even more room for clothes and clothes and clothes and shoes and, and, and….
After our eventful trips to Louisiana (December 2020) and Florida (January 2021), the snowpocalypse followed at the end of January and February. But we definitely don’t have to experience this adventure with snow, 5°F, power outages, and several days without water a second time.
Unfortunately, we also had to accept a heavy loss in the second year of our presence in the USA. Grandpa Peter went over the Rainbow Bridge in February, and we wished he could have seen and experienced all this still. So, in his memory (and to say goodbye in our own way), we flew to Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon in March. We couldn’t miss the cacti at Saguaro National Park, so we flew back to Austin from Phoenix.
Since June, Andrea has been under contract with a new employer and is now working for a global player (whom everyone knows but whose name we are not allowed to say) in a job that would have been unthinkable in Germany without years of training, and which also brings a few more dollars into the bank account. Matthias is still working as a self-employed person for German companies. So on the work side, everything is in the green. And because Andrea had to wait two weeks for her announced work materials, we used the time for a trip to California.
The summer vacations passed very quickly, and school was about to start. Until shortly before, no one knew whether the school would be held in person, remotely, or in a mixed form. In the end, however, the “in-person” version was chosen, which was convenient for us as parents and the best format for the students. And with the beginning of school – in the meantime, Celina’s Junior Year – also the Balett Folklorico with Celina as an officer started into a new season, which now no longer consisted of dancing alone at home in front of the computer.
Also, in the fall, we made numerous trips to the near and far surroundings and discovered our passion for photography for us (again). Thank goodness, thanks to digital technology, we no longer have to have our photos developed in a lab. Otherwise, we would already be broken. So our hard drive, which holds several terabytes, gets notoriously full, so the purchase of another one will soon be necessary.
The pandemic is unfortunately still an essential part of everyday life, although it is pretty bearable here in Texas (in terms of restrictions) (well, there are almost none).
We are now glad that as of 11/08, visits from Germany will be allowed again and are already looking forward to the long-awaited visitors. And when Lufthansa flies to our little capital airport again sometime, we can go to Germany again to pick up the rest of our stuff.
We made our resolution to experience the country this year and have been to many fantastic places.
We plan to continue exploring the country for the third year and possibly visit Germany. Celina will likely also participate in an Eastern Europe tour (organized by Austin High School – teachers), which will take her to Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary. She will also complete an internship with a photographer. And then it’s also time for the college applications …
So we are excited to see what the third year has in store for us, and, by the way, we are always happy to receive postcards!
And one final note …
Many people think that we are only on vacation here, that we are constantly on the road, that we have a cash cow in our backyard and that it is so much easier to come to Germany than it would be in the opposite direction. We can only counter this with the following: We work a lot and hard here, even on weekends (unless we are on vacation or the road), to earn our living! Unfortunately, we don’t have the cash cow because we don’t have a garden, but you only live once, and we want to make the most of our time. We have done that before, only that we have not communicated it in a big way! And traveling to Germany is not more accessible for us either. Currently, our airport is not served from Germany, so we would first have to accept a not insignificant journey (about four h) to Houston or Dallas. And last, we would have to pay one and a half times the airfare (yes, it is more expensive to book a flight from the USA to Germany and back than vice versa).