The week recap

I haven't posted in a while, and guess it is about time.
Last week Saturday, we spent a busy day helping my friend Mandy move into her new home. It seems almost impossible to believe that less than a year ago, we were quite concerned that Mandy would be moving to Cuba. A year later, she bought her own beautiful apartment. After helping her move some things, we had a great last barbacue at her old apartment. It was fun to see some old friends who I used to work with, and to meet some new ones.
It was also a chance for me to debut my cake creation: a carrot cake in the shape of a house! I got lots of complements, so I guess it was okay!

Last Monday marked a great day in my communicative life. I got contact lenses in Stuttgart, and completed the entire process in German! I was able to communicate all my needs and questions, and got exactly what I was looking for. Best thing, I even was able to understand the ordering process! My celebratory Starbucks following my contact lens outing tasted soooo good!

The rest of the past week was pretty normal. Joern and I have been working on adding more storage in the apartment, and are in the process of an entire apartment upheval. We added a new closet in our bathroom, and one in the bedroom. It is something strange to Americans, but homes in Germany come with no built-in storage. All closets and shelving, even the kitchen, must be supplied by the owner or tennant. Sadly, as we add more closets, the smaller the apartment becomes. At least we found a great closet design program on IKEA's website, which is lots of fun!

In German news, directors at the Wilhelma Zoo in Stuttgart officially presented its newest resident, baby Wilbaer to the media. While it seems like German polar bears are particularly proliferant, Wilbaer's mom Corinna has proved to be an excellent mom (quite unlike the mothers of Knut and Flocke.)Chalk it up to good old Swabian conservative values, said Joern this morning. If Corinna didn't live up to the high Swabian standards of motherhood, imagine how the neighbors would talk! It's like Kehrwoche (see previous post,) your life is mush if you don't do what is expected of you! We are excited for the Wilhelma Zoo, as a baby will bring lots of press to this wonderful zoo.

And on Thursday evening, we watched our favorite show, "Goodbye Deutschland," and were surprised to find a story of two Germans who moved to Bridgeport, CT!!! They relocated for jobs in a dance studio in Norwalk. It is so exciting to see home on TV in Neckartailfingen!!

We're looking forward to a good week. Our trip to Mallorca over Easter Break is booked. We leave in 14 days!